I have rented a villa outside Monaco in August... it is located in a
place called Roquebrune Cap Martin. I am traveling with my wife, two
teenage children, and my wife's parents. It would be most convenient
for us to be able to travel throughout the area together... ideally in
a van that will accommodate all six of us. The agency that I've rented
the villa from, however, is suggesting that renting a van is a bad idea
due to the narrow roads and congestion. Putting the six of us in two
small cars doesn't sound like a good idea either, especially trying to
keep together in traffic and having to find nearby parking spaces. I
have to imagine that the streets are full of vans making deliveries to
hotels and shops.... how bad can it be? Any advice appreciated.

Michael W.
Chicago, IL, USA

In article <[email protected]. com>,
"keybdwizrd" <[email protected]> wrote:

    > I have rented a villa outside Monaco in August... it is located in a
    > place called Roquebrune Cap Martin. I am traveling with my wife, two
    > teenage children, and my wife's parents. It would be most convenient
    > for us to be able to travel throughout the area together... ideally in
    > a van that will accommodate all six of us. The agency that I've rented
    > the villa from, however, is suggesting that renting a van is a bad idea
    > due to the narrow roads and congestion. Putting the six of us in two
    > small cars doesn't sound like a good idea either, especially trying to
    > keep together in traffic and having to find nearby parking spaces. I
    > have to imagine that the streets are full of vans making deliveries to
    > hotels and shops.... how bad can it be? Any advice appreciated.

Have you driven in Europe before? because inner-city roads will be
*very* narrow and crowded, compared to Chicago. Parking will probably be
the biggest headache.

I think renting a "minivan"-like vehicle would be best. A French one
like the "Renault Espace" comes to mind, Monaco is probably full of
those anyway... Slightly bigger (wider and higher) than a "normal" car
but very roomy. They seem to be quite popular with renting companies,
because besides tourists/travellers, local people who own a small car
need something big every now and then too.

This is how it looks, also check the interior:
http://www.renault.com/gb/produits/espace.htm

Hope this helps, have a nice trip,
;-)
Lourens

keybdwizrd wrote:

    > I have rented a villa outside Monaco in August... it is located in a
    > place called Roquebrune Cap Martin. I am traveling with my wife, two
    > teenage children, and my wife's parents. It would be most convenient
    > for us to be able to travel throughout the area together... ideally in
    > a van that will accommodate all six of us. The agency that I've rented
    > the villa from, however, is suggesting that renting a van is a bad idea
    > due to the narrow roads and congestion. Putting the six of us in two
    > small cars doesn't sound like a good idea either, especially trying to
    > keep together in traffic and having to find nearby parking spaces. I
    > have to imagine that the streets are full of vans making deliveries to
    > hotels and shops.... how bad can it be? Any advice appreciated.

Two kids and the in-laws? On a vacation? In that case I would recommend
renting a second car. Van rentals are extremely expensive over there, so
renting two cars might actually be cheaper. Not only will it be easier to
find parking spaces, since most of them are small and crowded, but it gives
you a little space, a chance to get away from kids and in laws. On one
group trip I went on we had two cars. One of the couples had a nasty fight
and weren't talking. We split them up, one in one car and one in the other.

Do you really need a rental vehicle? They have great public transit over
there. If the place is anywhere near town an occasional taxi is likely
cheaper than a car rental.

We rented a van in Verona, Italy a few years ago. Our experience was
that we could only get a van with a stick shift. While we can all
drive a standard transmission, it did make the steep hills,
hair-raisingly narrow streets and parking slots designed for teeny cars
a real headache. Not "impossible", but just about always unpleasant.

Two cars is not really a great option either.

I say rent the van, but plan your days/driving carefully. No one
should feel like a martyr for driving. EVERYONE should pack a sense of
humor!!!!! (an essential on any trip, in my humble opinion)

M.M.

keybdwizrd wrote:
The agency that I've rented
the villa from, however, is suggesting that renting a van is a bad idea
due to the narrow roads and congestion.

