Talk about a monkey wrench mucking up plans. My original travel concept was to rent a car in Spain and head north to Taunus, Germany after visiting Catalonia. My wife and I planned to break the trip up into 3-day 5 hour segments and pass through Grenoble and then Switzerland on our way north. I read about the toll machines in France, and then the toll vignette in Switzerland. No problems so far. Then I stumbled upon the French Crit' Air zones around Grenoble, Lyon and Paris. After doing some more research on the Internet, it appears I may have a Catch 22 situation with my Spanish rental car. In order to drive in these ZPA's and ZCR environmental zones, the car must have a Crit' Air vignette. They are cheap enough, around 4 Euros, but in order to obtain one, the process is somewhat complicated as the authority requires a copy of the auto registration and several days to process the application. The environmental zones are immense and wide-spread and effectively block me from legally driving east to Switzerland without a Crit' Air vignette. Even without traveling to Switzerland, I will need to go out of my way to avoid Lyon. If I am not interpreting the new requirement correctly, I would appreciate feedback from those with recent driving experience in France. Thank you.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32213 posts
Were you planning to rent the car in Spain and drop it off in Germany? You may also have to deal with a hefty drop-off charge.
Given your country of residence, keep in mind that you'll also require an International Driver's Permit for driving in some European countries. IDP's are valid for one year and must be used with your home D.L. Should your travel route go through Austria, you'll also need a Vignette there also (HEFTY fines if you're caught without it, which are usually collected on the spot).
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32793 posts
More problems than you think, I'm afraid. Have you discovered the Umweltplakette which is required for driving in German low pollution areas around cities and towns?
That must be purchased from a TüV or TüV Süd after examining the car and papers.
In both countries these are strictly enforced, in some cases by automatic cameras.
There are also several cities in other countries, such as Antwerpen on the Belgian / Dutch border where the car must be registered on-line for pollution control prior to arrival in the city, again camera controlled.
When you consider the difficulties of moving a car from country to country - massive drop charges, vignettes and different pollution restrictions in different countries and cities - Paris for example - and the very high cost of fuel (more than Columbia, by a lot) you can see why so many Europeans use trains for their holidays.
The only solution in your case is to avoid the zones, drive around them, and stay way out of town and take public transport in.
Posted by
Panguitch, Utah
2546 posts
The process is very easy to obtain a Crit´Air sticker for your car. However, you must be the owner of the car to apply.
As a renter, the Crit´Air vignette is not your responsibility. You might express your concerns to the rental company in Spain but that is all you can do.
Posted by
OP
Rionegro, Colombia
13 posts
My plan was to pick-up and drop off at the same place (Barcelona) after the trip. I have a valid IDP left over from my trip to Europe in June that was will remain valid throughout my trip. The toll vignettes are not an issue, but the Crit' Air is because I will need it to enter the ZPA whether there is an air quality emergency or not. As much as my wife and I were looking forward to the drive through the Alps, we came to the conclusion that with the cost of gas, tolls... and now the crit' air vignette dilemma, it is probably best, and more cost effective, to fly into FRA from BCN. Lufthansa has r/t flights for as low as 60 - 128 Euros.
Posted by
Panguitch, Utah
2546 posts
I would not interrupt my plans if for no other reason than the lack of a Crit´Air vignette. I should guess that probably a third of the cars in Paris do not yet have them. Sticker use only really comes into play when the government restricts access to vehicles (particularly those with the higher numbers) in reference to air quality concerns.
For someone driving a rental car, it should not be a major concern unless you are driving a diesel powered vehicle which, I believe, are all rated 5.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32793 posts
My car has a yellow 2 sticker, and a green German one.