Driving to Bruges

D

DRL

Member
 Derby / London
Hi,

I am planning on driving to Bruges in march for a long weekend, and have never driven a RHD in Europe before or taken a car on a ferry crossing. Does anyone have any tips or info i need to be aware of?

Had a look at the RAC website and see that i need a GB sticker for car and high vis jacket in the cabin of car as well, is this a legal requirement?

Thanks

Dan
 
I assume you mean Brugge in Belgium?

I pass that place every other month or so, very close from the Channel Tunnel (hour drive or so). I would not take a ferry unless you want door dents :)

You have to have a hi vis jacket in the car in France, legal requirement. They do check and will fine foreigners. I never had a GB sticker and nobody has ever commented.

UK customs is a real pig on the way back, so leave plenty of time to get there. The home office debacle of not checking has had a big effect on the border control.
 
Thanks, i was planning on getting ferry to dunkirk, save some money. Didnt think about the time at the customs, will plan for that now. Do you know if headlamp stickers are needed? it says on RAC site that beacause our lights are set up for RHD they will blind drivers on LHD roads.

Thanks for the advice

Dan
 
Went last year. Think you will find that you need as legal requirements, a high vis jacket for each person in the car, and they need to be in the car rather than the boot, a warning triangle and a full set of spare bulbs.

Shouldn't need GB stickers if you have the Euro number plates. If not, Halford sell a European travel pack that has the magnetic Euro badges in it, along with the high vis and warning triangle.

I found driving the car onto the Euro tunnel train reasonably priced and very convenient.

EDIT: Just thought the magnetic GB badges may have been in the headlight convertor stickers you need to apply to your headlights, even if you dont plan driving in the dark.
 
I was told at my auto inspection here in Germany that a high vis vest for the driver and a warning triangle is req. and only needs to be in the boot. And that's were it's been for 18 months now. The police on the mainland are not generally jackbooted thugs. Like most places. If you get stopped and start acting like a loud mouthed chav. Then the police might start looking for any little thing to write you a citation.

As per the driving. I found that one needs to take their time when turning at intersections and entering traffic from a car park. It tends to be easier when there is traffic. As you just go with the flow. It gets tricky if you are on the road alone. looking at the traffic signs helps, If you don't see any signs to your left and your not in England you may want to drift to the right. that's were the signs are and you should be.
 
bigdog said:
I was told at my auto inspection here in Germany that a high vis vest for the driver and a warning triangle is req. and only needs to be in the boot. And that's were it's been for 18 months now. The police on the mainland are not generally jackbooted thugs. Like most places. If you get stopped and start acting like a loud mouthed chav. Then the police might start looking for any little thing to write you a citation.

As per the driving. I found that one needs to take their time when turning at intersections and entering traffic from a car park. It tends to be easier when there is traffic. As you just go with the flow. It gets tricky if you are on the road alone. looking at the traffic signs helps, If you don't see any signs to your left and your not in England you may want to drift to the right. that's were the signs are and you should be.
Click to expand...

Problem is that the few jackbooted thugs that there are on the mainland all joined the French Police. :police: :police: :police: :exitright:

This site gives useful info and confirms your high vis should be in the car.

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/europe/france1#roadtravel

http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/europe/belgium
 
you also need a spare set of bulbs its a legal req in france god love em ! brugge is great cool bars , climb the tower , do the boat trip thing at night if you can , as for driving in belguim ! just be aware they are all nuts and believe they have a divine right to the fast lane even if you are closing at :evil: :oops: :driving: mph ! they just pull out ! treat them all as if they are trying to kill you ! get to the border nl or d and just see the difference in driving styles , most of all enjoy the trip
 
On local roads, traffic from the right has right of way at junctions and so do bicycles.
 
I recently drove to Bruges (and then on to Frankfurt). Took the Ferry to Dunkirk and then from there to Bruges was about 1 hour, very quick and easy. I decided to make sure I had everything requested so had the high vis jacket in the car, the headlamp stickers (to avoid blinding the locals), my number plate has a GB tag on it already (I didn't have spare bulbs). I don't know what Belgium's laws are with regards to Winter Tyres, but you may want to check that. I know it is a requirement in Germany during certain months (and temperatures) and that is why I had some fitted.

To be honest, I drove through France, the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium and my experience was that the Belgians were by far the most aggressive drivers of all, very impatient and rather rude on the roads.

