Re Driving from Bulgaria to the UK

If you’re avoiding Serbia then you’ll cross at Vidin.

I always go through Vidin, then follow signs for Drobeta Turnu, Timisoara, Arad, Szeged, Budapest, Gyor, Vienna, Linz, Passau, Nuremberg, Frankfurt, Cologne, Liege, Brussels, Calais. It’s very straight forward.

I live 2.5 hours east of Sofia and leaving mid morning I got to Mako in Hungary first night, and somewhere west of Frankfurt I think the second night. I could have driven longer but wasn’t in a rush. If I’m not sleeping in my van eg in winter, and looking for accommodation I plot the route on Google maps, decide how long you want to drive and then search on Booking.com.

I don’t fill up in motorway services any more, using the search on Google maps I can find petrol stations in nearby towns with a short detour, which breaks up the boring motorway and in my big van saves quite a bit, sometimes 20c per litre. I get the vignettes online where I can, I don’t always want to stop at the borders if it doesn’t coincide with a fuel stop.

Living in BG we use Wise for all our local spending, and I have multiple currencies that I use, Romanian Lei, Forints and Euros. I also carry some euros, coins mainly for the loos that don’t take cards.

@jimcrickuk69 Hello there,

I made the trip. First, make sure you have everything you need regarding stickers and stuff.

Also, check if the countries you will pass through have paid toll highways or use something called Vignette. You can buy eVignette online or at the border. Be careful, especially in Hungary, because they are vicious assholes.

if you use a navigator be careful, especially between Bosnia and Serbia has dataset are not updated for Bosnia, and you will end up like I did on a pre-war mountain road with a bombed bridge in front of you!!!

@Yuri1976 why Bosnia? There is the motorway Serbia - Hungary

Dont touch serbia..bosnia..only BG to RO via Vidin..Wien

Munich..etc as stated..its the best route.

Vignettes available 1st garage after the borders...dont forget your bg one..and insurance is up to date..

Have a safe journey.

Hi Jim.

Good info from HelenDinBG.

I would say allow for 2 nights accommodation, I know route planner will say just over 1 day but that's 24 hrs + of driving . You need to allow for border crossing, fuel / food stops.

I plan channel crossing late night or early hours as it less busy and you might get an earlier slot if you're there in time. Credit cards for fuel are not a problem but you will probably get a foreign currency fee added.

@wtruckyboy what I am missing? Why do you go to Bosnia if he is going to UK?

***

There is no route Bulgaria to Hungary in Bosnia.

@jimcrickuk69 Hello there,
I made the trip. First, make sure you have everything you need regarding stickers and stuff.

Also, check if the countries you will pass through have paid toll highways or use something called Vignette. You can buy eVignette online or at the border. Be careful, especially in Hungary, because they are vicious assholes.

if you use a navigator be careful, especially between Bosnia and Serbia has dataset are not updated for Bosnia, and you will end up like I did on a pre-war mountain road with a bombed bridge in front of you!!!
-@Yuri1976

Avoid eVignette in Austria as it takes 18 days to activate and if using non Austrian number plates can cause issues. Just buy them at the petrol stations at the borders.

Hello, imformation required from Expats that have done this trip , i understand that this has been discussed before but this will be my first time driving back to the UK .
I have bought a car from a dealer in Kyustendil and i am driving it back to the UK at the end of May the car will be on Export/Transit plates so fully legally for 4-weeks the route given to me by a Bulgarian transport company who come every week from the UK is Avoid Serbia  first border is Romania- Hungary- Austra- Germany- Belgium - get vigenetts at the Romanian-Hungary-Austria borders .

Which town in Bulgaria leaving from Kyustendil would I head to for the Romanian border - what cash currency is best to pay for fuel / credit card etc - and as I am doing this trip on my own I am in no rush but would like to do it 2-days or longer can anybody recommend hotels to stop over for the night .

Any info would be good.
Cheers Jim..
-@jimcrickuk69

Use https://www.viamichelin.com for a route planner

@SimCityAT is via Michelin good like waze?

@SimCityAT is via Michelin good like waze?
-@Anastasija_gust

Its what I only use when driving unfamiliar routes.

@SimCityAT via Michelin shows you fuel rates. That is nice. Try waze too. It js live with traffic police and crash warnings. All my friends in Bulgaria use it. We use it a lot in Bulgaria.

Is it possible to get any type of breakdown cover on this car I have bought which would be on Export/Transit  plates for the drive back to Dunkirk.

@jimcrickuk69 my husband thinks not.  Try SDI and I&G.

@HelenDinBG

Thanks 4 all this imfo  i will be taking this Route ,regarding getting the vignettes online do you just print them off or do they send them to you ? obviously I have  to get them when I know the exact dates that i am travelling and are you supposed to stick them on the windscreen ?  I have been told to get them online because of the queues at the borders .

