Behind the European Wheel
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Horror stories about European traffic abound. They're fun to tell, but driving in Europe is really only a problem for those who make it one. Any good American driver can cope with European traffic.
Europe is a continent of frustrated race-car drivers. The most dangerous creature on the road is the timid American. Be aggressive, observe, fit in, avoid big-city driving when you can, and wear your seat belt. For more tips, see www.ideamerge.com/motoeuropa.
Drive European. After a few minutes on the autobahn, you'll learn that you don't cruise in the passing lane. Cruise in the right-hand lane on the Continent and the left-hand lane in Britain and Ireland.
And drive defensively. Be warned that some Europeans, particularly Italians, make up their own rules of the road. In Rome, my cabbie went through three red lights. White-knuckled, I asked, "Scusi, do you see red lights?" He said, "When I come to light, I look. If no cars come, red light stupido, I go through. If policeman sees no cars — no problema. He agree — red light stupido."
Learn the signs. All of Europe uses the same simple set of road symbols. Just take a few minutes to learn them. Many major rest stops have free local driving almanacs (or cheap maps) that explain such signs, roadside facilities, and exits.
You can drive in and out of strange towns fairly smoothly by following a few basic signs. Most European towns have signs directing you to the "old town" or the center (such as centrum, centro, centar, centre-ville, Zentrum, Stadtmitte). The tourist office, normally right downtown, will usually be clearly signposted (i, turismo, VVV, or various abbreviations that you'll learn in each country). The tallest spire often marks the center of the old town. Park in its shadow and look for the tourist information office. To leave a city, look for freeway signs (distinctive green or blue, depending on the country) or "all directions" (toutes directions) signs. Avoid heavy traffic times. Big cities are great fun and nearly traffic-free for Sunday drives. Mediterranean resort areas are extremely congested on summer weekends.
To save time, use the expressway. The shortest distance between any two European points is found on the autobahn/strada/route/cesta. Some prefer the more scenic and free national highway systems (route nationale in France). These small roads can be a breeze, or they can be dreadfully jammed up. To study ahead, consult the excellent route planner at www.viamichelin.com.
Better roads often come with tolls. It's free to drive on expressways in some countries — such as most roads in Great Britain, or Germany's famous Autobahn. In other countries, you'll pay for the privilege. Sometimes you'll have to buy a toll sticker (sold at border crossings, gas stations, and post offices) to display in your window: You'll pay about $32 for the highway permit decal as you enter Switzerland, $10 for Austria, $8 for the Czech Republic, $12 for Hungary, and $6 for Slovakia. If you don't get the decal, you'll soon meet your first local — in uniform. In most Mediterranean countries — including Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Croatia, and Slovenia — you'll periodically encounter toll booths on major expressways ($4–7 per hour). Although tolls can be high in Italy and France ($6/hour in Italy, $50 to get from Paris to the French Riviera — priciest around Monaco), the gas and time saved on European expressways justifies the expense. Note that in all these cases, if you're simply dipping into the country on secondary roads (such as around the town of Reutte, Austria, near Germany's Bavaria), you don't need to buy a toll sticker or otherwise pay for road use. But tolls can pop up in unexpected places. For example, to drive in downtown London, you'll have to pay a $16 "congestion charge" (www.cclondon.com).
Passing is essential. Americans are timid about passing. Be bold but careful. On winding, narrow roads, you'll notice a turn-signal sign language from the slower car ahead of you indicating when it's OK to pass. This is used inconsistently. Don't rely on it blindly.
Don't use a car for city sightseeing. Park it and use public transportation (or taxis). City parking is a pain. Find a spot as close to the center as possible, grab it, and keep it. For overnight stops, it's crucial to choose a safe, well-traveled, and well-lit spot. A tourist's car parked overnight in a bad urban neighborhood will almost certainly be vandalized. In cities where traffic is worst, look for huge government-sponsored (cheap) parking lots on the outskirts, where a bus or subway will zip you easily into the center. It's often worth parking in a garage ($10–30 a day). Ask your hotel receptionist for advice.
Consider hiring cabbies. Even if you've got a rental car, cabbies can be handy when you're driving lost in a big city. Many times I've hired a cab, showed him an elusive address, and followed him in my car to my hotel.
Go metric. Outside of Britain, you'll be dealing with kilometers. To convert kilometers to miles, cut in half and add 10 percent (90 km/hr = 45 + 9 miles = 54 miles — not very fast in Europe). Do the math yourself: 140 km = 84 mph. Or 360 km = 216 miles. Some people prefer to multiply by 6 and drop the last digit (80 km/hr x 6 = 48 miles), though this can be challenging with large numbers (340 miles x 6 = ?). Choose whichever formula works for you.
Explore the roundabouts in Britain and Ireland. In addition to intersections with stoplights, you'll encounter roundabouts. These work wonderfully if you yield to cars already inside the circle. For many, roundabouts are high-pressure circles that require a snap decision about something you really don't completely understand — your exit. To replace the stress with giggles, make it standard operating procedure to take a 360-degree case-out-your-options exploratory circuit, discuss the exits with your navigator, go around again if necessary, and then confidently wing off on the exit of your choice.
Gas
The cost of gas in Europe ($4–7 a gallon) sounds worse than it is. Distances are short, the petite cars get great mileage, and, when compared to costly train tickets (for the price of a two-hour train ride, you can fill your tank), expensive gas is less of a factor. You'll be impressed by how few miles you need to travel to enjoy Europe's diversity. To minimize gas costs, consider renting a car that takes diesel, which costs the same per liter but gets better mileage.
Pumping gas in Europe is as easy as finding a gas station (the word "self-service" is universal), sticking the nozzle in, and pulling the big trigger. Gas prices are listed by the liter (about a quart, four to a gallon). Gas is called petrol or benzine, while diesel is known as gasoil. Super is super, and normal is normal (or essence) and increasingly rare. In many countries, the pumps are color-coded to help you find the right kind of gas. When you pick up your rental car, be sure you know what kind of gas (and what color pumps) you need to use, and have them show you how to open the gas cap. As in the United States, most cars take unleaded, but diesel is still widely in use. Freeway gas stations are more expensive than those in towns, but during siesta only freeway stations are open. Giant suburban supermarkets often offer the cheapest gas.
Joyriding
The British Isles are good for driving — reasonable rentals, no language barrier, exciting rural areas, and fine roads...and after one near head-on collision scares the bloody heck out of you, you'll have no trouble remembering which side of the road to drive on.
Other good driving areas are Scandinavia (call for free reservations to avoid long waits at ferry crossings); Belgium and the Netherlands (yield to bikes — you're outnumbered); Spain and Portugal (explore out-of-the-way villages and hill towns); Germany (enjoy wonderfully engineered freeways much loved by wannabe race-car drivers); Switzerland and Austria (drive down sunny alpine valleys with yodeling on the stereo for auto ecstasy); and Slovenia (a tiny, picturesque country with many diverse sights hard to reach by public transit). The whirlwind, see-Europe-from-top-to-bottom type of trip is best by train.
Updated for 2008. For lots more tips, check out our best-selling Europe Through the Back Door travel skills guidebook.