On the highways of France, according to the toll barriers, the painful falls. Tirelessly. Too expensive. In the car that takes you on the holiday route, the atmosphere revolves around the debate around the merits of the privatization of the motorways. And there follows an enumeration which can be summed up in one “Anyway it’s better elsewhere.”
So we wanted to give an overview of what is actually happening on the side of the expressways of our European neighbors. According to a Statista survey, 71% of French people traveled by car to their vacation spot in France in 2022. To which are added the additional 6% of those who rent a vehicle on site. With fuel prices skyrocketing, and inflation adding its stone to the building, a substantial saving on the toll side is welcome.
The opportunity to visit northern Europe
Among the countries of the European Union, twelve countries allow free use of their motorway network. A chance to discover the territories is offered to you. Germany and its Brandenburg Gate, Denmark and its Little Mermaid in Copenhagen, Belgium and its Atomium in Brussels, Cyprus and its painted churches in Troodos or even Finland and its fortress of Suomenlinna.
Without forgetting Latvia and its Freedom Monument, Lithuania and its Vilnius Cathedral, Estonia and its ramparts in Tallinn, Luxembourg and its Grand-Ducal Palace, the Netherlands and its Euromast in Rotterdam, Sweden and his Royal Palace in Stockholm and Spain and his Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. This enticing list of future vacation plans with family or friends has the significant advantage of allowing you to sail for free from one point to another while enjoying the speed of the motorway.
Beware of traps
Be careful though, some pranks may await you along your journey!
In Belgium, the exception is on the Flemish side with the Liefkenshoek tunnel in the Antwerp region, 6 euros per crossing, small player. Between Sweden and Denmark, beware of the famous Øresund bridge: at the risk of being relieved of 400 crowns, the equivalent of around fifty euros. Not enough to discourage France and Italy, European champions of motorway tariffs. 52.30 euros for the Mont-Blanc tunnel, and 51.50 euros for that of Fréjus, champions in all categories.
No, crossing Lithuania in your uncle’s van, who insisted a lot on traveling with the family, is not necessarily the brightest idea. Vehicles with nine seats or more are subject to an all but free sticker. 20 euros per day, 60 euros per week, 150 euros per month and even 600 euros per year for the more adventurous. Nothing to encourage carpooling!
No tolls but an annual vignette
In Romania, this famous sticker costs only 28 euros per year. The cheapest in Europe. Its Bulgarian neighbor is already raising the bill to 50 euros, except for bikers who are exempt.
Austria is relaunching the competition and posts an annual rate of 91.1 euros, not to mention a few small surprises. 5 to 25 euros extra to pay if you want to take certain sections of motorway. In Slovenia, the bill climbs to 110 euros per year. In Hungary, watch out! 30% of the motorway network is completely free, but to borrow the remaining 70%, the annual tax increases to 127 euros!
On the toll side
Poland, Ireland, Croatia, Greece, Portugal, Italy and France still use this famous paid system. But the prices are far from the same. For example, using the Polish network costs around 100 zlotys for 100 kilometres, or regarding 2 euros. On the other side of the range, we find without surprise the Italian and French networks, which prance in the lead, posting respective prices of 6.70 euros and 7 euros on average for 100 kilometers.