I am getting on in years and doing this trip on my own is a bit of a worry but once I have done it I will be up for doing it again if my new business adventure works out .

Many thanks Jim..

@wtruckyboy

Can u give me this route that you have mentioned as one other that I have been given would take me to Nuremberg, Frankfurt and I want to end up in Dunkirk.

Avoiding Serbia and Bosnia.

Cheers JC.

@jimcrickuk69 electronic. You dont put them on windows.

@wtruckyboy
Can u give me this route that you have mentioned as one other that I have been given would take me to Nuremberg, Frankfurt and I want to end up in Dunkirk.
Avoiding Serbia and Bosnia.
Cheers JC.
-@jimcrickuk69

Why Bosnia?

@Yuri1976 @wtruckyboy

There is no road to UK with Bosnia? Or I dont understand why you talk about Bosna?

"Toll EU" is a useful site find out about tolls / vignette. Re Austria all the fuel stations sell the vignette to stick on your screen, the others you can do E vignette online.

If Passau fits your schedule there's a premier Inn there. (and some excellent beer)

@HelenDinBG
Thanks 4 all this imfo i will be taking this Route ,regarding getting the vignettes online do you just print them off or do they send them to you ? obviously I have to get them when I know the exact dates that i am travelling and are you supposed to stick them on the windscreen ? I have been told to get them online because of the queues at the borders .
I am getting on in years and doing this trip on my own is a bit of a worry but once I have done it I will be up for doing it again if my new business adventure works out .

Many thanks Jim..
-@jimcrickuk69

I can only speak for Austria, don't worry about queues at the border, you just buy a vignette at the petrol station.

Just make sure you stick it in the right place, You only need one for the Autobahn.

@HelenDinBG
Thanks 4 all this imfo i will be taking this Route ,regarding getting the vignettes online do you just print them off or do they send them to you ? obviously I have to get them when I know the exact dates that i am travelling and are you supposed to stick them on the windscreen ? I have been told to get them online because of the queues at the borders .
I am getting on in years and doing this trip on my own is a bit of a worry but once I have done it I will be up for doing it again if my new business adventure works out .

Many thanks Jim..
-@jimcrickuk69

the vignettes are electronic, if you pay in a petrol station you’ll get a receipt, online you get a confirmation email. I don’t have stickers except for Austria, because I don’t plan far enough in advance to get their electronic version. There are ANPR camera gantries all the way to make sure you’re legal.

the first place to stop for vignettes after a border is generally busier than subsequent ones, so maybe get it before you cross, or look out for automated machines, people seem to avoid them, but they’re pretty straight forward.

@jimcrickuk69

Leaving the route aside... I'm curious as to why you have "Export/Transit" plates? It's quite unusual to buy in BG, and register in the UK. Is that what you've got in mind?

I've done this drive a couple of times, and maybe I'm a big softie... but I find it tough going! :-) It's easily a 3-day drive (unless you have a co-driver and go for non-stop), and it works out surprisingly expensive (fuel, vignettes, ferry/chunnel, couple of nights in a B&B, bunch of coffees/meals at motorway services, even the odd speeding ticket, as I have a heavy foot). I've found that it's much more relaxing to leave my car safely locked up at the house, and get a cheapo flight on Ryanair/Wizzair. :-)

@Anastasija_gust

He was advised to use that route by a bg transport co..ok if your in a truck..as i used to run that route myself as a truck driver..wouldnt use it if in a car or van.

@wtruckyboy Did you go for holday in Bosnia? You give the opposite advice. Rumania is for trucks and Serbia is better for cars. But Bosnia? this is not true advice?

@gwynj Hello,

I drive only drive lhd cars here in the UK I have done so for over 40 years it all started when I use to go to Belgium with a car dealer friend buying American cars and when we parted ways  I  started  buying and selling cars but now retired but I ave always had a lhd car for my daily driver.

Bulgaria is proberly the cheapest place in Europe to purchase cars and property but I have now noticed that property has become expensive in Bulgaria,  I am purchasing this  car from a dealer which will be put onto Transit Plates at an extra cost for me of 400 BGN this is because we are no longer in the UK which allows me to drive it legally back to UK with all insurance etc for 4 weeks.

I am doing this drive on my own but I am concerned  and worried about the long  drive especially getting the Vignettes as to where I get the first one in Romania and once I get the first one which lane do I get into to cross the border the one with the green  Cross? and as being a solo driver   I am allowing myself 48hours plus to do the trip but I am planning on stopping over night in either Hungary or Austrai on the first night and Belguim on the second night but who knows I will go with flow I really dont know where and how I can plan this accomodation I have been told to go onto Booking .com  but I am not that clever in doing this sort of thing as I am in my 70is but still sharp for my age.

