Tolls and vignettes in Europe, country by country

Europe splits neatly into two paid-road systems, and getting them straight before you leave saves both money and roadside panic. Broadly: the German-speaking and central countries sell vignettes - a sticker or digital pass for a block of time - while the Mediterranean west runs distance tolls you pay as you go. Here's how we handle each.

Vignette countries: buy before the border

Austria, Switzerland, Slovenia, Czechia, Hungary and Slovakia all require a valid vignette the moment you touch a motorway. Most now sell a digital version tied to your number plate - buy it online a day ahead so it's active, and beware lookalike reseller sites that add a fee. Switzerland is the outlier: one price, valid a whole year, and still sold as a physical sticker (with an official e-vignette now too).

Toll countries: pay as you drive

France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Croatia and Greece charge by distance. You take a ticket entering the motorway network and pay leaving it, by card at the barrier or - increasingly - by camera. If you drive these often, an electronic toll tag (France's Bip&Go, Italy's Telepass) is worth it: dedicated lanes, no fumbling for cards, one monthly bill.

Our rule: vignettes bought and active before we cross, toll tags for the countries we linger in, and a small cash-and-card float for the odd manual barrier. Sorted at home, none of it costs you a stressful minute on the road.