We plan to rent a car in Antwerp Belgium, drive through Germany, to Prague and Hungry, continue our road trip through Switzerland, northern Italy, Austria and Belgium, and end our road trip in Antwerp Belgium where we will fly home. Is there anything we should know about crossing borders, road travel through these different countries, etc?
Also, are there any specific security concerns we should be aware of aside from pick pockets, shysters, etc.?
Thank you for your help.
Make sure the rental agency knows where you are planning on taking their car. Many have restrictions, especially on the type of car they will rent you.
Careful in Italy about driving into the centers of cities with ZTL restrictions.
Use viamichelin to see if you can get a heads up on the location of robocams which send souvenir speeding tickets to clueless tourists.
Be sure to get vignettes for countries you are driving through. Switzerland and Austria come to mind as ones requiring them. There may be others.
Get International Drivers permits for all drivers from AAA.
Most countries don't care about whether you have an International Driver's Permit, but of the countries in your list, many (Austria, Hungary, Italy) do require the driver to have one. On a trip to Germany I naively drove in Austria for a couple of days without one and returned home unscathed but if was planning to drive through Austria instead of dipping in for a night or two I'd have made sure to have one.
I assume you've studied the matter of vignettes in Austria and Switzerland so I won't show my ignorance on that subject here.
Germany- No vignette, but technically your car needs a German emission sticker to drive into large city centers... however, I've never seen a foreign-registered car in a German city with the sticker.
Czech Republic- Vignette required, purchase it at the border.
Hungary- Requires an "electronic vignette". I think you have to register the car at the border, but I'm not certain.
Itay- No special sticker required, but as noted, watch for the "ZTLs". They're pretty hard to miss, but a lot of people on this forum still report getting flagged in them.
Austria- Vignette required, purchase it at the border.
Switzerland- Vignette required, purchase it at the border.
Another point that seems to come up on these forums over and over again... people seemed to be shocked when they receive the bill for their speeding fines in the mail months later. This is one of the biggest differences between driving in North America and Europe. Whereas in the US and Canada, the police will generally only pull over the car driving the fastest in the crowd, in Europe, automatic speed cameras do the work. They don't care how fast everyone else is driving, if you're going over the speed limit, you will be photographed and sent the fine in the mail. Lesson? Pay attention to and obey the speed limit!
Which leads to the next point... the speed limit is not always explicitly stated. Every country has 3 default speed limits. One for urban or towns (usually 50 km/hr), one for secondary roads outside of towns (usually 100 km/hr) and one for highways (usually 120-130 or unlimited on some stretches of the German Autobahn network). The signs that announce the name of the town you've just entered also imply that the default urban speed limit now applies. There usually isn't a speed limit sign to specifically indicate the change, unless it's different from the default.
If you've never driven in Europe before, learn a little bit about the "priority on the right" rule. In actuality, you'll rarely encounter a situation where it applies, unless you drive through a lot of residential back streets, but it's still good to know and understand.
An IDP is a good idea whether required or not. It certifies the validity of your home-state driver's license (which you should also carry) in case you're pulled over, in an accident, whatever. Easy to get from any AAA office, good for a year from whatever starting date you specify.
The obvious security concern is theft from your car, which can be a problem in tourist areas as well as big cities. Don't leave any luggage, electronics, piles of currency, or really anything visible when you park the car. Some people suggest leaving a folded local newspaper on the passenger seat to make your car look local -- but I think a thief can spot a rental car as easily in Europe as here. Try to get a trunk that completely encloses whatever's inside, not one of those open hatchbacks.
DUI laws in Europe are strict (.05 is the per se number vs. .08 here) and strictly enforced, don't take chances with this.
All the countries you're visiting are in the Schengen area, so they won't ordinarily have any border controls -- it should be just like driving between US states. However, the refugee crisis in Europe has been causing some countries, like Hungary and Austria that I know of, to check at least some border crossings under "emergency" authority they still have. This may or may not affect your trip, depending on when it happens and your actual route, and at worst it shouldn't be more than a minor inconvenience.
Here is good advice from our leader RS about car rentals and driving in Europe, in case you haven't seen it.
We love driving all over Europe! Just make sure to educate yourself thoroughly about speed and traffic laws so you don't end up with tickets at home. There are many speed cameras - one lapse of attention to your kph and you be getting unwanted mail! I have found some of the speed limits in the Czech Republic to be almost comically slow...there are several roads going in and out of Prague where you could practically jog beside the car...but everyone sticks to the speed because of the cameras!
There are a number of car rental car companies that will not allow you to take their cars into eastern Europe, particularly the Czech Republic and Hungary. Those countries have a reputation for car theft - I think the reputation is unwarranted as I've driven in both countries quite extensively and never seen anything to make me think the risk is higher there than anywhere else! Nonetheless, there are restrictions. Make sure to do your homework on this...there is usually a small fee for taking a rental car out of it's home country. I paid 30 euros this past summer for taking a car out of the Czech Republic.
