Today, more and more of our compatriots decide to independently go to Europe by car. At first glance it seems that it is quite simple: took a vacation, loaded the trunk - and forward, towards the adventures. In fact, such a journey requires serious preparation. So, you need to not only take care of the availability of documents that you may need abroad, but also check the health of your car, and also carefully develop the route. So, today we offer a more detailed understanding of how to go on an independent trip to Europe in your own car. To do this, we will consider the main points that should be given increased attention when planning a trip.
We are developing a route: by car in Europe
First of all, you need to consider a rough travel plan, and then carefully develop all its details. Of course, in this case, everyone is free to be guided by their preferences, as well as financial capabilities. However, we will give basic recommendations. First of all, do not lay too long journeys into your route: driving in Europe by car is pleasant, but very tiring. As a result, if you want to cover as many cities and countries as possible during your vacation, you will be very tired, as a result of which you will have to spend more time on leisure than on walking and sightseeing. In addition, when planning your travel time, be sure to consider snacking stops, etc.
Navigation
When planning a trip by car in Europe, it is advisable to use the Google Maps service or a navigator, with which you can get directions according to certain parameters entered (for example, excluding toll roads). If your car is not equipped with a full-time GPS, we recommend that you purchase it, especially since the price of these devices is now publicly available. And when you find yourself in a completely unfamiliar country, where people speak a language incomprehensible to you, this small device can become for you a real lifesaver. After all, he will not only show you the way, warn about the permissible speed limit, but also inform you about the nearest gas stations, ATMs and cafes. It's better not to count on paper cards, although you can throw a couple into the glove compartment just in case.
Hotel Reservation
If you are going to Europe by car, you should take care of reserving rooms in hotels in advance, where you will stay on your trip. To select and book suitable hotels it is very convenient to use popular sites. Please note whether the hotel you like charges a prepayment. Indeed, when applying for a Schengen visa, the embassy will most likely require you to confirm one-hundred-percent prepayment of hotel rooms for the entire period of your trip. Also try to find out if the hotels where you plan to stay have their own parking. Do not be discouraged even if it is paid. Upon arrival, it is advisable to park the car near the hotel and set off for sightseeing on foot, by public transport or taxi. Going to the city center on your own car makes sense only if you are sure that you can find a parking lot for it. The fact is that the situation with parking in all more or less large and popular European cities for tourists is quite bad. In addition, this pleasure is far from cheap. If you can’t find the parking lot and leave the car in the wrong place, then you can be sure that they will impose a considerable fine on you, and perhaps even take the iron horse to the parking lot.
To Europe by car: documents
After you have developed a travel plan, booked hotels and received the appropriate visas for all participants of the trip, it is worth recalling other necessary documents. So, traveling to Europe by car, be sure to bring your passport with a valid visa, medical insurance (it is inexpensive, but in case of emergency you will save a hefty amount, because medical services in Europe are by no means cheap), international car insurance ( Green Card), documents for the vehicle (registration certificate and, if necessary, a certified power of attorney), driver's license.
In addition, it is advisable to have printed confirmation of hotel reservations, copies of your passport pages with affixed visas, and an international driver’s license. Further, we offer more details on car insurance and an international driver’s license, as these questions often cause a lot of questions for people planning to travel to Europe by car.
International vehicle insurance
Most of this insurance is known by its English name - Green Card. The "Green Card" is a kind of analogue of the usual CTP, which operates on the territory of all European countries (with rare exceptions). This policy covers driver liability. Thus, the payment is received by the party injured in a traffic accident in accordance with the legislation of the state where the accident occurred.
As for the cost of the Green Card, it is the same in all insurance companies and is regulated by the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation. Three factors affect the cost of the policy: its validity period (minimum - 15 days, maximum - 12 months), type of vehicle and territory of use. On average, the Green Card for 15 days will cost you one and a half thousand rubles.
International Driving License
Many travelers are sure that they need international law to travel to Europe. This term refers to the international driver’s license (or ID), which is a translation of the national driver’s license and confirms your right to drive a car of one category or another. On the territory of Russia MVU has the right to issue only the traffic police. Keep in mind that an international driving license is only valid when paired with national rights.
In fairness, it should be noted that a trip by car to Europe in most cases does not require the presence of a driver of the IDP. It is enough to have a national driver's license with you. However, in states that have signed only the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, adopted in 1949, international rights may still demand from you today. In Europe, such countries are Albania, Ireland, Andorra, Iceland, Malta, Cyprus, Turkey and the Netherlands. Of course, the requirement to have an IDP in most cases is purely formal, and local police officers rarely punish foreign drivers for the lack of this document. However, in order not to worry again and protect yourself from possible problems, it is better to spend a little time and get international rights. Moreover, this procedure takes only 20 minutes (in Moscow) and will cost an average of one thousand rubles.
Preparing your car for a long journey
I want to say that if a trip to Europe by car is on the agenda, then the issue of preparing your iron horse should be one of the paramount. Be sure to remember what you wanted to repair in your car and put off everything until later. Also see when the next maintenance plan should be carried out. And if there is very little time left before it, then it is better to do it in advance. Be that as it may, the diagnosis will by no means be superfluous, because not all problems of a car can be identified during an external examination.
