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Last december, my friends and I rented a car and drove from Austria to Switzerland. It was my first time driving overseas and I wished someone had shared their experience driving in Europe. Hopefully, this post will provide some useful tips for anyone planning a road trip there! โบ๏ธ
๐พ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ & ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ก
1๏ธโฃ ๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐บ๐ถ๐ (๐๐๐ฃ)
- To rent a car and drive overseas, you must get your IDP from the Automobile Association in Singapore before travelling
- The process is quite fuss-free, just need to apply online, send in a photo and fill up some information and the IDP can be mailed to you for $20 in total
๐กIf you are in a rush, best to visit the Automobile Association centres in person so that you can collect on the same day!
๐กSecond or third drivers also need the IDP to drive, though only one IDP is required to rent
2๏ธโฃ ๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ ๐จ๐
- This means that roads and driver seat is on the opposite side (vs ๐ธ๐ฌ)
๐กRemind yourself to always drive towards RIGHT side of road
๐กWhen giving way, keep to the RIGHT
3๏ธโฃ ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐ฎ๐๐
- Usually three to four lanes. Counting from the left, first lane is the overtaking lane, rightmost lane is slow lane.
๐กOnly use first lane if you are overtaking and then change back to second or third lane afterwards. Staying on second or third lane is alright unless you are really slow, then move to rightmost lane.
- It gets dark by nightfall, and few/no streetlights, only reflectors at the side
๐กVery sleep inducing when driving on expressways at night, so play some music or have someone chat with you beside!
- Speed limit is much higher (typically 80km/h in tunnels, 120-130km/h on expressways)
๐กThe speed limit in tunnels is very strict as there are speed detectors, so monitor your speed closely!
๐กTunnels are also much narrower (1 to 2 lanes) so be careful!
Note: there is a special type of expressway called Autobahn in Germany ๐ฉ๐ช - basically no speed limit on this expressway and everyone drives at any speed they want. For the Autobahn, you will want to ensure that you are not blocking anyone on the fast lane and always check blind spots before changing lanes!
4๏ธโฃ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐
- In Europe, you can drive across borders of many countries without requiring any immigration process since most of them are in EU. So thatโs different from driving from SG to JB, since you do not need any passport checks!
- However, you may need a vignette when entering a new country. A vignette covers the road tax or toll fees for driving on an expressway and there are different pricing depending on the country you driving to.
๐กPurchase your vignette stickers at a petrol station or rest stop near the border before entering the other country! It should be stuck on the windshield of your car so that itโs visible.
5๏ธโฃ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ด ๐ต๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐
- It is very common to drive for more than an hour when travelling from one city to another since each country is so big (fyi: drive from Austria ๐ฆ๐น to Swiss ๐จ๐ญ could be 6-8 hours)
๐กTake short breaks every 2-3 hours and switch to another driver if possible! There are many rest stops along the expressway (look out for ๐ด or ๐ป sign).
๐กPlay music or have a chat buddy
6๏ธโฃ ๐ก๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
- From my personal experience, Google maps works much better than the built-in GPS on the rental car
๐กAssign someone to be the navigator to pre-empt you about when to make an exit cos the signs may not be that obvious and the roads may be much more complicated than you think!
๐กBring a phone holder that can be either attached to windshield or centre console of the car. Also a charger to ensure that your phone does not run out of battery! ๐
7๏ธโฃ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ โ๏ธ
- This is definitely something the driving centre in SG did not teach us cos no winter here but apparently winter tires are different from snow tires. Winter tires have deeper grooves to prevent slip on roads during winter, but you need to add on additional snow chains to drive on snow, otherwise the car will still slip.
๐กAs we did not purchase snow chains (it was not yet snowing for us at that time), we were told to look out for a specific snow chain sign and avoid those roads that may have snow or layers of ice formed.
๐กMore buttons on the centre console that can save your life in winter (a.k.a. seat warmers)! I think it would be helpful to read up on some of these buttons before driving off so you donโt panic when you need to use them!
- Also in the winter, it is common for ice to form on the windshield overnight if you park outside
๐กAlways carry along a scraper and start your engine 15 minutes before driving off so that the ice melts and your engine is heated up!
8๏ธโฃ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ถ๐ป๐ด
- Parking is so different in Europe because they do not use the IU system we have in SG. Instead, you need to press a button at the gantry and a parking ticket will be issued to you. Before leaving, you need to pay the ticket at a counter first. You will only return the ticket to the machine at the gantry when driving out.
๐กThere is a 15 minute time limit from the time you pay to the time you need to drive out, so make sure you have enough time to get out!
Remember, drive safe & enjoy~
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