Road trip from UK to Netherlands

[Mushu84]

Hi all

Looked online as I will do my first roundtrip UK-Netherlands-UK with the Yaris MK4 (+ the Wife 🙂) and also this is my first UK car drive in EU

The route is Suffolk-Dover-Dunkirk- Ghent- Antwerp -Rotterdam -Amsterdam (the next day) and back

-Do I need any vignette for any of the countries (France, Belgium, Netherland), the only thing I can find is the French request to have one but only for city driving (not sure if I need it if I only drive from Dunkirk to Belgium border)?

-For the other 2 countries I could not find any information, maybe some of can help?

Also looked at RAC site for Eu driving and the only things I need are 

1. Full, valid UK driving licence
2. Proof of ID (passport)
3. Motor insurance certificate
4. V5 registration document

Let me know if I miss anything 

Other items that I need for EU driving from what I can find 

- 2 Vests Hi-Visibility for me and the wife (I have them already)

-1 car triangle for when I am stranded on the side of the road  (I need to buy one)

-Installed the UK number plate stickers already 

-2 Eurolites headlamp covers (need to install)

 

Do I need Breathalyser tests for France? 

I have some questions for the Yaris XP 210 MK4, I've have the Eurolites for EU driving - figure 168 for my car, but have any of you installed one for me to see how they should installed please?

Also any other taxes that I need to pay in all the countries please?

If you feel I missed anything let me know please 🙂 

 

Thanks in advance 

[BernieJ]

I think that legally speaking you will need all those things in France. Having said that I've driven there quite extensively and never been stopped or questioned about them.

No other documents required as far as I know - maybe check with your insurance company - they may like to know that you're taking the car to the EU.

Apart from that it's mainly 'drive on the right' and 'look left at roundabouts' !!

Enjoy your trip - you could also take the ferry from Harwich to Hook of Holland if starting from Suffolk. Less cost in fuel but probs a bit more for the ferry than the tunnel.

Night crossings are fun and the restaurant and bar are excellent 🙂

[Benzowner]

Have you considered Harwich to Hook of Holland? More expensive but a lot less driving especially driving through Antwerp, that can be a nightmare with volune of traffic

[Mushu84]

Thanks both for your answers 

 

I've tried to book from Harwich to Hook of Holland but the price was £360 both ways, and from Dover to Dunkirk was £100 both ways(a promotion), I don't think I will use more them £100 for petrol to cover that distance of about 350 miles, also not in a hurry to get there, I want to visit the other city's on the way.

The crossing is during the day unfortunately but only takes 2 hours from Dover  

Bernie, I've checked with my Insurance (Admiral) and is ok with the trip for 60 or 90 days I can't remember now, the only thing I need a accident form or something for Europe to have one printed in my car

 

[jthspace]

Weirdly reflective jackets have to be carried IN the car and put on before exiting the vehicle. Who dreams these regs up?  Have you tried putting a jacket on inside an MX5? It's hard enough getting in and out of mine at my age 🤣

If paying motorway or road tolls, the payment booths will usually only be on the passenger side.  Have 2 cards at least, I've found that sometimes one will be refused for no reason and the other works and vice-versa at another toll booth.  When I went for a longer break, I let my bank know so that a few payments back-to-back overseas didn't trigger a card freeze for "out of usual" spending patterns.

Never allow a vendor to charge you in GBP on a tap and pay, ALWAYS pay in Euros otherwise you will be fleeced even more on the rate of exchange.

Do you have LED headlights on your Yaris? If so, believe they are flat dipped beams and don't need an adapter. 

Most countries require a First Aid kit is carried as well.

Breathalysers no longer a requirement in France.

France breathalyser

Make sure your satnav does NOT have speed camera detection in France.

Load Google Translate on your phone (may be useful)

Do you have roaming on your phone?  If not a cheap pre-pay sim.  Have a look at Smarty (Three). I pay £10 for unlimited calls and texts and 60Gb of data a month; includes Euro cover and 12 GB of data when roaming. Maybe bung one in a spare phone.

Take a euro mains adapter, nothing worse than looking at a 2 pin socket with a 3 pin plug 🫤

Wow, that's a longer response than I thought it was going to be. 

Safe journey.

 

[bathtub tom]

Last time I went to France, it was no longer mandatory to carry breathalysers (2, because if you only carried one and used it, you'd be breaking the law by not having one), but you were required to do so! Typical Gallic.

[Mushu84]

14 minutes ago, jthspace said:

Weirdly reflective jackets have to be carried IN the car and put on before exiting the vehicle. Who dreams these regs up?  Have you tried putting a jacket on inside an MX5? It's hard enough getting in and out of mine at my age 🤣

If paying motorway or road tolls, the payment booths will usually only be on the passenger side.  Have 2 cards at least, I've found that sometimes one will be refused for no reason and the other works and vice-versa at another toll booth.  When I went for a longer break, I let my bank know so that a few payments back-to-back overseas didn't trigger a card freeze for "out of usual" spending patterns.

