Enjoy a Driving Holiday in Europe

If you want to see a lot of Europe while you’re over there, then you should know that it has some great roads for you to cruise along, and some wonderful scenery to enjoy on the way.

Driving Holiday in EuropeJustin in SD / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

If you’re planning to rent a car and take a long motoring vacation taking in a lot of sites, a good tip is to start your journey in the UK. Renting a car there will be easier because of the shared language. From there you can “hop across the pond” as the locals say and take in mainland Europe. Alternatively you could buy a car cheaply for the trip.

The first thing you will need to be aware of renting a car in Europe is that you will have to get used to a smaller vehicle and smaller roads. What’s called “medium sized” there is “small” to us. You’ll notice the difference though in cities – because so many of them are old they don’t have our modern spacious roads, and smaller cars really are better for you to navigate around. You’ll also be better off driving a stick for this reason, as it’ll probably handle the tight corners better.

The second thing you will need to do is make sure you are familiar with local laws, signs and customs. For example, jaywalking is not illegal everywhere – in the UK you might be shocked at the number of people crossing not at designated crossings. Watch out for them – running over a local is a surefire way to ruin a vacation! In many places you can’t automatically turn on a red light either, you need to wait for your green light.

Some countries, in particular France, operate toll roads which will increase the cost of your journey. It’s possible to get sat navs which you can set to avoid toll roads if you like, but you might end up going a longer route.

Websites like the AA have comprehensive advice on European driving to help you plan your vacation, including laws, what you need to carry in your car and gas prices. It is actually possible to find quite cheap gas in mainland Europe, but the UK and Denmark are really expensive.

The final thing to remember in planning your route is that Europe is not one large entity, and huge differences exist in different countries and regions. Most important is the EU/Non EU division. While travelling around Western Europe you’ll be able to cross borders easily and drive where you want to, but as you head East you will encounter the edge of the EU zone. If you want to drive into Eastern Europe (for example through Hungary and into Romania) you will need to discuss this in advance with the car rental company and make sure that you have the appropriate passports and visas.

Once you’ve got all this in order you are all set to have a blast cruising along some really incredible roads, like the Atlantic Road in Norway with its bridges and sea views; the Alpine Road with its mountain backdrop or the Transfagarasan with its dramatic twists and turns.  You will also enjoy the challenge of surviving driving in Greece and Italy, where the drivers are known for their unpredictability! Good luck and happy driving!

Kat loves travelling, particularly exploring cities in Eastern Europe. She blogs about travel, driving and budgeting for http://www.carloan4u.co.uk/.