Driving From Irlend to Germany and back.

skodacbradio

Well I and a few friend's of mine are plannin on going to germany either by end of this year or in january, we are alloing about 800 on petrol 400 for the ferry and 1000 for spend's and that. What should we know before doing such a journey as none of us have ever drove in england or the continent, other than the obvious.:D

ninty9er

skodacbradio wrote: »

Well I and a few friend's of mine are plannin on going to germany either by end of this year or in january, we are alloing about 800 on petrol 400 for the ferry and 1000 for spend's and that. What should we know before doing such a journey as none of us have ever drove in england or the continent, other than the obvious.:D

You'll need a full set of fuses, bulbs and a warning triangle on the continent. Some countries require a first aid kit and you'll need headlight beem deflectors. An IRL sticker is also obligatory, but IIRC if you have an EU bar on your reg plate you won't need one.

If you're going to Germany, I'd also recommend getting a new set of tyres just before you go:D:D

conor_mc

Don't know about German, but I've gone through France to the south of Spain.

- Motorway tolls - can be high enough in France, so make sure you factor them in (you prob have in your 1k spends). Use viamichelin or mappy to get the tolls for your rough route. You can usually pay by credit card, but if you don't have one make sure you have change - sorry, cash - change rarely covers it!

- Check the AA website for the guidelines on driving the continent. There will be mandatory items you'll need to carry - 2 hi-viz vests, a set of spare bulbs in some countries, etc. You'll need those stick-on headlight adjustors too if the car is RHD.

AckwelFoley

Take the landbridge route across the UK.

I went to Europe this year, i left ireland drove across the uk and into Mannheim in central Germany in one go. You need to allow plenty of money for fuel because driving on the Autobhan and other big europen roads will cost you alot more on fuel becauseexpensive than here. So between the 2 i montioned its going to be 40% dearer than u might think on fuel alone. I drove a 1.3 turbo diesel and was getting only 500k for 50 or 55 euro compared to 700k for 45 here.

bulbs and a warning triangle on the continent. Some countries require a first aid kit

In spain yes. In france and germany no, as far as i know. Mind you i didnt bother

skodacbradio

Just wondering as well seen as we will be driving our own cars which is better for keeping in touch as mobile will be for emergency use and to ring home, CB Radio or Walkie-Talkies

Guy:Incognito

Is €400 enough for the ferry? I went over in August and hired a car because it was working out at €1000 + for the car with me, the missus and our 3 year old. That was Rosslare - Le Harve.

peasant

When driving on the autobahn, remember that cars coming from behind may be doing insane speeds.
Always double check your mirrors before pulling out to overtake, just to make sure that that car you just saw about a mile away hasn't caught right up with you

To add to that flashing lights can sometimes mean move over "I'm coming through", rather than "you can go first!"

tuxy

Stekelly wrote: »

Is €400 enough for the ferry? I went over in August and hired a car because it was working out at €1000 + for the car with me, the missus and our 3 year old. That was Rosslare - Le Harve.

I believe there is a big difference in ferry cost depending on if it is peek or off-peek.

crosstownk

Stekelly wrote: »

Is €400 enough for the ferry? I went over in August and hired a car because it was working out at €1000 + for the car with me, the missus and our 3 year old. That was Rosslare - Le Harve.

I'd have to agree. Anytime I've been the ferry has been around the €1k mark. I usually take the ferry to Holyhead and then drive to Hull for the P&O ferry to Rotterdam so maybe that's dearer than the Chunnel or Dover/Calais.

peasant wrote: »

When driving on the autobahn, remember that cars coming from behind may be doing insane speeds.
Always double check your mirrors before pulling out to overtake, just to make sure that that car you just saw about a mile away hasn't caught right up with you

Damn right - it's amazing how quick those headlights approach. Double check every time - excellent advice.

Deleted User wrote: »

To add to that flashing lights can sometimes mean move over "I'm coming through", rather than "you can go first!"

In my experience, I'd say that flashing headlights always means "I'm coming through".

barett

Every car in Germany needs to have a first aid kid on board.

There is no general speedlimit on the Motorway - have fun, my personal record is at 220 km/h. ;D

Make sure your tires are okay, they have to be good (and i mean good)

Fuel's very expensive in Germany.

Think about the obvious: The irish power cable do NOT fit in the german ones ;D

Never forget to use the flashlight on any of the streets, especially the motorways. It happened to me once and it was kind of a near - death experience. Okay, this as dramatic, but I was really very relieved that nothing happened. As somebody said, there are people on their ways with insane speed.

