Driving in Germany

[Dunfermline Don]

We are getting the ferry over from Newcastle and driving to Munich (with an overnight stop) for the opening game.

Are there any on here with experience of driving across Germany on the autobahn, I am hoping it’s much easier than driving similar distances in the UK where you can almost guarantee to get caught in traffic on the M6 or M25.

Any other advice is much appreciated. 

[Arch Stanton]

This is the "no limit"sign although the recommended maximum is 130 km/h.

However it generally applies to stretches outwith urban limits. Passing through, or near towns and cities will have a limit.

There are also minimum speed limits.

[Sergeant Wilson]

I was in a tank (at least I thought it was a tank) the last time I drove in Germany.

[Richey Edwards]

Remember they drive on the Reich.

[O_Kahn]

1 hour ago, Dunfermline Don said:

We are getting the ferry over from Newcastle and driving to Munich (with an overnight stop) for the opening game.

Are there any on here with experience of driving across Germany on the autobahn, I am hoping it’s much easier than driving similar distances in the UK where you can almost guarantee to get caught in traffic on the M6 or M25.

Any other advice is much appreciated. 

It can be quite hard going TBH.  My expectation 2 years ago was that German motorways would be easier than the French ones, but it turned out the other way round.  No speed limit sounds ok, but when you overtake someone at 80 mph, then a radge comes up behind you doing 110mph, it's hard work.  The A8 between Munich and Stuttgart is well-known for delays.

Maybe the fact that some of the main French motorways are toll-only made them a bit less busy than I feared.  On the plus side, most of the service stations in Germany were very good.  I would also say the general standard of driving in Germany was better than in Italy and Croatia.

[German Jag]

2 hours ago, Dunfermline Don said:

We are getting the ferry over from Newcastle and driving to Munich (with an overnight stop) for the opening game.

Are there any on here with experience of driving across Germany on the autobahn, I am hoping it’s much easier than driving similar distances in the UK where you can almost guarantee to get caught in traffic on the M6 or M25.

Any other advice is much appreciated. 

Driving through North-Rhine Westphalia will test your patience a bit.

Frankfurt area is also prone to jams, but down to Stuttgart and across to Munich should be OK.

Also the German school holidays don't kick in, in any of the regions you'll be driving through, until the 2nd week of July.

[Lyle Lanley]

3 hours ago, Richey Edwards said:

Remember they drive on the Reich.

[Scoony]

12 hours ago, Dunfermline Don said:

We are getting the ferry over from Newcastle and driving to Munich (with an overnight stop) for the opening game.

Are there any on here with experience of driving across Germany on the autobahn, I am hoping it’s much easier than driving similar distances in the UK where you can almost guarantee to get caught in traffic on the M6 or M25.

Any other advice is much appreciated. 

5 of us doing the same journey. Ferry out on the 12th with overnight in Nuremberg before onto Munich.

 

Never driven in Holland / Germany before but just planning on taking our time and making it part of the experience

[O_Kahn]

To carry on with my slightly negative approach to this thread, bear in mind that Netherlands doesn't give the usual 10% allowance to speed limits that we do here.  

I got my first (and only) speeding fine over there for doing 43 in a 40.  Generally driving over there was ok, I would say folk take slightly more of a chance changing lanes/pulling out that we do here.

Edited January 19 by O_Kahn

[flyingscot]

16 hours ago, O_Kahn said:

It can be quite hard going TBH.  My expectation 2 years ago was that German motorways would be easier than the French ones, but it turned out the other way round.  No speed limit sounds ok, but when you overtake someone at 80 mph, then a radge comes up behind you doing 110mph, it's hard work.  The A8 between Munich and Stuttgart is well-known for delays.

Maybe the fact that some of the main French motorways are toll-only made them a bit less busy than I feared.  On the plus side, most of the service stations in Germany were very good.  I would also say the general standard of driving in Germany was better than in Italy and Croatia.

I agree with that.  My last trip was from Switzerland up to Frankfurt on the A5. The inside lane was basically a train of lorries at 55mph and when overtaking you had to keep your eyes on the mirror for the folk barrelling along at 120mph+ who'd be flashing lights at you. You then basically have to squeeze in between artics to get out the way of them before you go back to overtaking and the cycle repeats again. It was a bit tiring after a while. 

I encountered some bits which were pretty busy, but nothing on M6/M25 issues at times. France was far easier and less stressful on the motorways mainly as there were less lorries. 

[Dunfermline Don]

7 hours ago, Scoony said:

5 of us doing the same journey. Ferry out on the 12th with overnight in Nuremberg before onto Munich.

 

Never driven in Holland / Germany before but just planning on taking our time and making it part of the experience

Is that the Newcastle ferry on the 12th?

If so I will look out for you in the bar, I have a feeling there could be a few folk travelling over for the football on it, it could end up like the St Clair going to Gothenburg in 83!

 I had originally planned driving to Dover, but my sons both objected to driving the length of the UK again, they have done it plenty of times to visit family on the South Coast. They offered to pay for the overnight crossing so I went for that.

Driving down to Munich is all part of the adventure. We have an overnight in Wurzburg on the 13th.

[Scoony]

38 minutes ago, Dunfermline Don said:

Is that the Newcastle ferry on the 12th?

If so I will look out for you in the bar, I have a feeling there could be a few folk travelling over for the football on it, it could end up like the St Clair going to Gothenburg in 83!

 I had originally planned driving to Dover, but my sons both objected to driving the length of the UK again, they have done it plenty of times to visit family on the South Coast. They offered to pay for the overnight crossing so I went for that.

Driving down to Munich is all part of the adventure. We have an overnight in Wurzburg on the 13th.

