Beginners road trip to Switzerland/Austria

fox65

Thinking of taking a trip to europe in a car. ferry it over and the euro tunnel over and prehaps go to switzerland and austria. and back. details aren't set in stone.

I've no idea, how long would it take to get there. with how many hours driving a day. what is the story with visas etc.

whats people experience in a trip like this

all help would be appreciated

peasant

moved from motorhomes & campervans

Mr Benevolent

The only Visa you will need is your credit card.

L1011

You need no visas assuming you hold Irish passports. All countries on the way to/from are EU and Switzerland has a deal with Ireland and has had for many years.

How many hours driving you can do depends on the drivers. Theres no laws on driving time for private drivers, but you will get tired. Also if you're bombing around the place you won't get to see much. I've made it to eastern holland in under 20 hours straight with two hours sleep, ferry, drive, tunnel, drive but that kind of driving for a holiday is madness. Covering 600km a day is safe and achievable, covering 1000 a day isn't safe but can be done... assuming a private car, as this was moved from motorhomes you might be driving one of those with a lower speed limit.

Driving on the right really isn't a big problem but you have to remember to do it every time you set off! Driving the wrong way around a Belgian carpark was bad enough, if I'd not remembered I'd have ended up the wrong way on a motorway

You also need to take a fair bit of stuff with you that you don't need here. France requires one hiviz vest per passenger in the cabin (not a boot). Other countries (maybe France too, can't remember) require a set of spare lightbulbs. Some recommend or require a fire extinguisher and first aid kit.

Austria and Switzerland have tolled motorways using a window sticker system - there are penalties for not having this. Frances tolled network uses the more traditional to us payment booths.

tossy

MYOB wrote: »

Austria and Switzerland have tolled motorways using a window sticker system - there are penalties for not having this. Frances tolled network uses the more traditional to us payment booths.

Yes the biggest tourist trap ever,one of our party got stung for 120e for not having the toll sticker,we drove umpteen miles on the Mway passing signs that aid toll but no details of how to pay it etc!

Driving on the right is surprisingly easy after a day or two it is almost second nature,just take extra care to remind yourself if the roads are quite,if the are busy you will just follow the traffic.

apart from that i say go for it! make sure your car is in good mechanical order,service before hand and bring things like spare bulbs,tyre weld,Coil pack etc etc.

Not a bad idea to take out some form of European road cover with Hibernian or the AA.

We did a similar trip last year 3,111 miles in 10 days England-France-Belgium-Holland-Germany-Czech republic-Austria-Switzerland-Italy-France-England,one of the best holidays I've ever had!

Davidth88

Driven on the Continent loads of times.

As others have advised , check local rules ( such as the spare bulbs etc ) and obey them. French police in particular like to stop non-french cars to check these and you will be fined on the spot , or marched to the nearest ATM.

I would get AA 5 star , or similar .

In Germany , be careful a lot of the Auto bahns DO have speed limits , sometimes for very short streches , for example over bridges. Obey the speed limits .

Be careful not to run out of petrol on the German auto-bahns , it's against the law !

Don't try to drive too far in one day , rememeber you are on holiday , enjoy yourself and take your time .

Have a great time , and fill the car with french wine/beer before you leave !

Quint

DON'T BREAK THE SPEED LIMIT IN SWITZERLAND!
It's something like a €1200 on the spot fine

craichoe

tossy wrote: »

Yes the biggest tourist trap ever,one of our party got stung for 120e for not having the toll sticker,we drove umpteen miles on the Mway passing signs that aid toll but no details of how to pay it etc!

It advertised in Almost every Dutch, German and French petrol station :eek:

DON'T BREAK THE SPEED LIMIT IN SWITZERLAND!
It's something like a €1200 on the spot fine

Thats total bollocks
Its variable although strict, 40 francs for 2 -3 kms over the speed limit in a 50kph zone
100 Francs is the general amount for motorway fines, unless your way over in which case its alot more.

Basically the same as the rest of Continental Europe.


Full list of speed Cameras here.

