The price of luxury
Travel on motorways and expressways is still free in 16 European countries, but the list of these countries is shrinking every year.
Travel on motorways and expressways is still free in 16 European countries. Unfortunately, the list of pocket drivers from countries is shrinking every year.
Belgium, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Netherlands, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Latvia, Germany, Russia, Sweden, Ukraine and the UK are countries where we don't have to worry about tolls. Although there are exceptions. For example, in Denmark or the Netherlands, you have to pay for some bridges and tunnels. On the other hand, in Germany, which is most often visited by Poles, with the densest motorway network, tolls do not apply only to car drivers.
Our southern neighbors, that is, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, have duties, but not too high. The Slovak seven-day vignette for a car this year costs 150 kroons (about PLN 16), a monthly vignette is twice as expensive. In the Czech Republic this year, the cheapest vignette is valid for 15 days and costs 200 CZK (about 28 PLN). For a two-month trip, we will pay 300 kroons (about 42 zł).
However, the rules and prices of travel through Austria have not changed. A ten-day vignette costs 7,60 euros, a two-month vignette costs 21,80 euros. In Austria, you have to pay extra to travel through several tunnels and scenic routes.
The two countries with the highest motorway tolls that Poles visit very often are France and Italy. In both of these countries, we pay for certain areas "at the gate." The fee varies; their number depends on the administrator of the route, as well as on its attractiveness. For example, a journey on the A1 motorway from Lille to Paris (220 km) costs 12 euros, and a 300 km journey from Lyon to Montpellier costs 20 euros. In France, you also have to pay a lot to travel through the tunnels - to overcome the famous tunnel under Mont Blanc (less than 12 km), you will have to spend almost 26 euros. In Italy, we will pay 360 euros for 22 km of the A19 motorway (most often chosen by Poles) from the Brenner Pass to Bologna. In southern Italy, prices are slightly lower, and there are also free lots.
Every year there are more motorways in Croatia, which are often visited by Poles. There are also charges for certain sections of the route. A trip of almost four hundred kilometers along the impressive highway from Zagreb to Split costs about 90 PLN. The price also includes the passage of numerous tunnels on this route. It is interesting that the entrances to the Croatian motorways are perhaps the only such place in Europe (of course, outside of Poland) where you can also pay with zlotys.
In Spain and Portugal, where, although far away, Poles on motors also come, most motorways are toll (in some sections).
In Bulgaria, this year the system of charging has changed. There is no longer a “fee” at the entrance, but there are vignettes. Weekly costs 5 euros, monthly - 12 euros. A similar system has been introduced in Romania, but the amount of fees there also depends on the level of exhaust emissions. A seven-day vignette for a "passenger car" can cost from 1,80 euros (if the car meets the Euro II standard or higher) to 3 euros (if it does not meet any of the European standards). For a 3,60-day vignette, we will pay respectively between 6 and XNUMX euros.
The vignette system also operates in Switzerland. Unfortunately, you can only buy an expensive annual vignette worth 40 Swiss francs (about PLN 108) there.
If a vignette is required in a given country, it is best to get it at your first gas station. Theoretically, this can be done in Poland at PZM offices, but then we will pay an extra charge, sometimes even up to 30 percent. In countries where fees are charged "on the doorstep", the situation is simpler - it is enough to have credit cards or the currency of that country with you.
