Tolls & Fees on European Highways

Posted by Henk Bekker Jul 28, 2008

Despite high oil prices, driving remains by far the most popular way of traveling when on vacation in Europe. When traveling on longer trips with two small children, I generally prefer the flexibility and ease of driving myself even though driving in Europe is often not particularly cheap especially when using highways.

Germany’s famed autobahns remain free to private cars but bear in mind that fuel consumption increases dramatically once a car reach the top 20% of its potential top speed. Gas is expensive everywhere in Europe but currently cheapest in Switzerland and Luxembourg. French highways mostly require tolls proportioned to the distance traveled while many tunnels, passes, and bridges in Europe require additional user fees.

Both Switzerland and Austria require an Autobahn Vignette to use highways:

• In Switzerland, the only option is an annual vignette valid from December 1 up to January 31 fourteen months later. It cost CHF40 / USD40 for fourteen months. Using it only for a day or two? It doesn’t matter – it still cost CHF40. Fines for non-use are CHF100 plus, if caught on the autobahn, the immediate purchase of a vignette.
• In Austria, Autobahn Vignettes are available for 10 days (€7.70 / USD $ 12), two months (€22.20 / USD35), or a calendar year (€73.80 / USD117). Driving on an Austrian Autobahn without a Vignette can result in fines of up to €3,000 (USD4.750) although first time offenders are usually “only” €300 (USD475) out of pocket.

In addition, don’t forget to budget for the cost of parking overnight in major cities – in some German cities that is a worry only if your car displays a sticker to actually allow it to enter the Low-Emission Zones (LEZ) in the town center.