I won't repeat the info above but I'll just clarify about the Hungarian electronic vignette...you do get it at the border and it's tied to the license plate of the car...it's not a sticker with a sensor in it like the other countries mentioned. Just keep the receipt in the car with you as long as you're in that country. You buy the sticker for a period of time...we got the 5-day one.
Crossing borders is not big deal unless you run into any of the issues caused by the refugee situation.
We did find the borders around eastern Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic to be very congested by truck traffic this past summer. It doubled our estimated travel times.
Everybody gave you a good advice about driving in Europe. Two more things just crossed my mind. In the Czech Republic there is zero tolerance of alcohol behind the wheel. Learn international traffic signs. I guess you can find them on google and also they are practically in every European road atlas.
Since you are planning to go so many places, a Michelin road atlas for Europe might be useful for you. In the front you will find all kinds of information on road signs, different country's quirks and much of what has already been stated, in an easily referenced format.
Go to Gemut.com for some of the most authoritative information on renting a car and driving in Europe. After you've thoroughly explored their website, download and read the free brochure, "What you should know about renting a car in Europe." If you need more info, call Andy for detailed explanations. They are actually in Oregon. Although they specialize in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, their knowledge also includes just about anywhere you want to go.
Just curious, how many weeks will you be spending doing this fun trip?
There are a couple of things that we did not expect when driving (aside from what has already been shared). I lovingly call them lessons learned from the road.
One of my friends told me that he had a hard time renting an automatic transmission in Europe. It didn't matter to us, as we both can drive a manual. But I would put that in your request when reserving a car.
Our manual car also turned off when at a stop light (as a green thing/fuel saver) and then would automatically turn back on when we engaged either clutch or the accellerator (I cant remember now). It was strange, but cool.
Also it is illegal to run out of gas on the autobahn in Germany. (So make sure you fuel up)
The gas stations we came across (this might not be for everyone), you pay after you fill up. I went in and asked the first time, and they looked at me like I had three heads.
We originally didn't request a sat nav/gps (Sorry too much British Top Gear). But one came with the car. We were so thankful it did. It helped us find the out of the way places/hotels/family reunion spots/etc.
Familarize yourself with the international road signs. The one that I thought was a do not enter, was actually a no parking. Looking back on our first day driving, it is funny, now. But it was a bit stressful then.
I don't know how many of you will be in the car, but if it is two, then a small compact car will be the best. Roads are a lot narrower than they are in the States, There were several times we were glad we had a smaller car than what we drive here. There was this one time in Stuttgart where there was a garbarge truck and parked cars on either side of us leaving not a ton of space. And another time driving up a steep narrow hill to reach our hotel/castle.
For parking garages (at least in Germany) you pay the ticket at a kiosk before getting in your car to leave. You have a small window to do so. One time we waited too long to leave (we were looking at directions and for a sweater), and had to go put more money on the ticket, and ended up getting honked at by some very angry Germans. I wanted to die of embarrassment.
Make sure to stay in the right hand lane when driving then the left when passing on the Autobahn, otherwise you will have some very unhappy people with you. There were times that we looked over to pass the car in front of us looked back to put the turn signal on (a MUST) and a porsche/bugatti/ferrari shoot past us going 100 mph.
We did have fun driving and we were there for a family reunion which took us to some out of the way places where a car was a must. I look back and am glad we drove.
We're also big fans of GPS/sat nav because we like to ramble around and love the ability to just take any old road that's interesting with the knowledge that we'll be guided back to the night's lodging with a few bumps to the touch screen. For a long trip, I'd go for one that will pick up speed limits in real time because that will reduce the worries about what you're supposed to be doing in the inevitable (and universal) road construction zones. (And then I shove it in my bag when we're not in the car to reduce odds of a theft problem)
Our manual car also turned off when at a stop light (as a green thing/fuel saver) and then would automatically turn back on when we engaged either clutch or the accellerator (I cant remember now). It was strange, but cool.
This must be a required feature on German manual cars. It startled me at first and thought I had stalled the car, but as soon as I depressed the clutch, it restarted automatically. Yes, a fuel saver. Then I noticed that red lights flashed simultaneous yellow 2 seconds before they turned green, giving you just enough time to restart the car.
All the above has been excellent advice. One tip I might add is that you may run into automated gas pumps where there is no attendant. If your credit card has a chip in it, it might work in the pump if you have a PIN. A US card with just a magnetic strip probably won't work. In some countries, gas stations are closed on Sundays or in the evening, and your only option is filling up at an automated gas pump. So to be safe, gas up during the day or on Saturdays.
Make sure to stay in the right hand lane when driving then the left when passing on the Autobahn, otherwise you will have some very unhappy people with you.
Two exceptions- On six lane stretches of Autobahn, it is acceptable to cruise in the center lane. Also, in particularly congested conditions on four lane sections, you will generally find a long line of long-haul tractor trailers moving at their maximum speed limit of 100 km/hr in the right lane. In this situation, it's OK to cruise in the left hand lane. You will likely not be the one setting the pace for the cars behind you anyway.
Oh, and speaking of passing... NEVER pass on the right. Drivers are only conditioned to look for passers on the left.
One more note I remembered. I'm not sure what route you intend to follow, but you might consider adding Luxembourg, only because the price of fuel is much cheaper there.
Driving in Europe:
http://www.german-way.com/travel-and-tourism/driving-in-europe/
We just rented an automatic Citroen in France and it also did the turning off at stops/lights. It was very disconcerting for hubby when he first was pulling out of the parking spot and touched the brake and the engine stopped - he thought he broke it ;) When we were in Paris (before renting the car) I noticed a few cars turn off at red lights and thought it was odd - thinking the person had turned off the car.
But hubby remembered when he was in Montreal a few months back and taking a taxi from the airport and the car also had this feature (I can't rem which brand of car). It's a great idea!
Some things I've heard about differences in driving in Europe. I can mostly just report about Switzerland. Some have already said most but I feel some point are worth repeating or clarifying.
There's no "right on red" here.
If priority isn't explicitly signaled through stop signs, shark teeth, roundabouts or such then the traffic comming from the right has priority.
When driving on the Autobahn you're required to drive in the rightmost lane for your destination unless you're overtaking a car. Staying in the left lane is actually illegal.
If you're driving on a mountain road, there may not always be room to pass approaching vehicles. In general, lighter vehicles such as cars must yield to heavier vehicles such as busses. Among equal vehicles it's generally the driver who is in a better position to yield (due to traffic condition, proximity to a passing place, familiarity with the route) that should do so. If these things tie then in Switzerland and France the vehicle driving uphill has priority)
If you're planning to make this trip now and plan to head into higher elevations you should consider winter tires. Depending on when and where you go winter tires and/or snow chains might be required or just heavily recommended.
Unless you make the effort to use local roads at times, you should not expect the "highway" experience in Europe to be any richer than the highway experience in the USA. We sometimes rent cars within one country, but never for as long a trip as you are describing.
I've been in a car between Antwerp and Beerse, Belgium many times, and there's nothing romantic or exotic about it. It's just like being on US 1 or another mall-strip-gas station-traffic jam highway on Saturday afternoon in the USA. It doesn't necessarily apply to other countries, but Belgium has exceptionally frequent, cheap local train service. I would never drive to Gent, Brugge, Antwerp, or Mechelen. (I will confess that we drove from Cologne to Leuven once, over a period of days to see some smaller cities (with medieval centers) in eastern Belgium.)
Of course, you can do better than that, and there are lots of places that are easier to see by car than by public transportation. The question is whether you have the time to seek them out. Or, are your distance plans so ambitious that you'll have to use superhighways with elevated snack bars spanning them, to cover the route in the time you have?
I would suggest that you get a smaller car if you are planning to drive into older cities. Even though you'll never find street parking, you have to be ready for underground paid-parking with very narrow aisles and narrow stalls. Also be ready for even a big rental company to fail to come up with the automatic transmission you reserved! Have you made a decision about CDW coverage?
Different Strokes for different folks, but that itinerary with that much driving and parking and navigating and worrying about nicks and scratches and gas and traffic - makes me VERY thankful for efficient high speed rail. Too bad you'll be driving through Switzerland with the best public transportation system in the world. If you see the Swiss Highlights like the Berner Oberland or Zermatt you'll be paying to park that rental car because the best places are accessible by trains, gondolas only - no cars. Hopefully you're driving because you really love it and not because you're apprehensive about trains.
But having to rely on the set schedule of trains and buses can be a PITA as well. When we went to France a few years ago, I wanted to go to Mont St Michel and stay after it got dark to see it lit up. Sure, we could have spent the night, and if we hadn't had a car, we would have had too since at that time of year the bus left well before it got dark...sometimes a car is just...easier...and let's you do things at your pace.
I can think of more than once when I would have spent longer somewhere, but we had to go because that was when the train dictated we leave. With a car, you have more flexibility. That being said - we still enjoy using the train for most of our travelling.
There's no "right on red" here.
One exception exists in Germany, but I almost hesitate to mention it because it doesn't occur very commonly. If you see this arrow attached to the side of a traffic light, turn on red is allowed. But you'll rarely encounter this sign.
Assuming your trip is more than 17 days, I'd suggest pricing a lease as an option. I've found leasing can price out better for both drop fees (so you don't have back track to Belgium) and driving something nicer than a base model car.