A few years ago we borrowed a fair sized van from a friend for driving
around Germany and Austria. The worse problem you will have is
parking. Many (most, almost all) parking spaces are not big enough,
and parking garages can be a nightmare as if you're vehicle is too high
you won't be able to enter at all. Sure, local businesses make
deliveries in them, but they almost always park illegally blocking the
road and/or sidewalks while making their deliveries. The actual
driving on most streets and roads probably won't be too bad, but you
have to be careful not to get trapped in an older area of town with
very narrow crooked streets and tight corners or a very congested
parking lot. If you just want to drive around the countryside you'll
probably be OK, just realize that cities can be a real problem (e.g.
Frankfurt airport, no access to any of the numerous parking garages,
only one fairly remote lot where you can park, and finding the suitable
place is difficult, if one exist; same with Salzburg).

George

On 6 Jun 2005 13:09:51 -0700, "keybdwizrd"
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >I have rented a villa outside Monaco in August... it is located in a
    >place called Roquebrune Cap Martin. I am traveling with my wife, two
    >teenage children, and my wife's parents. It would be most convenient
    >for us to be able to travel throughout the area together... ideally in
    >a van that will accommodate all six of us. The agency that I've rented
    >the villa from, however, is suggesting that renting a van is a bad idea
    >due to the narrow roads and congestion. Putting the six of us in two
    >small cars doesn't sound like a good idea either, especially trying to
    >keep together in traffic and having to find nearby parking spaces. I
    >have to imagine that the streets are full of vans making deliveries to
    >hotels and shops.... how bad can it be? Any advice appreciated.
    >Michael W.
    >Chicago, IL, USA

We leased a Renault Clio via Eurodrive on the leaseback
arrangement. That was plenty big enough in the backroads
between Nice and San Remo.

The others are giving good advice. If you are an excellent
experienced driver on twisty, narrow mountain roads - the
van may be OK, although parking could be interesting. Rather
than a van I'd, like the others, recommend an espace or
similar.


Cheers, Alan, Australia

I came from the UK and I find the lanes narrow on the motorway and streets unless you're on the main boulevards. The people here are used to it so they can drive with cms to spare but you'll notice a lot of cars with dings. I drive a medium sized European car and find parking on the street difficult sometimes. If you can find a space big enough, be prepared to park practically bumper to bumper. It's easier to park in the undergrounds but they are quite small so you may not fit in a van. Maybe aim for something that's narrower and shorter than the modern 4x4s.

"keybdwizrd" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] ups.com...
    >I have rented a villa outside Monaco in August... it is located in a
    > place called Roquebrune Cap Martin.

Very nice area.

    > I am traveling with my wife, two
    > teenage children, and my wife's parents. It would be most convenient
    > for us to be able to travel throughout the area together... ideally in
    > a van that will accommodate all six of us.

What do you mean by van exactly? Like a transit van? US terms for cars are
often completely different to their European counterparts, so be careful!

    > The agency that I've rented
    > the villa from, however, is suggesting that renting a van is a bad idea
    > due to the narrow roads and congestion.

The roads are narrow and steep around that area, so the smaller the car the
better. Forget your American steel mountain, this is Europe, parking is
going to be your biggest issue. Personally I would suggest getting two cars,
as long as you both know where you are going then what's the problem?

Most people in that area have very small cars, there is a reason for that.

    >Putting the six of us in two
    > small cars doesn't sound like a good idea either, especially trying to
    > keep together in traffic and having to find nearby parking spaces. I
    > have to imagine that the streets are full of vans making deliveries to
    > hotels and shops.... how bad can it be? Any advice appreciated.

Why do you need to keep together in traffic? You are mostly adults.. you
will cope.
Vans and trucks do make deliveries but they tend to either park on the
pavement, or just block the road while they do so. Very few park legally in
a proper space.

Also remember the car will likely be a manual transmission, unless you want
to pay more.

"keybdwizrd" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] ups.com...
    >I have rented a villa outside Monaco in August... it is located in a
    > place called Roquebrune Cap Martin. I am traveling with my wife, two
    > teenage children, and my wife's parents. It would be most convenient
    > for us to be able to travel throughout the area together... ideally in
    > a van that will accommodate all six of us. The agency that I've rented
    > the villa from, however, is suggesting that renting a van is a bad idea
    > due to the narrow roads and congestion. Putting the six of us in two
    > small cars doesn't sound like a good idea either, especially trying to
    > keep together in traffic and having to find nearby parking spaces. I
    > have to imagine that the streets are full of vans making deliveries to
    > hotels and shops.... how bad can it be? Any advice appreciated.
    > Michael W.
    > Chicago, IL, USA

Hi Michael,

We rented a Volkswagen Sharan (seats 7) in Switzerland and drove down
through Italy into Monaco and the surrounding area in France. We had no
problems. We enjoyed all being together in the vehicle--made it more fun to
talk about the things we were going to see/had seen, etc.... The traffic
situation was kind of wild compared to my area in the US, but it was just
part of the fun for us...
We usually parked in garages, didn't find that difficult either. The spaces
weren't huge, as in many places in the US, but they seemed adequate.
Anyway, that is how it was for us.
Hope you have fun on your trip!

Sophie

"Sophie T" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > "keybdwizrd" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > news:[email protected] ups.com...
    >>I have rented a villa outside Monaco in August... it is located in a
    >> place called Roquebrune Cap Martin. I am traveling with my wife, two
    >> teenage children, and my wife's parents. It would be most convenient
    >> for us to be able to travel throughout the area together... ideally in
    >> a van that will accommodate all six of us. The agency that I've rented
    >> the villa from, however, is suggesting that renting a van is a bad idea
    >> due to the narrow roads and congestion. Putting the six of us in two
    >> small cars doesn't sound like a good idea either, especially trying to
    >> keep together in traffic and having to find nearby parking spaces. I
    >> have to imagine that the streets are full of vans making deliveries to
    >> hotels and shops.... how bad can it be? Any advice appreciated.
    > We rented a Volkswagen Sharan (seats 7) in Switzerland and drove down
    > through Italy into Monaco and the surrounding area in France. We had no
    > problems. We enjoyed all being together in the vehicle--made it more fun
    > to talk about the things we were going to see/had seen, etc.... The
    > traffic situation was kind of wild compared to my area in the US, but it
    > was just part of the fun for us...
    > We usually parked in garages, didn't find that difficult either. The
    > spaces weren't huge, as in many places in the US, but they seemed
    > adequate.
    > Anyway, that is how it was for us.

Don't know the specifics of the roads in the area around your villa. But it
would be hard to drive into small towns. Even small cars sometimes have to
bend in their side mirrors to get by. You can park outside small towns and
walk in, as long as everyone is mobile. Just back from France, I got
reminded again how much more walking is expected than we're used to in the
US.

Marianne

As others have noted, be careful what kind of van you rent. I assume
you mean what is called a "minivan" in the USA. The Renult Espace would
work fine for six people and is no harder to park than a European
station wagon. It should fit in all but the smallest parking garage.
(And, as you may know, parking garages are the norm in European
cities.) Do NOT rent a van like a Ford Transit or MB Sprinter, which
are full-size vans and will be harder to get around in.

However, minivan rentals can be *very* expensive in Europe, so beware.
In April my wife and I took our baby (5 months old) and my parents to
Europe (first time for all of them). We were going to rent a minivan
(VW Sharan or the like), but ended up with a mid-sized wagon since it
was much cheaper (but tighter space-wise). This is obviously not an
option for six people, and you'll need a minivan.

If you are worried about parking in any cities you may visit, simply go
to the outskirts and take a train in like the locals do. It's much more
fun, anyway.

I

On 27 Jun 2005 06:50:38 -0700, "BrianW" <[email protected]> wrote:


    >However, minivan rentals can be *very* expensive in Europe, so beware.
    >In April my wife and I took our baby (5 months old) and my parents to
    >Europe (first time for all of them). We were going to rent a minivan
    >(VW Sharan or the like), but ended up with a mid-sized wagon since it
    >was much cheaper (but tighter space-wise). This is obviously not an
    >option for six people, and you'll need a minivan.

Opel Zafira and VW Touran, at least, are available with a third row of
seats - so nominally 7 seater - and are significantly smaller than a
Sharan or Espace. In size they could be considered as a 'mid-sized
wagon (estate)' though they are a bit higher than a conventional
estate car. However a Zafira or Touran would be cramped for 6 people
on a long journey and, most importantly, if you use all the seats you
only have minimal use of luggage.

Martin