Driving to Heidelberg from London

Hi All,

Hope you're doing well and enjoying the summer.

Well, I haven't escaped to the Fatherland yet (Still job-hunting...what a bloody nightmare! I should have learned German instead of French while in uni ), but among other things I'm planning a vacation in Heidelberg in late August/early Sept., for two weeks. My question is, do you think it would be worthwhile for me to drive from the London area to Heidelberg, or do you think doing so would cause more stress, time loss, & cost than pleasure? I think I could enjoy driving my car more actually in Germany than here (and my car's LHD!), and I'll have two weeks to tour the surrounding areas, but I just don't know if it would be worth the trip from a driving perspective. Does anyone know roughly how long it would take, and have any opinion on car vs. plane?

Thanks!

I would drive. You'd be so much more flexible when you're in Heidelberg, especially if you want to tour the area.

I would reckon on about 10 hours depending on which part of London, what time of day, which crossing you take...

I went to Heidelberg about 17 years ago and it was great. The castle's brilliant.

Try and get to Dinkelsbühl if you can. I think its about 100-200k from Heidelberg. Lovely little town on the romantic road. Its kept very much as it was hundreds of years ago. There used to be a lovely pub called Goldener Gans (Goga), I think.

Certainly drive straight there... then leave a few days early and take a steady meandering trip back... once you have seen the beauty of Heidleberg, beleive me, there are many other prettier towns and villages to enjoy.!
I am fortunate enough to have a job which allows be to travel locally and I have never got fedup of driving though the villages around Munich.

Also compare price with flying to Frankfurt and hiring a car. Think about price of fuel, price of ferry, the several thousand miles that will be getting clocked up on your car. Is your car new or old, would you trust it on a trip this distance etc etc.

Several thousand miles?, it's only about 500 miles from London to Heidelberg. Try getting your route from here:Via Michelin route planner.. Their directions are pretty good.

okay, a couple of thousand miles...pedant!

That is assuming they will be driving around a fair bit when they are over.

Anyway, just saying take into consideration ferry ticket, 150 quid or so for petrol, time and wear and tear...

Thanks for all the comments!

My car's a 1987 model with 123,000 miles. But it's German, so it should be no problem, damnit!

You actually brought up my next question- The dreaded ferry. I've never taken it, but have heard through friends that the cost can vary wildly between operators etc.- My poor parents probably paid about three times the normal rate.

What do you suggest I do, in terms of the ferry (or Chunnel train?) Any specific companies you'd recommend? I guess I need to book far in advance to get a decent price- speaking of which, what is a reasonable price? Also, are there any concerns for cars which ride low to the ground?

Vielen Dank!

if you're going to head as far as that then you should try and take in Rothenburg a.d. Tauber as well (along with all the other tourists)

Try Norfolk line for a cheap Dover /Dunkirk crossing.

http://www.norfolkline.ferries.org/

Ferry and tunnel prices depend a lot on the time of the day you intend to travel. They change all the time and they always have different offers. They vary from about 15 to 250 pounds. When you are checking out prices use the day forward day back buttons to check out prices as the day you travel can vary a lot.
If you are flexible with days and times then you get the lowest prices.
The main companies from Dover are P&O and Sea France, both have a sailing about every 45 mins but obviously the frequency drops during the night. Same for the tunnel.

Tunnel or ferry? On my own I chose the tunnel for speed. When my young son is with me I chose ferry so he gets a break from the car. Both boring but I have done the journy many times - I commuted UK to Germany for a year however ferry slightly less so as there are a few things to do. Tunnel you just sit in the car.

Ride height shoudn't be a problem if you can drive over speed bumps. I have an A4 with S-line which has grounded over the highest bump which is at the final security check UK side. If I drive really slowly it doesn't ground.

If I were to drive I would go through Belgium and Holland - crossing the German border at Venlo. May not be the most direct or shortest but will be the fastest if you are willing to take advantage of the areas with no speed restrictions once in Germany.

Check out Cheapest route for driving into England for ferries etc.

As a result of that I have booked with Norfolk for the first time this year. They really do look cheaper: I have a return, peak time (lunchtime / afternoon at weekends) for 88 yoyos for one person / one vehicle *
However they did without warning tack on a 7€ fuel surcharge each way (which you'll probably get with any carrier anyway)

* I admit that one person / two vehicles might not be terribly practical

Good price for peak. How often do they run?

I think it was 6 a day but not evenly distributed through the day.
Check the website

Edit: Ooh I lied. In July it's 8 on Sats, 10 on Suns and 11 on weekdays.

That's enough sailings.
Luckily for me head office is in Kent and work pay for my trips.
If ever I need to get back and can't think of a reason for a meeting and have to pay myself then I'll give them a try. Our board do seem to like meetings though!

only issue with driving, there is a lot of wine cellars near the river neckar, so you might not want to drive all the time

Friends of mine who live in Heidelberg use Ryanair a lot.Stansted to Frankfurt Hahn.Then the shuttle bus to Heidelberg.Or alternatively hire a car at the airport.As for ferries i like the Norfolk Line .Good prices and i believe the driving time from Dunkirk to Heidelberg is about 6 hours

I would drive. I drive to the UK quite often (drove back from Newcastle yesterday to Darmstadt) and nearly always take the Chunnel for convenience and speed. Once in France just follow the signs to Lille (or Dunkirk) then to Brussels, then Liege, then Aachen, then Köln, then Frankfurt and get on the A5 which will take you to Heidelberg.

