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Euro Trip- Help and Advice needed


IanS16

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A few months ago my best buddy got the "I'm pregnant" call so I promised him that in August (2 months before the birth) I would take him for his last supper :lol: Well August is here and we have decided to go on a road trip through Europe.

 

Getting to Calais is fine, I think we are going via the eurotunnel or ferry but from there I really dont have a clue. I've never done this before (including driving abroad) so would love some ideas from those who have.

 

I've started reading the laws ie. Reflective Triangle and hi-vis jackets needed and will continue to do so till we set off on Sunday morning.

 

We both have around £350 to spend each and are looking to camp so the money will be for petrol and toll roads only really.

 

Got 2x new Falkens coming for the fronts and giving it a quick service too.

 

Anyway, where do we go? Any ideas?? :)

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I just got back from a 10 day roadtrip round europe and absolutely loved it. Maybe this'll give you a few ideas... 5 people, 3 cars, me in a zed and others in a Cayman S and an alfa 147 2.0. We took eurotunnel and then stopped off overnight in Dijon for mustard and to break up the trek to the south of france. From here we went to Eze in the south of france which is halfway between nice and Monaco so was a good base for a night out at each. The drive to get here was epic. Route Napolean is a must although watch out for the Gendamerie. They weren't keen on English drivers giving it some beans and I paid the price with a trip to the police station and 270 euros in fines so watch out!

 

Then on into Italy (with a tyre blowout / very fast punture on route) to go to lake como just north of Milan which is really beautiful and nice to relax after some heavy nights. From here we hit Zurich which was rubbish imho but was worth the visit just to drive through the Swiss alps ( even on the space saver wheel.) The Splugen pass was a real highlight - and seems to be where all the awesome roads in ads are from. Zurich was also good for new tyres but at a price - 1000euros for 2 tyres!!!!! And they only had goodyear eagle F1s which means I can't get matching fronts.

 

From here to Germany, a town called Adernach where we had a great night on the beers and close to the Nurburgring. This however was closed due to severe fog which was absolutely gutting.

 

Then finally a weekend in Amsterdam - less said about that the better ;) , and then ferry back from there to Harwich.

 

I had a bit of a run of bad luck but still loved it. Costs can get high pretty quickly so it's worth making sure you got some overdraft of credit cards just incase and RAC breakdown cover was an absolute life saver. Also - take your V5 - the gendamerie wanted to see it and would have been a further fine without.

 

Highlights that you should try and cram in - probably some sun in the south of france, french alps for roads and swiss alps for views and finally lake como and amsterdam to unwind.

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I just got back from a 10 day roadtrip round europe and absolutely loved it. Maybe this'll give you a few ideas... 5 people, 3 cars, me in a zed and others in a Cayman S and an alfa 147 2.0. We took eurotunnel and then stopped off overnight in Dijon for mustard and to break up the trek to the south of france. From here we went to Eze in the south of france which is halfway between nice and Monaco so was a good base for a night out at each. The drive to get here was epic. Route Napolean is a must although watch out for the Gendamerie. They weren't keen on English drivers giving it some beans and I paid the price with a trip to the police station and 270 euros in fines so watch out!

 

Then on into Italy (with a tyre blowout / very fast punture on route) to go to lake como just north of Milan which is really beautiful and nice to relax after some heavy nights. From here we hit Zurich which was rubbish imho but was worth the visit just to drive through the Swiss alps ( even on the space saver wheel.) The Splugen pass was a real highlight - and seems to be where all the awesome roads in ads are from. Zurich was also good for new tyres but at a price - 1000euros for 2 tyres!!!!! And they only had goodyear eagle F1s which means I can't get matching fronts.

 

From here to Germany, a town called Adernach where we had a great night on the beers and close to the Nurburgring. This however was closed due to severe fog which was absolutely gutting.

 

Then finally a weekend in Amsterdam - less said about that the better ;) , and then ferry back from there to Harwich.

