Toll charges in Europe

[Cwoods1405]

Good Morning
I am just planning my trip to Europe in August (I know but I have to go then!) We will be travelling from Calais to two sites in Germany then to sites in Austria, Switzerland, France and Belgium (7 sites in total) I have just done a rough calculation of toll charges using the viamichelin calculator and nearly fell off my perch at the cost (probably well over £400!!) I just wondered if others had some top tips for avoiding some of these (apps, tools etc) and if that cost would be fairy typical for such a trip. I have driven in France a lot but never in the the other countries so I do not know what to expect in terms of the road networks that are not charged.
Thanks

 

[Cwoods1405]

Actually ignore my last. I have just found the breakdown of the costs and they include fuel lol.

 

[Amarillo]

Actually ignore my last. I have just found the breakdown of the costs and they include fuel lol.

Avoid toll roads is Swizz-land. You need to buy a full year vignette for 40 Swizz francs, even if just using motorways for a day or two.

Generally, however, vignettes offer good value for money: 9 Euros for the Austrian principal road network; 10 Euros for Slovakia, both for ten days.


Follow my blog: www.au-revoir.eu

 

[bvddobb]

I just wondered if others had some top tips for avoiding some of these

Stay off the toll roads. Mainly for a more interesting and enjoyable drive, but cheaper also.

 

[Borris]

We've just come back from Italy. We travelled through France, Belgium, Luxemberg, Germany, Austria, Italy and back through France. We really didn't want to spent a fortune on road tolls. We both find them fast and convenient but very boring. We much prefer to take our time and drive along the back roads and see the countryside properly. Yes, it is slower but much more interesting and offers more opportunities to stop and take in the scenery. Our total spend on road tolls ended up being 41.60€
9€ for the obligatory 10 day Austrian motorway toll sticker.
26€ for the Grossglockner high alpine Pass (however an Austrian skier asked us for a lift to the road summit and insisted on giving us 10€, so the pass only cost us 16€ in the end).
View attachment 33340
50 cents for a couple of kms of Italian Autostrada outside Florence.
16.10€ for about 100 miles of French Péage motorway but only because we were making good time and decided not to spend another night in northern France. Mrs B wanted to get back to watch the wedding on the TV.
You don't need to go on the toll roads and IMO you'll have much more fun if you don't.
If you have the VW Discovery Sat Nav system, just set it to ignore toll roads and hey presto.

 

[Ryemslie]

We’ve just traveled from Zeebrugge to st tropez for €93 which was nearly all toll roads. We have two little ones & found that 4hrs on the road is ours & their limit so we want to cover as much ground as we can in that time. We’ve spent another €210 on fuel to get here with the first refuel in Belgium. We may take a more leisurely drive home.

 

[Velma's Dad]

The few times I've tried driving off-autoroute in France it's turned out to be VERY leisurely as there seems to be a 50kph village about every 3 km on the Routes Nationales that I've found myself on.

But has anyone got some actual data from a recent trip in France, I mean how many miles can you actually cover in a day while avoiding the tolls? I'd be interested in any rough comparison.

 

[Borris]

The few times I've tried driving off-autoroute in France it's turned out to be VERY leisurely as there seems to be a 50kph village about every 3 km on the Routes Nationales that I've found myself on.

But has anyone got some actual data from a recent trip in France, I mean how many miles can you actually cover in a day while avoiding the tolls? I'd be interested in any rough comparison.

Well as you are probably aware, it can often be worse than that as many villages now have 30kph limits on certain sections e.g near schools, as well as the general 50kph limit.

If your aim is to get from A to B asap, then obviously the Péage is the way to go. However, if you have the luxury of more time and like exploring the quieter back roads across France then these rural routes can be glorious. Plenty of places to stop for lunch etc and you can always pull over for a doze if the mood takes you.
As for distances, I really can't say with any degree of accuracy because on the trips we have taken previously, we haven't always driven all day but never the less I'm guessing 350 - 400 miles per day max.
We have always felt that the journey is also part of the holiday.