Once I have  done this trip I will  know exactly what to do on my next one as I am starting a Honey import business but obviously I will be using a Transport company to do the heavy transport back to the UK which is very expensive.

@gwynj Hello,
I drive only drive lhd cars here in the UK I have done so for over 40 years it all started when I use to go to Belgium with a car dealer friend buying American cars and when we parted ways I started buying and selling cars but now retired but I ave always had a lhd car for my daily driver.

Bulgaria is proberly the cheapest place in Europe to purchase cars and property but I have now noticed that property has become expensive in Bulgaria, I am purchasing this car from a dealer which will be put onto Transit Plates at an extra cost for me of 400 BGN this is because we are no longer in the UK which allows me to drive it legally back to UK with all insurance etc for 4 weeks.

I am doing this drive on my own but I am concerned and worried about the long drive especially getting the Vignettes as to where I get the first one in Romania and once I get the first one which lane do I get into to cross the border the one with the green Cross? and as being a solo driver  I am allowing myself 48hours plus to do the trip but I am planning on stopping over night in either Hungary or Austrai on the first night and Belguim on the second night but who knows I will go with flow I really dont know where and how I can plan this accomodation I have been told to go onto Booking .com but I am not that clever in doing this sort of thing as I am in my 70is but still sharp for my age.

Once I have done this trip I will know exactly what to do on my next one as I am starting a Honey import business but obviously I will be using a Transport company to do the heavy transport back to the UK which is very expensive.
-@Scott James

Depending on your route and want to stay in Austria, have a look at https://www.oekotel.com great value.

@Scott James

Property is still pretty cheap here, relatively speaking, but prices are going up everywhere, not just in BG. Especially as a couple of recent years were 20% ish annual inflation.

I think the new-fangled technology is a bit of a learning curve, but I am finding a decent smartphone and an EU-wide roaming contract is very helpful. Google Maps is great now (but there are other popular options), and will give you the route all the way home. You can even download the data to your phone before you leave home, so you don't even NEED to have a data connection while driving.

Booking is also a great option, I use it all the time when travelling. I like being able to look for rooms "near me" when I'm getting tired and feel like stopping. But it works fine to just divide up into 3 stages, and book 2 nights in advance. I usually stay in Hungary (as it's cheaper), and then second night somewhere in France (they have nice croissants for breakfast). France has some econobox motels, I think Formule 1 (HotelF1) which is very cheap and cheerful, and you'll see a bunch of these along the motorway. Ibis is a good option too, plenty of these around.

The vignettes are a bit stressful first time round, as you know there are potential fines. The main thing is to confirm which countries have vignettes, so you're not hunting around Germany for a place to buy one. :-) And that you're aware of different time periods so you don't end up buying an annual one in Hungary. :-) I think the minimum is usually a few days. The low-stress option (but might be more people queuing) is simply to stop at the border.

These days they're digital too, so you can buy online before you travel. As all the minimums are 7 or 10 days, it seems pretty easy to buy the complete set the day before you've decided to leave.

Bulgaria (minimum week, 13 leva)

https://vinetki.bg/

Romania (minimum 7 days, 3 euros)

https://www.roviniete.ro/en/rovinieta

Hungary (min 10 days, 20 euros)

https://en.autovignet.hu/

Austria (min 10 days, 20 euros)

https://vignetteoesterreich.eu/en/get-vignette/#step-0

@Scott James
Property is still pretty cheap here, relatively speaking, but prices are going up everywhere, not just in BG. Especially as a couple of recent years were 20% ish annual inflation.

I think the new-fangled technology is a bit of a learning curve, but I am finding a decent smartphone and an EU-wide roaming contract is very helpful. Google Maps is great now (but there are other popular options), and will give you the route all the way home. You can even download the data to your phone before you leave home, so you don't even NEED to have a data connection while driving.

Booking is also a great option, I use it all the time when travelling. I like being able to look for rooms "near me" when I'm getting tired and feel like stopping. But it works fine to just divide up into 3 stages, and book 2 nights in advance. I usually stay in Hungary (as it's cheaper), and then second night somewhere in France (they have nice croissants for breakfast). France has some econobox motels, I think Formule 1 (HotelF1) which is very cheap and cheerful, and you'll see a bunch of these along the motorway. Ibis is a good option too, plenty of these around.

The vignettes are a bit stressful first time round, as you know there are potential fines. The main thing is to confirm which countries have vignettes, so you're not hunting around Germany for a place to buy one. :-) And that you're aware of different time periods so you don't end up buying an annual one in Hungary. :-) I think the minimum is usually a few days. The low-stress option (but might be more people queuing) is simply to stop at the border.

These days they're digital too, so you can buy online before you travel. As all the minimums are 7 or 10 days, it seems pretty easy to buy the complete set the day before you've decided to leave.

