Tips for Driving Europe

Bebo stunnah

I'd like to know what advice people would give to someone new to driving the mainland. Simply put, I'm not a fan of flying and I wanted to do something different for a holiday.
Apart from the the fact they drive on the wronf side of the road, I know bits and pieces of the basics such as needing at least 2 breathalysers while driving through France and needing a vignette to drive through Switzerland, but while I was looking into it for the last few weeks info on the web (and here) seems to be specific on one country and are usually based on an American driver driving there. Things I've read was that Merkel is (or has) introducing a foreign drivers motor tax that you have to buy in a service station? Also you need a vignette to drive in the Czech Rep and possibly Austria too?

My route at the moment is Dublin through the UK onto Calais. Then from Calais its;

• Amsterdam
• Berlin
• Prague
• Vienna + Bratislava
• Lake Bled/Ljubljana
• Venice
• Liechtenstein

Don't have any stops decided then on the way home.

It's almost guaranteed I'll have to go through Switzerland that route, but what I'd like advice from people about what I'll need to drive through those countries and would it be possible to do within 17/18 days.

Fred Swanson

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cdeb

There's no penalty for failing to carry a breathalyser in France. So it's technically a requirement, but nothing will happen if you don't have one. They're forty quid or so - maybe not worth it.

Headlamp adjusters are more important though - in Europe, your headlamps are set to shine into oncoming traffic because it's on the wrong side of the road. You can get them in Halford's or similar. A lot of other stuff - breathalyser, IRL magnet (technically still required even though your reg plate has IRL as well) - can be bought on the ferry.

In Germany, it's illegal to run out of petrol on the autobahn.

I suspect you'll be struggling to get all that in in 18 days. At best it'll be a whistlestop tour. Europe is quite big - and though there's motorways, they're dull. You'd see more of a country going the back roads - but that adds extra time of course. Venice will add obvious extra delays by road.

I wouldn't really plan on more than seven hours' driving a day. It's ok to say you might try a ten-hour stint to get from, say, Amsterdam to Berlin (I don't know if that's how long it takes) - but fatigue, stiffness and even boredom will be factors.

Arguably, for an itinerary like that, the train is a better bet. More relaxing and probably similar cost once you factor in ferry savings, petrol, parking, etc. (Depending on how many are travelling of course)

Where the car really comes into its own is exploring a bit off the beaten track - think some of the great driving roads in that Top Gear special, or a mountain castle, or a national park.

Check with your insurance brokers if you're covered for driving in Europe - there should be a clause allowing it. Also, get the local breakdown assist number - again, insurance broker will help.

You quickly get used to driving on the wrong side of the road - but watch out for roundabouts in particular! Be aware too of local drink-drive limits.

Just some thoughts anyway. I've only driven in France and England/Wales, so can't help with specific stuff about other countries you mention.

Fred Swanson

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dissed doc

You can visit all those places easily by flight on a weekend. A better use of the car IMO is to visit places you cannot get to easily when you are in the big cities, e.g., Northern coast of Germany, well away from Berlin. Or delta works in Netherlanda.

But of you an urge to do one overnight in these big cities followed by 500km of motorway knock yourself out!! Seems a waste to bring a car for it. You could spend a week just down in Southern bavaria or Tirol alone.

cdeb

Fred Swanson wrote: »

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I really don't think it would.

Just to break it down by day -

Day 1 - Morning ferry to Holyhead, followed by a drive to Dover - 383 miles and 6:09 hours per Google Maps. That's excluding any breaks. Would recommend ending the day either in Dover or Calais.
Day 2 - Calais to Amsterdam - 3:50 hours and 226 miles. Say leaving Calais at 9am; you get in to Amsterdam for lunchtime.
Day 3 - Amsterdam
Day 4 - Amsterdam to Berlin - 6:50 hours and 407 miles. That's pretty much an upper limit for a day anyway; you'll be wrecked afterwards.
Day 5 - Berlin
Day 6 - Berlin to Prague - 4 hours and 220 miles. Not a long trip, but again, it'll be lunchtime by the time you arrive in Prague, and then have to find hotel, etc
Day 7 - Prague
Day 8 - Prague to Vienna - 3:35 hours and 205 miles. Similar comment to above.
Day 9 - Vienna
Day 10 - Vienna to Bratislava - a short hop; 50 miles in an hour. You could at a stretch do a few hours in Bratislava and then head straight for Lake Bled, which is another 4:45 hours (290 miles) away
Day 11 - Lake Bled
Day 12 - Lake Bled to Venice - 3 hours and 180 miles.
Day 13 - Venice
Day 14 - Venice to Liechtenstein - 5:40 hours and 330 miles. A long trip; could well be on the road from, say, 10am to 5pm. Another long day.
Day 15 - Liechtenstein
Day 16 - Liechtenstein to Calais - 9 hours and 550 miles. Would recommend not doing that in one day, so...
Day 17 - Liechtenstein to Calais part 2
Day 18 - Dover to Holyhead - 6:09 hours and 383 miles

That gives just one day in each place (and only a couple of hours in Bratislava). It's far from easy to fit it all into 18 days.

Especially for a first trip, I'd recommend going with something shorter. Amsterdam/Berlin/Prague/Vienna is still plenty. Liechtenstein really doesn't need much time - the hike across it is superb, and the Schatzenkammer (treasure chamber) in Vaduz is good, but there's little else. If it's a mountain drive you want, you could try just adding one into the route without necessarily stopping off - Stelvio to Davos is one option nearby.

If all goes well, you can make trip 2 be Bratislava/Lake Bled/Venice.

Atlantic Dawn

If it was me I would take the ferry to Calais as a foot passenger and then rent a left hand drive car over there, will be much less hassle than driving your Irish car over there.

Charles Babbage

Fred Swanson wrote: »

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Technically required for Switzerland, is it not?

uck51js9zml2yt

In Slovakia , the speed limit in any built up area is 50kmh. Its denoted by a sign showing buildings and finishes with the sign and a line through it.its an on the spot fine or the police will take your documentation until its paid...they also carry guns and are not to be messed with:)
To drive on the motorway you will need to buy a windscreen sticker. Failure to display results in a fine.

Fred Swanson

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Fred Swanson

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coylemj

cdeb wrote: »

There's no penalty for failing to carry a breathalyser in France. So it's technically a requirement, but nothing will happen if you don't have one. They're forty quid or so - maybe not worth it.

€6 in Halfords for a pair of the 'NF Approved' breathalyzers, I bought a pair to try them out (at home after a couple of tins, not in a driving situation) and they're less than useless - it's impossible to definitively say what colour the crystals turn when you've had two or three pints. I'm not colour blind but one man's green is the next man's yellow when you're trying to make out what colour the crystals are in the tube.

It's purely a novelty item as far as I'm concerned so I'm not surprised the French cops don't demand that you have them and I agree with the opponents of using this type of device since it simply facilitates people who want to drink up to the limit when you shouldn't be drinking anything when driving.

http://www.halfords.ie/motoring/travel-accessories/breathalysers/alcosense-single-use-nf-breathalyser-twin-pack

dohouch

In a previous century I drove a Ford Orion (donation ) to Germany. I know France and Germany fairly well, also not averse to getting "down and dirty" when it comes to visiting a scrapyard and working under a 15 year old car. All went well and got back to Ireland, the day after returning while parking in my town the clutch cable snapped.

Lesson: The one thing you won't get on the continent is a clutch cable for a right-hand drive car.

Don't know if in today's world there is anything in right-hand drive cars that would put a similar stop to your gallop as a snapped clutch cable, imagine all cars are using a hydraulic system.

Fred Swanson

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cdeb

coylemj wrote: »

€6 in Halfords for a pair of the 'NF Approved' breathalyzers, I bought a pair to try them out (at home after a couple of tins, not in a driving situation) and they're less than useless - it's impossible to definitively say what colour the crystals turn when you've had two or three pints.

Fair enough. I think the forty quid ones I saw were digital ones, which would be easier to read/use.

fits

I have driven a lot in europe and it is mind numbingly dull on the motorways. Why not stick to a smaller area and do less driving. France would keep you going!

Bebo stunnah

Thanks for all the replies. Ya, I thought it may have been a bit of a stretch alright, the main reason for the later half of the itinerary was because of the person sitting in the passenger seat, who said she really wated to see Lake Bled, looks like she'll have to wait I'd have been more than happy to head homeward after Vienna. When I plotted them out using google maps the longest journey seemed to be between Amsterdam and Berlin ~7 hours.

There were lots of places on the way that I had wanted to see, one was Auschwitz, but it's a little more than 'off the beaten track' between Berlin and Prague. One place though that I had an interest in was Malá Pravčická Brána, which is on that route. Another I had looked into was Eagles Nest in Berchtesgaden, I read that it's now a restaurant? it looks like a spot with lovely scenery!

The main reason for driving, was firstly; I'm not the biggest fan of flying and secondly; I find train so terribly boring. I travelled to Hamburg horrible 7 hours, over 3 different trains (one which had plastic seats) and about 4 hours of looking out the window at forest.

It looks possible to spend 2 days in some places if we do it that way, bratislava was on the list mainly for its proximity to Vienna, supposedly 35 mins. Would there be anywhere places on the way home or between those spots anyone would regard as must sees?

cdeb

Bebo stunnah wrote: »

The main reason for driving, was [...] secondly; I find train so terribly boring.

Heretic! Train is the perfect way to travel. Bring a book, talk to people, have a pint, enjoy the scenery, people-watch - lots of things to do!

Bebo stunnah wrote: »

It looks possible to spend 2 days in some places if we do it that way, bratislava was on the list mainly for its proximity to Vienna, supposedly 35 mins. Would there be anywhere places on the way home or between those spots anyone would regard as must sees?

Really depends on what you're interested in really. Neuschwanstein Castle - the inspiration for the Disney fairytale castle - is near enough to Liechtenstein and kind of on the road home from Vienna. It's pretty spectacular inside and out.

As before, I wouldn't be hung up on Liechtenstein - drive through to tick it off for sure, but mountains is mountains, and there's plenty around that area. But you could go from the Neuschwanstein Castle down through Liechtenstein to Davos in Switzerland, and then drive across the Stelvio Pass, one of the great driving roads in the world. That whole trip (Castle to the Stelvio at the end of the pass) is 6 hours and you'd fit far more into it than a similar length of time on a motorway.

You could come home via Cherbourg - skip Britain entirely - in which case the Bayeux Tapestry is really well-worth stopping off for. Or around Belgium/north-east France, you've plenty of WWI battlefields. Lots and lots to choose from - Europe is your oyster really.