 

I had a bit of a run of bad luck but still loved it. Costs can get high pretty quickly so it's worth making sure you got some overdraft of credit cards just incase and RAC breakdown cover was an absolute life saver. Also - take your V5 - the gendamerie wanted to see it and would have been a further fine without.

 

Highlights that you should try and cram in - probably some sun in the south of france, french alps for roads and swiss alps for views and finally lake como and amsterdam to unwind.

 

Thanks for that, I'll have a good look at all of the places. Never thought of Amsterdam either!! :teeth:

 

How much did you spend approx? Am I being naive thinking the 2 of us can do this on £700? (will take a credit card for emergencies too though)

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Check your clearance before using ramps on the ferry :)

 

Will do mate :thumbs: Think we will probably take the tunnel anyway as my buddy doesnt like being on a boat for too long. Plus I'd like to hear the K1 in both England and France at the same time :lol:

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Check your clearance before using ramps on the ferry :)

 

Will do mate :thumbs: Think we will probably take the tunnel anyway as my buddy doesnt like being on a boat for too long. Plus I'd like to hear the K1 in both England and France at the same time :lol:

 

I seem to remember Chesterfield using the Eurotunnel. Just about the length of a DVD I think.

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Check your clearance before using ramps on the ferry :)

 

Will do mate :thumbs: Think we will probably take the tunnel anyway as my buddy doesnt like being on a boat for too long. Plus I'd like to hear the K1 in both England and France at the same time :lol:

 

I seem to remember Chesterfield using the Eurotunnel. Just about the length of a DVD I think.

 

:bangin: Feel really stupid now, I always thought you could drive through the eurotunnel :lol:

 

God I really need to get reading :wacko:

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Check your clearance before using ramps on the ferry :)

 

Will do mate :thumbs: Think we will probably take the tunnel anyway as my buddy doesnt like being on a boat for too long. Plus I'd like to hear the K1 in both England and France at the same time :lol:

 

I seem to remember Chesterfield using the Eurotunnel. Just about the length of a DVD I think.

 

:bangin: Feel really stupid now, I always thought you could drive through the eurotunnel :lol:

 

God I really need to get reading :wacko:

:lol: Would be good if you could! You drive onto a train.

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700 quid?

 

Tunnel, head for Brussels (to play in the miles of tunnels under the city) then on to Bastogne for lunch in the square (by the tank) brfore heading up to Malmedy to stay a night (plenty of nice hotels and places to eat). Next day, a look round Spa Francorchamps, down the road into Piesport (a fantastic set of mountain hairpins down to Mosel valley), along to Chochem for fuel then North to the Ring for a couple of days...

 

Theres just too many good roads to choose from all round this area, I'm over twice a year and it just gets better every time...

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Check your clearance before using ramps on the ferry :)

 

Will do mate :thumbs: Think we will probably take the tunnel anyway as my buddy doesnt like being on a boat for too long. Plus I'd like to hear the K1 in both England and France at the same time :lol:

 

I seem to remember Chesterfield using the Eurotunnel. Just about the length of a DVD I think.

 

:bangin: Feel really stupid now, I always thought you could drive through the eurotunnel :lol:

 

God I really need to get reading :wacko:

 

Oh dear!!!!!!! Some please split this out and start a gaffs thread!! And add the famous brakeshoe post!!! :lol::lol::lol:

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Did a Z euro trip in June, the pics on my thread show mostly where I went....awesome

 

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/ov ... pment.html

 

The link above is the AA definitive guide of what you need for each country. Spare bulbs I think you might need (Although clearly you can't change HID lights, but I took some headlight bulbs anyway so Monsieur Plod was 'appy!)

 

Radar detectors are totally banned in France and they take a very dim view of them. GPS based camera-detecting systems are OK. If you take a sat-nav I'd take a Euro Atlas too as a backup...satnavs go wrong at the worst moments....

 

If you end up parking up anywhere in a French town space tends to be at a privelege - parallel parking is done by feel, and double parallel parking is common. Multi-stories tend to be exceedingly tight too - I had to use the entry to exit the one in Cannes we used as I couldnt physically get the Z round the corner used for the real exit. Plan your parking carefully!