Bulgaria (minimum week, 13 leva)
https://vinetki.bg/

Romania (minimum 7 days, 3 euros)
https://www.roviniete.ro/en/rovinieta

Hungary (min 10 days, 20 euros)
https://en.autovignet.hu/

Austria (min 10 days, 20 euros)
https://vignetteoesterreich.eu/en/get-vignette/#step-0
-@gwynj

In Austria it takes 18 days to activate online.

Thank you for this imfo , can you recommend a cheap hotel in Hungary for my 1st stop .

@SimCityAT

The website I gave is pretty quick, I think same day. If you want active within 2 hours it's 6 euros extra. The Bulgaria one is pretty quick too, so I doubt any of them take long to activate from an online purchase.

@SimCityAT
The website I gave is pretty quick, I think same day. If you want active within 2 hours it's 6 euros extra. The Bulgaria one is pretty quick too, so I doubt any of them take long to activate from an online purchase.
-@gwynj

I am sorry, but online it takes 18 days. You can go, to Öamtc garages or to some Tabaks and get it done straight away.

If you are not resident in Austria it is pretty pointless having a digital one.

Thank you for this imfo , can you recommend a cheap hotel in Hungary for my 1st stop .
-@jimcrickuk69

There are hotels like the French F1 places in Hungary. If in a car, this can easily work but if in a truck, more problematic due to parking.

There is also a motel on the actual border - I assume your route is on the motorway from Budapest to Vienna. Some links below. 

The HU vignette is easy if in a car. No stickers, just buy online or stop at any petrol station, give your plate number and country and pay the money (card, cash). You can even buy Austrian vignettes at the HU outlets. They usually have an obvious sign outside.  However, we just buy ours at the petrol station immediately across the AT border (in Austria) from Hegyeshalom (main autobahn to Vienna direct from Budapest). The police won't stop you if you buy it immediately after crossing (like 200m away). There's a small hut/portable building - you don't need to go in the petrol station building. Obviously you need EUR in Austria.

One thing to note is that if you do this a lot, you can buy a yearly county vignette for HUF 5K. So along a particular route, you could buy one for each county you pass through. This can work out cheaper than a whole country yearly one.  The break even point is something like crossing 6 counties.

Links to some hotels (never stayed in them as I only live about 10km away):

Outskirts of Budapest:

Tópark Hotel (next to a lake on the M1 autobahn to the HU-AT border)

Hotel Drive Inn (like an F1 type place next to M1 and very close to the hotel above)

Further away:

Hotel Paprika (next to Hegyeshalom border crossing)

@gwynj

.Yes I will get the vignettes at the gas stations at the borders but my main question to you can you recommend a cheap Hotel that you have used in Hungary for me .

@SimCityAT

Sorry, I'm not seeing any reference to the "18 days" issue. The Austria website link I posted seems to work fine, it is selling them for tomorrow. Or with activation within 2 hours for 6 euros extra.

It doesn't need me to be a resident, it seems to cope quite happily with my Bulgarian registration.

I've used the Bulgarian one lots of times, it also issues them immediately, and it's totally OK with foreign registration numbers.

But if you've got a relevant link, I'll happily have a read.

@jimcrickuk69

As I mentioned, I'm a big booking.com fan, so I just find something near me when I'm cream-crackered. So they don't really register with me, and I've forgotten them within a day or two, sorry. :-) All my Hungary stops were just cheap and cheerful B&Bs, I didn't stay in any chain hotels there.

@SimCityAT
Sorry, I'm not seeing any reference to the "18 days" issue. The Austria website link I posted seems to work fine, it is selling them for tomorrow. Or with activation within 2 hours for 6 euros extra.

It doesn't need me to be a resident, it seems to cope quite happily with my Bulgarian registration.

I've used the Bulgarian one lots of times, it also issues them immediately, and it's totally OK with foreign registration numbers.

But if you've got a relevant link, I'll happily have a read.
-@gwynj

The official and legal Austrian Website https://www.asfinag.at/en/toll/vignette/digital-vignette

@SimCityAT

Many thanks for the link, it seems the official price is 10 euros for the 10 days. My link works too, but it does appear they are adding a hefty markup!

It's a consumer protection thing allowing you 14 days to cancel your purchase. So (a) Simply, order 2 weeks before leaving, instead of the day before. Or (b) just say you are "representing a company" rather than buying as an individual as it offers this choice during checkout (in which case, you waive your consumer protection rights, and it's activated immediately).

This website works for foreign registration plates, and you don't need to be an Austria resident.

As Hungary was also high, I double-checked if there was an "official" site, and I think it's this one:

https://ematrica.nemzetiutdij.hu/hu/belepes

This quotes 5,500 HUF (just under 15 euros) for the 10 days. So again my previous link is adding a markup. Again, no problems with BG (or other country) registration numbers, activation is immediate (if required).