Have you ever been driving on the right side?

If you have any specific question, go on. I'm sure I'm not the only german here. :-D
Where exactly do you want to go anyway?

crosstownk

barett wrote: »

There is no general speedlimit on the Motorway - have fun, my personal record is at 220 km/h. ;D

Quite a lot (not all) of the autobahn network is speed restricted - usually 130 km/h.

barett

That's what I meant.
If there's no sign, people are advised to drive with 130 km/h, but they don't have to and can drive as fast as they want. As soon as there is a sign, they should follow the instructions. ;D

skodacbradio

barett wrote: »

Every car in Germany needs to have a first aid kid on board.

There is no general speedlimit on the Motorway - have fun, my personal record is at 220 km/h. ;D

Make sure your tires are okay, they have to be good (and i mean good)

Fuel's very expensive in Germany.

Think about the obvious: The irish power cable do NOT fit in the german ones ;D

Never forget to use the flashlight on any of the streets, especially the motorways. It happened to me once and it was kind of a near - death experience. Okay, this as dramatic, but I was really very relieved that nothing happened. As somebody said, there are people on their ways with insane speed.

Have you ever been driving on the right side?

If you have any specific question, go on. I'm sure I'm not the only german here. :-D
Where exactly do you want to go anyway?

No never drove on the right hand side or even northern ireland for that matter either:D
The plan is to go from rosslare to fishgaurd through england to folkstone get on the chunnel, from calais on to germany and hit the autobahn of course and top out the car and head to the nurburgring nordschleife, to cap it off.

rebel.ranter

I hope you have a back up plan for when you total the Skoda at the Nurburgring!
Seriously though have a contingency plan, at least investigate it anyway. Even though ye seem to be taking more than one car it would do no harm to do a bit of investigations into flying home.

Oh, make sure your passports are in date at the time of travel, you'd be surprised how many people just assume theirs is in date, or that everybody in the travelling group has one.

peasant

emmm ...just thought of something completely different ...the weather

Driving into the hilly Eifel area (that's where the Nuerburg Ring is) in Dec/Jan carries a risk of there being snow/ice.

I don't know what they do on the actual Ring (probably clear it) but even getting there on slushy Autobahns and no winter tyres could get interesting.

For a road (racing) trip I would choose a different time of year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESYcAF1ob4w

The fast bit covers 9.5 hours / 200 km

Oilrig

Did something similar many moons ago. Late night ferry to UK, Dover - Calais then France Belgium Holland Germany.

We did it in November, atrocious weather, fog, ice you name it, it was like a video game, every couple of minutes the mass of ice that had formed on the grill dislodged and whacked the windscreen... thinking back it was crazy.

Watch the speed, Belgium when we crossed through it had imprisonment laws for certain speeds, and as has been stated, be careful in Germany, not all motorways are unlimited, the ones that are need special attention... you may be traveling at 125 mph and think you're flying... the guy bearing down on you flashing his lights has been doing 150 for the past hour...

tossy

barett wrote: »

Never forget to use the flashlight on any of the streets, especially the motorways.

Can you explain this statement in more detail barrett?? as im planning on making this road trip this year,a flashlight ot me is a torch.

mick.fr

Yeah not sure what he meant, I believe he simply meant always have your headlights on.

I went in Germany in October with my car.
Took off from Dublin, took ferry for Holyhead, crossed UK to arrive at Harwich. Then ferry again to go to Netherlands. I was going to the North of Germany (Hannover), so definitely shorter than going to France.

Petrol is about 1.4/l in Germany.

As said unless you see a speed limit sign (Usually 120kmh), speed is not enforced.
I paid about 180 euro for the Ferry (Cabin included, I was alone).
I found crossing UK was really difficult, my Garmin took me to ****ty roads, I donno why. Took me like 7 hours to do Holyhead to Luton (Was exhausted, needed a room). So I missed the Ferry, had to pay another 60 quids.
So if you want to stay on budget, make sure you have plenty of time, and even more. Especially in winter time, accidents, fogs, snow...

And no you do not need a big IRL dumb sticker on your car, as soon as your car plates are EU compliant with the small IRL logo on the left...

colm_mcm

tossy wrote: »

Can you explain this statement in more detail barrett?? as im planning on making this road trip this year,a flashlight ot me is a torch.