As for Bruges, I loved it, really beautiful place, but be warned, if you are staying in the main city (old city), parking is an absolute nightmare and best that you find out where the nearest public parking is as close to your hotel as possible. I booked a hotel specifically because it had an underground public parking right next to it and when I got there it was full, landed up driving around for 2 hours and then parking somewhat illegaly until I could actually get into the public parking.

Hope this helps....
 
Im fairly sure that if you drive over to the continent, in some European countries, if you wear glasses you have to, by law, carry a spare pair, cant remember which country though, think its France.
Sorry cant be more certain than that.
 
Only if it is a noted requirement on your license, and it is Switzerland.
 
Thanks for all the replies guys, really helpful. i will need a trip to halfords to get everything i need before i go.

Out of interest Marco did you stay at Adornes hotel? that is where i have booked and it states an underground car park owned by the hotel next door. Have heard about difficulty parking that is why i have gone for a hotel with parking.

Thanks

Dan
 
When driving abroad I find myself repeating this "Drive on the right, Traffic from the left"

Otherwise it's very easy, especially approaching T junctions in towns, to see nothing coming from the right, only to have a bloody great EuroTruck thunder past the edge of your bonnet from the left.

Happened once in Calais about 10 years ago just as I was about to edge forward a bit. It still makes me shudder thinking about it (& I never did really get the smell out of that car)

Motorways and major roads are easy, it's the minor roads that need the greatest care.

Start chanting, "Drive on the right, Traffic from the left"
 
It won't apply to you as you're travelling soon, but future travellers should be mindful of the new rules that require all drivers to carry their own breath test kits.. I kid you not.

Plenty on Google but not an effective date on the articles I read, just Summer 2012
 
Bloody looney French.....they don't need to be pissed to drive like complete wankers.....fixing distance control would be a much better start for them!

Google translation (i.e. crap) of a recent newspaper article, which mentions they are even petitioning Brussels to make some sort of breathalyser part of the vehicle entry system.....i.e. if you fail the car won't unlock, so keep off the wine gums.

More fixed and mobile radars, soon mandatory breathalyzer in every car, automatic speed limiters: Nicolas Sarkozy on Wednesday unveiled a series of ambitious measures on road safety which, if implemented, will change driving in France.

On assuming office, the president had "assigned to the ambitious goal" of 3000 killed each year on the road in 2012, he said during a speech at the Elysee Palace, where he called for "the creation of a national day for the victims of the road. "

The goal will not be held in 2011 - except accident statistics, around 4,000 people have died in December 31 - 2012 and seems unattainable, even if Nicolas Sarkozy called for "new impetus" to do so.

First point bristling part of the electorate, speed cameras: "France in 2080 has to date. I hope that 400 additional speed cameras are deployed" to the end of 2012, Sarkozy said.
Radas widespread mobile in 2012

"These radars will no longer be advertised by signs, and can no longer be reported as such by the warning system between drivers," he added. The fixed cameras are still advertised by "teaching radar", which indicate the speed without sanction.

On this delicate subject, Nicolas Sarkozy has sought to recall that "under no circumstances", the radar does not constitute "easy budget revenues." "The money from the traffic safety returns fully to the road and its users."

He also hoped that the next generation mobile radars (measuring the speed of cars from a police vehicle in motion), currently being tested, are "widespread by the end of the first half of" 2012 - the schedule was initially stalled in late 2012.
Mandatory Breathalyzer in every car

Regarding the fight against drunk driving (31% of fatalities), the presence of a breathalyzer in every car will be made "mandatory" to "spring".

"This is the ball in which we breath, it will be in his car under penalty of fined 11 euros," said the Interministerial Delegate for Road Safety, Jean-Luc Névache. From Thursday, discos and bars have background music will put breathalyzers available to their clients.

And the government is considering to go much further: according to a government source, the interior minister Claude Gueant seized in Brussels for the EU to mandate the installation of breathalyzers immobilizer in each car (duty to blow before to start and lock in case of positive control).
 
DRL said:
Thanks for all the replies guys, really helpful. i will need a trip to halfords to get everything i need before i go.

Out of interest Marco did you stay at Adornes hotel? that is where i have booked and it states an underground car park owned by the hotel next door. Have heard about difficulty parking that is why i have gone for a hotel with parking.

Thanks

Dan
Click to expand...

Hi Dan, no I stayed at the Novotel:

http://www.novotel.com/gb/hotel-1033-novotel-brugge-centrum/index.shtml

Nice location, found the hotel rather expensive for what it offered though!

Marco
 
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