driving to belgium/europe.......advice

[the shreksta]

hey guys

my mrs and i along with my friend and his better half are going on a long weekend road trip starting in belgium later this year.

we will be going to ypres then to brussells,up to antwerp and then to rotterdam. trip length is 4-5 days.

i have 0 experience in doing this so any help on anything from driving tips/food/places to stay/avoid rtc would be great.

are the roads really bad out there and really over-crowded?

we all love war history so places to see would be great (already doing the menin gate/last post)

[mogsyman]

I drive in Europe frequently in fact I'm off tomorrow to Germany, back Monday and then off again Thursday back Friday before going back again in a few weeks.

Most of the time in one of our 3.5t vans but on other occasions in my own car, in fact I'm off to the South of France skiing in two weeks in the 50d which will be a long but comfortable journey that's for sure.

Roads in Europe are great.....full Stop!

The road discipline in general is very good and the locals tend to stick to the speed limit because the police in Europe are known for taking your pants down if you're caught speeding. I make a point of not being a twit and enjoying the great road surfaces and do stick to the limit. Even a small amount over can cause problems if you're not careful.

Getting through the tunnel is easy to the point of worrying (for terrorism) and it's my preferred method of crossing the channel. Don't worry about being early or late for your shuttle The operator is very good at moving vehicles around between trains without any problems and most of the time additional cost.

Once in Europe you can also definitely tell which country you're in based on the road surface that's for sure!

On the negative side I've have spent more time in traffic on the Antwerp ring than I care to remember, it's a horrible road and I dread going near it. To be honest it's the same as Brussels as well, in fact both seem to have a permanent traffic jam within 20 miles anytime of the day or night (I've been stuck at 5pm Wednesday evening for hours or 3am Friday morning for hours on both).

I can't advise re local hotels but as far as driving is concerned don't be concerned, European roads are lovely and if anything much easier to drive on than the southern M25 for example.

Enjoy your road trip and when you're wafting along in BMW comfort remember us plodding along in a commercial vehicle 

[jaynana]

Do fixed camera fines in Europe  get sent here for uk plates [emoji848][emoji6]


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[mogsyman]

[quote="jaynana"]
Do fixed camera fines in Europe  get sent here for uk plates [emoji848][emoji6]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
[/quote]

No, not yet.

[Insight G40]

If you're going channel tunnel, or Calais/Dunkirk, there is no filling station until you get to Belgium, 30 miles or so.

Drink Stella Artois in Belgium, I refuse to drink what is brewed in this country, but draft Belgian Stella is one of the finest beers I have ever drunk.

[the shreksta]

[quote="mogsyman"]
I drive in Europe frequently in fact I'm off tomorrow to Germany, back Monday and then off again Thursday back Friday before going back again in a few weeks.

Most of the time in one of our 3.5t vans but on other occasions in my own car, in fact I'm off to the South of France skiing in two weeks in the 50d which will be a long but comfortable journey that's for sure.

Roads in Europe are great.....full Stop!

The road discipline in general is very good and the locals tend to stick to the speed limit because the police in Europe are known for taking your pants down if you're caught speeding. I make a point of not being a twit and enjoying the great road surfaces and do stick to the limit. Even a small amount over can cause problems if you're not careful.

Getting through the tunnel is easy to the point of worrying (for terrorism) and it's my preferred method of crossing the channel. Don't worry about being early or late for your shuttle The operator is very good at moving vehicles around between trains without any problems and most of the time additional cost.

Once in Europe you can also definitely tell which country you're in based on the road surface that's for sure!

On the negative side I've have spent more time in traffic on the Antwerp ring than I care to remember, it's a horrible road and I dread going near it. To be honest it's the same as Brussels as well, in fact both seem to have a permanent traffic jam within 20 miles anytime of the day or night (I've been stuck at 5pm Wednesday evening for hours or 3am Friday morning for hours on both).

I can't advise re local hotels but as far as driving is concerned don't be concerned, European roads are lovely and if anything much easier to drive on than the southern M25 for example.

Enjoy your road trip and when you're wafting along in BMW comfort remember us plodding along in a commercial vehicle 
[/quote]

thanks for the reply.

im glad you said the roads are good as ive read that they are very crowded. i wont be speeding anywhere so thats not an issue.

isnt there a law which means you have to give way at junctions to the right meaning people just pull out on you?

[the shreksta]

[quote="Insight G40"]
If you're going channel tunnel, or Calais/Dunkirk, there is no filling station until you get to Belgium, 30 miles or so.

Drink Stella Artois in Belgium, I refuse to drink what is brewed in this country, but draft Belgian Stella is one of the finest beers I have ever drunk.
[/quote]

thx buddy.

im not a drinker of beer so it matters not.................i hope i can get cider over there though 

[pvr]

[quote="the shreksta"]
[quote="mogsyman"]
I drive in Europe frequently in fact I'm off tomorrow to Germany, back Monday and then off again Thursday back Friday before going back again in a few weeks.

Most of the time in one of our 3.5t vans but on other occasions in my own car, in fact I'm off to the South of France skiing in two weeks in the 50d which will be a long but comfortable journey that's for sure.

Roads in Europe are great.....full Stop!

The road discipline in general is very good and the locals tend to stick to the speed limit because the police in Europe are known for taking your pants down if you're caught speeding. I make a point of not being a twit and enjoying the great road surfaces and do stick to the limit. Even a small amount over can cause problems if you're not careful.

Getting through the tunnel is easy to the point of worrying (for terrorism) and it's my preferred method of crossing the channel. Don't worry about being early or late for your shuttle The operator is very good at moving vehicles around between trains without any problems and most of the time additional cost.

Once in Europe you can also definitely tell which country you're in based on the road surface that's for sure!

On the negative side I've have spent more time in traffic on the Antwerp ring than I care to remember, it's a horrible road and I dread going near it. To be honest it's the same as Brussels as well, in fact both seem to have a permanent traffic jam within 20 miles anytime of the day or night (I've been stuck at 5pm Wednesday evening for hours or 3am Friday morning for hours on both).

I can't advise re local hotels but as far as driving is concerned don't be concerned, European roads are lovely and if anything much easier to drive on than the southern M25 for example.

Enjoy your road trip and when you're wafting along in BMW comfort remember us plodding along in a commercial vehicle 
[/quote]

thanks for the reply.

im glad you said the roads are good as ive read that they are very crowded. i wont be speeding anywhere so thats not an issue.

isnt there a law which means you have to give way at junctions to the right meaning people just pull out on you?
[/quote]

Yep, I took my son back to NL a few weeks back (he drove) and he could not believe the rules. Remember that bicycles have right of way from the right as well, not just cars.

Traffic from the right can't pull out if the traffic on the other side of the road is not clear, so they might surprise you that whilst it looks like they are waiting for you, they are actually not, they are waiting for the other side to clear. They will suddenly move

Belgian drivers are known in Europe as being, uh, how can I say it politely, rather poor drivers. So be careful there.

Whilst driving in France (limit 130 km), stick at about 150 or so. If you do get stopped, the fine is €30

[kkx5]

Choose to drive Gent/Antwerpen night time....

[c240amg]

If driving on toll roads in France totes recommend a sanef libert-t tag. You attach it to your windscreen and it beeps as you go through the toll road - takes about 5 seconds.
Charges directly to your bank account - no fuss what-so-ever.
https://www.saneftolling.co.uk/subscrip ... troduction

[pvr]

I just bought that tag via the Eurotunnel site. They have an offer at the moment with €10 discount.