Tolls - are they really expensive?

[WelshGas]

Don’t get me wrong, if you want to travel the backroads and byroads on holiday at a leisurely pace then you have no need of them but if your holiday starts some distance from the ferry ports they are a godsend and I think they offer very good value when everything is taken into consideration.
On my recent trip to Norway, on one section I had a choice on a particular route of travelling 530 miles on Toll free roads, taking, according to Sally SatNav almost 12 hrs, or a route including a ferry and Toll roads costing the equivalent of £29 and taking 5 1/2 hours. A no brainier really as there was only so much magnificent scenery you could take in at one go and a driving break on the ferry added to the enjoyment.
Likewise travelling from Nice to Florence without using Toll roads is doable but way more expensive and tiring for the driver.
What are your thoughts, Avoid at All Cost, or embrace and use when the need arises knowing that your saving time and money AND possibly wear and tear on your vehicle.

 

[18hunts]

I try to avoid tolls but you shouldn't be anal about it.
I try to avoid because we are on holiday and it's about travelling at a pace that you can enjoy what you are travelling through and seeing things, places that you don't on a toll road. Being able to stop at that wonderful view for a coffee or lunch break. The beautiful villages, views and scenic routes. As you alluded to in June I drove a distance of 140 miles, a doddle in the Cali but when 110 miles were through the Alps I hardly ever went higher than third gear by the end I was knackered. As you said 'there was only so much magnificent scenery you could take in at one go'.
But then you find yourself with that distance that to arrive at your destination at a reasonable time you need to use the toll roads.
September, as normal, was four weeks in France and I have just received my Sanef invoice of £41.58. I hate toll roads/motorways, never use the M6 toll, but I am comfortable with the amount; it enabled us to achieve what we wanted to do and that's a personal choice.
Digressing slightly, I apologize, retirement takes a couple of years to get used to and we have found that we enjoy a wind down at the end of our break of four weeks. We have taken to doing three/four nights somewhere within two hours of our ferry. Removes the stress of having to make a ferry and allows us to unwind and return to normality, what ever that was!

 

[5i1ver8ack]

Not just talking campervans here, but more in general. It very much depends on circumstances.

For someone who has a lot of time available, then the luxury of a leasurely trip is definitely the way to go.

If you need to get somewhere quickly, then tolls can make sense.

It's an old cliché I know, but often time is money. Or at least it would be if we valued our time.

A leasurely trip through beautiful villages sounds idyllic; a slow tedious journey through back roads and dullness makes the modest price of a toll road worth every penny in my viee.

 

[Hotel California]

Depends on how i am travelling .
To get fast home from the south of France afther visiting my brother in law i happy pay 65€ peage and drive 10h / 1000km allmost stressfree on tollroads in perfect condition with nice service aires allong the way.

When we take it slow i sometimes avoid tollroads and use D and N roads as many have read in my travel reports.

If the roads are maintaint with the money it's a good thing .
Alltough it takes up a lot of budget when travelling....

 

[Palm]

I am considering the options and the real need to take the car into a pay zone (congestion taxing) or toll roads. If there is an option that is appealing, I'll take it. It can be the Toll road to make milage to a special place or the countryside roads if the journey itself is the purpose. Pay zones can usually be avoided by planning, staying a little longer and have a cup of coffee or tea to reduce the cost or completely eliminate or start earlier and drink the coffee or tea later on. It all depends on the options.

 

[Dave650]

Just got the bill for 3 weeks and 2000 miles in France came to over £200 next time might do less toll roads. A pint was over £7 so might drink less as well but I doubt either will happen in reality....

 

[GrannyJen]

A couple of hours of ambling through the French countryside, speed limits constantly changing, expecting fiendish radar-equipped police people to come steaming through a hedge anytime, and my nerves are shattered

Seriously, tolls please.

 

[Amarillo]

I was very recently shocked by the cost of the Portuguese toll Porto to Lisbon - 43.60 Euros.

2h50 on the A1, 5h06 toll free. A time saving of 2 1/4 hours costs 43.60 Euros, 19.30 Euros per hour.

If I were doing it again I'd take the toll free route and spend my 43 Euro saving on a nice meal out.

The tolls in Norway are generally very reasonable, and once the cost of the road improvement have been recouped by tolls, the toll goes.

On a more local note, I generally use the Blackwall tunnel to avoid the Dartford Crossing toll.


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[Hotel California]

I was very recently shocked by the cost of the Portuguese toll Porto to Lisbon - 43.60 Euros.

