Driving to the Netherlands. How does it work?

[Runningincircles]

I'm thinking of booking a holiday in the Netherlands next year.
It looks close enough to go on Eurotunnel and then drive.

Has anyone done this?
How does it work? We would have to drive through France and Belgium. Do we go through border control for each country?
I can't find this information on Google.
Thanks

Just take care driving once in NL, bikes have right of way everywhere and you must stop for them on roundabouts etc.
Yes, we knew we were in the Netherlands when a bike darted out in front of us!

I'm thinking of booking a holiday in the Netherlands next year.

the EU are going to introduce visa, much the same as USA use - so biometrics and finger prints taken on entering the EU ( just the point of entry, not all 20 odd countries) so you may want to consider where you sail from. Dover Calais always gets rammed, maybe Newcastle or Harwich could be easier. Both sail to Nederlands so the extra in ferry costs will come of fuel for driving

It looks close enough to go on Eurotunnel and then drive.

it’s an easy drive, free motorway

Has anyone done this? Yes, more than once sailed diver Dunkirk. Went to Xeeland and Dan Hagg. Took bikes

How does it work? We would have to drive through France and Belgium. Do we go through border control for each country? freedom of movement and no internal boarders

I can't find this information on Google.

Thanks

We did this in May, Eurotunnel (paid for with clubcard vouchers) then drove to Den Bosch , you wouldn't know you'd gone from France into Belgium, into the Netherlands without the change of language on the signage and your mobile picking a different network, there aren't any border controls once you're past the Eurotunnel customs.
It took us less time to get to Holland than it did to get to Cornwall, very easy drive.

We went to de meinweg national park & stayed in a Huttopia campsite this August. It took 4 hours from Calais. We also went on a day trip to Cologne. On the way back we did an overnight in Bruges. Definitely going back next year!

The visa isn’t going to start until November 23, so that part you should be fine

ETIAS is not a visa - it is a visa waiver scheme that allows travellers from certain countries (including the UK) to enter the Schengen Area without a visa subject to certain conditions. The introduction date has been moved back several times, and it is not expected to be fully introduced before November 2023. Once it is introduced, you'll need to complete the application a few days before travelling - it is not something you'll be able to do at the border control.

In Europe you should assume that cyclists always have right of way. Pay particular attention if you're turning right at a junction and there are cyclists on your inside (right) side who are going straight on. They have right of way - do not turn across them.

The AA or RAC websites have good info about driving in Europe. Key differences from the UK include the requirement to always carry your license and insurance documents, and the requirement to carry hi-vis vests inside the passenger compartment (and to put them on if you get out of the car in the event of a breakdown).

Havanananana How will the biometrics & finger prints be done beforehand and not at the boarder?

Pay particular attention if you're turning right at a junction and there are cyclists on your inside (right) side who are going straight on. They have right of way - do not turn across them

that’s the same rule as U.K. but obviously for a left turn

There are two separate sets of requirements planned to come into force in 2023.

One is the ETIAS, which is the pre-approved visa waiver that has to be obtained in advance of travel. Once obtained the ETIAS approval will be valid for 3 years, so it only needs to be obtained for the first trip into Schengen.

The other is the requirement for biometric checks and fingerprints to be taken at the border. The implementation of this is likely to be delayed as the facilities at the ports are not yet in place - and the introduction will almost certainly result in long tailbacks at the Channel ports. It would appear that everyone, drivers and passengers, will need to get out of the car and be fingerprinted, which adds a huge amount of time taken to process each vehicle.

Harwich and Hull will be far less affected than Dover - e.g. there are only two ferries out of Harwich whereas traffic at Dover and the Eurotunnel is a constant stream 24x7.

They won't. It's going to be a real nightmare. But probably better getting it done in Hook of Holland than anywhere else. On the plus side once it's done, that's it (I think).

ETIAS is different and doesn't start until November. But that's not an issue - do it online, pay your 7 euros and you're done. It's the fingerprinting and biometrics which will be a right PITA. Oh well, I guess creating barriers to travel is good for the planet...

As for cyclists having right of way, they actually do in the UK generally as well!

The point about cyclists in Holland (and Scandinavia and Germany) having right of way was to remind British drivers that the cyclists will be on the other side of the car to where they are in the UK so take extra care, and that there are many more of them than typically seen in the UK. There are also often separate traffic lights and lanes for cycles, which can make road junctions even more confusing for visitors from the UK. Cycles are often permitted to ride the "wrong" way down some one-way streets, so also be aware of that. Unless you want a crash course in foreign expletives, make sure that you give the cycles plenty of room.

I believe that the biometrics/fingerprints will have to be done every time - otherwise there would have to be separate queues for "first-timers" and for people already in the system - unless the passport is scanned first and if the associated record shows that the traveller has previously been fingerprinted, then they pass straight through. [There are also around a million UK passport holders who don't need to go through all this as they have residence visas to live in the EU. Whether there will be a separate lane for them, or whether they will also have to queue, despite already being cleared to enter Schengen (because they are residents) remains to be seen].

However it is done, the requirement for biometric checks and ETIAS checks is all going to add to the time taken to process travellers - a further PITA at ports and airports.

and the introduction will almost certainly result in long tailbacks at the Channel ports

which was my point and advice to pick the port crossing wisely

Another vote for the ferry from Harwich to the hook of Holland, the timing worked out well as you start in another country early morning so you've got all day to get to where you need to. I was worried about it being choppy but it was very smooth indeed.

You also need to carry some breathalyser tests to drive through France and Belgium, and have a sticker to redirect your headlight so that you don’t blind on-coming traffic. Just be aware to check for public holidays especially in France and Belgium as it slows things up exponentially.

We got the ferry from Holand to Harwich and it was really lovely. Much nicer than the grotty one we got from Dover to Calais!

Thanks for all the helpful information, especially about cyclists and crossing the borders.

We were in France 2 weeks ago and are going again at half term. So I have all the necessary car things for Europe.

We will probably stick to Eurotunnel, it is a bit closer to us than any of the ferry ports. I also use Tesco Clubcard vouchers to pay for it. Although, I've just checked and they can be used with Stena and P&O.

I don't understand about the fuel coupons. Is it difficult to get fuel in the Netherlands?

@Runningincircles the fuel coupons is an old Forces thing... we didn't have pay tax on certain things, such as fuel, so got coupons to pay for it instead. Its completely irrelevant for the majority of the population.

Thanks @PuttingDownRoots, that is good to know.

Are there toll roads in Belgium and The Netherlands like in France?

No

You also need to carry some breathalyser tests to drive through France

not for France, this was scraped around 2013 as left in a hot car the kits didn’t work afterwards

I've booked!!!
We're going to Beekse Bergen at Easter.
I think I'm going to book to go Kamperland in the summer too.
Thanks everyone for your help.

Lucky you! Have a great time. Dutch are very friendly and English is widely spoken. Also you can legitimately have bread and butter and chocolate sprinkles for breakfast when you're there.