If it is just yourself and a spouse, or a travel buddy, get a car with no actual back seat and just enough room for a large suitcase or two smaller bags suitable for a weekend. You’ll get everywhere you need to go and be able to park almost everywhere. Your gas cost will be much lower, freeing up money for a nicer hotel, meal, or additional beer.

Do you have a family that includes an infant? Then, you’ll need a larger vehicle to accommodate the car seat, the diaper bag, and the portable crib. Nowhere in Europe did we find a hotel bed that comfortably fit two parents and a child larger than 20 pounds.

Germany – Large sedans are best for the Autobahn, and driving a Mercedes at 100 MPH is a lot of fun. That’s 161 kilometers per hour if you’re interested. Most of the tourist destinations were fine for large vehicles. Parking near the Brandenburg Gate was easy to get into and out of.

France – The main roads are wide and fun to navigate with even an American full-size van, but some side streets are difficult with a large vehicle. A European-sized sedan is a much better choice, especially if you don’t need a portable crib. It also makes parking far easier in Paris, where there are, in my opinion, three cars for each spot within walking distance of your hotel. As a side note, some French tow truck drivers will take a gratuity to release your vehicle if you catch them during their morning coffee break, and they’re expecting a busy day anyway.

Italy – Good grief, go as small as you can get. We once drove a Dodge Grand Caravan down a side street in Florence (we had a one-year-old with all the gear I mentioned above). I flattened the side mirrors and continued on when it got tight, keeping the driver’s side about an inch from the wall. It got so narrow at one point that my wife and I could see the tires touching the curbs on both sides of the van.

We had a lot of fun and never broke our budget, except once. That wasn’t due to the rental car, but to being able to shop at Louis Vuitton in Paris. It was worth it, though. Twenty years later, my wife still has her two bags, which is another benefit to traveling in Europe.

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