2h50 on the A1, 5h06 toll free. A time saving of 2 1/4 hours costs 43.60 Euros, 19.30 Euros per hour.

If I were doing it again I'd take the toll free route and spend my 43 Euro saving on a nice meal out.

The tolls in Norway are generally very reasonable, and once the cost of the road improvement have been recouped by tolls, the toll goes.

On a more local note, I generally use the Blackwall tunnel to avoid the Dartford Crossing toll.


Follow my blog: www.au-revoir.eu

Now we all know how you spent the 6000£ cash you took when starting your trip...

 

[WelshGas]

I was very recently shocked by the cost of the Portuguese toll Porto to Lisbon - 43.60 Euros.

2h50 on the A1, 5h06 toll free. A time saving of 2 1/4 hours costs 43.60 Euros, 19.30 Euros per hour.

If I were doing it again I'd take the toll free route and spend my 43 Euro saving on a nice meal out.

The tolls in Norway are generally very reasonable, and once the cost of the road improvement have been recouped by tolls, the toll goes.

On a more local note, I generally use the Blackwall tunnel to avoid the Dartford Crossing toll.


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You haven’t taken into account the extra fuel used and wear and tear on the vehicle, so the cost saving is probably less than the 19.3€ you quoted and could be significantly less.

 

[Romke]

Another thing to consider is that, even though they cost money, French motorways give you free overnight camping, sometimes in very beautiful surroundings.

 

[jts46]

Just received this recent invoice from Sanef. Agen to Orange and back

 

[T6 CFO]

Just got the invoice from Sanif and it was £ 30 well spent early in the holiday for the last stretch through France into Spain.
Even better was taking the toll road East to West in Southern Spain and avoiding the N125. Took half the time and avoided the places I wanted to miss. Much safer for me and the Cali.


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[sidepod]

If it meant our garbage roads could be like those in France, I’d pay double. Fact.

 

[Hotel California]

Have to agree with @sidepod here , in Belgium the roads are very bad maintained !
If there was toll witch was invested in better roads most be happy to pay.
Now taxpayers money is used for for all kinds purpose but i think cartaxes and fines should be partly used for better roads....
Do i need to go in to politics....

If they put a blindfold over my eyes and put me as passenger in a car i am 100% sure i can tell when we crossed the border in to Belgium coming from any of our neighbour countries....just by the quality of the roads

And for the clever ones on here coming in from the UK even a blind can tell...... two hours on a ferry is noticeble...

 

[Stoneybroke]

A couple of hours of ambling through the French countryside, speed limits constantly changing, expecting fiendish radar-equipped police people to come steaming through a hedge anytime, and my nerves are shattered

Seriously, tolls please.

The French speed limits are very odd, particularly going in and out of built up areas - relied on the SatNav readout to confirm many as we trekked through France this summer!

 

[Stoneybroke]

Going to France this year we travelled 2250 miles in the two weeks. First stop was the Ardennes, which was quicker and shorter from Le Chunnel via Belgium - no tolls and a good road.
Ardennes to Beaune - mixed, but with a big chunk on péage to get us there in good time.
Beaune to near Annacy - went a very scenic route, avoiding péage, but this was a shorter distance, and we knew we had plenty of time.
But on the home leg we stuck to the péage (unless toll-free motorway available) which got us to Arras for a single night in good time for a relaxing evening, meal, etc., before the short skip the next morning.
Toll total just under £110, which for the trouble-free and relaxing motoring on those long-haul days, was a acceptable. Mrs S was also happy to share the driving on the motorways - but not on the normal roads.

M6 Toll - overpriced. If they charged 25% of the current tariffs, then I would consider, but in a Cali the current pricing is ridiculous.

 

[Amarillo]

Just got the invoice from Sanif and it was £ 30 well spent early in the holiday for the last stretch through France into Spain.
Even better was taking the toll road East to West in Southern Spain and avoiding the N125. Took half the time and avoided the places I wanted to miss. Much safer for me and the Cali.


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Tomorrow's journey:
Praia de Luz to El Puerto de Santa María

Toll free 5hr 6
Toll route 3hr 40

On motorways I find it always takes longer than the time estimate - I set the cruise control at 100 kph and only accelerate to 110 or 120 to overtake.

Generally I find the non motorway time estimate more or less reflective of my driving style.

I also, generally, prefer the slower route through towns and villages. However, I have heard the N125 is notoriously horrible.