 

It's also well worth filling up here before you go. With the Euro rate (thanks Mr Brown :rant: ) you're looking at the best part of £90 to fill the Zed on the continent. Worth budgeting for.

 

And most of all enjoy it! You'll love it! Not many Z's in France so expect a few looks! Any other help just ask. Oh and I'm standard ride height but had no bother on / off Ferry...

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700 quid?

 

Tunnel, head for Brussels (to play in the miles of tunnels under the city) then on to Bastogne for lunch in the square (by the tank) brfore heading up to Malmedy to stay a night (plenty of nice hotels and places to eat). Next day, a look round Spa Francorchamps, down the road into Piesport (a fantastic set of mountain hairpins down to Mosel valley), along to Chochem for fuel then North to the Ring for a couple of days...

 

Theres just too many good roads to choose from all round this area, I'm over twice a year and it just gets better every time...

 

Are you saying 700 quid should be okay? I'll have a look at all of those place, do like the idea of the ring but I'm not too sure if I trust myself enough yet.

 

Check your clearance before using ramps on the ferry :)

 

Will do mate :thumbs: Think we will probably take the tunnel anyway as my buddy doesnt like being on a boat for too long. Plus I'd like to hear the K1 in both England and France at the same time :lol:

 

I seem to remember Chesterfield using the Eurotunnel. Just about the length of a DVD I think.

 

:bangin: Feel really stupid now, I always thought you could drive through the eurotunnel :lol:

 

God I really need to get reading :wacko:

 

Oh dear!!!!!!! Some please split this out and start a gaffs thread!! And add the famous brakeshoe post!!! :lol::lol::lol:

 

Yeah, cheers Mark - I was hoping not many people noticed that :lol:

 

Definitely take a couple of Hi Viz Jackets a a warning triangle the French police are red hot at stopping Uk drivers and it's a 175 euro on the spot fine if you can produce the items :scare:

 

Cheers Tim, I didn't realise it was quite that much to be honest. Got 2x jackets sorted already though :)

 

Did a Z euro trip in June, the pics on my thread show mostly where I went....awesome

 

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/ov ... pment.html

 

The link above is the AA definitive guide of what you need for each country. Spare bulbs I think you might need (Although clearly you can't change HID lights, but I took some headlight bulbs anyway so Monsieur Plod was 'appy!)

 

Radar detectors are totally banned in France and they take a very dim view of them. GPS based camera-detecting systems are OK. If you take a sat-nav I'd take a Euro Atlas too as a backup...satnavs go wrong at the worst moments....

 

If you end up parking up anywhere in a French town space tends to be at a privelege - parallel parking is done by feel, and double parallel parking is common. Multi-stories tend to be exceedingly tight too - I had to use the entry to exit the one in Cannes we used as I couldnt physically get the Z round the corner used for the real exit. Plan your parking carefully!

 

It's also well worth filling up here before you go. With the Euro rate (thanks Mr Brown :rant: ) you're looking at the best part of £90 to fill the Zed on the continent. Worth budgeting for.

 

And most of all enjoy it! You'll love it! Not many Z's in France so expect a few looks! Any other help just ask. Oh and I'm standard ride height but had no bother on / off Ferry...

 

Cheers for the link will have a good read, good idea about the spare bulbs too. Did you have any problems with your lights being for a right hand drive car? I read somewhere that you are meant to adjust them. Will also take note of your advice with the parking too - sounds scary :headhurt:

 

Also, did you notice what grades of fuel they run over there? I'm mapped for 99 ron :)