After you have made sure that your iron horse is fully technically sound, and that the trip to Europe by car does not end at one of the service stations, you can begin to slowly equip it with everything you need. So, to enter the territory of the European Union, your car must have a European-style first-aid kit, a warning triangle, a fire extinguisher, and a reflective vest. Moreover, these items are not only necessary in emergency situations. Police officers at the border can also check their availability.
We figured out the necessary items. Now let's talk about optional, but very desirable things that you need to have with you when setting off on a long journey by car. So, it does not hurt to put a compressor in the trunk for pumping tires. Also check the condition of your reserve or dokatka. If you plan a trip in the autumn-winter time, then keep in mind that the use of studded tires in Europe is prohibited.
Do not lose sight of the tow rope. Of course, in which case you can use a tow truck, but most often it is much easier to tow a stalled car, especially if you go on a trip with several cars. It is advisable to capture all the vital fluids for your machine by topping up. After all, this if something can help you get to the nearest service, and maybe to Russia, which will seriously save repair costs. Also, bring along a set of basic tools: pliers, wrenches and screwdrivers. Also useful are plastic clamps, adhesive tape and electrical tape. All these items will not take up much space in the trunk, but in some situations can be literally indispensable.
Crossing the border
So, any trip to Europe begins with crossing the border. Since the price of gasoline abroad is quite high, we recommend refueling a full tank even in the CIS. At the border with the European Union, you can record the number of liters in the tank, but you should not worry about it, and no one will take money from you in the form of a fee for this.
When communicating with border guards and customs officers, behave correctly and politely. Follow all requests coming from them. So, they may ask you to open the trunk, hood or show the contents of the bags. Surely the border guard will ask about the purpose of your trip. Do not invent some kind of fables, answer as is.
If the front windows are tinted on your car, be aware that this can cause problems at the border. The fact is that in Europe such tinting is prohibited. It may even come to the point that you will be asked to remove the film, which is quite difficult, especially in winter. However, even if you safely enter the territory of the European Union with tinted windows, you should not deceive yourself and think that all the problems are behind. After all, you can easily be stopped by the first policeman that comes across. And already in this case, you will not only have to get rid of tinting, but also pay a pretty decent fine.
On European roads
So, you have successfully overcome all the formalities, and your iron horse briskly winds the first kilometers along the roads of the European Union. But you should not relax here. First of all, it is recommended to immediately pay for travel on the autobahn. In Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria you need to purchase a sticker that should be attached to the windshield. It will mean that you paid for the highway. The cost of a sticker may vary depending on the country, but on average it will cost about 15 euros.
Now, in order for a trip by car to Europe to bring you exclusively positive emotions, it remains only to carefully observe all the rules of the road. Before entering each country that is part of the European Union, you will see an information board with speed limits for the city, country roads and motorways. It is very important to remember these numbers and not to exceed them. Indeed, speeding even a few kilometers per hour can result in a minimum fine of 30 euros. For more serious violations, the fine may amount to several hundred, or even thousands of euros! And to avoid punishment is unlikely to succeed, since all roads have modern video recording equipment. If the policeman stops you, do not even try to give him a bribe. Not only will he not take the money, it can also hold you accountable for trying to bribe an official.
However, when traveling by car in Europe and concentrating on observing the speed limit on European roads, one should not forget about other traffic rules. So, be very careful to follow signs, traffic lights and markings. By the way, the latter in most cases is applied very competently and is able not only not to confuse, but, on the contrary, to help the driver cross the intersection or intersection correctly. Of course, as a rule, the first kilometers along the roads of Europe are accompanied by mild stress among our drivers. However, gradually you will get a taste of it and you will be very surprised at the driving style of our compatriots after returning home.
The cost of traveling by car
It is naive to believe that tourist trips to Europe by private car are much cheaper than when traveling by plane. Therefore, the expense part is an important point in planning your vacation. We suggest briefly finding out how much the trip to Europe on your own "iron horse" can cost and what expense items your budget should include.
- The cost of obtaining the necessary documents for the driver and the car. This item involves the purchase of a Green Card and, if necessary, the issuance of an IDP. It will cost about 2500 rubles.
- The cost of health insurance and a Schengen visa. On average, the execution of these documents will cost 4 thousand rubles per person.
- The cost of preparing the car for the road. It all depends on the brand of your car and its technical condition. Also in this paragraph we will include the acquisition of the navigator. So, a good device with loaded maps of Europe will cost about 8 thousand rubles.
- You can calculate the cost of gasoline only with the final travel plan on hand. On average, if you go on the route Moscow - Warsaw - Berlin - Brussels - Paris, you will have to spend about 18 thousand rubles. Do not forget to budget for the purchase of gasoline and for the return trip.
- Costs of toll roads and parking. Here, everything will depend solely on the country where you are on your way, as well as on whether you plan to leave a car in the hotel parking lot and walk around the city on foot, or whether you want to ride your "iron horse" everywhere.
- The cost of living, food and entertainment. Everything here is purely individual. After all, someone does not mind living in cheap hotels away from the center, and someone certainly needs 4- and 5-star hotels in the heart of the city. The same goes for food with entertainment.