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[T6 CFO]

Tomorrow's journey:
Praia de Luz to El Puerto de Santa María

Toll free 5hr 6
Toll route 3hr 40

On motorways I find it always takes longer than the time estimate - I set the cruise control at 100 kph and only accelerate to 110 or 120 to overtake.

Generally I find the non motorway time estimate more or less reflective of my driving style.

I also, generally, prefer the slower route through towns and villages. However, I have heard the N125 is notoriously horrible.


Follow my blog: www.au-revoir.eu

I also use the slower roads but trust me the Toll road is prettier and safer for this stretch. I would emphasise that I used it i was driving into a setting sun. I only did part of it going from Alcoutim to the coast at Huelva. It was a nightmare journey and took far longer than the estimate. When I wanted to get to the South West Coast and realised it was a continuation of the same road, no tolls got unticked.
Toll road was clear and ACC set to 120 as I had a nice beach to visit. Been on some beautiful roads in both Spain & Portugal.
My point is not to use tolls in general but specifically this one to make it safer. Good luck!



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[Amarillo]

I also use the slower roads but trust me the Toll road is prettier and safer for this stretch. I would emphasise that I used it i was driving into a setting sun. I only did part of it going from Alcoutim to the coast at Huelva. It was a nightmare journey and took far longer than the estimate. When I wanted to get to the South West Coast and realised it was a continuation of the same road, no tolls got unticked.
Toll road was clear and ACC set to 120 as I had a nice beach to visit. Been on some beautiful roads in both Spain & Portugal.
My point is not to use tolls in general but specifically this one to make it safer. Good luck!



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Ok - toll road it is. Two questions:
Is the toll still 10.30 Euros for class 2?
How do I pay once I've left Portugal?

Thanks.


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[WelshGas]

Going to France this year we travelled 2250 miles in the two weeks. First stop was the Ardennes, which was quicker and shorter from Le Chunnel via Belgium - no tolls and a good road.
Ardennes to Beaune - mixed, but with a big chunk on péage to get us there in good time.
Beaune to near Annacy - went a very scenic route, avoiding péage, but this was a shorter distance, and we knew we had plenty of time.
But on the home leg we stuck to the péage (unless toll-free motorway available) which got us to Arras for a single night in good time for a relaxing evening, meal, etc., before the short skip the next morning.
Toll total just under £110, which for the trouble-free and relaxing motoring on those long-haul days, was a acceptable. Mrs S was also happy to share the driving on the motorways - but not on the normal roads.

M6 Toll - overpriced. If they charged 25% of the current tariffs, then I would consider, but in a Cali the current pricing is ridiculous.

M6 Toll half price if a member of the Caravan and Motorhome Club.

 

[BerndRos]

Ok - toll road it is. Two questions:
Is the toll still 10.30 Euros for class 2?
How do I pay once I've left Portugal?

Thanks.


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All you can do is to stop at Olhao services and pay there, yes even though you will not have completed your journey on the toll road.

Without warranty, I can say that I have used this toll road many times in my Cali on U.K. plates, as well as other U.K. cars, and have never paid or had a request for payment. Have never known any foreign plate car that has paid or been requested to pay.

 

[Amarillo]

All you can do is to stop at Olhao services and pay there, yes even though you will not have completed your journey on the toll road.

Without warranty, I can say that I have used this toll road many times in my Cali on U.K. plates, as well as other U.K. cars, and have never paid or had a request for payment. Have never known any foreign plate car that has paid or been requested to pay.

Just found out that the toll for the entire road is 15.25 Euros. The fine if they track you is 25 Euros on top, so 40.25 Euros.

Worth a punt? Possibly.

Norway have traced me for their tolls - Bergen hasn't for an electronic parking charge, and Sweden hasn't for the Gothenburg congestion charge.


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[Jay20cali]

We go snowboarding for a week every Feb
Without the tolls it wouldn't be possible, 850 miles from home to the alps.
Some are 20 euros here and 20 there, but the big one is the last one just before the alps at around 60 euros, all in all it's about 120 euros on tolls, and then another 120 back. when we're not in a rush to get to the destination we like to soak up the scenery, one thing you don't get on the autoroute. I would rather pay the tolls that are virtually traffic free throughout France than sit on the m25 ......
it amazes me how I can drive the full length of France traffic free and then as soon as we're back in the uk it's jams jams and more jams.Road work 50mps speed zones but nobody working it's so annoying.its been this way as far back as I can remember doing this trip.
There doing something right that were not!

 

[Stoneybroke]

M6 Toll half price if a member of the Caravan and Motorhome Club.

Still too much for the length of the road...