 

[Alan]

When leisurely driving through the villages in France and away from toll roads its not unusual for me to cover between 50 and 200 miles,the latter being when I want to beef up the leisure batteries a little
I’m fortunate to have the time though

Alan

 

[Romke]

Depending on where you want to go it's good to know that there are several toll-free autoroutes in France. The longest stretch (nearly 350km) is probably the A75 from Clermont-Ferrand to Béziers, which is free (and a joy to drive), except for the Millau bridge.

 

[Hotel California]

All depends on the periode of driving and how many time/nights you want to spent getting from A-B
Driving on the nationals can be a pita but if you got time it's the nicest and cheapest way , driving max80km/h (yes beware they lowerd it from 90) also gives a better fuel consumage then 120/130km/h on the tollroads.
There are as mentiont diffrent stretches of nationals that are two seperate lanes each way and drives as easy like the tollroads but when they end you are divertet in a small village 30km/h , all possible .
I've done many km travelling thru France and do both choices depending on what my first line above says.

 

[bvddobb]

We try to evade the N-routes as well: too busy with heavy traffic trying to evade the toll....

We usually stick to the D-routes (yellow on the Michelin maps), it takes a bit of map reading sometimes, but in our experience usually quicker (60-70 km/h on average) than the N's, a LOT quieter, apart from the odd postman, and a lot more fun.

 

[Yorkie]

There is a French website providing the optimal routes to minimise charges and speed. Mainly down to Spain though if I remember it properly.

 

[B J G]

In France I generally set my Tomtom to avoid toll roads which means that it takes me down the free sections and then off until the next free section. Can add up to 30% to the possible travel time overall.
Don't forget that France is reducing the single carriageway speed limit down from 90 to 80kph in July which will add to the times.
France also seems to have bought into 'traffic calming measures' so I'd stick to main/toll routes if viable.

 

[Ksar-el-kebir]

Avoid toll roads is Swizz-land. You need to buy a full year vignette for 40 Swizz francs, even if just using motorways for a day or two.

Generally, however, vignettes offer good value for money: 9 Euros for the Austrian principal road network; 10 Euros for Slovakia, both for ten days.


Follow my blog: www.au-revoir.eu

Re the Swiss vignette: if you’re going to and from Italy, it’s not such a bad deal especially if you do the return journey twice as the vignette is for a year. If you go via France it’s 400 km further and Mont Blanc tunnel each way the tolls pile up.

 

[greenfintry]

Just driven from Guadix in Andalusia to Santander via Madrid and west ring M50..... nearly all motorway, and no tolls at all....

 

[Ksar-el-kebir]

Going from Irun to Algeciras I only used the toll road from Irun towards San Sebastián. Could have used the 121 towards Zaragoza by river Bidasoa but too lazy!

 

[Yorkie]

Just driven from Guadix in Andalusia to Santander via Madrid and west ring M50..... nearly all motorway, and no tolls at all....

I am doing Bilbao to Tolox bear Malaga in 2 weeks, did you do the drive in stages or 1 go? If you stopped off do you have recommendations for aires etc?

 

[Ksar-el-kebir]

If I remember correctly I traveled from home in East Northants Bordeaux the first day then just south of Madrid the second and reaching Algeciras the third. If you run the nationals you’ll find road houses every 20km or so. The food is of a good standard and reasonably priced. If you just want to park there overnight that’s ok and in the morning you can get coffee and a shower.
You can avoid Madrid and go via Salamanca. It’s a bit further but nicer but Madrid is ok except rush hour.
Hope you have a good’un Yorkie!

 

[Yorkie]

If I remember correctly I traveled from home in East Northants Bordeaux the first day then just south of Madrid the second and reaching Algeciras the third. If you run the nationals you’ll find road houses every 20km or so. The food is of a good standard and reasonably priced. If you just want to park there overnight that’s ok and in the morning you can get coffee and a shower.
You can avoid Madrid and go via Salamanca. It’s a bit further but nicer but Madrid is ok except rush hour.
Hope you have a good’un Yorkie!

Thanks for the update. What’s a road house? Is it like the French routier

 

[Ksar-el-kebir]

Thanks for the update. What’s a road house? Is it like the French routier

Similar but you don’t really get the cordiality of the routier. Good quality food, toilets, showers, safe parking but don’t put the awning out. A lot safer than the picnic areas as there are trucks coming and going all night but avoid parking near a frigo if you’re a light sleeper!