Yes Newcastle ferry on 12th, hopefully its rammed with TA. See you in the outside bar

[forameus]

6 hours ago, O_Kahn said:

To carry on with my slightly negative approach to this thread, bear in mind that Netherlands doesn't give the usual 10% allowance to speed limits that we do here.  

I got my first (and only) speeding fine over there for doing 43 in a 40.  Generally driving over there was ok, I would say folk take slightly more of a chance changing lanes/pulling out that we do here.

I was heading to Amsterdam on one of those awful stag weekends where you only know a couple of people and the rest are arseholes.  We landed in Amsterdam, and one of our number was stopped at customs and invited to step away by a rather large police presence.  Instead of being the international terrorist he might have been, it was an old speeding ticket that I don't think he had been aware of, and think it was similarly close to the edge.  Fine paid, and off he went.  Although truth could've been worse given how much of an arsehole he was that weekend.

[welshbairn]

25 minutes ago, forameus said:

I was heading to Amsterdam on one of those awful stag weekends where you only know a couple of people and the rest are arseholes.  We landed in Amsterdam, and one of our number was stopped at customs and invited to step away by a rather large police presence.  Instead of being the international terrorist he might have been, it was an old speeding ticket that I don't think he had been aware of, and think it was similarly close to the edge.  Fine paid, and off he went.  Although truth could've been worse given how much of an arsehole he was that weekend.

I was dragged off about some library books I hadn't returned when working in Amsterdam a few years previously. 

[O_Kahn]

2 hours ago, forameus said:

I was heading to Amsterdam on one of those awful stag weekends where you only know a couple of people and the rest are arseholes.  We landed in Amsterdam, and one of our number was stopped at customs and invited to step away by a rather large police presence.  Instead of being the international terrorist he might have been, it was an old speeding ticket that I don't think he had been aware of, and think it was similarly close to the edge.  Fine paid, and off he went.  Although truth could've been worse given how much of an arsehole he was that weekend.

Of course, being a hire car the admin fee from Hertz (not that one) was as much as the fine.  I had been feeling quite smug after getting a cheap deal of a VW Golf size car then getting upgraded to a Tesla when I collected it.  

[Stellaboz]

Drovers are generally very impatient on the autobahn and pay attention to the speed limits, been fined a few times. They don't make the speed cameras obvious like in the UK, they're a bunch of sneaky fckers here.

As mentioned, NRW is full of jams near Koln and there are roadworks fckn everywhere. Coming through Bavaria couple years back was a nightmare. 

Also at night the roads here are much darker. Sounds weird but it's very apparent. There are no cats eyes for example, just be careful. 

[Lurkst]

I've driven in Germany quite a bit and a few things have caught me out in the past.

If you're driving in town and approaching an unmarked crossroads, you must give way to traffic coming from the right, even if you appear to be on the main road. If you see the below sign on the road you are driving on at the junction then you have priority...

Further explained here...

https://routetogermany.com/drivingingermany/right-of-way

It's illegal to park on the wrong side of the road facing the traffic. If you see a space on the other side of the road you must do a U-turn and come back the other way.

Never wave at someone to acknowledge them giving way to you, they'll think you're a weirdo. And especially don't flash your lights at them or you'll cause an international incident. That action is reserved for emergencies.

Also the roads tend not to have cat's eyes which I find makes driving at night or in bad weather more difficult.

And finally, from personal experience, be careful if you're driving a hire car with French plates on the autobahn, German truckers will see you as fair game to ram off the road 

 

Edited January 24 by Lurkst

[Caledonian1]

On 24/01/2024 at 07:20, Stellaboz said:

Drovers are generally very impatient on the autobahn and pay attention to the speed limits, been fined a few times. They don't make the speed cameras obvious like in the UK, they're a bunch of sneaky fckers here.

As mentioned, NRW is full of jams near Koln and there are roadworks fckn everywhere. Coming through Bavaria couple years back was a nightmare. 

Also at night the roads here are much darker. Sounds weird but it's very apparent. There are no cats eyes for example, just be careful. 

Yes, I know what you mean.  here is some CCTV footage from Bundesautobhan 99 this morning.........

[Sortmeout]

On 18/01/2024 at 18:14, Dunfermline Don said:

We are getting the ferry over from Newcastle and driving to Munich (with an overnight stop) for the opening game.

Are there any on here with experience of driving across Germany on the autobahn, I am hoping it’s much easier than driving similar distances in the UK where you can almost guarantee to get caught in traffic on the M6 or M25.

Any other advice is much appreciated. 

German motorways and roads are great in my opinion.

My main observation and why I think it’s so good is that everyone consistently moves into the slow lane on the autobahns and other motorways and dual carriage ways. The slow lanes still move at a faster pace than here.

Amazing scenery as well and every town I was in in my couple of days in the country was easy to navigate through, nice locals etc.

[Swello]

Just reading through this. I'm driving to Stuttgart for the Hungary game in the van (via the Channel Tunnel and Frieburg for a couple of days) - and one thing I saw is that a lot of German cities have Low Emission Zones and require you to have a green windscreen sticker to show that your car is Euro4 or better.

We're staying at campsites in Freiburg and Stuttgart that mean I need to drive in the city centre, so I sent off for the sticker and got it back in about 8 days, although I imagine there might be a rush for these things nearer the time as lots of mainland europe folk will drive compared to the UK. You can basically get the sticker from any cities' issuing authority and it "works" everywhere (I used Stuttgart's).

There are other rules about carrying dayglo vests, warning triangles and first aid kits but I've got no clue if this is enforced much. Also - Germany's border with France and a bunch of other places will have controls, so I assume that might cause delays.