Szeged

Hi All,

Has anyone travelled from the UK to Hungary or vice versa by car? If so, how long did it take? How much was the overall petrol cost? Are there any limitations in terms of amount and/or what can be carried in a car (i.e. tools, beer, etc). Do you need any kind of pre-whatever permits for the car and/or yourself. And what direct route did you take? Pros and cons?

Thanks in advance

Pulaski

Calais to Budapest, about 15-16 hrs on the road. Breaks will add to that.

It's about 1,550km, and petrol is around €1.30 +/- at the moment in Germany, a little less in Belgium and Austria, and diesel around 10c cheaper, so you can work out the cost if you know your vehicle's fuel usage.

As there are open borders you can carry whatever you like, so long as it is legal, of course. No permits are required. Alcohol for personal consumption can be carried without limit - but carrying multiple cases (12 bottles) of spirits might look a bit iffy, but as there are no border inspections the risk of anyone noticing is very small.

wolfi

For Austrian motorways you need to pay toll - a "Pickerl" which is put on the windscreen, available for different durations: 10 days, a month, a year ...

If you travel through the Alps there also are several tunnels where you have to pay

This has been discussed here before: Do you want to go non-stop or stay overnight in a hotel somewhere?

Don't forget the speed limits - we have a lot of them now in Germany (though still no general limit) and in Austria it's generally 130 km/h - and they have radar everywhere ...

PaulinEger

I found this useful information for driving through France: Driving rules for France
I believe that snow tyres are compulsory in Austria in winter.
Make sure you have a warning triangle, spare bulbs and a first aid kit that is in date.
I've made the journey several times, usually with a trailer from Lancashire to Eger and the distance is 2500km. I've done it in 2 days but usually took 3 due to the speed restrictions of the trailer. The last time we drove over we bought a cheap caravan in England and filled it then sold it once here. I have many stories which I could tell of my experiences whilst driving between UK/Hungary but it would take too much time to write and I don't want some of them on a public forum
Overall, I hate the journey as it's just so boring due to being all motorway.

Szeged

Thanks Pulaski and wolfi for the detailed reply, much appreciated. We were thinking of buying a car early next year in the UK and travelling to HU by that car, probably doing 4 hourly stops. Children will be onboard so do not want to do too many hours in one go; hence I was thinking overall about 20 to 24 hours depending on traffic.

duztee

As above,
Allow about 24 hours from the channel plus what ever you need in the UK and after Budapest.
Easiest route is A4/A3, motorway all the way, Fuel will be more expensive on these roads, but it is easy to leave, refuel and rejoin.
As said, toll for Austria can be purchased in the fuel stations near to the border. same for vignette for Hungary.

GBA77

Hi Szeged.

I did both ways a few months ago and will be doing the trip again in the next few weeks. Time wise I think it will depend on how much time you have available to do the trip.

I am usually on a time restriction work/holiday wise and have to move it up a bit. As such I normally get to Dover then it’s your choice to get the ferry or train across. IMOH the train is much quicker but more expensive. Costs depend on a number of factors.

As Wolfi said, the A3/4 seems quicker albeit there is/was road construction going on in places.
My Skoda Superb estate could make it on one tank of diesel from Gloucester to around Frankfort quiet easily and I don’t hang around. Overnight somewhere and reach Zala about 2/3 pm the next day. I don’t have kids so can push on. Obviously kids/pets etc will mean other considerations. My last trip totaled about 2,800 miles. That’s with running around in Hungary and fetching building supplies, visiting friends.

As I am in the South West of Hungary (more or less) I travel through a short section of Slovenia. Don’t forget the road tax for Slovenia if you going that way - that cost me €120 or was it €150. They seem to be active at the old border posts and I am guessing it’s an easy income stream for the Slovenian govt. coffers. The same for Austria. No road tax issues for France or Germany.

As Duztee said, I also just use the motorway services as its quick and easy. Some services charge about €0.70 to use the restrooms. I am not sure of the fuel costs.

As to what time of the day to travel, that’s pretty much a personal preference. I like to leave at sparrows and plan hotels/ferries etc around that. My brother went to Germany recently and although he does not have the additional mileage to do from Gloucester, he left at some ungodly hour in the middle of the night to save a few bob on the channel train.

I cant comment on the “scenic” route as yet but hopefully will do that soon when not under time constraints.

Usually I bring back a fair bit of wine from Hungary and have not had a problem bringing it into the UK yet.

Like Paul said as well, the French require your car to have certain equipment and breathalyzers – high viz jackets etc and I found it easier to buy a complete travel kit from Halfrauds with all the goodies in a bag. That now lives in the back of the car. I think if the vehicle number plates are not the Euro spec then there is supposed to be a country of origin sticker on the back of the car. I am not 100% sure if this is still a legal requirement.

Hope some of this helps.

Szeged

Thank you all for the insights and attention to details, exactly the information I was needing. Much appreciated.

duztee

Since you mentioned kids plural, I guess you are a family of at least 4. Therefore a car is probably the cheapest way to travel, especially if you want to transport a large amount of luggage also.
I have made the journey 6 times in the last 3 years and agree totally with Paul, it is BORING! especially for kids a motorway is just a motorway no matter what country it is in.

The only other options are to fly which for a family is expensive especially with luggage which will probably cost more than the people, or you could consider the train, Eurostar to Paris, TGV to Munich and overnight sleeper to Budapest. Total time is 24 hours as per a car and the cost is remarkable cheap plus the only restriction on luggage is how heavy a case can you carry, and trains are great for kids who can move about, go to the loo when they like and interact with the adults who are not busy driving.

Pollypaprika

I always take it slow as we have an elderly dog with us, plus I like to explore new places on the way. So we stop over 2 nights on the way there and back. Over the years we have found it more budget friendly (and nicer) to stay at AirBnBs along the way...this way we don't have to worry if a hotel is dog friendly. You might consider this yourself as you are travelling with children...just a thought.

FenTiger

I wouldn't like to leave any stuff in the back of the car, whether it's covered or not, when we're sleeping in hotel, B&B or AirBnBs! How safe is it anyway?

wolfi

Funny that GBA77 should mention Slovenia!

We live near Hévíz and when you ask the TomTom/Garmin or other GPS system it will recommend the motorway from Graz through Slovenia and then the Hungarian M7 south of the Balaton.

My brother in law followed this once - without realising that he should have paid toll (twice ...) - but he was lucky, didn't get stopped!

So sometimes it's better to look over the GPS recommendations - also if tunnels in Austria are involved, not everybody likes them.

Re leaving your things in the car overnight:

If the hotel has a garage or parking near by, that shouldn't be a problem - but you never know ...

GBA77

I/We obviously dont leave valuables in the car overnight when stopping over. I suppose wine etc could be considered valuable

I certainly wont be taking everything out the car at the stop over and then loading everything back in before a sparrows departure. If someone wants to help themselves then so be it. If and when the problem arises I will deal with it.

fidobsa

I always go via Luxembourg as it is the cheapest country to fill up with petrol / diesel.

GBA77

Fidobsa. That looks like it could an interesting route.