[Travel] Driving in Europe (Holland/Gemany) advice, experiences etc

[Official Old Man]

That seems to be for Czech vignettes bought in Austria? I was talking about Swiss vignettes. The video seems to be saying if you buy a Czech vignette at the border you pay 5 Euros more? Not really a scam is it? I suppose you’re paying a bit extra for the convenience.

You need to watch it. Even the presenter admits it is the greatest legal scam ever.
The vignette costs 12 euros. Behind the money exchange is the official machine to buy the vignette at 12 euros. This money exchange charge 17 euros and it's cash only.

 

[South Stand Bonfire]

Also remember, if driving on the motorways in Germany, you must play Kraftwerk’s Autobahn at full volume.

 

[Wes Tupper]

Tip: HGV’s are banned from driving on German Autobahns on Sundays, unless they are transporting perishable goods.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Drove to Amsterdam, four times to Cologne, many times Calais and down the coast and a round trip to Rouen.
It's so easy to do as long as you remember to drive on the right.
Drivers are so kind. No 'middle lane hoggers'. Motorways are two lanes most of the time, and very quiet. As soon as a car or lorry has overtaken it will pull back to the right. Roadworks have 100 metres advance warning and the speed limit is only for a mile or so, the length of any works. No mile after mile of 50mph limits.
Talking of speeds, see if you can change the settings from MPH to KPH on your car.
For a bite to eat pull off at a smallish town and search for a local patisserie. Toilets at service stations cost 1€ but whilst driving along McDonalds have their restaurant signs 100 foot or more in the air so you can see them miles in advance. Free toilets.
Check your insurance cover, mine has European free, plus breakdown cover, I have free (£13 account fee) European cover with Nationwide.
And finally, use a debit/credit card with no fees.

I echo this. Barclays travel insurance covers RAC here, health insurance and European breakdown cover. The account also allows a Travel Wallet, where you just transfer funds, and then pay in euros using your debit card with no fees.

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

Also remember, if driving on the motorways in Germany, you must play Kraftwerk’s Autobahn at full volume.

Well I did ask for tips but this one’s a sort of given! I’m the bloke that downloaded the soundtrack to Wily Russell’s ’One Summer’ so I could recreate Icky’s scene driving through the Wallasy Tunnel! (although without his fateful ending)

@BN9 BHA ’ll get it!

 

[surrey jim]

Throwing the dice around at the moment but next summer we fancy taking the car for a couple of weeks and heading up through Bruges, Holland, down near Koln, Stuttgart and back through France up to Dieppe. (Via Basel)

We don’t want to go inter railing as we want to stop off at smaller towns/villages.

The route above is sort of non negotiable as the boy will be leaving school so he wants to stop off at a couple of theme parks

It’s about 1000 miles and I’m no stranger to driving long distances (albeit in the UK)

Any tips, advice very welcome.
Thanks in advance

I can recomend Dunirell and Beekse Bergen in NL. BB is a large safari resort, Dunirell has a waterpark and amusement park.

I have heard good things about Efteling Resort but not personally been.

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Well I did ask for tips but this one’s a sort of given! I’m the bloke that downloaded the soundtrack to Wily Russell’s ’One Summer’ so I could recreate Icky’s scene driving through the Wallasy Tunnel! (although without his fateful ending)

@BN9 BHA ’ll get it!

I was talking about One Summer the other day after seeing Ken Sharrock in a Sunday bond film and Mrs DCH watching David Morrissey in Sherwood later the same evening. As a teenager when that came out, I always remember what a great series that was.

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

Not really “bouncing an old thread” here as the trip is booked for this summer.

It’s these bloody clean air stickers giving me the horrors.

Is it feasible I don’t need one for France, we’re sort of just passing through and the only town we’re staying overnight is out in the sticks?

Germany is a different matter as I need one for Cologne, the Google search constantly comes up with secondary middle man sites I don’t trust or the only official one I’m directed to seems to only be relevant to Berlin, I might be a bit thick here.

Anyway, thanks again for all the great advice.

 

[RandyWanger]

Not really “bouncing an old thread” here as the trip is booked for this summer.

It’s these bloody clean air stickers giving me the horrors.

Is it feasible I don’t need one for France, we’re sort of just passing through and the only town we’re staying overnight is out in the sticks?

Germany is a different matter as I need one for Cologne, the Google search constantly comes up with secondary middle man sites I don’t trust or the only official one I’m directed to seems to only be relevant to Berlin, I might be a bit thick here.

Anyway, thanks again for all the great advice.

Crit'Air vignettes? Buy direct here: https://www.certificat-air.gouv.fr/

Germany you need to buy from each locale. For Cologne it seems like you need to buy in person but I've never driven there: https://www.stadt-koeln.de/service/produkt/feinstaubplakette-1

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

@RandyWanger Cheers, the French one’s perfect.
With the German one do you think I can buy it on the road?

 

[dstanman]

Any one taken their dog with them across to France, and any particular rules need to be aware of while driving. Will also need to find recommendations for vet near Calais to enable dog to get tape worm treatment for return

 

[Albion my Albion]

Not really “bouncing an old thread” here as the trip is booked for this summer.

 

[RandyWanger]

@RandyWanger Cheers, the French one’s perfect.
With the German one do you think I can buy it on the road?

Do not know, the site translated would suggest you can do that but I had a little search online. The TUV is their DVLA I think, they seem to have 2, North and South.

Order - Emissions Sticker | TÜV NORD

Order your emissions sticker conveniently from home by post, fax or email, or collect the sticker from a TÜV STATION

www.tuev-nord.de

https://www.tuvsud.com/de-de/branchen/mobilitaet-und-automotive/feinstaubplaketten/bestellung-feinstaubplakette-england

Tuv Nord shows stations on the road where you can buy the stickers, this could be the way forward.

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

@RandyWanger I keep being directed to a Berlin site, I might just take the plunge as it’s only a fiver (apparently the French Crit-Air will do me for Switzerland) I’m hoping this is the same as despite being told Cologne is separate I did a dummy run on one of the overpriced middle men sites and at no point did it ask what city I needed.
Cheers

 

[Official Old Man]

My car has a few stickers on now, Cologne and France which I think covers many towns. Brussels is just an online one. All I do know is that they are very cheap.

 

[South Stand Bonfire]

Any one taken their dog with them across to France, and any particular rules need to be aware of while driving. Will also need to find recommendations for vet near Calais to enable dog to get tape worm treatment for return

1. You need to get a signed health form from a vet before you take your dog to France (the cheapest one I found is in Havant (from shoreham) as they let you fill in the form beforehand and they just sign it). We pay c£95 but if anyone knows any cheaper let me know please!
2. When returning, you need to get worming tablets and get the same form countersigned by the local vet- I think (check though) at least 24 hours before you return to the UK and not more than 5 days before you return to the UK. When we take our dog to SW France which involves an overnight stay somewhere en route, we do it just before we leave the resort. If you leave it until Calais, you will probably have to wait 24 hours before taking the ferry/train back.
3. Any decent French vet will do it and I think we paid c40 Euros last time.
4. Can't wait til they hopefully bring back the pet passports they were mooting last week!

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

Any one taken their dog with them across to France, and any particular rules need to be aware of while driving. Will also need to find recommendations for vet near Calais to enable dog to get tape worm treatment for return

Oh I get it now, it’s a couple of questions. I initially thought it was a series of ‘hilarious’ comments.

 

[Jack Straw]

Very many thanks to all who have posted re the Crit'air sticker. I'd never heard of it until I read about in this thread. I'm going to Dijon in a few weeks, and although it's not listed on the places you need the sticker yet, who knows? Pretty easy to order the sticker once you've spotted the language button you can then change to English!
£ 4 well spent, thanks again.

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

Very many thanks to all who have posted re the Circ'air sticker. I'd never heard of it until I read about in this thread. I'm going to Dijon in a few weeks, and although it's not listed on the places you need the sticker yet, who knows? Pretty easy to order the sticker once you've spotted the language button you can then change to English!
£ 4 well spent, thanks again.

Yeah, the Crit Air one looks straight forward and at that price, it’s probably easier to just get one

 

[Man of Harveys]

Unless it’s changed the green Germany one is for all German cities which have these restrictions: I have one on my (British) car and it’s been valid in Koblenz, Cologne etc. Pretty straight forward and you only need to do it once or until you change your car.