MK5 Golf GTI

General => Random Chat => Topic started by: Russ_leeds on January 11, 2012, 06:47:10 pm

Title: Planning a driving holiday to Germany, any advice?
Post by: Russ_leeds on January 11, 2012, 06:47:10 pm
Hi all, as per title really me and a few mates a planning on driving down to dover, over to france and up to germany in july. Is there anything i should be doing/aware of besides the obvious passport ect
Cheers
Russ
Title: Re: Planning a driving holiday to Germany, any advice?
Post by: Viking on January 11, 2012, 06:59:40 pm
Briefly, in France obey the speed limit and no speed camera detectors, license (both parts), insurance cert, mot (if applicable), V5 log book, passport, headlight deflectors, fluorescent jacket for each occupant (inside the car not in the boot), warning triangle, first aid kit, spare bulb kit, fire extinguisher, foot pump or compressor, legal spare tyre, GB sticker or GB badge on the numberplate is acceptable.

Not all required, but all are possibly gonna save you in an emergency.

Full Euro breakdown assistance (can be had for a year online for £59) will get you home or recovered to a garage if necessary.

Have fun.
Title: Re: Planning a driving holiday to Germany, any advice?
Post by: jhtrophy on January 11, 2012, 07:08:50 pm
Factories in Stuttgart are well worth visit, also Germany like England have variable speed cameras on autobahn like the ones on m25 :happy2: if your going  south, Austria well worth a visit, great roads and if your there may as well drop into Italy  :driver:
Title: Re: Planning a driving holiday to Germany, any advice?
Post by: MAT ED30 on January 11, 2012, 07:10:55 pm
yeah just don't let someone else look on a map and say its only 2 hours away looking on the map  :signLOL: takes a day to get the place  :signLOL: :driver: good fun  :driver:
Title: Re: Planning a driving holiday to Germany, any advice?
Post by: edd666999 on January 11, 2012, 07:56:17 pm
If you have not got breakdown cover, get your banks premium account for a a few months as it includes phone insurance and travel insurance too and will cost less then cancel on you return.
Title: Re: Planning a driving holiday to Germany, any advice?
Post by: Tfsi_Mike on January 11, 2012, 08:04:25 pm
Factories in Stuttgart are well worth visit, also Germany like England have variable speed cameras on autobahn like the ones on m25 :happy2: if your going  south, Austria well worth a visit, great roads and if your there may as well drop into Italy  :driver:

Stuttgart & autostadt Wolfsburg are both well worth a visit.

Never came across variable speed cameras but if there is a limit on a section of autobahn it's worth sticking to as the mobile cameras are very discreet.

Fixed cameras are also painted grey or green.


There is a camera 90 or 100kph on the motorway out of dunkerque /
Calais it's a gray box about 3ft high in the middle of the motorway

Title: Re: Planning a driving holiday to Germany, any advice?
Post by: Nodz on January 11, 2012, 08:36:42 pm
Didn't know about all these speed traps popping up on the continent but I haven't been over in years.

What Viking said to take with you most of is law in alot of EU countries, I'm saw there's a guide on the aa's website ad details of things for various countries such as vignettes (if you travel further into Europe) or I think it's Berlin that have a congestion charge type system going aswell that you need to be aware of
Title: Re: Planning a driving holiday to Germany, any advice?
Post by: alackofspeed on January 11, 2012, 09:04:53 pm
Cross country from Francorchamps to Nurburg is great fun.
Title: Re: Planning a driving holiday to Germany, any advice?
Post by: Russ_leeds on January 11, 2012, 10:09:58 pm
cheers yeah should be good. we were thinking of possibly going into italy aswell just for the roads  :driver:
Ill have a look on the aa website now.
Title: Re: Planning a driving holiday to Germany, any advice?
Post by: MAT ED30 on January 12, 2012, 11:47:59 am
Italy is a stunning place get down to Modena as well and Lamborghini  :smiley:
Title: Re: Planning a driving holiday to Germany, any advice?
Post by: rich83 on January 12, 2012, 11:54:04 am
Schwartzwald. Gorgeous scenery.
Title: Re: Planning a driving holiday to Germany, any advice?
Post by: gizmo68 on January 12, 2012, 12:30:37 pm
I think it's Berlin that have a congestion charge type system going aswell that you need to be aware of
To my knowledge you need an environmental disc to enter most if not all city centres.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Title: Re: Planning a driving holiday to Germany, any advice?
Post by: jonm on January 12, 2012, 12:47:05 pm
England - France - Germany - Italy - and back expect a big fuel bill and toll road bill  :happy2:

I did this one last year

(https://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg62.imageshack.us%2Fimg62%2F4548%2Fholu.png&hash=bbb340564fe00761846cfea6738b74064935b6f8)

between hotels, fuel, tolls, food and beer for 2 weeks it worked out around £2400 total for 2 people in a Diesel

lots of pics can be seen here - http://www.staffs-vw.co.uk/photography-photoshops/1285-europe-road-trip-2011-photo-guide.html

