looking for advice, do you recommend renting a car to travel in london/milan/paris?thanks!

Ron Monroe
Having been to those cities, I certainly would never want to drive in them. The old narrow streets are crowded and crazy. And in London, the city centre is restricted to cars with special licenses. The subway systems in London and Paris are cheap and very easy to use. Taxis are not too expensive. If we want to explore the countryside, I rent from a location at the edge of the city that is easy to get to by transit and return it there.

We did the underground on London and the metro in paris. So glad. Traffic was crazy. Public transportation is super efficient there

I spend quite a bit of time in Europe (London, Paris, etc) and I agree with all the above, definitely a car is not necessary at all and would not recommend unless you’re planning driving through the various countries - but again, the trains might be a better option depending on your preference- enjoy your trip and the walking

If you want see and experience the country itself I would recommend a rental. If just interested in the city portion than Eurostar and local transport is the way to go. I have found driving in Italy , France , Spain and England to be a wonderful experience.

Do you mean from city to city or do you mean in the cities? If you’re asking about in the cities my suggestion would be no. The subway/trans/buses in European cities are amazing. And a lot of what you will be seeing and doing is usually within walking distances. Parking is very difficult and expensive in European cities. My opinion anyway.

I would never dream of driving in London or Paris ( I haven’t been to Milan). It’s hard enough to be a pedestrian in London. Take the underground in Paris and buses in London. Double decker buses in London allow you to see things you miss when you’re at street level.

The Eurostar is really an experience on its own.

Transit is so easy in those cities, it doesn't make sense to try to drive your own vehicle.

It’s fun to experience great public transport! It’s a novelty!

Cross country rental needs checking

Nope. The train/tube will get you everywhere you need to go.

Parking in Florence

Started driving at Blue dot, drove to/through all green dots.
Another thing to know about European rentals - the standard type of vehicle is a « standard » - so if you can only drive an automatic, be prepared to pay a premium for a rental with automatic transmission.

I would add to that that the size is not always as we expected. We booked Hunday SUV from Canada and got Volkswagen Golf which is not even close in size. Barely fit in there with our luggage, stroller and kids. And yes, full insurance is a must!

Not within any of those cities. Only if you plan to travel well outside the cities.

Europe is pretty much built for walking unless you're outside of the main areas. I'd never want to drive it, way more stress than required and finding parking is horrible.

I don't know Milan but London and Paris would be far too frustrating to have a rental car in. The driving would be tough enough but the parking would be a nightmare.

Tracey also insurance is very bizarre in France. I’ve driven in Paris and would never again do so. Drivers just whack your bumpers in tight parking spaces. It’s the norm there.

Jo-anne Nugent Sexsmith yes, it’s called the kiss. It’s totally fine to bump cars till you fit in. I always take the full insurance when I rent a car over there

Tracey I couldn’t take the stress. Did it once and never again. Lol

We have rented a car to drive around the countries and always returned them to airports or rental agencies on the outskirts of the cities. Would not drive in the cities themselves and as others have said the public transit is great and an experience all its own!

no car rental ... transportation is fabulous over there ! train or bus pretty much anywhere you want to go and cheap tours !

I drove all across Europe but not uk. I didn’t find driving difficult but make sure you purchase full insurance.

More French countryside

Monte Carlo streets

Crazy curvy roads heading into Monte Carlo

Typical French country roads

Views of houses built into hillsides not seen by train

Topical roads in old countryside towns

Heading into the Arc traffic circle

I would not recommend to drive, as public transport is very efficient there. Take into consideration in U.K. you will be driving on the other side of the road. Streets are narrow and parking can be an issue. Public transport is less stressful.

Why would you want to drive in London? Or Paris for that matter? They have awesome transit system that takes you to any possible attraction. I haven't been to Milan, but other cities in Italy were easily explorable by public transit and walking. And you dont need to deal with parking. Unless you want to travel outside the city and visit a country side. But even then, trains are quite cheap and relaxed way to travel between the regions. We drove in England. Pretty crazy experience. The rest of Europe is ok, one can adjust pretty easily.

train

I was in Europe 2018 for 7 weeks. Started in London, took uber or walked. Train to Edinburgh, then same uber or walking. Train to London, then Chunnel to Paris, and walked or uber. Rented a car to drive to Versatile, Bordeaux, Midi-Pyrénées, Montpellier, St. Tropez, Monte Carlo, Milan, Pisa, Florence and left the vehicle in Rome and flew home.
Drove the Arc de Triumph in Paris - fun!!! Totally backwards traffic circle rules, so google them before the GPS takes you there. I had walked there and while observing traffic I noticed flow wasn’t normal, so I had time to research it.
Driving in country is the best way to see and experience as you can make détours whereas you can’t if on train. France & Monte Carlo were fine. Milan, Florence & Rome were ABSOLUTELY CRAZY due to sheer volume of scooters that weaved in and out of the lanes and then crowded the front of each lane when stopping for a red light, they would push to the front to take off on the Green. Parking was tight to say the least downtown Milan and Florence. I’ll post a picture.
So, would I do it again? Yes, bcz of the convenience...also there was risk of Strike by the Eurostar/Train operators in 2018. I was there April through June, before tourist season.