What actually helps on the road

Getting the vehicle across the water

To the UK and Ireland the road ends at a port. Ferries price by vehicle length and height — the same numbers AlpRoute already asks for — so a bike carrier or roof box can move you into the next price band. When your route reaches one of these ports, AlpRoute shows the crossing right there on the map.

Useful for Channel crossings (Dover–Calais, Hull–Rotterdam) and the Irish Sea (Cairnryan–Larne). Corsica, Sardinia and Scandinavia will follow.

Motorway tolls: vignettes and toll boxes

Switzerland, Slovenia, Czechia, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria charge for motorways with a vignette. Today it is mostly digital: you buy it online, it is linked to your number plate and valid right away — no sticker, no queue at the border. The same provider also sells the toll for Poland's A1 motorway. We have bought a Swiss vignette this way ourselves.

For vehicles up to 3.5 t. The price includes the provider's service fee; the official vignette can also be bought directly from each country's road authority. Austria is not covered by this provider — buy the Austrian vignette directly from ASFINAG.

France, Italy, Spain and Portugal charge per section instead, at toll gates. A toll box lets you drive through without stopping and pays by invoice. Which box fits depends on your height:

Up to 3 m tall and 3.5 t (also covers Croatia):

Taller than 3 m (also covers Austria):

We have not tested the toll boxes ourselves yet.

Mobile data when you cross a border

Roaming inside the EU is usually covered by your home plan, but Switzerland, the UK, the Balkans and Turkey often are not — and that is exactly where the passes are. An eSIM is bought online, activated in minutes and needs no visit to a shop.

Useful if your route leaves the EU, if your phone plan is from outside the EU, or if you need a second data line for navigation.

No motorhome of your own (yet)

Many people try the life in a rented camper first. A comparison site shows motorhomes and campervans from several rental companies side by side — CamperDays lists rentals in 24 countries — with the insurance and fees in the total price.

Bookings through this link are for travellers based in Germany or Austria. Before you drive off, enter the rental vehicle's real height, length and weight in AlpRoute — rentals are often taller than people expect.

We have not booked through CamperDays ourselves yet.

Riding gear for the passes

Alpine passes mean cold mornings, hot valleys and rain in between — layered riding gear and a good visor matter more than on the commute.

For riders in Germany or Switzerland: POLO's online shop for your country.

Gear you only miss once you are parked

Levelling ramps, a fresh-water hose, a waste canister, a decent hook-up cable. Nothing exciting until the first night on a sloping pitch without them.

Useful before the first trip of the season, or after renting a vehicle that came bare.

Carrying bikes, boxes and boards

A roof box or bike carrier changes the height of your vehicle — often by 30–40 cm. That number matters at every tunnel and low bridge, which is why AlpRoute asks for your real height rather than the one in the brochure.

Useful if you carry bikes or a box, and want the routing to stay honest.