France - Expensive to drive on the roads and fill up
Belgium - Cheap as chips to fill up
Luxemberg - cheaper than Belgium
Switzerland - miss it if you can expensive isn't the word bot for fuel and to eat plus you need to pay their road tax before you enter
Italy - beautiful place but the road conditions are shocking

Speed cameras are mostly Grey in colour, you get a sign warning about them sometimes but it is usually 10ft away from the camera
You get used to driving how you should drive when abroad, in other words, indicate to overtake, pass, pull back in and continue to drive in lane 1. not pull out and drive in the outside lane  :confused: its a better style of driving abroad and it will drive you nuts when you return
Title: Re: Planning a driving holiday to Germany, any advice?
Post by: Tfsi_Mike on January 12, 2012, 04:04:09 pm
England - France - Germany - Italy - and back expect a big fuel bill and toll road bill  :happy2:

I did this one last year

(https://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg62.imageshack.us%2Fimg62%2F4548%2Fholu.png&hash=bbb340564fe00761846cfea6738b74064935b6f8)

between hotels, fuel, tolls, food and beer for 2 weeks it worked out around £2400 total for 2 people in a Diesel

lots of pics can be seen here - http://www.staffs-vw.co.uk/photography-photoshops/1285-europe-road-trip-2011-photo-guide.html

France - Expensive to drive on the roads and fill up
Belgium - Cheap as chips to fill up
Luxemberg - cheaper than Belgium
Switzerland - miss it if you can expensive isn't the word bot for fuel and to eat plus you need to pay their road tax before you enter
Italy - beautiful place but the road conditions are shocking

Speed cameras are mostly Grey in colour, you get a sign warning about them sometimes but it is usually 10ft away from the camera
You get used to driving how you should drive when abroad, in other words, indicate to overtake, pass, pull back in and continue to drive in lane 1. not pull out and drive in the outside lane  :confused: its a better style of driving abroad and it will drive you nuts when you return


Bang on

Forgot about the tolls in France :-(
Title: Re: Planning a driving holiday to Germany, any advice?
Post by: Hedge on January 12, 2012, 04:42:25 pm
Schwartzwald. Gorgeous scenery.

Nice cake too.  :smiley:
Title: Re: Planning a driving holiday to Germany, any advice?
Post by: jhtrophy on January 12, 2012, 06:57:10 pm
Me and mated30 do a euro trip every year, doing south of France and the alps this year, the women are talking about Corsica too, rallye de corse roads :happy2: we always end up all over shop, think it was 9 countries once :scared:
Title: Re: Planning a driving holiday to Germany, any advice?
Post by: gizmo68 on January 12, 2012, 07:02:01 pm
France - Expensive to drive on the roads and fill up

Unless you are on a tight time scale there is absolutely no need to use the Autoroutes in France as the National roads are very good  :happy2:

Where there is no National alternative route, the Autoroute is free, you only pay when there is the choice to use the Nationals.
Title: Re: Planning a driving holiday to Germany, any advice?
Post by: gizmo68 on January 12, 2012, 07:08:11 pm
I think it's Berlin that have a congestion charge type system going aswell that you need to be aware of
To my knowledge you need an environmental disc to enter most if not all city centres.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is the sticker:
(https://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kaiserslauternamerican.com%2Fartman2%2Fuploads%2F2%2Fumweltzone_sticker120810.jpg&hash=3ce614521fa059805e2c616ac8143e3ef3990d51)

http://www.lowemissionzones.eu/countries-mainmenu-147/germany-mainmenu-61 (http://www.lowemissionzones.eu/countries-mainmenu-147/germany-mainmenu-61)
Title: Re: Planning a driving holiday to Germany, any advice?
Post by: MAT ED30 on January 12, 2012, 07:08:28 pm
9 is that all  :signLOL:
Title: Re: Planning a driving holiday to Germany, any advice?
Post by: Tfsi_Mike on January 12, 2012, 07:17:24 pm
I think it's Berlin that have a congestion charge type system going aswell that you need to be aware of
To my knowledge you need an environmental disc to enter most if not all city centres.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is the sticker:
(https://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kaiserslauternamerican.com%2Fartman2%2Fuploads%2F2%2Fumweltzone_sticker120810.jpg&hash=3ce614521fa059805e2c616ac8143e3ef3990d51)

http://www.lowemissionzones.eu/countries-mainmenu-147/germany-mainmenu-61 (http://www.lowemissionzones.eu/countries-mainmenu-147/germany-mainmenu-61)

Nightmare to remove from the screen after moving back from germany lol
Title: Re: Planning a driving holiday to Germany, any advice?
Post by: gizmo68 on January 12, 2012, 07:27:12 pm
Why would you want to remove it? it lasts the lifetime of the car (well numberplate to be specific) so if you ever want to go back again  :happy2:
Title: Re: Planning a driving holiday to Germany, any advice?
Post by: Tfsi_Mike on January 12, 2012, 08:19:29 pm
Why would you want to remove it? it lasts the lifetime of the car (well numberplate to be specific) so if you ever want to go back again  :happy2:

its registered to my diplomatic plates, Im now re registered with the DVLA with my original first registration  :happy2: