Europeans love a good toll, and to be fair, when it comes to travelling that investment in infrastructure can be very helpful. However it can also be very expensive, so it’s a good idea to have an understanding of how the tolls work.
It took me ages to research the many types of toll I might encounter before my first big trip to Europe. So I’m going to go through some of the things I found here, and while it’s unlikely that I cover absolutely everything, my aim is to give you good start.
Types of Tolls
Although we have the occasional road and bridge toll in the UK, they’re nowhere near as common as in the rest of Europe. Once you have crossed the channel you can expect to encounter several types of tolls.
- Toll Roads
- Tunnel Tolls
- Parking Tolls
When using any type of toll, you are going to need to pay. This is typically done at the point of exiting the toll using a credit/debit card. You should make sure before you travel, and certainly before using the toll, that your card will be accepted.
The alternative is to use a ‘toll tag’ and this would certainly be my recommended option. This is partly because it’s just so easy, but also because it gives you longer to pay the toll. I’ve provided more information on Toll Tags below.
Toll Roads
Toll roads are far more common across the rest of Europe than they are in the UK. They can be really helpful, especially when trying to cover a large distance very quickly. You can expect to find a huge network of toll roads through France and Italy. And in Switzerland you’ll need to pay a flat fee for something called a ‘vignette’ that allows you to drive on any motorway.
As with anything, there are advantages and disadvantages to using toll roads. The main advantage is that they are more direct and therefore quicker. When I was travelling I definitely used the toll roads more as I was heading home. Particularly in France, I tended not to use them on the way out as the French roads are long and straight and really not that busy at all. And you definitely have a much more scenic adventure on the smaller roads.
Another downside to using the tolls is the cost, which although offset against fuel costs, can quickly add up. I use the Waze app which is great. It shows you how much the toll roads will cost alongside your time saving, so that you can make a judgement on whether or not to use them as you go.
Tunnel Tolls
When travelling through Europe, you are likely to be driving through a lot more tunnels than you’d ever see in the UK. This is particularly true of mountainous countries like Switzerland and Italy. Although you’ll find plenty of great roads winding their way up and down mountains, by far the quickest way is to go through them.
I don’t mind paying a tunnel toll at all as they save you a huge amount of time. Addtionally, at certain times of year the more mountainous roads are closed due to weather conditions, so a tunnel is your best option to avoid huge diversions. The longest tunnel I went through on my travels was the Mont Blanc tunnel, which crosses the border between France and Italy and is 7 miles long!
Parking Tolls
The parking situation in Europe seems to be pretty much the same as in the UK, with tickets on entry and pay as you go stations on exit. Obviously you’re going to need to pay attention to any height restrictions, and if you’re like me you’re going to want your TentBox to be secure. If so, it might be worth pre-booking secure attended parking.
However there are still likely to be occasions when you just want to nip into some parking on the spur of the moment. And one big difference to the UK is that many of the pay as you go car parks also recognise ‘toll tags’ which is incredibly useful. It means you can just drive into the car park, and not worry about running around to to get a ticket when you enter or put it in as you leave, or faff about for change. There is further information on toll tags below.
Toll Tags
Electronic toll tags are a really good way to manage your spending on tolls. They also provide quick passage through the tolls themselves. There are a number of providers, and I spent quite a lot of time researching them before settling on Bip&Go.
I can 100% recommend the Bip&Go tag. I have one of these, and it covers France, Italy, Portugal and Spain. It’s really easy to set it up, and once you get the tag, you just fix it to the front windscreen and you are off.
Toll charges are invoiced monthly in arrears and you receive a full breakdown of any costs you’ve incurred.
With Bip&Go you are covered for almost all tolls in these countries. The only exception I came across during my drive to/from Italy was the toll for the Mont Blanc Tunnel.