I would take going through Luxembourg into consideration if I were you as you can get cheap gas and cigarettes, and there's usually very little traffic on the Saarbrucken-Kaiserslautern-Mannheim highway. Just a suggestion...

Do it, London to Heidelberg sound's like a good journey. Should take about 6 or 7 hours from Calais to Heidelberg. My Parents are driving down to visit me in August, all the way from Preston down to sunny Karlsruhe (Black Forest), now that's a journey.

Many thanks for all your comments- I've decided I'm definitely going to do it! Although I've driven a bit in Europe before on vacation, since this is my first pan-European trip of any real length I will probably try to keep the route as simple as possible (i.e., major motorways etc.) this time- I can always go on some creative excursions once I've found my base in Heidelberg. While I'm there I'm going to "regress to my student days" and take an intensive German language course at the University of Heidelberg.

Is there anything in particular I should be mindful of regarding driving in Belgium?

Thanks

The speed limits !!!

Yes, On the motorway you have to give way from the right. If you are in the left lane - overtaking lane - cars will just pull out in front of you. Ocassionally they look and indicate but don't count on it.

Speeding fines are high and on the spot. If you don't have the cash they will take you to a bank.
(I'm told they leave you stranded at the bank but I've never been caught so can't confirm).

The police target British cars and will fine you on the spot if you don't have the right documents - equipment. Latest rules can be found at tunnel and ferry terminals but from memory. Proof of ownership, proof of insurance in Europe, spare bulbs, warning triangle, high vis vest in case if you have to stop on the motorway, fire extinguisher, first aid kit & fitted head light deflectors even in day time. Oh and probably MOT certificate if car requires one. Oh yes, don't forget your driving licence - you have to carry that and all other documents all the time you are driving.

Make that: "Police target non-Belgian cars".
On the plus side: if you're driving at night the motorways are lit most of the way.

[quote name='Jeeves' date='Jul 24 2006, 4:02 pm' post='660062']
Make that: "Police target non-Belgian cars".

Quite possibly but I have only seen British cars stopped.

As you pass Ostend the motorway splits the right lanes going into Ostend and the left lanes into Calais.
Just around the bend there is a police station and in the summer months they have 5 motorbikes out stopping cars. I have seen over fifty cars stopped here and every one of them had a British plate.

I guess that the document / equipment requirements over mainland Europe are quite similar and so they are more liklely to catch a Brit not conforming to at least one of the rules cos they're not used to them. More cash per hit.
I now have a German registered car and I think the only reason I wasn't not stopped with Brit plates was they were all busy when I passed them.

Christ, they'll have a ball with me then. No warning triangle, no first aid kit, no bulbs, red sports car, and to top it off, I'm not even legal in the UK these days, since I'm technically not supposed to be driving with my American driver's license.

Whatever happened to the idea of "Don't bother chasing him, he's foreign so it's too much of a headache to process the paperwork etc."? That's one of the few pleasant things about driving in the UK. Then again, maybe that's only for non-EU licenses...I used to drive with an American license plate on my car and my friend still had on her Australian one, and we were never stopped...

Conclusion: I will proceed at 25 miles per hour through Belgium, with a friendly grin and the stereo at a low volume. Playing Lionel Richie.

No bollocks, I can't go that far, forget the Richie idea.

Driving in Belgium isn't too big a deal as far as speeding is concerned. Just keep your eyes peeled when you pass by road stops as that's from where the cops usually end up ambushing people. The speed limit is 120 but I usually do around 150 to 160, depending on my mood, and have never been stopped - gotten nailed once by a speed gun (saw the flash), but never got the fine in the mail. Try to eat while you're in Belgium, the food is considerably better than the shit you get at rasthoffs in Germany!

Which state is it from? If you are going to be in Heidelberg for a while then you could go & get a German (EU) license, I can't remember which states they will accept, (other than Arizona) but you should be able to find out, then you will also be legal in the UK too.

Also check the central reservation as they have small inlets where the speed trap cars hide. You don't normally see them until you go past, a flash, look in your rearview mirror to see a nondescript car parked in the central reservation.

Hi there, actually this is definitely part of my long-term plan- I made a point of getting my U.S. driver's license renewed in South Carolina in February instead of Georgia (which called upon my espionage skills a bit, since you have to prove residence!), since S.C. is definitely accepted with no strings attached in The Fatherland, while Georgia is not.

(I'm totally ready to move to Germany except for one not-so-small problem: I have no job there yet )

I like your idea, however, don't you think I'd be pushing it if I tried to get the license during just a two week vacation? I would think they require you to prove you are a permanent resident, possibly in multiple ways? And unlike in South Carolina, I don't have a senile aunt living there who I can pretend to be living with!