I'd say he means indicators.

Tipsy Mac

I'd get your car serviced and make sure the tyres are in good order with no signs of damage to them. Also carry a can of oil and some basic tools to keep you going should you run into any problems, one of those emergency pucnture repair jobs would be good too.

Elessar

I am thinking of a similar trip to the nurburgring this spring/summer.

All the advice here is good but make sure you have some kind of breakdown assistance - the AA do european cover for very reasonable prices and you don't have to be a member.

Blitzkrieger

Don't they close the 'Ring for winter?




Allow lots of money for petrol - it was 1.30 a litre when I was over there 3 years ago and I went through six full tanks during the trip. Contrary to what most guide books say, I found the motorway service stations had cheaper petrol to what you'd get in small towns off the motorway.

Tolls are a bitch in a RHD car unless you've got a passenger. My cars fairly low and I don't speak French, so usually all I saw was a LED display of the price and a hand reaching down for the money. Bring plenty of coins because it's way easier to give the exact amount - a quick "Merci" and I was off. At most of the toll roads you get a ticket when you get on the motorway at the start and you then either present this or slot it into a machine when you leave. The cost is based on where you entered and where you left the motroway.

ninty9er wrote: »

You'll need a full set of fuses, bulbs and a warning triangle on the continent. Some countries require a first aid kit and you'll need headlight beem deflectors. An IRL sticker is also obligatory, but IIRC if you have an EU bar on your reg plate you won't need one.

If your car is road legal in Ireland it's road legal in Germany (as long as you're on holiday and not moving there). I carry spare fuses and a warning triangle anyway but I can't imagine actually needing them. You can always swap a fuse from something non-essential and you're unlikely to have all your bulbs go at the same time.

Hagar

barett wrote: »

Every car in Germany needs to have a first aid kid on board.

Medically trained kids, the Germans think of everything.


The cheapest I can buy petrol in France today is €1.35 in a supermarket filling station. Expect to pay almost €1.50 on the Autoroute. That said I think that is cheaper than the UK. So fill up in Ireland, drive through UK and fill up again in France before going on the Autoroute.

Take out AA / RAC "European Travel Insurance". It will cost a fortune to get towed of a motorway in Europe.

Be careful of your speeds on the Peage (Toll Roads) in France, there are cameras everywhere and the fines are steep. The speed limits drop by 20kph if the weather is wet / bad regardless of the 130kph signs. Be particularly wary as you approach the toll booths. It is quite common for the Gendarmes to set up radar to catch people who don't obey the slowing down speed limits on the toll plazas. It is also possible to be done for speeding on the basis of your toll ticket. There is a time stamp on it and if you get to the next toll booth too soon it's obvious that you were speeding.

Take frequent breaks, every two hours or so, to stretch your legs. Motorway fatigue is fatal.

Driving on the right is not a huge problem, you will generally follow the flow of traffic, just be very careful when you stop somewhere and rejoin traffic particularly on empty roads.

The common EU plates have made it harder to identify tourists who may be a little lost or unsure so even though it's not a legal requirement get an IRL sticker, a big one, for your car. Most drivers will make allowances for tourists.

Mr.Diagnostic

Hagar wrote: »

It is also possible to be done for speeding on the basis of your toll ticket. There is a time stamp on it and if you get to the next toll booth too soon it's obvious that you were speeding.

That is something I have heard about but never seen happen. I have done a few very long trips in Spain and France and I know my average between booths has been too high.

Has anyone firsthand knowledge of this happening or is it a myth?

testicle

Drive on the right hand side of the road outside the UK and Ireland.

Speed Limits and Distances in the UK are in mph and miles, everywhere else is km/h and km.

Ref the average speed limits between boots, it certainly exists. It doesn't have to be between booths either, just between 2 fixed points. These are the cameras used.

tuxy

testicle wrote: »

Drive on the right hand side of the road in the UK and Ireland.
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I don't think you should put your life in danger to practice driving on the right.

Mailman

I wouldn't drive to Germany. Flights and car rental are too cheap.
Both Aer Lingus and Ryanair fly there for small money.

Although my company normally pays the car rental I was surprised how cheap car rental was when I went checking for myself.

Isn't there a saying that the fastest car on the road is a rental car.

When I was getting rental cars in Germany over the last few years I was the first or second renter of the car each time.

tuxy

For someone who enjoys driving driving there is probably part of the fun.

