Driving to Munich.

Soldato
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I have to do it later this year.Will be taking the chunnel, which will dump me in Calais. Is it better to just stay in France or go through Belgium and back down?
Thinking quality of roads, tolls, traffic etc.
 
I drove there and back a few years ago, I just went the quickest way (it had no tolls anyway). We hit Calais, headed straight to Belgium, along the E40 straight around Brussels and into Germany.

Basically the most direct motorway route and the way Google Maps suggests.

Traffic around Brussels wasn't amazing but apart from that it was a very easy drive and we were able to easily average over 100mph in Germany.

IIRC from leaving my house in Surrey to arriving just outside Munich (including the Ferry) was around 13hrs.

We left the UK at about 4am on a Friday and left Munich at about 8am on the Sunday, we had no real traffic issues to speak of despite us driving there specifically for a major sporting event.
 
Traffic around Brussels ring road is a nightmare (it took me 1.5 hours once) Depends when you are going and if you want to pay the toll.

In short they are much better roads in France but its tolled (oh and get a toll pass if your going alone). I went through the natural parks (near maubege), not amazing roads but some good country roads; watch out for police as you go closer to switzerland (I got stopped and asked who owned the car etc). If you can spend it, I would go to reims and straight down - its usually a quieter route, crossing in sarbrucken.
 
Reims -> Metz -> Saarbrucken -> Stuttgart -> Munich probably quickest and most painfree. German roads can get pretty pretty clagged up round rush hour but of course when it's clear you can fly along.
 
I've done this exact route several times now as I have a friend who lives in Munich.

I always go through Belgium and Germany - usually just under Cologne then closeby Frankfurt and Nuremberg.

I stick to Germany to avoid the French toll roads and obviously for the lack of speed limits on most of their network. I also find the standard of driving in Germany a lot higher (if a little assertive - just stay out their way and maintain good lane discipline).

Things I've noticed:
  • Traffic can be bad around Brussels, avoid rush hour. If you can't then avoid this area entirely you'll be stuck for hours.
  • The same with Cologne and Frankfurt but to a lesser extent, Brussels is the real headache.
  • There are some very convenient park and rides immediately off the motorway at Cologne which makes a great lunchtime stop.
  • Bruges is a good stop on the way back - there's a large underground carpark in the centre (not much of a detour) and it's a short dash to the tunnel if you want a few hours out of the car. It's good for killing time if you're early for your tunnel crossing and don't have a flexible ticket - although even the standard ones give a 4 hour window.
  • Progress is normally good across Germany but the stretch between Nuremberg and Munich is fantastic - very little traffic. Every time I've done it in the dry I've pretty much sat at top speed. Between Frankfurt and Nuremberg is not too bad either and you can easily maintain over 100mph between roadworks.
  • On the way back if you want a service station - stop before you leave Germany. They're fantastic and very frequent compared to Netherlands/France/Belgium.

Having said all that it's a long drive - Unless I've got a few people in the car with some planned sightseeing stops I find it much cheaper and less stressful to fly to Nuremberg and rent a car for the last short stretch. Nuremberg airport feels like it's in the middle of nowhere so there's bargains to be had.
 
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