Re: driving to UK from Switzerland - one person may come with us
Luxembourg/Belgium have main Autoroutes too, busier/better than the toll roads in France in many places. Also, the main filling station on the Autoroute through Luxembourg is cheap enough. No need to leave a big road.
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Re: driving to UK from Switzerland - one person may come with us
[QUOTE=transition;1239200]Hold on a minute, remember, it is her first time and she has children with her. I would not 'just drive through Luxembourg and Belgium' to save money or any other reason especially at night!
The tolled motorways through France are quite safe and the road is smooth, the charges aren't that much and you have to remember to take the ticket first...then pay at the next toll booth making sure you have plenty of euro coins.
Here are some points why this VIA Belgium/Luxembourg advice is not good:
Belgians are notoriously bad drivers
Car crime is more prevelant (with open EU borders)
There are lots of roundabouts (not good if the kids are sleeping)
The OP said in her original post that she wasn't bothered about saving money.
If you follow the link you posted there are more examples of bad driving from other nationalies than from Belgians. They are not the best in the world but they are no worse than the French in my opinion.
Last time I looked there wern't many roundabouts on the motorways of Luxembourg and Belgium.
It is a pretty safe route in my opinion even at night (we've done it lots with a small child in the car)
The only problem I can see with this route will be the Brussels ring. They have just started major roadworks on the Vilvoorde viaduct which could cause long delays depending on what time you hit the ring. Shouldn't be a problem at night though.
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Luxembourg/Belgium have main Autoroutes too, busier/better than the toll roads in France in many places. Also, the main filling station on the Autoroute through Luxembourg is cheap enough. No need to leave a big road.
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What you mean those ones with the big pieces of tyre, household rubbish, bits of old car strewn all over them & cars with drivers who can't seem to drive in a straight line?
I usually book the train sometime between 10pm and 2am depending when is cheapest so it's never been a problem
Travelling at night also avoids traffic problems (and speed traps).
they never charged me extra for turning up early / late before, ever 24 hours early one time until the last time just over a month ago, charged me an extra 19 euros for turning up a couple of hours early, first time ever, so I guess they are clamping down on it now
Hold on a minute, remember, it is her first time and she has children with her. I would not 'just drive through Luxembourg and Belgium' to save money or any other reason especially at night!
The tolled motorways through France are quite safe and the road is smooth, the charges aren't that much and you have to remember to take the ticket first...then pay at the next toll booth making sure you have plenty of euro coins.
Here are some points why this VIA Belgium/Luxembourg advice is not good:
Belgians are notoriously bad drivers
Car crime is more prevelant (with open EU borders)
There are lots of roundabouts (not good if the kids are sleeping)
The OP said in her original post that she wasn't bothered about saving money.
If you follow the link you posted there are more examples of bad driving from other nationalies than from Belgians. They are not the best in the world but they are no worse than the French in my opinion.
Last time I looked there wern't many roundabouts on the motorways of Luxembourg and Belgium.
It is a pretty safe route in my opinion even at night (we've done it lots with a small child in the car)
The only problem I can see with this route will be the Brussels ring. They have just started major roadworks on the Vilvoorde viaduct which could cause long delays depending on what time you hit the ring. Shouldn't be a problem at night though.
Read the post I quoted again. If you need to come off the motorway on this route then it is easy to get lost (the first time). I am seriously thinking of going with OP even though I don't need to if she is going to listen to you (lot)!
Read the post I quoted again. If you need to come off the motorway on this route then it is easy to get lost (the first time). I am seriously thinking of going with OP even though I don't need to if she is going to listen to you (lot)!
Maybe I'm being a bit thick or something but the post you quoted doesn't say anything about getting lost unless it's wtitten very small. It's about drivers going the wrong way round roundabouts.
Maybe I'm being a bit thick or something but the post you quoted doesn't say anything about getting lost unless it's wtitten very small. It's about drivers going the wrong way round roundabouts.
Yes you are I'm afraid, Belgian drivers do have the habit of disorientating & confusing anyone if one hasn't decided already to come off the obstacle course you refer to as a 'motorway' when it gets too much for them.
Re: driving to UK from Switzerland - one person may come with us
must admit I'm a little confused, We've done the Belgian routes lots of time and unless your paying extra special attention then you have no idea where france ends and belgium starts, roads are the same, never noticed any rubbish on the roads etc, only slight downer is (regardless what some have said here) it does take longer, and there is 1 motorway turn off that looks like its taking you on a dirt track and has another exit on the exit, that's caught us out a couple of times.
apart from that its fine, no tolls, and less boring then the french toll roads, but does add an hour or so onto the journey.
Re: driving to UK from Switzerland - one person may come with us
What was I thinking recommending such a dangerous route!?
If you do go the French route why not get an APRR Liber-T toll tag thing that lets you drive through the tolls without messing about with tickets and money.
They do charge 2€ per month on top of toll charges for having the tag, but only in the months when you actually use it.
Plenty of time to get one before 14th July, mine took less than a week to arrive.
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must admit I'm a little confused, We've done the Belgian routes lots of time and unless your paying extra special attention then you have no idea where france ends and belgium starts, roads are the same, never noticed any rubbish on the roads etc, only slight downer is (regardless what some have said here) it does take longer, and there is 1 motor turn off that looks like its taking you on a dirt track and has another exit on the exit, that's caught us out a couple of times.
apart from that its fine, no tolls, and less boring then the french toll roads, but does add an hour or so onto the journey.
I couldn't agree more. I don't know which roads he's been on but in my extensive experience of using this route I've never seen any of the things that Transition has.
Belgian motorways are much better lit too which is helpful for night driving.
I agree it does take longer but it is a much nicer route to drive.
I couldn't agree more. I don't know which roads he's been on but in my extensive experience of using this route I've never seen any of the things that Transition has.
Belgian motorways are much better lit too which is helpful for night driving.
I agree it does take longer but it is a much nicer route to drive.
....but then you are Belgian (aren't you?) where it seems most (who need to) have not yet been to specsavers (or equivalent).
Yes you are I'm afraid, Belgian drivers do have the habit of disorientating & confusing anyone if one hasn't decided aleeady to come off the obstacle course you refer to as a 'motorway' when it gets too much for them.
That doesn't answer the question I asked you. You quoted a post about one instance of a Belgian going the wrong way around a roundabout as proof of your sweeping statement that Belgians are all terrible drivers.
When questined about it you said to read the quoted post again as it showed how easy it was to get lost. I did indeed re-read the post and could still find no evidence for this statement. Now forgive me if I'm wrong but nowhere in the post you linked does it say that it is easy to get lost on Belgian roundabouts when leaving the motorway so where is your evidence for this?
I also think you must be travelling on different motorways to the rest of us here as I have never seen any of what you describe and none of the other posters seem to have either.
I have lived for over 13 years in Belgium so I think I probably have more experience of their motorways (or indeed any of their roads)than you do.
I have posted on other threads about bad habits in Belgian drivers so I don't think they are perfect but I have also seen much worse driving on French motorways especially in the south.
Under normal circumstances the OP wouldn't need to leave the motorway anyway so roundabouts wouldn't be an issue.
Re: driving to UK from Switzerland - one person may come with us
To settle this argument once and for all, I have procured access to a webcam in an undisclosed Belgian city (although the lettering on the sides of the shops gives it away as being somewhere in Flanders).
Some bright spark has mislabelled it, but it's clearly Belgium.
...even though there isn't a roundabout.
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until the last time just over a month ago, charged me an extra 19 euros for turning up a couple of hours early, first time ever, so I guess they are clamping down on it now 
. It's about drivers going the wrong way round roundabouts.
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