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The little trip I mentioned would take you say, 800 miles (on the Continent), if you get 250 miles to your £65 of V-Power you will be roughly 4 tanks in fuel (not including lap time at the Ring) and, without being rude, your going on a budget so your not going to be eating at the Ritz, theres plenty of places to get good food for not much, just look out for places between towns (when at the Ring, head to Breidscheid, theres a Snelly just under the bridge, the best food you will eat the whole trip)... Theres loads to see and do all round that area, Stavelot theres a motorsport museum, Henri Chapelle is an American war cemetery (theres one at Bastoign too) Berntkastle in Mosel Valley a mad collection of buildings, you know, I have been going to Nurburgring for over ten years now and it wasnt till last year I even knew there was a castle there. For spectating, go round to Pflansgarten (plenty of parking and great for action), you could even take a detour to Zolder on the way back and on the way down, instead of Amsterdam theres Maastricht, the high street there has all the big names, TK Maxx, Intersports, Blowjobs 20 Euro, its mad but socially acceptable...

 

Traveling to Europe isnt a major thing, just be prepared and it will be fine... Oh yes, talking of fines, be prepared to shell out if caught speeding, in France at least, had warnings in Belgium and Holand, they seem to be more tolerant there, Germany, never had a problem... Ha, funny though in Italy have been fleeced by the Carabinieri twice in 10 miles (they were so open about just wanting Euros) later we came flying up behind some cars only to find the blue and white car sitting in the inside lane, we pulled in too only to have him pull out and draw up beside us, the guy in the passenger side waving us like a madman to go faster, which we did... Go figure...

 

Have fun and let us know where you got to...

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Definitely take a couple of Hi Viz Jackets a a warning triangle the French police are red hot at stopping Uk drivers and it's a 175 euro on the spot fine if you can produce the items :scare:

 

Cheers Tim, I didn't realise it was quite that much to be honest. Got 2x jackets sorted already though :)

 

Don't forget you have to be able to get your jacket without getting out of the car.

I keep mine in the back of the passenger seat pocket.

 

Enjoy your :drive1

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Definitely take a couple of Hi Viz Jackets a a warning triangle the French police are red hot at stopping Uk drivers and it's a 175 euro on the spot fine if you can produce the items :scare:

 

Cheers Tim, I didn't realise it was quite that much to be honest. Got 2x jackets sorted already though :)

 

Don't forget you have to be able to get your jacket without getting out of the car.

I keep mine in the back of the passenger seat pocket.

 

Enjoy your :drive1

 

:thumbs:

 

I'm quite nervous now :lol:

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I'm quite nervous now :lol:

 

No need to panic chicken :lol: you will be fine mate. don't be distracted by the snake :p

It all about planning, planning and budgetary limitation. IMHO £700 quids will be more than fine :thumbs:

 

Since its your first road trip keep the itinenary simple eg Brum-dover-calais-belgium- holand(Amsterdam)- belgium- calais-dover-brum. decide what you want to see or visit( Jixaman's proposed Belgian jaunt is exciting, but Amsterdam is a must).

 

You can book you hotels or B&B beforehand or get a deal when you get there from asking around(that's what i do...more exciting and alweays get cheap deal in really good hotels/B&B). decide how much you need on food/booze/etc and fuel based on your itinenary.

 

Make sure you have a good sat nav(Nurrish's or tom-tom) to avoid unnecessary detours and go through your checklist for all things you might need travelling abroad. this site as mentioned covers everything.

 

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/ov ... pment.html

 

Get the zed in good shape, check/inform your insurance, Tracker provider and breakdown cover and have a contingency plan(contacts, credit cards etc) in case something goes wrong but i doubt it will. But oserve all precaustions as you would whne going someplace you are not familiar with :)

 

Finally relax and have fun and enjoy the food , vista and the GT capability of the zed B) .

Give me a call if you have any other querries mate ;)

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I'm quite nervous now :lol:

 

No need to panic chicken :lol: you will be fine mate. don't be distracted by the snake :p

It all about planning, planning and budgetary limitation. IMHO £700 quids will be more than fine :thumbs:

 

Since its your first road trip keep the itinenary simple eg Brum-dover-calais-belgium- holand(Amsterdam)- belgium- calais-dover-brum. decide what you want to see or visit( Jixaman's proposed Belgian jaunt is exciting, but Amsterdam is a must).

