Since leaving
the UK by road implies crossing the Channel, there are but a handful of
direct routes to get to Luxembourg.
- Ferry
from Dover -> Calais/Dunkerque
(F) or Eurotunnel:
Head for Lille along the A25 motorway (reached directly from
the Channel ports / Tunnel exit).
Continue on the same motorway towards Bruxelles, but before you
reach Brussels, turn off towards Mons / Charleroi (E42).
Soon you will come across signs for Namur (E411), from where
Luxembourg is signposted.
[Just
before Namur, you have the option of selecting either the E411 motorway
(signposted in green) straight into Luxembourg City, or the N4 dual
carriageway (signposted in blue) to the northern part of Luxembourg
to Bastogne, Wiltz and Ettelbruck. There is no difference in max.
speed along either of these 2 roads, though the motorway is less up-and-down
than the N4 which might be relevant if you're pulling a heavy trailer]
From Calais, the distance to Luxembourg City [along the E411] is 258
miles, all via toll-free roads (yes, the N4 is also toll-free).
Ostende to Luxembourg is but 208 miles. And
-while talking of tolls- all of Luxembourg's roads are also toll-free.
An alternative route is to go from Calais to Oostende then via the E40
to Brussels which you can circumvent by using the "Ring".
This way is slightly longer, but the road surface is excellent (and
toll-free). Note, however, that -just like the M25- the Brussels Ring
does at times vie for the title of world's largest parking! Morning
and evening rush hours can place a huge amount of cars onto the Ring.
- Ferry
from Hull to Zeebrugge (B) or Ramsgate to Oostende:
Take the dual carriageway around Brugge to join the Oostende-Bruxelles
motorway(E40), as described above. From Zeebrugge, the distance to Luxembourg
City is 196 miles, all via toll-free motorways.
-
Ferry
from Hull to Europoort (NL):
Follow directions: Rotterdam - Dordrecht - Breda - Antwerp - Bruxelles
- Namur - Luxembourg.
-
For
those of you driving through Luxembourg on their way further afield,
perhaps the following brief overview map of motorways may be of use
(click map below for larger image)
- Some useful
telephone contacts for Cross Channel Services:
- P
& O Ferries - [Dover-Calais & Hull-Zeebrugge] Tel: 0871
664 6464
- Eurotunnel
(Le Shuttle) [Folkestone-Calais] Tel: 08705 35 35 35
- SeaFrance
services are currently suspended, call 0845 458 0666 for assistance
LD Lines [Portsmouth-Le Havre
& Newhaven-Dieppe] Tel: 0800 917 1201
TransEuropa Ferries
[Ramsgate-Oostende] Tel: 01843 595522
It is worth
bearing in mind that petrol is somewhat cheaper in Luxembourg than
in neighbouring countries. However, allow us to take this opportunity to
remind car owners not to fill their tanks to the very brim (especially during
hot weather), but to leave a little space for petrol (which is often stored
quite cold) to expand in your tank. Two to three litres space should suffice
to allow for this expansion and prevent leakage as well as the possibility
of fire.
Also worth bearing in mind is the fact that - because of Luxembourg's cheaper
fuel - there are not many petrol stations in the immediate vicinity of our
country (say the first 20/30 miles around Luxembourg into Belgium, France
or Germany), as the locals often drive the few miles to Luxembourg to get
a few litres more for the same cost as they would in their own country.
In other words, don't risk running out of petrol altogether while driving
to Luxembourg; it could be a long walk until you find a gas station ...
And while on the subject of petrol / fuel, note also that Luxembourg's petrol
prices are fixed by the government, meaning that there is no difference
in the cost of fuel, whether you buy it on the motorway (incidentally, the
world's largest petrol
station in terms of amount of fuel sold is in Luxembourg!), or at a
small filling station in the proverbial "middle of nowhere". The
Luxembourg Automobile Club web site is among the best places on the net
to find out the cost
of petrol in Luxembourg.
Once in Luxembourg,
you might want to take your car to our capital, in which case the Luxembourg
City Parking info might well be of use to you. Luxembourg-City uses
a "parking guidance system" with displays on signs throughout
town advising you how many parking spaces are available in which car park.
The above page on the LCTO web site also shows this.
The alternative to taking your car into town would be to park your car
on the outskirts and use the efficient "Park
and Ride" system, especially seen the excellent (and cheap) public
transport in our country, and the superb value-for-money LuxembourgCard.
Should you want to park a coach in Luxembourg, download the Coach
parking guide from the LCTO web site.
See also:
Tourist road
map of Luxembourg
Webcams
on Luxembourg's Motorways
UK
road traffic
The Highways Agency
Google
maps
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