what do i need to know before drivinf a car to holland?

Answer 1

I've read the answers so far and indeed quite some good tips.
We drive on the right side of the road, speed limit is either 100 or 120 KILOMETERS per hour on the highway. It will say on the side of the road on small poles whether you are on a 100 km highway otherwise its 120, do watch our for it cos there will be signs to tell you its a 100 km from some point on (mainly when you are near a city). Provincial roads is 80 km or 60 km when near/thru a small town. Within cities/villages its 50 km or 30 km (near schools). Keep your eye on road signs. Speed cameras , laserguns, alcohol controle points, you name it, dutch police, love it AND if you get a fine you have to pay straight away if you are a foreigner!
Dont hang on the left lane, dont hang on someone's bumper or use a mobile phone (unless handsfree) , its forbitten by law.
To my opinion you cant get lost in Holland, either on highway or innercity, the streetsigns are everywhere.
Be aware of pedestrians, bikes and trams (in the big cities). The first two just cross anywhere; are everywhere and have the law on their sides. The trams, well you cant beat them lol.
Parking in the big cities is expensive (amsterdam is like €5 per hour), I saw mentioned the transferium option, you could also park your car at a trainstation around amsterdam (like Weesp, where parking is free) and go the last bit by train into Amsterdam.
Wear your seatbelt at all times, you can still drive when you had 2 (small) beers (or one pint) after that you'll get into trouble if caught.
Car has to be insured (and MOT).
No offence, but in case you are young and coming over with friends and driving a foreign car, you will be more likely to draw attention from the police, cos of the high amounth of drug tourists we get, just so you know. You can only have a real small amounth of weed with you (like a spliff's worth, I believe 5 grams), any more and you break the law.
In case you dont drink or do drugs, pretend I havent written about that!!!
Holland is small, you can drive thru it in 3 hours, so anywhere you want to go is not that far away.
Standard leadfree petrol is about €1.42 at the moment, I think very expensive and try not to fuel up on the highway's there its even more expensive (€1.49 or so).
Bit of spamming here and there , but hopefully some new tips for you too.

Answer 2

Several things :

1) You need to have a valid (international) drivers license.
2) In The Netherlands, and almost all of europe, we use the right side of the road. (Only the UK drives on the left side).
3) Drinking and driving, or under the influence driving, is a BIG no. Fines can be pretty steep.
4) Traffic in large cities is chaotic - in cities it is best to use public transport.
5) Be careful of cyclists. When in an accident with a cyclist, the car driver is AT LEAST 50% responsible - even if a drunk cyclist without lights hits you when he cycles on your side of the road.

If you can, and you plan to stay a while, get two or three driving lessons in Holland, to get a feel for what is going on.

Answer 3

They drive on the same side of the road as the US so if you're from the states there's no change there. The highway speed limit is 120kph so it is not unrestricted like you might think. They're are speed cameras set up everywhere so be wary. You'll need to ask about needing an international driver's license if it's just a short visit. I live here so I had to get one.

The driving laws are very similar to the US except they have what are called priority roads and non priority roads. If you're on a priority road, it just means you take priority over any roads coming in from the right. If you're on a non priority road, the person coming up from your right has priority and you must yield to them.

Also, staying to the right isn't a courtesy here, it's the law unless you're passing.

Answer 4

in addition to many good tips already posted:
- do NOT turn right on red (that's illegal)
- there are no '4-way stops'. At an 'equal crossing or junction' you have to give way to the traffic coming from the right (even if that is someone one a bicycle!)
- watch the speedlimit, camera's can take your picture if you're speeding and they will send you (or the owner of the car you're driving in) the ticket.
- do NOT pass cars on the right side, that's also illegal. Instead, while driving on the highway always move to the far right lane. That way others can pass you on the left.

Answer 5

You should get an international drivers licensees from AAA ($10.00) Be sure you have adequate car insurance before you leave. Because unless you have a true umbrella policy which covers you worldwide, your personal car insurance policy will not cover you if you are out of the United States. You can do this by contacting your auto insurance company or agent before you leave. Although some credit cards will offer auto insurance, make sure you talk to your credit card and find out the limitations as well.

you'll find a few handy websites below:
http://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpf.html
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/safety/safety_1179.html

Answer 6

Driving is very easy there - except in the big cities roads tend to be quieter. Getting through Rotterdam can be a bit confusing (although it is all motorway). don't drive into Amsterdam, nowhere to park. most cities have a Transferium (a sort of high quality park and ride) and they are well worth using. The Amsterdam one is under the Ajax stadium.

Answer 7

USS Enterprise: In Ireland we also drive on the left, like in the UK.

About driving in NL: the public transport system in the cities is pretty good, so it's better to use the Park and Ride system, cheaper too.

Don't drive on the cycle paths.

Answer 8

Yes you need a passport if your not an EC citizen but without knowing what passport you have it's not possible to give a full answer

Answer 9

Remember that in Holland the cyclist is king and even if they cause an accident ,you will probably get the blame..

Answer 10

they drive on the other side of the road. is always a good start..

also if you have a flat battery, doing a hill start is a lot more tricky..lol

public transport over there is very good.. beware of trams and cyclists though..