Vignette?

[marting]

I'm planning on a trip around a select few bits of Europe in a few weeks.

I'll be seeing a lot of France, Germany (Munich and Stuttgart) and Italy. I'm also planning on passing through Switzerland (Stelvio pass ) and Austria.

From what a gather I'll need a Vignette to pass through Switzerland and Austria, but also if I'm in the big cities in Germany. Can I avoid paying for a Vignette in Germany or are the congestion zones huge?

[ewenm]

In Switzerland you only need the vignette if you're going to use motorways. Not sure about Austria, but it might be the same.

[dcb]

marting said:

I'm planning on a trip around a select few bits of Europe in a few weeks.

I'll be seeing a lot of France, Germany (Munich and Stuttgart) and Italy. I'm also planning on passing through Switzerland (Stelvio pass ) and Austria.

From what a gather I'll need a Vignette to pass through Switzerland and Austria, but also if I'm in the big cities in Germany. Can I avoid paying for a Vignette in Germany or are the congestion zones huge?

That's not quite correct.

You'll need a windscreen sticker to use the *motorways* in Switzerland and Austria.

If you don't use the motorways, then you don't need to bother. Make sure you
enter these countries by a non-motorway route if you don't need the sticker.

You'll also need a special Green permit to visit the centre of quite a few German cities.
Here again, if you don't visit the centre, you don't need to bother.

In my practical experience of German cities, the sections where you
need the permit are the places where you wouldn't want to take the car
anyway and public transport is a much better solution.

The Austrians do a ten day motorway permit and the Swiss aren't
so helpful to tourists, only allowing an all-year permit.

The Germans only allow their city stickers to be issued at their
local MOT stations, IIRC. I've never bothered buying one.

[marting]

Thanks guys

[N Dentressangle]

Driving around Switzerland avoiding motorways can be done, but its a complete PITA, as well as very slow. They try to funnel you on to the motorways (usually no more than decent dual carriageways, actually) at every opportunity, so it's easy to end up on one by mistake. Swiss police take no prisoners and enjoy dishing out large fines. Think Germans stripped of their easy going tolerance and keen sense of fun...

If you must visit a country as overpriced and lousy as Switzerland, I would buy a vignette. They come up cheaper on Ebay, if you're feeling tight.

On the other hand, I have disobeyed German anti-pollution vignette (and speeding) laws with gay abandon in cars with UK plates, mostly through ignorance. There were no consequences at all to the numerous camera flashes. A vignette is relatively easy and cheap (12.5 euros) to come by. This explains everything:

http://www.german-way.com/travel-and-tourism/drivi...