Autoroutes and
motorways in Europe
Information on roads, tunnels and tolls for autoroutes
in France, autostrada in Italy, autopista in Spain and autobahns in Austria,
Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands, and Switzerland. Routes in France.
Distances and Mileage in Europe chart
Alpine Tunnels: Mont Blanc, Frejus,
Grand St Bernard, St Gotthard
Motorway Tolls and Charges:
Pay-as-you-go tolls are charged on most motorways in France, Spain, and Italy.
To find out the cost of fuel for a specific journey visit our
Route Planner and
enter your start point and destination. You will see a breakdown of the costs by
fuel (based on petrol for a Fiesta type car). You can change the fuel type,
vehicle type or miles to kilometres.
Visit the website for
French Autoroutes, for more info, and a route planner which includes toll
costs. Another useful site gives information on
Italian Autostrade prices. The web site for
Spanish Autopistas, which are about half as expensive, is also useful. In
all these countries you can pay by credit card - you just hand over the card,
nothing to sign and often no receipt unless you request one. On many motorways
you can use booths which display a carte bleu sign - insert your card, wait for
it to be returned and drive off. Otherwise make sure you have plenty of change
available so you can use the automatic booths, although manual booths are always
able to provide change.
An easy option for France is to sign up for a Telepéage electronic device which
is read as you pass through the toll. This requires a credit card for online
purchase, a deposit of 30 euro and a fee of just 2 euro per month which is only
charged for months used (plus of course the toll itself). The benefits are rapid
passage through the tolls and no leaning across the car to pay at left-sided
toll booths. Visit
www.sanef.com where you will find a box to join and pay by credit card,
although it is in French.
Tolls are also charged in Switzerland and Austria for driving on the autobahns.
In Switzerland you buy a sticker at the border which costs 40 Swiss Francs for
the current year plus January in the next year; you can
buy a Swiss motorway sticker in the UK here. In Austria you pay 7.63 Euros
for 10 days or 21.8 Euros for 2 months and these can also be bought in service
stations near the border.
Mont Blanc
Tunnel - A car costs about 35 euro single or 45 return. Speed limits are 50
km/h minimum and 70 maximum. In addition you must leave a gap of 150 metres
between you and the vehicle in front. These rules are rigorously enforced and
monitored with cameras. Fines are heavy and payable on the spot. For information
on the tunnel and everything in the Mont Blanc area go to the
Chamonix web site.
The alternative route is via the
Frejus Tunnel (about 10 kms long), from Albertville (Modane) to Turin, which
costs about 35 euro single for a car.
You could try the
Grand St Bernard Pass and Tunnel between Martigny in Switzerland and Aosta
in Italy. This tunnel is about 5.85 kms long, costs about 20 euro one way or 35
euro return (2008), and claims to be open all the year.
The St
Gotthard tunnel between Luzern and Lugano. It's 17 kms long, transit is
free. There is a
web site,
but it's in German.
The Oresund Bridge between Denmark and Sweden, and the Storebaelt, or Great
Belt, Bridge in Denmark, charge tolls.
More>>
Suggested Routes in France
- The motorway from Clermont-Ferrand to Montpellier is toll free, runs
through spectacular scenery and is a good alternative to the busy A6/A7 Rhone
Valley route south.
- Avoid Paris if you're going to the Alps, Provence or Cote d'Azur from
Calais by taking the A26/A5/A31 via Reims to Dijon
- The new A39 links Dijon to Bourg-en-Bresse
- If you're heading from Calais/Boulogne towards the south-west, Pyrenees or
Languedoc take the A16 to junction 10 then the RN184 Cergy Pontoise, St
Germain, RN13/RN186 (Versailles) A13 (Rouen/Le Havre) A12 then either towards
Chartres the RN10 or for other directions the A86 direction Creteil leaving
towards Orleans N186/A10.
- The A84 motorway link between Caen and Rennes is now complete, meaning
continuous motorway or dual carriageway from Calais to the Spanish border
south of Biarritz.
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The above information is correct to the best of our knowledge, although we
cannot be held responsible for any errors or for the consequences of any such
errors. If you discover any of this information is incorrect, we would
appreciate an email to let us know so
we can keep this page up-to-date.
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