 

You can book you hotels or B&B beforehand or get a deal when you get there from asking around(that's what i do...more exciting and alweays get cheap deal in really good hotels/B&B). decide how much you need on food/booze/etc and fuel based on your itinenary.

 

Make sure you have a good sat nav(Nurrish's or tom-tom) to avoid unnecessary detours and go through your checklist for all things you might need travelling abroad. this site as mentioned covers everything.

 

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/ov ... pment.html

 

Get the zed in good shape, check/inform your insurance, Tracker provider and breakdown cover and have a contingency plan(contacts, credit cards etc) in case something goes wrong but i doubt it will. But oserve all precaustions as you would whne going someplace you are not familiar with :)

 

Finally relax and have fun and enjoy the food , vista and the GT capability of the zed B) .

Give me a call if you have any other querries mate ;)

 

The Snake would advise me not to do this then go do it himself a week later :boxing:

 

If he was a REAL friend he'd offer to lend me one of his navs :p

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I just got back from a 10 day roadtrip round europe and absolutely loved it. Maybe this'll give you a few ideas... 5 people, 3 cars, me in a zed and others in a Cayman S and an alfa 147 2.0. We took eurotunnel and then stopped off overnight in Dijon for mustard and to break up the trek to the south of france. From here we went to Eze in the south of france which is halfway between nice and Monaco so was a good base for a night out at each. The drive to get here was epic. Route Napolean is a must although watch out for the Gendamerie. They weren't keen on English drivers giving it some beans and I paid the price with a trip to the police station and 270 euros in fines so watch out!

 

Then on into Italy (with a tyre blowout / very fast punture on route) to go to lake como just north of Milan which is really beautiful and nice to relax after some heavy nights. From here we hit Zurich which was rubbish imho but was worth the visit just to drive through the Swiss alps ( even on the space saver wheel.) The Splugen pass was a real highlight - and seems to be where all the awesome roads in ads are from. Zurich was also good for new tyres but at a price - 1000euros for 2 tyres!!!!! And they only had goodyear eagle F1s which means I can't get matching fronts.

 

From here to Germany, a town called Adernach where we had a great night on the beers and close to the Nurburgring. This however was closed due to severe fog which was absolutely gutting.

 

Then finally a weekend in Amsterdam - less said about that the better ;) , and then ferry back from there to Harwich.

 

I had a bit of a run of bad luck but still loved it. Costs can get high pretty quickly so it's worth making sure you got some overdraft of credit cards just incase and RAC breakdown cover was an absolute life saver. Also - take your V5 - the gendamerie wanted to see it and would have been a further fine without.

 

Highlights that you should try and cram in - probably some sun in the south of france, french alps for roads and swiss alps for views and finally lake como and amsterdam to unwind.

 

Thanks for that, I'll have a good look at all of the places. Never thought of Amsterdam either!! :teeth:

 

How much did you spend approx? Am I being naive thinking the 2 of us can do this on £700? (will take a credit card for emergencies too though)

 

 

Did this amonth back, cost about a 1000 euros for 2 people but we did stay in 3 hotels and camped for 6 days so if its all camping it would be cheaper (last 2 hotels were 80 euros a night and camping is about 25-30), we ate out every night, which again added expense but forgot amsterdam :doh: Also was buying the premium petrol :headhurt: I was lucky as I didnt have any runins with police, some of the roads around the Nurburg are excellent North Italy has some amazing roads and scenary. Monaco and the south of France in general is a must! Make sure your aircon is working got up to 37 c when I was there! I prefer to have the window down anyway :lol: take a decent map with you and make sure you know where your supposed to be heading before you set off (helped us alot) Make sure you disable the speed camera detector on your satnav (or hide it ;) ) as its illegal in most places. Oh and ENJOY B)

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take a decent map with you and make sure you know where your supposed to be heading before you set off (helped us alot) Make sure you disable the speed camera detector on your satnav (or hide it ;) ) as its illegal in most places. Oh and ENJOY B)

 

Speed camera detector in GPS is absolutely NOT illegal anywhere in the world, so don't be afraid to use it freely!!!!

