Driving from Scotland to Romania...

dansdan

Hi,

I'm planning a trip from Scotland to Transylvania in Romania, in a Mini Cooper (the new version, not the BMW-free one I'm afraid...).

The proposed route is from just outside Glasgow to Harwich for the overnight ferry to Hook of Holland (all paid for thanks to Tesco Clubcard Deals, saved me £238 by the way :D). From here for an overnight stay in Wurzburg in Germany. Then onto Vienna in Austria for a few days. Next stop is Budapest in Hungary for a few days, then onto various places in Transylvania in Romania for just over a week. Return route is from Transylvania to Bratislava for a day, forwarding on to Prague for a few days then the mammoth run of near on 600 miles in a day to Hook of Holland, overnight on the boat then back home to reality.

A fair few thousand miles, but I'm daft enough to batter on.

I'm happy enough with the prospect of driving through Holland, Germany & Austria, and Czech Republic, Slovakia & Hungary to some extent. I'm not so sure about Romania.

You see, I've read many accounts of what it's like out there on the roads - ranging from not bad to scenes from the Mad Max movies:eek:. I am aware that the infrastructure is improving at a rapid pace and cars are getting better, but are the drivers. I've driven in Italy before; is there any comparison?

I've a few questions...
Has anyone actually driven in Romania? If so, what's it like?
How do local plod deal with foreign cars, especially UK registered ones?


Just want to be forewarned before rolling onto Romanian tarmac

PompeyPete

Your motor will stand out a bit.
So overnight security, or anytime you aren't with it, will be a major concern.
Getting hold of spares should the need arise?

martindow

One issue is the equipment you will be expected to carry in each country- fire extinguishers, hi-viz jackets, etc. The AA has a section on this where you can look country by country

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/overseas/countrybycountry.html

It would be well worth getting insurance from the AA or another company to cover returning it the the UK if it is not repairable somewhere remote.

CountryGoose

My only experience is being driven around Bucharest. It's much like any other Eastern European capital - busy, with patches of good and bad road. The centre is very congested and there's lots of "creative" driving - by that I mean I close my eyes and open them 20s later....

If you're careful you should be OK - you'll have had plenty of time to build up experience as the roads and the style degrades as you head out of Germany.

If it helps - I found the traffic in Istanbul a much more scary ride!

PompeyPete

CountryGoose wrote: »

If it helps - I found the traffic in Istanbul a much more scary ride!

Blimey, how foolhardy was that;)
Why didn't you follow your own philosophy of doing your homework first:p
Awesomely beautiful city though, you must have seen lots of it stuck in the traffic.

jno

When driving in Austria in winter remember: Autobahn stickers "vignette" plus legally, a winter tyre requirement + first aid kit + triangle+ flourescent jackets.
Hungary too - you will need a "Matrica" (motorway sticker) so do your homework before you set off.

Will your mini cooper be full up?

dansdan

I've done my homework RE what I need in the car and vignette/tax stickers... all fine and aware of what's needed. Will have to get an Insurance Green Card and I'll get me an International Driving Permit. I have the photocard UK licence already - will just get the IDP as a back up. They're only £5.40 plus a few photos so no great expense there.

As for parts for the car should it go wrong, I did ask my Mini dealer today for a list of garages. I got stunned silence - from the shock of the proposed undertakings then anything else, and it was suggested I look on the net as they didn't have the info there. So will be doing that after this.

The car will be a bit full... although they're bigger than the original, they still live up to their name! It shouldn't stick out too much over there, I've been looking around and photos of where we're going and cars are new BMW 3 series, VW Golfs, Passats, Opel/Vauxhalls, Peugeots - all recent models aswell. Think (and hope) the only difference will be a funny number plate and a steering wheel being on the right.

CountryGoose

PompeyPete wrote: »

Blimey, how foolhardy was that;)
Why didn't you follow your own philosophy of doing your homework first:p
Awesomely beautiful city though, you must have seen lots of it stuck in the traffic.

I really don't understand your post?

I've been driven around both cities recently and found Istanbul a lot worse ito driving standards.

I didn't say I'd been stuck in traffic??

What homework do you suggest?

Maykal

I wouldn't worry too much about the roads in Romania as they are not too bad. The main roads are nearly all tarmac and in decent condition. The main problem is that a lot of them are still single-lane so you end up getting stuck behind truck traffic. Once you go off the main roads, however, it's a different story. A lot of the secondary routes are pot-holed and narrow and it's probably best to avoid driving too much off the main slogs at night. Driving around Transylvania during good weather and daylight hours is fine, the landscape is fascinating and there are plenty of interesting places to stop off. Just take into account that it'll take you a bit longer than you might expect.

The one major hazard is having some loony overtake you at speed on a blind bend so drive defensively: if someone is tailgating you, just slow down a little, indicate right (in Romania this shows that you are offering to let them pass) and pull a little to the right in a suitable place. Better to have that kind of driver 10km in front of you than 10cm behind you! Also, when you see truck traffic coming in the opposite direction, get your foot ready over the break because some twit is sure to suddenly pull out from behind the trucks backside to blindly overtake him.

You see quite a few new minis in Bucharest and even in Transylvania a lot of the cars on the road are newer models these days, so you won't stick out particularly. Security isn't too bad. Set your alarm and park somewhere reasonably busy. Car theft/breaking is less of a problem here than in the UK.

The police aren't too bad either. You won't have any special problems driving a foreign car, perhaps even less than a local. Stick within the speed limits, park legally, and you'll be fine.

kochi1

Bratislava is an amazing city - stay overnight and really appreciate the place.
Only thing I will say about Romania is what one of the girls I worked with used to tell me (she's Romanian) make sure you park your car in a secure parking lot (guy's from work advised this too with the vehichles we send there!)
Sounds like a fab trip - enjoy it and keep safe