Europe and North Africa by van

Fuel this week

Pump prices with tax, in pounds a litre. Britain and the EU come from the official weekly series. The rest we check by hand and mark †.

Country	Diesel	Petrol 95	LPG	Against the UK	As of
Algeria †	£0.17	£0.26	–	£1.82 cheaper	19 Oct 2026
Tunisia †	£0.55	£0.62	–	£1.44 cheaper	19 Oct 2026
Malta	£1.01	£1.12	–	98p cheaper	26 Oct 2026
Morocco †	£1.20	£1.18	–	79p cheaper	19 Oct 2026
North Macedonia †	£1.33	–	–	66p cheaper	19 Oct 2026
Georgia †	£1.43	£1.24	–	57p cheaper	19 Oct 2026
Turkey †	£1.45	£1.19	–	54p cheaper	19 Oct 2026
Poland	£1.49	£1.22	£0.68	51p cheaper	26 Oct 2026
Spain	£1.57	£1.46	£0.92	42p cheaper	26 Oct 2026
Bulgaria	£1.58	£1.35	£0.52	42p cheaper	26 Oct 2026
Slovenia	£1.59	£1.44	£0.84	40p cheaper	26 Oct 2026
Bosnia and Herzegovina †	£1.59	£1.45	–	40p cheaper	19 Oct 2026
Hungary	£1.61	£1.46	£0.85	38p cheaper	26 Oct 2026
Czechia	£1.63	£1.50	£0.80	37p cheaper	26 Oct 2026
Montenegro †	£1.64	£1.53	–	35p cheaper	19 Oct 2026
Slovakia	£1.64	£1.52	£0.73	35p cheaper	26 Oct 2026
Cyprus	£1.67	£1.44	–	32p cheaper	26 Oct 2026
Croatia	£1.67	£1.49	£0.86	32p cheaper	26 Oct 2026
Serbia †	£1.68	£1.47	–	32p cheaper	19 Oct 2026
Romania	£1.70	£1.57	£0.73	29p cheaper	26 Oct 2026
Sweden	£1.70	£1.30	–	29p cheaper	26 Oct 2026
Luxembourg	£1.71	£1.46	£0.79	28p cheaper	26 Oct 2026
Latvia	£1.74	£1.61	£0.88	25p cheaper	26 Oct 2026
Estonia	£1.75	£1.57	£0.82	24p cheaper	26 Oct 2026
Greece	£1.77	£1.79	–	22p cheaper	26 Oct 2026
Austria	£1.78	£1.48	–	21p cheaper	26 Oct 2026
Ireland	£1.78	£1.64	–	21p cheaper	26 Oct 2026
Portugal	£1.82	£1.70	£0.80	17p cheaper	26 Oct 2026
Lithuania	£1.85	£1.61	£0.77	14p cheaper	26 Oct 2026
Italy	£1.87	£1.67	£0.66	12p cheaper	26 Oct 2026
Germany	£1.92	£1.81	£0.94	8p cheaper	26 Oct 2026
Albania †	£1.96	£1.75	–	3p cheaper	19 Oct 2026
France	£1.96	£1.82	£0.87	3p cheaper	26 Oct 2026
Belgium	£1.98	£1.63	£0.89	about the same	26 Oct 2026
United Kingdom	£1.99	£1.74	–		26 Oct 2026
Iceland †	£1.99	£1.68	–	about the same	19 Oct 2026
Netherlands	£2.06	£1.93	£0.83	7p dearer	26 Oct 2026
Denmark	£2.09	£2.10	–	9p dearer	26 Oct 2026
Finland	£2.12	£1.96	–	13p dearer	26 Oct 2026
Switzerland †	£2.20	£1.93	–	21p dearer	19 Oct 2026
Norway †	£2.23	£2.32	–	23p dearer	19 Oct 2026
Ukraine †	–	–	–		19 Oct 2026
Kosovo †	–	–	–		19 Oct 2026

Fill up before the border

The crossings where the price jumps most.

Sweden → Norway +53p
Sweden → Finland +43p
Poland → Germany +43p
Spain → France +39p
Poland → Lithuania +37p
Morocco → Spain +37p
Italy → Switzerland +33p
Montenegro → Albania +32p

When to go

Typical afternoon highs, month by month, for the places a van ends up.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Britain	7°	8°	10°	13°	16°	19°	21°	21°	18°	14°	10°	8°
Ireland	8°	8°	10°	12°	15°	17°	19°	19°	17°	14°	10°	8°
Northern France	7°	8°	12°	15°	19°	22°	25°	25°	21°	16°	11°	8°
Southern France	11°	12°	15°	17°	21°	25°	28°	28°	25°	20°	14°	11°
The Alps	3°	5°	9°	13°	18°	21°	24°	23°	19°	14°	8°	4°
Northern Spain	13°	14°	16°	17°	20°	23°	25°	26°	24°	20°	16°	13°
Southern Spain and Portugal	16°	17°	20°	22°	25°	29°	32°	32°	29°	24°	19°	16°
Portugal (Atlantic)	15°	16°	18°	19°	22°	25°	28°	28°	26°	22°	18°	15°
Northern Italy	6°	9°	14°	18°	23°	27°	30°	29°	25°	18°	12°	7°
Southern Italy, Sicily, Sardinia	14°	14°	16°	19°	23°	28°	31°	31°	28°	23°	18°	15°
Germany and the Low Countries	4°	5°	10°	14°	19°	22°	24°	24°	19°	14°	8°	5°
Scandinavia	-1°	0°	4°	9°	15°	19°	21°	20°	15°	9°	4°	1°
Norway, west coast	3°	3°	6°	9°	13°	16°	18°	18°	14°	10°	6°	4°
The Balkans and Adriatic	9°	10°	14°	18°	23°	27°	30°	30°	26°	20°	14°	10°
Greece	13°	14°	16°	20°	25°	30°	33°	33°	29°	23°	18°	15°
Turkey (west and south)	12°	13°	16°	20°	25°	30°	33°	33°	29°	24°	18°	13°
Morocco, north and Atlantic coast	17°	18°	20°	21°	23°	26°	28°	28°	27°	24°	20°	17°
Morocco, Atlas and desert	16°	18°	22°	25°	29°	34°	38°	37°	32°	27°	21°	17°
Tunisia	16°	17°	19°	22°	26°	30°	33°	33°	30°	26°	21°	17°
Iceland	2°	3°	3°	6°	10°	13°	14°	14°	11°	7°	4°	2°