Never allow a vendor to charge you in GBP on a tap and pay, ALWAYS pay in Euros otherwise you will be fleeced even more on the rate of exchange.

Do you have LED headlights on your Yaris? If so, believe they are flat dipped beams and don't need an adapter. 

Most countries require a First Aid kit is carried as well.

Breathalysers no longer a requirement in France.

France breathalyser

Make sure your satnav does NOT have speed camera detection in France.

Load Google Translate on your phone (may be useful)

Do you have roaming on your phone?  If not a cheap pre-pay sim.  Have a look at Smarty (Three). I pay £10 for unlimited calls and texts and 60Gb of data a month; includes Euro cover and 12 GB of data when roaming. Maybe bung one in a spare phone.

Take a euro mains adapter, nothing worse than looking at a 2 pin socket with a 3 pin plug 🫤

Wow, that's a longer response than I thought it was going to be. 

Safe journey.

 

WOW, that was a long answer HAHAHAHAAAAA 😛 

I will put the reflective Jackets in the car, thanks for that as I did not know

I have 3 bank card with me, one (starling) for any EU use as I don't pay any taxes (I always select local currency when abroad), also I have another 2 that I can use in case of emergency also second Sterling from my wife.

My Yaris has the LED pack as it is Design spec but for me they don't look like dipped they seem V shaped or L shape or how they are called, also on the Eurolites headlamp covers literature I can find that the car needs these installed, maybe can someone confirm this information, as I would be more then happy not to install that **** plastic on the headlamps

I use google maps on my phone, not sure about speed detection if I need to do anything 

Google translate is installed (thanks for that anyway is a great app abroad)  

O2 still has Roaming, I have 20 GB of data, but for maps I preload the map for offline use in case is not phone signal or any other issues 

I have 2 PCS euro chargers that I use in all euro holidays 🙂 

 

17 minutes ago, bathtub tom said:

Last time I went to France, it was no longer mandatory to carry breathalysers (2, because if you only carried one and used it, you'd be breaking the law by not having one), but you were required to do so! Typical Gallic.

 

To be honest I think to buy 2 just to have them just in case, maybe

Thanks for all the answers 

[jthspace]

Starling is great, used my card all over the world, never had an issue and rate of exchange is bank rate, not tourist rates. Also it worked in cash machines abroad when I needed some small local currency notes where USD $ bills were not accepted in some of the "major" countries (not many places though)

Some of the high street banks are a different matter 😳😢😵‍💫

[RickyC]

57 minutes ago, Mushu84 said:

I have 2 PCS euro chargers that I use in all euro holidays 🙂 

Maybe you can carry with you a multisocket with UK sockets and an universal adapter, so you can connect more devices ( phone chargers, camera charger, PC, .... ) when you are in you hotel room.  

I'm no sure that France, Belgium and Netherlands use the same sockets. ,

A thing like this one

 

 

[Mushu84]

7 minutes ago, RickyC said:

Maybe you can carry with you a multisocket with UK sockets and an universal adapter, so you can connect more devices ( phone chargers, camera charger, PC, .... ) when you are in you hotel room.  

I'm no sure that France, Belgium and Netherlands use the same sockets. ,

A thing like this one

 

 

To be honest I don't use more then phones in holidays for a long time, I gave up on DSLR as they get in my way when traveling and they make you stand out. The reason I have 2 plug sockets is so me and my wife can charge at the same time, I also have a external Battery in the bag at all time with the capacity of 10000 mA, more then enough for 2 charges of my phone if needed. 

 

The electrical socket in France, Belgium and Netherlands is the same 

 

[Cyker]

re. headlights; If you have projector-type LED head lights, which is basically all Yaris Mk4's apart from the poverty-spec one (Which come with conventional halogens), you don't need the beam deflectors.

To check, shine your dipped beam at a wall at night and look at the light pattern - If it's quite flat with a fairly sharp cut-off, and doesn't kick up on the left side, you're okay.

I'm 99.999% sure you won't need beam deflectors.

 

re. insurance; You used to have to get a literal Green Card from your insurance company to prove you had international cover, but I'm not sure if that's still needed or if it is all electronic now. Still be worth requesting one just in case, as it's always less hassle to have a physical document you can show!

 

I haven't driven in the EU since Brexit so I don't know if any extra complications have been added because of that, but I wouldn't imagine so given the short length of stay. The one good thing about not being in the EU is Duty Free is a thing again, so abuse the smeg out of your Duty Free allocation!  

 

[Mushu84]

Hey Cyker,

You don't need to have the Green card anymore as they say that you are covered for 3th party accidents, this was on my insurance website (Admiral) 

 

On my Yaris with LED (Design) the have a V shape on the ground, on close range it seems quite straight but in reality is v shaped, also take a look at the instructions from Eurolites  

 

I will try to make a picture of the headlight beam...or maybe I am wrong 

[Roy124]

Dutch speed limit is 62.

