UK Ferry Tickets

If you have ever taken a drive round Central London during rush hour then you will know just how stressful driving around a European city can be. With one way streets, angry taxi drivers, gridlocked roads, traffic lights and any number of other problematic elements that you can encounter on the roads, it really is no picnic. Try to remember the panic that you felt the first time you ever drove around a major city because you didn’t know where you were going or how to get to your final destination in one piece… Now think exactly how driving around a brand new city that you are unfamiliar with will feel. And how it will feel given that you’ll be driving on the right side of the road instead of the left!

Paris, Milan, Rome, Berlin, Madrid, Barcelona… all of the big European cities are completely different in terms of the layout but not in terms of the pedestrian friendly design. This most definitely means that those cities are not friendly for drivers! If you are planning a self drive holiday and plan to drive around the cities yourself for the best tourist experience possible then the tips below may help you:

• Rigorously plan out any journey around the European city in advance – There is nothing worse than getting to the city centre and finding that you are completely lost. Make sure you know exactly where you want to go and how to get there.
• Take maps with you and a satellite navigation system if navigation for that city is available – All of the above will give you a great back up should you get lost and may even help you when you are driving through the city centre in the first place.
• Choose a car you can handle – Do not choose some oversized wagon that you just fancied driving because city driving is a nightmare at the best of times. Make sure that you are comfortable and confident with the car.
• Find out when the busiest times of the day are and avoid them like the plague! – All rush hours can be hell but in city centres the problem gets infinitely worse. If you are going to drive through a city then very early in the morning ad late at night are often the best times but just avoid the rush hours at all costs.
• Double check for one way streets, travel restrictions and areas to avoid – The last thing you want on holiday is to be chatting to a local policeman because you went the wrong way down a one way street or because you drove into a no car zone. Always check exactly where you can go and where you can’t before you head out.
• Take the train! – Just don’t drive in the city centre where possible! taking the train is often more enjoyable and less stressful so assess this option too!

Guest Article by Louise Crowley

Saturday, February 21st, 2009