French autoroutes, German autobahns, autopista in Spain, autostrada in Italy information.

Autoroutes and motorways in Europe: Information on roads, tunnels and tolls for autoroutes in France, autostrada in Italy, autopista in Spain and Portugal, autobahns in Austria, Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands, and Switzerland. Routes in France.

Distances and Mileage in Europe chart

Alpine Tunnels tolls:
Mont Blanc, Frejus, Grand St Bernard, St Gotthard

Motorway Tolls and Charges:

Pay-as-you-go tolls are charged on most motorways in France, Spain, Portugal and Italy. German Autobahns are toll free.

• Visit the website for French Autoroutes, for more info, and a route planner which includes toll costs.
• Another useful site gives information on Italian Autostrade prices
• In Spain, the autovia is an ordinary motorway identifiable by beginning with an 'A' followed by a number. These are toll free.
• The Spanish Autopistas website shows toll motorways which begin with the letters 'AP'
• Portugal also charges motorway tolls, many of which are collected electronically. More information on this sytem can be found on the Visit Portugal website.

In France, Italy and Spain you can pay by credit card - you just hand over the card, nothing to sign and often no receipt unless you request one. On many motorways you can use booths which display a carte bleu sign - insert your card, wait for it to be returned and drive off. Otherwise make sure you have plenty of change available so you can use the automatic booths, although manual booths are always able to provide change.

An easy option for France is to sign up for a Telepeage electronic device which is read as you pass through the toll. Previously it was possible to purchase an electronic device in France which was charged to your credit card. Now, unless you have a French bank account, it is necessary to buy these electronic tags through the UK website of the French toll operator, which has resulted in a considerable increase in fees.  The set up fee is £20, application fee £10, subscription fee £6, and a monthly cost of £5 (only charged in months when tag is used). The benfit is you do not need to lean over to the left to pay and you can use the priority lanes for tag holders. To purchase a tag visit www.saneftolling.co.uk.

Tolls are also charged in Switzerland and Austria for driving on the autobahns. In Switzerland you buy a sticker (Vignette) at the border which costs £34.50 for the current year plus January in the next year; or you can buy a Swiss motorway sticker/vignette in the UK here.

In Austria you pay 9.40 Euros for 10 days or 27.40 Euros for 2 months and these can also be bought in service stations near the border. Austria now offers online purchase of the vingette.

Mont Blanc Tunnel is just over 11 km in length. A car costs about 47 euro single or 58 return. Speed limits are 50 km/h minimum and 70 maximum. In addition you must leave a gap of 150 metres between you and the vehicle in front. These rules are rigorously enforced and monitored with cameras. Fines are heavy and payable on the spot. The Mont Blanc Tunnel website is not very user-friendly, although at least it is in English and has details of the occasional total closure amongst other things. For information on the tunnel and everything in the Mont Blanc area go to the Chamonix web site.

The alternative route is via the Frejus Tunnel (another unhelpful website and in French) which is about 13 kms long, on the A43 from Albertville (Modane) to Turin, which costs about 46 euro single, 57 return, for a car. This is our preferred crossing as motorways access both ends of the tunnel.

You could try the Grand St Bernard Pass and Tunnel between Martigny in Switzerland and Aosta in Italy. This tunnel is about 5.85 kms long, costs about 28 euro one way or 45 euro return and claims to be open all the year. If you are feeling adventurous and the weather is good, take the old pass road over the top and stop at the Grand St Bernard Hospice where they still keep St Bernard rescue dogs.

The St Gotthard tunnel between Luzern and Lugano. It's 17 kms long, transit is free, but as it is a motorway you must purchase the Swiss motorway Vignette, currently 40 euros for one year. Traffic is heavy on this route so be ready for jams at busy times.

The Oresund Bridge between Denmark and Sweden, and the Storebaelt, or Great Belt, Bridge in Denmark, charge tolls. More info...

Suggested Routes in France

• The motorway from Clermont-Ferrand to Montpellier is toll free, runs through spectacular scenery and is a good alternative to the busy A6/A7 Rhone Valley route south.
• Avoid Paris if you're going to the Alps, Provence or Cote d'Azur from Calais by taking the A26/A5/A31 via Reims to Dijon
• The new A39 links Dijon to Bourg-en-Bresse
• If you're heading from Calais/Boulogne towards the south-west, Pyrenees or Languedoc take the A16 to junction 10 then the RN184 Cergy Pontoise, St Germain, RN13/RN186 (Versailles) A13 (Rouen/Le Havre) A12 then either towards Chartres the RN10 or for other directions the A86 direction Creteil leaving towards Orleans N186/A10.
• The A84 motorway link between Caen and Rennes is now complete, meaning continuous motorway or dual carriageway from Calais to the Spanish border south of Biarritz.

 To find out the cost of fuel for a specific journey visit our Route Planner and enter your start point and destination. You will see a breakdown of the costs by fuel (based on petrol for a Fiesta type car). You can change the fuel type, vehicle type or miles to kilometres.

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The above information is correct to the best of our knowledge, although we cannot be held responsible for any errors or for the consequences of any such errors. If you discover any of this information is incorrect, we would appreciate an email to let us know so we can keep this page up-to-date.