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I just got back from a 10 day roadtrip round europe and absolutely loved it. Maybe this'll give you a few ideas... 5 people, 3 cars, me in a zed and others in a Cayman S and an alfa 147 2.0. We took eurotunnel and then stopped off overnight in Dijon for mustard and to break up the trek to the south of france. From here we went to Eze in the south of france which is halfway between nice and Monaco so was a good base for a night out at each. The drive to get here was epic. Route Napolean is a must although watch out for the Gendamerie. They weren't keen on English drivers giving it some beans and I paid the price with a trip to the police station and 270 euros in fines so watch out!

 

Then on into Italy (with a tyre blowout / very fast punture on route) to go to lake como just north of Milan which is really beautiful and nice to relax after some heavy nights. From here we hit Zurich which was rubbish imho but was worth the visit just to drive through the Swiss alps ( even on the space saver wheel.) The Splugen pass was a real highlight - and seems to be where all the awesome roads in ads are from. Zurich was also good for new tyres but at a price - 1000euros for 2 tyres!!!!! And they only had goodyear eagle F1s which means I can't get matching fronts.

 

From here to Germany, a town called Adernach where we had a great night on the beers and close to the Nurburgring. This however was closed due to severe fog which was absolutely gutting.

 

Then finally a weekend in Amsterdam - less said about that the better ;) , and then ferry back from there to Harwich.

 

I had a bit of a run of bad luck but still loved it. Costs can get high pretty quickly so it's worth making sure you got some overdraft of credit cards just incase and RAC breakdown cover was an absolute life saver. Also - take your V5 - the gendamerie wanted to see it and would have been a further fine without.

 

Highlights that you should try and cram in - probably some sun in the south of france, french alps for roads and swiss alps for views and finally lake como and amsterdam to unwind.

 

Thanks for that, I'll have a good look at all of the places. Never thought of Amsterdam either!! :teeth:

 

How much did you spend approx? Am I being naive thinking the 2 of us can do this on £700? (will take a credit card for emergencies too though)

 

 

Did this amonth back, cost about a 1000 euros for 2 people but we did stay in 3 hotels and camped for 6 days so if its all camping it would be cheaper (last 2 hotels were 80 euros a night and camping is about 25-30), we ate out every night, which again added expense but forgot amsterdam :doh: Also was buying the premium petrol :headhurt: I was lucky as I didnt have any runins with police, some of the roads around the Nurburg are excellent North Italy has some amazing roads and scenary. Monaco and the south of France in general is a must! Make sure your aircon is working got up to 37 c when I was there! I prefer to have the window down anyway :lol: take a decent map with you and make sure you know where your supposed to be heading before you set off (helped us alot) Make sure you disable the speed camera detector on your satnav (or hide it ;) ) as its illegal in most places. Oh and ENJOY B)

 

Thats good to know. We are only going for 6 nights and camping every night. I thought you were allowed to use GPS speed camera thingys but not the radar detectors??

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I dont think so I printed off all of the info from the AA and made up a little pack if I still had it I could have sent it to you, but im pretty sure its says speed camera detectors are illegal even on satnavs. there are signs in France for cameras but I saw hardly any signs in Germany. I found the easiest way is to just follow the flow of traffic and hope they know where the speed cameras are :lol:

 

 

But you neednt worry because we all know Z drivers never speed ilegally ;):lol:

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I dont think so I printed off all of the info from the AA and made up a little pack if I still had it I could have sent it to you, but im pretty sure its says speed camera detectors are illegal even on satnavs. there are signs in France for cameras but I saw hardly any signs in Germany. I found the easiest way is to just follow the flow of traffic and hope they know where the speed cameras are :lol:

 

 

But you neednt worry because we all know Z drivers never speed ilegally ;):lol:

 

You are right actually and it is illegal in Switzerland!!! :wacko: I am wondering though how a policeman can tell if the GPS device you have is loaded with speed cameras POI ( Point Of Interest)!!

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