Driving in Europe I. The Survival Guide to the Continental Cross Country

Story and photography by
Eric Anderson 

 

We got a question from a reader: “You’ve clearly been to Europe a few times, driving? We fancy a driving vacation in Europe and wondered how realistic this idea is. Any suggestions?”

My response might be, “You don’t say where you want to go or how much time you can take but let me guess, maybe 10 days, and the destination classic places or countries. I assume you are not young and inexperienced nor elderly and, in addition, lacking driving skills so let’s proceed on this fun trip!

This is fun for me because your query reminds me of a long trip I made in May of 1981 driving from Rome to Paris for Autoweek magazine. I drove a Fiat in Rome, a Lancia to Munich, a BMW to Paris and a Peugeot diesel around France. I doubt that much has changed in the last 30 years because, essentially, when you drive amongst those locals you find the driving is simply a feature of the national personality and that really hasn’t changed all that much. I’ve been back a lot since the ‘80s.

Top left clockwise: Two Jaguars in Scotland; a Ferrari Mondial in Modena, Italy; a BMW M1 in Munich, Germany 

Your idea is realistic, but there are some things you might want to do first. Go to your local AAA office and get an International Driving License. Strictly speaking it’s not necessary but it’s cheap and may come in useful. Check how rental agreements impact your credit card. Spend time on this: it will save you money if some extra rental expenses are covered by your card. Check out the European map section at the AAA office and/or visit Borders or Barnes & Noble to get a good driving map written in English. This can be important; Nancy and I drove around the Costa Brava, NE corner of Spain, about four years ago with an inadequate map and poorly signed roads and country lanes. It was a bit distracting!

Top left clockwise: A BMW 5 series at Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria; a little Fiat at the Medieval Medical School in Padua, Italy; a Peugeot 505 Turbo Diesel at Le Mans, France; and a Lancia in the Italian Alps 

Do an online search for rentals to compare the prices of US-based companies with local ones. We’ve had good results with AutoEurope. You may feel you want a big car with automatic transmission and great luggage capabilities but there are three problems with that: the rental is more expensive, parking is difficult in major European cities, and the cost of gas for a big car is going to blow your socks off. I often had a cousin’s Jaguar to use in Britain and I remember once paying 85 pounds to fill the two tanks a few years ago. (We are so lucky withour US prices we should be ashamed when we complain in the United States.)

For another viewpoint I spoke to Nico Zenner, the president of the long-established Brendan Vacations. He has driven all over Europe and presides over a travel company that arranges well-researched self-drive vacations initially in Ireland but now all over. Brendan can arrange itineraries, hotels and car rentals. All you have to do is the driving but they can even arrange a driver. Brendan is a brand of the Travel Corporation and, headquartered in Los Angeles, has more than 125 staff members.

A Bentley in Scotland; a Volvo in the Arctic Circle where Finland, Norway and Russia meet 

So what does he say?

“First: There are some cities you shouldn’t drive in, such as Rome or Paris. Why not? Because there is too much traffic there, the traffic rules for those cities are complicated and -- if you are driving – you don’t see so much.”

His second point is to warn that you may need to adjust your speed. “By that I mean you may have to speed up and drive faster because, for example, in Germany there is no speed limit.” I smile because I remember being given an exciting BMW M1 for a day’s use on the autobahn. The BMW publicist in Munich took a moment to tell me there was no speed limit but if I drove faster than the equivalent of 140 miles an hour, the BMW car insurance would be invalidated and I’d be on my own if I had an accident. Mmm.

Zenner says, in Germany, he likes to drive in a decent car but in Switzerland, where he wants to look at the scenery, he’d rather have a simple vehicle like the “Smart Car”

Zenner has a second comment about speed: “Traffic rules are not the same as those in the United States,” he says, “You cannot pass on the right. My advice might be that you get into the slow lane and stay out of harm’s way.” He says when he finds a car in front of him not moving over but continuing to occupy the fast lane (which lane is really intended for overtaking) he knows he’s behind a non-European driver.

His third point is a simple one: “Be prepared for sticker shock: gas is very expensive.