Have you done a driving trip in Europe? If so, which route did you take? What were the costs? What were the road conditions like? Do you have any other advice or tips? If you plan to do a driving trip in Europe, ask your questions here.
Hi,
My wife and i are getting to London mid-september 09 and are thinking of buying a van and heading to Oktoberfest then Berlin, Amsterdam, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Egypt...if we have time. We would like advice on if it would be worth buying a car/van and camping rather than flying and staying in Backpackers. Any advice would be appreciated, especially license, insurance issues etc cheers!!
Reply to this Hello Jason, and welcome to the forum!
I never purchaed a car, but leased one instead (in France) and found it an excellent option. It was such a long time ago, that any prices I could quote are too outdated.
Camping in a super option, as there are some places (such as in Switzerland) where the camping sites command views unmatched by any traditional hotel.
Toll charges for the main highways (which have speed limits around the 130km/h mark) can be steep, so if you have time, take the 'A' roads ahead.
The biggest issue I discovered were the roundabouts - in Australia when approaching a roundabout you turn left, but in Europe you turn right. This took the longest time to adjust to. Also, turning onto unlined country roads, once or twice I drifted to the left side, instead of the right - for without lines on the road to mark where you should be, you can often go back to your old habits.
Overall, road conditions are very good, but be aware in some cities that some roads are very narrow - not good if you have a big car.
Reply to this Cheers Shane,
Sounds like we may need to go south Via Switzerland then before it gets too cold. Everything is slowly coming together. I'll keep the 'A' roads in mind!
Reply to this According to the locals I spoke to - September is the clearest month weather wise in the Swiss Alps. I was there in late September/early October and it was stunning.
The only minus of camping in the high areas of Switzerland and Austria is the coolness of some nights. There was one night alone in my tent where the temperature dropped unexpectedly - which was not helped by the zipper on my sleeping bag breaking in the open position! However, in the morning, all the mountains surrounding me were covered in a fresh blanket of snow - it was wonderful!
Forgot to mention two other things. If you do decide to hire a vehicle, some countries (France) are much cheaper than others (Italy). Also, ensure your travel insurance covers you for any car rental excess - this is a cheaper method then paying for the daily cost of excess reduction from rental companies. The minus of this is if you have an incident, you still need to pay the excess up front, and then need to get the monies back from the insurance company - but be prepared for a possible long delay.
Also, petrol costs in Europe are much more than Australia - the website for Ireland's
Automobile Association has a list of average prices in Europe. In many countries you'll be paying double the Australian prices.
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