Hagar

Hagar wrote: »

Driving on the right is not a huge problem, you will generally follow the flow of traffic, just be very careful when you stop somewhere and rejoin traffic particularly on empty roads.

The one to really watch out for is when you leave a section of one way street, it's so easy to drift to the left and stay there!!.

Mailman

tuxy wrote: »

For someone who enjoys driving driving there is probably part of the fun.

Which? having the fastest(rental) car on the road or travelling on motorway at motorway speeds for a thousand kilometers most of which is across France which is speed restricted to 130kmph anyway.
There is some nice hardware for rent at the airports like upmarket Audis, Mercs and Alfa Romeo coupes.

craichoe

Mailman wrote: »

Which? having the fastest(rental) car on the road or travelling on motorway at motorway speeds for a thousand kilometers most of which is across France which is speed restricted to 130kmph anyway.
There is some nice hardware for rent at the airports like upmarket Audis, Mercs and Alfa Romeo coupes.

Yes, but car rental here is quite pricey, for anything high end and decent with full CDW insurance your paying 200 - 300 per day excluding the amount of juice the thing will drink. The basic price looks fine, but its limited mileage clause that will crucify you.

Nobody with a foreign reg drives the 130 kp/h speed limit in France. Even the french know where the cameras are and tend to only slow down at these points. Belgians have some sort of a system but the french rarely bother, same with the Dutch. You can't get a ticket on French motorways on an Irish registration, they have nowhere to send the ticket to, unless you get stopped, in this case they will take cash from you at the roadside.

Diesel on French pumps is called Gasoil ... Total sell this stuff called Excellium, its just a fancy more expensive Diesel.

Toll roads are expensive ! Diesel is much cheaper than petrol here though, it was around 1.17 a litre for Diesel and 1.45 for Petrol when i drove up 2 months ago. Germany is alot more expensive than France, Belgium or Holland

Doing a run to Munich from Ireland, i'd recommend something like a 2 Litre TDI or a 2.4Litre petrol at least, cruising speed is around 180 - 200kph on the Autobahn. You'll be wrecked from driving in a small car.

Spare bulbs are a definite must, if you get stopped and can't change it on the roadside they'll instruct you the car isn't fit for the road and you'll have to get it towed to the nearest garage.

SATNAV is essential ! ... doing it with maps is a royal pain in the ass as some of the one ways systems around france and germany are pretty complex.

Another thing to remember is that when your turning right on a green in Germany, it can be green for pedestrians crossing the road too, they have right of way so just watch this.

skodacbradio

well its good to know now about what we would need for it, eg spare lightbulbs, fuses that sort of thing. Someone metioned about satnav we did discuss this and we all said NO to it, as if we do get lost it'll be part of the fun on the trip.We are allowing for 12 tank full's of petrol each which should be plenty if get about 300mile on the tank.

craichoe

skodacbradio wrote: »

well its good to know now about what we would need for it, eg spare lightbulbs, fuses that sort of thing. Someone metioned about satnav we did discuss this and we all said NO to it, as if we do get lost it'll be part of the fun on the trip.We are allowing for 12 tank full's of petrol each which should be plenty if get about 300mile on the tank.

We said the same about the satnav, missing 2 or 3 exits on Autoroute/Autobahn can add a good 7 - 8 hours to your journey.

Remember, on the Autobahn your fuel econemy goes down by more than half.

I get 55MPG normally on my 1.9 TDI
On the Autobahn i averaged 22 MPG.

mick.fr

craichoe wrote: »

Belgians have some sort of a system but the french rarely bother, same with the Dutch. You can't get a ticket on French motorways on an Irish registration, they have nowhere to send the ticket to, unless you get stopped, in this case they will take cash from you at the roadside.

Sorry but this is wrong. Cops don't handle ticket payments in France, even on spot. And don't worry you will get your ticket at home from the French authorities. Especially now there is a new law in Europe for collaboration between police forces regarding speed tickets. And in France, this is enforced by the tax office, they have an incredible intelligence system.

craichoe

craichoe wrote: »

We said the same about the satnav, missing 2 or 3 exits on Autoroute/Autobahn can add a good 7 - 8 hours to your journey.

Yes I had a similar experience in the days before satnav, most junctions are the cloverleaf type - you only get one chance at it, I wanted to go left but ended up in the lane going right, fortunately is was 5AM so was able to stop on the slip and reverse a few metres back :eek: NOT TO BE RECOMMENDED!