Saab Ed

There are very few speed camera cars in Austria but they love their cameras all the same. Lots of fixed cameras on the motorway but that doesnt matter in an Irish reged car. The limit is 130kmh but you could sit at 140 on the speedo right across Austria and have no trouble. BUT dont speed in and out of villages and small towns or in and around motorway over pass slip roads , large junctions or any sort of built up area where the speed limit signs drop to 80 or 60 kmh. They hide everywhere around these easy catch places and dont let anyone off the hook. On the spot fine straight away . If you think Irish cops are bad on a sunny day just imagine what they would be like with sun all year round. Oh and dont forget ( Austria anyway) you'll need a warning triangle and fire extinguisher to be legal.

biko

Time frame

craichoe

Saab Ed wrote: »

There are very few speed camera cars in Austria but they love their cameras all the same. Lots of fixed cameras on the motorway but that doesnt matter in an Irish reged car. The limit is 130kmh but you could sit at 140 on the speedo right across Austria and have no trouble. BUT dont speed in and out of villages and small towns or in and around motorway over pass slip roads , large junctions or any sort of built up area where the speed limit signs drop to 80 or 60 kmh. They hide everywhere around these easy catch places and dont let anyone off the hook. On the spot fine straight away . If you think Irish cops are bad on a sunny day just imagine what they would be like with sun all year round. Oh and dont forget ( Austria anyway) you'll need a warning triangle and fire extinguisher to be legal.

No Fire extinguiser but a warning triangle, spare bulbs, luminous jacket.
Rentals do come with a fire extinguisher though.

Quint

craichoe wrote: »

It advertised in Almost every Dutch, German and French petrol station :eek:



Thats total bollocks
Its variable although strict, 40 francs for 2 -3 kms over the speed limit in a 50kph zone
100 Francs is the general amount for motorway fines, unless your way over in which case its alot more.

Basically the same as the rest of Continental Europe.


Full list of speed Cameras here.

I read that in a bike magazine! Thought it seemed a bit much! Just did a search, and you are right:o
But if you do 30kph over the speed limit, it's a court appearence. You won't have to go to court, but the fines are big. There's 80kph sections on sections of motorways, so it's easy to do, so just keep an eye for the speed limits. Got this from another messageboard:

35 KPH over is a three month ban plus a hefty fine or a choice of a jail sentence for twenty odd days. They take speeding here very seriously as I was in a similar position a year or so ago.

Worst case is probably that they want your licence for three months, expect a fine in the order of CHF 2200 and additionally CHF 700 (€2000 in total)for court costs, these costs can be paid normally over a three month period at their discression, similarly you can choose when the three month ban starts. Out of interest was the letter in English?

The fine is dependant upon your salary, don't lie to them and do pay or you will be arrested upon rentry into Switzerland over the duration of your life if you ever return, with interest added.

As mentioned in a previous post, you probably will not be required to appear in court.

fox65

I posted it in the motorhome section as i assumed there would be more people who know about it in that section. so 600km a day is reasonable?
how much a night should i budget a night for accomdation.
i know some people who have done some similiar things with sailing and said around 30-50 a night?

Stephen

I got caught by a fixed camera in Switzerland doing a few kph over a 50k limit in Rheinfall. Was in a rental car so it was just deducted from my credit card. Fine was only about €20.

tossy

We didn't spare the pedal driving across Switzerland Well at least once we got out of the alps.

The main thing is enjoy and be prepared for the breath of fresh air that is the European road network!

Heinrich

tossy wrote: »

We didn't spare the pedal driving across Switzerland Well at least once we got out of the alps.

The main thing is enjoy and be prepared for the breath of fresh air that is the European road network!

I'd say it was the brake pedal! The place is littered with speed cameras, especially on the autoroute de contournement in Geveva! 100 kph there.

As for being stung for not having the vignette I am surprised you sneaked into Switzerland. They have border posts on the motorways and you have to pass these and pay the yoke. At CHF40 it is great value for unlimited motorway driving.

Glad you paid triple for being smart.

tossy

Heinrich wrote: »

I'd say it was the brake pedal! The place is littered with speed cameras, especially on the autoroute de contournement in Geveva! 100 kph there.

As for being stung for not having the vignette I am surprised you sneaked into Switzerland. They have border posts on the motorways and you have to pass these and pay the yoke. At CHF40 it is great value for unlimited motorway driving.

Glad you paid triple for being smart.

Are you glad? fair play to you,your easily pleased so.We missed the signs on the Austrian motor way for the toll and were oblivious to it,we came off the Motorway to hit the alps and rounded a corner there were too cops standing there with table tennis bats we managed to get 2 cars past them before the had time to react there was never an element of being smart,do you think we would have run the risk if we knew the deal.

As for the speed cameras,we didn't get any flashes in Switzerland,at least not that i am aware of,i think we got a few leaving nancy in France alright but sure feck it!