Naples is exactly like Salvador Bahia Brasil entao
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I’m worried my marriage is going to end while driving in a foreign country. My phone is the one with the international plan, and my wife will have it when we are driving to operate Google maps. Occasionally I’ll become uncomfortable with the directions and ask to see my phone. She will assume that I think she’s incompetent and refuse to give it to me. The situation usually deteriorates from there. We are attending a wedding in Guatemala this winter and will need a rental car-- either we’ll return to the US to file divorce papers or be an “American Couple Kidnapped” story on the national news.
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I had no idea about this, but this is a great tip. Then again, chances of my family (3 kids from 2 to 8) going on a trip for more than 2 weeks without all five of us going crazy is minimal, so I don’t know when I’ll use this info, but it’s useful to know 
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I’ve rented cars in France three times. On each return, the cars were checked over with an extremely fine-toothed comb, very much unlike my much more extensive experience in the US. Be sure to document everything little thing with photos when you pick up a car there. And I disagree about French roads: they’re great, much better than many roads in the states.
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To be clear, this is totally different from renting a car. Below is the Renault site. There are separate sites for Citroen, Peugeot, and DS.
This is not a rental but a short-term lease. The first time we did this, we picked up in Rome and dropped off in Barcelona. The second time, picked up in Milan and dropped off in Rome. No extra charge to drop off at a different location. This fall, we’ll be picking up and dropping off in Geneva, though the actual location of the Renault facility is just across the border in France. We’ll see if the French are any more fastidious about looking over the car than the Italians and Spaniards, but I can tell you that they are most definitely NOT particular in Rome and Barcelona. And the website does say that minor scratches and dings are not a problem. I should also note that the pickup/dropoff locations are not as convenient to the airport as a traditional rental car location. You’ll need to arrange transport as they’re usually a 20-30 minute drive from the airport.
I believe the program is a holdover from the Marshall Plan era following WWII in which the French were trying to encourage tourism. Like most government programs, they never really die. The vehicles come with roadside assistance and insurance. The program is most advantageous for longer leases as the daily rate drops for longer rentals. You do have to make arrangements well in advance. Not sure exactly how long, but probably at least two months, as you are essentially ordering and taking delivery of a brand-new car. For two or three-week leases, it is worth comparing to traditional rentals and/or trains for your trip. But for longer stays, it’s kinda a no-brainer.
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the roads are great… the tolls are not great.
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Any tips for Switzerland? Going with family in June. Starting in Geneva but the rest of the trip is fairly open ended given it’s a smaller country
If you want to visit the Super Collider in Geneva… look into tickets NOW!
Annecy is cool (some say it is the Venice of France)… short bus ride from Geneva. Bring your passport as they check on the bus.
Lausanne is an awesome mountain town!
Zermatt is unique as cars are illegal within the village… really cool. In the winter they only drive snow mobiles but the rest of the time is bikes.
4 Valleys - which spills into Italy is beautiful… so is St Moritz, but that is very remote.
The area of Jungfrau is awesome. One of the most challenging marathons in the world is run there.
Zurich is meh in my opinion… just another large European City.
Lake Konstanz… great resort area with part in Switzerland, part in Germany… has a cool island with a butt ton of butterflies. Like more than you can imagine.
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For how long? There’s a ton to do and see and it’s easy to overdo it. It’s generally recommended to pick fewer places and do them more in depth. The Jungfrau region and Luzern were my favorite areas, but Zermatt was also good. Probably my favorite trip of all time, but I’m an avid hiker. You can walk out your hotel and take public transportation all the way to endless amazing hikes.
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Appreciate all the suggestions!
Thanks for the recommendations! We’re not avid hikers but a couple of us are in pretty good cardiovascular shape. Would we need hiking specific experience to handle any of the hikes?
We are going for 9 days
No, the great thing about Switzerland is that the whole country is criss crossed by hiking paths of various levels and there’s tons of transport options. So you can take a lift or funicular up the mountain and then just hike the easy parts.
If you look around on YouTube, there are multiple channels that are dedicated to Switzerland travel recommendations and have guides on the rail passes, etc.
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Appreciate it!!
Agree on Annecy. I spent a week there doing a corporate training thing and it was wonderful. The lake is beautiful, town is super pretty and the scenary all around is spectacular. And its pretty close to Geneva but technically in France.
Also love Geneva. We did a boat tour of the lake around the city and it was fun. My wife was there for a work a few times and did a cheese tour which she said good things about (but that was a while ago).
Funny story about Zurich. We visited Zurich for a few days while living in NYC, and one night we were walking to our dinner reservation at a nearby restaurant but the light was red. No one was coming (and we were New Yorkers), so we get ready to cross against the light. This Swiss grandmother waiting at the light then clears her throat super loudly while staring at us disapprovingly until we backed away from the curb. It was funny, because it totally worked, we stood there chastened until the light changed and then we all crossed together.
Also agree Zurich doesn’t have a lot of character, but the food was great. I’ll see if I can find what restaurants we ate at.
Headed to Tokyo in a couple months with my wife. Any suggestions?
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It will really depend a lot on what you are into. I worked there for a few months in 2008 and got the chance to explore a lot on weekends. Some of my favorites were:
- Asakusa - historic neighborhood with temples and shrines
- Harajuku - wild scene with street musicians, cosplayers
- Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden - very popular, might need to reserve
- Meiji-Jingu Shrine - beautiful setting, best shrine we visited
- Yomiuri Giants Game - all I can say is it is nothing like seeing a game in the states
- Tsukiji Market - worth a visit but even better if you can get an early start (4am) and watch the tuna auction
- Tokyo Tower - another one that is very popular, we went late at night on a weeknight and still had to wait awhile to go up
- Roppongi - wild night life, also a Yakuza hotspot so keep your head on a swivel
Always fun to stroll through Ginza (Rodeo drive of Tokyo). I can’t help with dining suggestions as it was a long time ago and our client pretty much took us out every night (and after a few shochus it all becomes a blur). We took a water taxi thru Tokyo Bay to get to an event in Telecom city–remember the ride on the water was better than the event.
There is just so much to see and do in Tokyo and it runs a gamut. We were not able to see Sumo as it was off season. Also never got to ride the bullet train to Fiji or Kyoto. I will return one day to cross those off my list.
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Thanks! Really helpful.. yeah we are going to
Japan for a music festival but spending a few days on both sides in Tokyo.
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I wanted to HIGHLY recommend the Jungfrau region as well. It’s a bunch of connected mountain towns that feels like it’s own isolated area. Insane views everywhere. You can walk between a few towns, which are proper hikes, or just take the train, or a combination. Restaurants and bars at every stop. Plenty of non intense hiking and walking to do and other activities. Some caves and waterfalls inside the side of a mountain in Lauternbrunnen, activity parks, towns with shopping and restaurant.
My wife and I stayed in the town of Wengen, which runs along the side of a fjord (probably not the right term, but you get the idea). It’s a smaller town but some of the best view and good restaurants (by Swiss standards).
I would suggest 3 full days there at least, and 1-2 in Interlaken, which you have to pass through to get to the Jungfrau region. Lots more to do, including ebiking around the lake with stops along the way.
Some fotos
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This thread is so much more enjoyable than the others right now. I don’t have to open it with a sense of dread. Thanks!
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Thats amazing and looks fake is so nice
For futer reference Fjord is better named Holler
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