Tips/Advice on driving to Switzerland from London?

longtimelurkersam

don't forget your hi-vis vest(s). I think you might need one for each passenger, but not sure, BUT it has to be handy to put on immediately as you get out of car, ie not stuffed into the boot (only a £ in the land of pound)

The French have a habit of pulling over UK cars for checks so I hear throwing one over your headrest/seat indicates you know the rules and are taking them serious. Oh and a set of lightbulbs.

I just did a 12 hour 830miles schlep from Slovakia to Calais on Bank Holdiay Monday. My biggest word of advice. Turn left out of Calais and get out of France ASAP. Sure some of the French pay roads are good quality, but you will get timed and possibly fined unless you are a nice stick to the limit driver, but most other French roads I have driven on are diabolical.

Whilst this is a moneysavingforum, on the basis you are buying a place in Swittzerland you have some spare money right, so buy the flexi-plus ticket from Eurotunnel. If you are travelling back on a Sunday or a Bank holiday, there will be a HUGE queue and you will have delays. Flexi-plus isn't cheap, but it is worth it if you can afford it.

Oh and do not speed in Switzerland. They will seriously nick you and fine you in accordance with your income. They make the French Gendarme's look like amateurs!

If you do hire, do not select the winter tyres option on the booking as they will charge you extra......in Switzerland the car will already have them fitted from a certain time of the year. Have a look on the English Forum as they are a helpful bunch on there and can provide some extra local info in case you need it.

zagfles

Voyager2002 wrote: »

The true cost of driving 1400 miles is closer to 700 pounds, once you take into account the effect on your car. Look at the tables of motoring costs per mile for different cars produced by organisations like the AA.

It won't be anywhere near that. The motoring costs worked out by the AA etc work by dividing the total cost by the miles driven, that doesn't mean the marginal extra cost of driving an additional 1400 miles can be worked out the same way. Because many of the costs are fixed costs which don't vary with additional mileage (eg road tax, MOT, servicing if your annual mileage is under the service interval), or only vary slightly with additional mileage (eg insurance, depreciation).

The biggest cost after petrol is depreciation, and depreciation is much more related to age than mileage.

longtimelurkersam

to give you an idea of actual costs recently:
- Eurotunnel £300 for Flexi (I got a mates rate for £238)
- Fuel (return trip to Bristol, total of 1025 miles each way) £485 (in my VW T4 but I was hoofing it on the autobahn on way home so I wasn't surprised at that....oh yes and fuel is cheaper of course as well).
Vignettes approx £10, breakdown upgrade if you are worried about that aspect of it.

Fulham_Mark

thanks long-time-lurker-sam,

I think I will split the drive back to calais so that I reduce the risk of missing the euro-tunnel train.

I wil get a high-viz and some spare bulbs too.

In terms of the cost of driving, this is an evaluation. However, I only do 6000 miles a year so a long journey won't require an additional service or push me into a higher insurance rate.

Although with all the things I need to buy, the train already seems the easier option!

longtimelurkersam

oh and dont forget if you wear specs you need to carry a spare pair in the car with you in France!

A fire extinguisher is always useful too, but not compulsory.

Bob_the_Saver

Note that most French drivers talk on mobiles held to their ears at all times, doing this will lead people to think you are a local, especially if you can remember to stay on the wrong side of the road.

Top tip for driving in France, don't between 14.00 and 14.15 hours.
This is when the branleur who had half a bottle too much for lunch and forgot the time speeds back to work cutting all the corners and spending much of the journey trying to kill oncoming drivers.

Had one today, made Mrs Bob the Saver (Sat on the off-side passenger seat in the middle of the road) squeal like a stuck pig and uttered several un-ladylike phrases.

Bob_the_Saver

longtimelurkersam wrote: »

oh and dont forget if you wear specs you need to carry a spare pair in the car with you in France!

A fire extinguisher is always useful too, but not compulsory.

For driving that is, Not needed if you only need them for reading, writing works fiction or filling in your tax return!

slyracoon

Don't forget to check with your insurance. These days many insurers (not just the budget ones) only offer 3rd party cover when driving in Europe by default. We had to pay an extra £29 for 3 days cover.

We're going to France in a few weeks.

The compulsory items are Warning Triangle, GB Sticker or numberplate with the blue GB graphic, Spare Bulbs, Breathalyser, Hi Viz Jackets, Headlight beam deflectors.

Other nice to have items are fire extinguisher, upgrade to fully comp insurance, euro breakdown cover.