Last time my parents were here, we spent 2 or 3 weeks driving around Germany, visiting most of the country’s biggest cities as well as many smaller cities and villages. The plan was to visit Budapest and Prague as well but it was a bit too much driving for them so we just stuck to Germany.

This time I planned it a little better and got them to fly to Budapest instead of Paris and we met them there, driving the 1500km from Paris. This way we can visit Budapest, Vienna, and Prague and then slowly make our way back to Paris.

I allowed two days for the drive to Budapest which was perfect. We left Paris quite late in the day because we had a problem with the hire car but we still managed to easily do 750km which got us to Nuremburg. We stayed at a little hotel by the road and then left first thing the next morning, arriving in Budapest at 2:30pm.

The drive was pretty uneventful. As usual there were very high road tolls to pay in France, none in Germany, and it was 6 or 7 euros to drive on the Austrian freeway (you need a sticker to show you have paid).

Another thing I noticed that the roads and petrol stations got progressively cleaner the further away you got from France. Toilets in French petrol stations are filthy and to be avoided at all costs. In Germany you have self cleaning toilets which you pay 50 cents to use but you get that money back if you buy something at the shop. Austria had the cleanest toilets I’ve ever seen in my life and the eateries at their petrol stations were amazing too – a great choice of freshly prepared food and the place was spotless. I like Austria.