Hagar

mick.fr wrote: »

Sorry but this is wrong. Cops don't handle ticket payments in France, even on spot.

Hate to disagree Mick but I got nailed for one on the spot fine here, failure to yield, the Gendarme put his grubby little paw out and I had to give him a cheque there and then, €96 down the Swanee. Naturally this being France he gave me a full written receipt on the spot for my cheque. I know of a guy who had to pay with his UK Visa card for a speeding offence at a toll booth as mentioned earlier.

craichoe

mick.fr wrote: »

Sorry but this is wrong. Cops don't handle ticket payments in France, even on spot. And don't worry you will get your ticket at home from the French authorities. Especially now there is a new law in Europe for collaboration between police forces regarding speed tickets. And in France, this is enforced by the tax office, they have an incredible intelligence system.

Nope, your wrong.. i have a ticket to prove it and a receipt for 80 euro. I was made go to an ATM machine to get cash out and pay it on the spot. If you're not registered at an address in the country on a foreign car its money up front.

If however you commit a criminal offence, it goes through the Court in France and they petition the Court in Ireland through foreign affairs. Too much hassle for speeding tickets.

And on the getting fines at home thing .. I have less fingers than expats that would disagree with you. Even after you register your car in France, Belgium or Holland the Tickets don't come. However they do rack up quite fast when you get your new reg ! Especially with the Average speed cameras.

However it is hit and miss, if you do meet a cop that doesn't ask for cash, it means he couldn't be bothered his arse doing the paperwork.

Best one i heard was in Poland, where the cop told the buddy he was getting 14 points on his Irish license ..

Del2005

Don't some countries require you to have a spare pair of glasses if you wear them? Also in Germany, and I think Holland, unless there is a yellow diamond sign on a junction all traffic from the right has right of way. Need to pay attention for this. Also as others have said, driving on the right is usually OK but when driving on quite roads you can sometimes drive on the wrong side.

I found a quick google will tell you the rules of the road for each country you're going through. They have a lot of different laws to us and they also enforce them..

And this article tells where cars are restricted from certain cities depending on their emissions.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7166770.stm

lightening

Best of luck! Here is my holiday list. Not really a motoring one, but handy nonetheless...

Torch

Knife with cork screw and bottle opener

Whipping twine (string)

Asprin, arret, Imodium, Anti septic cream/spray, Plasters

Deet

Travel cloths wash

Alarm clock

Mossie net

Sleeping sheet bag

Zinc nose cream

Rehydration packs (boots do good ones)

Camera and Batteries

Binoculars

Compass

Lonely Planet

Shades

Woolly hat

Peak cap

Wide brimmed hat

Light rain coat

Small sewing kit

Electrical tape

“mug me wallet” (false wallet with old cards and 10 Euro, not needed for all trips!)

Snorkel and mask

Glasses repair kit (if you wear glasses)

Padlock

Snaplights (cheapest in Millets)

Novel

Maps

Notebook and pen

Lighter

Small citrus candle

Photocopy of your passport

Victor

Mailman wrote: »

I wouldn't drive to Germany. Flights and car rental are too cheap.

And how do rental cars handle on a race track? And how to rental companies handle it?

Isn't there a saying that the fastest car on the road is a rental car.

Maybe once upon a time, but that time is coming to an end.

When I was getting rental cars in Germany over the last few years I was the first or second renter of the car each time.

Ah! The Guinea Pig.

E92

craichoe wrote: »

I get 55MPG normally on my 1.9 TDI
On the Autobahn i averaged 22 MPG.

how fast were you travelling at?

craichoe

E92 wrote: »

how fast were you travelling at?

170 - 180 kph on the Sat Nav

Around 210 kph on the Speedo ..

Of course its going to drink alot more

unkel

craichoe wrote: »

170 - 180 kph on the Sat Nav

Around 210 kph on the Speedo ..

That's a huge difference between Sat Nav and speedo. What car was that in? 180 real km/h has to show on the speedo as anything between 180km/h and 202km/h*

See 2.3.7

*180km/h + 10% + 4km/h = 202km/h

Mailman

Victor wrote: »

And how do rental cars handle on a race track? And how to rental companies handle it?
Maybe once upon a time, but that time is coming to an end.

I know of two people who rented a high end Audi in Germany within the last few months and took it to the Nurburgring.

Mailman

Victor wrote: »

Ah! The Guinea Pig.

Perfect reliability on all of them.