We do the Harwich crossing, part of the holiday,  and chose Captain's Cabin, fridge is stocked,  access to premium lounge,  includes breakfast and wifi.

All part of the holiday.

Boarding at Hawich is like driving up a fair ground helter-skelter. 

[bathtub tom]

3 hours ago, Roy124 said:

 like driving up a fair ground helter-skelter. 

The old Sally line had ships with spiral loading. I suppose someone has to be last off and once it was me!

[Roy124]

@bathtub tom me too

[TonyHSD]

No stickers on the headlights but you can buy and have some in your glovebox. High visibility vests for all passengers, first aid kit, triangle and fire extinguisher in the boot are must have items. Make sure you have oil, coolant , brake fluid and washer fluid topped up, garages throughout Europe charge crazy money for a litre of any of these fluids. 
Enjoy your trip. 🛞🚙

[Mushu84]

1 minute ago, TonyHSD said:

No stickers on the headlights but you can buy and have some in your glovebox. High visibility vests for all passengers, first aid kit, triangle and fire extinguisher in the boot are must have items. Make sure you have oil, coolant , brake fluid and washer fluid topped up, garages throughout Europe charge crazy money for a litre of any of these fluids. 
Enjoy your trip. 🛞🚙

Thanks for message Tony

 

I will try to make a headlamps picture tonight hopefully so maybe you will see the V shape, still not sure about the stickers  

First Aid Kit and fire extinguisher are not mandatory from all the information I read online, I could be wrong, I look into it this weekend 

I have washer fluid and coolant in the garage but not the rest, I hope for the best 😛, to be honest not that worried as the car has 14000 miles on the clock so it should be fine, I check the fluids weekly on both anyway. And during road trips every morning I check the levels to make sure everything is ok 

 

 

Thanks for the information 🙂 

[RickyC]

2 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

No stickers on the headlights but you can buy and have some in your glovebox. High visibility vests for all passengers, first aid kit, triangle and fire extinguisher in the boot are must have items. Make sure you have oil, coolant , brake fluid and washer fluid topped up, garages throughout Europe charge crazy money for a litre of any of these fluids. 
Enjoy your trip. 🛞🚙

In any case also in Europe we have supermakets.  😉  You can easily buy these fluids there, in case of needs.  

Remember to switch speedometer to Kmph instead of Mph.

Considering the issues with 12V Battery, I suggest to carry a booster with you ( or at least the cables ).

[Roy124]

Mike,  we went last year to visit the Keukenhof last year.  Quite cool but we'll worth it to see the enormous variety of Tulips.

It opens from 21st March. 

 

 

[Mushu84]

3 hours ago, RickyC said:

In any case also in Europe we have supermakets.  😉  You can easily buy these fluids there, in case of needs.  

Remember to switch speedometer to Kmph instead of Mph.

Considering the issues with 12V battery, I suggest to carry a booster with you ( or at least the cables ).

Haha yeah, I am used to Europe’s supermarket auto section 🤪

At this Yaris is very easy to switch from MPH to KPH 

Not worried about the car Battery to be honest, I also have recovery in Europe thru my vacation insurance, need to check to confirm

2 hours ago, Roy124 said:

Mike,  we went last year to visit the Keukenhof last year.  Quite cool but we'll worth it to see the enormous variety of Tulips.

It opens from 21st March. 

 

 

Yes Roy, the tulips are one of the reason we are going to Netherlands, we bought the tickets + boat ride+ parking

I also want to see Red district 🥺

[Roy124]

15 minutes ago, Mushu84 said:

 🤪

also want to see Red district 🥺

I understand things may be quite different now.  OTOH the s*x Museum on Damrak will open your eyes.  Just discovered there is  Torture Museum nearby and also an underground dungeon which is a bit of a trick no doubt. 

[Mushu84]

36 minutes ago, Roy124 said:

I understand things may be quite different now.  OTOH the s*x Museum on Damrak will open your eyes.  Just discovered there is  Torture Museum nearby and also an underground dungeon which is a bit of a trick no doubt. 

Nice, great info

 

I will look into it

[Dick_Dastardly]

I second the recommendation for Keukenhof. Absolutely stunning

The Anne Frank museum is worth a visit. Try to get there as it opens as the entry queues build up quite quickly and waits of over an hour are quite common

[Mushu84]

8 hours ago, Dick_Dastardly said:

I second the recommendation for Keukenhof. Absolutely stunning

The Anne Frank museum is worth a visit. Try to get there as it opens as the entry queues build up quite quickly and waits of over an hour are quite common

Thanks

I will take a look at the museum in Amsterdam

 

One of the main reasons were going are the tulip fields.

 

[Roy124]

Mike. This is a good place too:

https://dutchcountryside.com/zaanstreek-waterland/zaanse-schans/

I looked at the Torture museum.   Some pictures gave me pins and needles.