A dot marks the months we would pick: warm enough, dry enough, not yet crowded. Rounded from 1991–2020 normals. Coasts and mountains differ from their region.

Good in November

Tunisia 21° typical high, 6 wet days
Morocco, Atlas and desert 21° typical high, 3 wet days
Morocco, north and Atlantic coast 20° typical high, 7 wet days
Southern Spain and Portugal 19° typical high, 7 wet days

The crossings

Every way off this island, and on across the water to Africa. Fares are the ranges the operators publish for a vehicle over 1.85 m. They move with the season and the sailing, so book direct and treat these as a guide.

Channel

Dover – Calais

P&O Ferries, DFDS, Irish Ferries · 1 h 30 · every 30–60 min, day and night

Car £60–140 one way
Van or camper £90–220 one way (over 1.85 m or over 6 m)

The default route: cheapest, most sailings, easy to change.
Vehicles over 1.85 m high or 6 m long are a separate tariff; declare the true size or you can be refused at check-in.
LPG vehicles are allowed; the tank must be under 80% and switched off.

Channel

Folkestone – Calais (LeShuttle)

Eurotunnel LeShuttle · 35 min · up to 4 an hour

Car £80–200 one way
Van or camper £120–260 one way (over 1.85 m uses the taller carriages)

Fastest crossing; you stay in the van.
Vehicles over 1.85 m board the single-deck carriages; book as 'high vehicle'.
LPG: fixed tanks allowed if switched off; portable cylinders limited to 47 kg total.

Channel

Newhaven – Dieppe

DFDS · 4 h · 2–3 daily

Car £50–120 one way
Van or camper £80–180 one way

Quieter and often cheaper than Dover; lands you in Normandy with the A28 south.
Night sailings let you sleep aboard in a reclining seat; cabins are few.

Channel

Portsmouth – Caen / Le Havre / St Malo / Cherbourg

Brittany Ferries · 3–9 h · daily, varies by route

Car £90–250 one way
Van or camper £130–350 one way

Saves a day's driving if you're heading to Brittany, the Loire or the Atlantic coast.
Overnight sailings with a cabin are a civilised start; book early in summer.

Bay of Biscay

Portsmouth / Plymouth – Santander / Bilbao

Brittany Ferries · 20–32 h · 2–4 a week

Car £250–600 one way with a cabin
Van or camper £350–800 one way with a cabin

Skips 1,100 km of France: worth it for Portugal, Andalusia and Morocco, and when diesel is dear in France.
A cabin is compulsory on the long sailings; pets travel in kennels or pet cabins.
The Bay can be rough in winter; the newer ships ride it better.

North Sea

Harwich – Hook of Holland

Stena Line · 7–8 h · 2 daily

Car £100–250 one way
Van or camper £150–350 one way

The sensible route for Germany, Denmark and Scandinavia.
The overnight sailing puts you on the A12 at breakfast.

North Sea

Hull – Rotterdam / Amsterdam (Newcastle – Amsterdam)

P&O Ferries, DFDS · 11–17 h · daily

Car £150–350 one way with a cabin
Van or camper £200–450 one way with a cabin

Overnight from the north of England; a cabin is included or compulsory.
Good for the Netherlands, the Rhine and onward to the Alps.

Irish Sea

Holyhead – Dublin, Cairnryan – Belfast, Fishguard/Pembroke – Rosslare

Irish Ferries, Stena Line, P&O Ferries · 2–4 h · several daily

Car £80–200 one way
Van or camper £110–280 one way

Ireland is in the EU but not Schengen; the Common Travel Area means no passport control for UK and Irish citizens.
Rosslare – Cherbourg or Bilbao avoids the UK entirely for Irish travellers.

Strait of Gibraltar

Algeciras / Tarifa – Tanger Med / Tanger Ville

Baleària, FRS, AML, Inter Shipping · 1–2 h · hourly in season

Car €150–280 return for car and two
Van or camper €200–400 return (priced by length)

Buy at the agencies on the N-340 outside Algeciras (open tickets, often cheaper than online); Tanger Med is the big port, Tanger Ville lands you in the city.
At the port: passport stamp, then the vehicle's temporary import (D16 ter) at the customs desk, often done on the ferry. Keep the paper: you must re-export the vehicle.
Your green card does not cover Morocco; buy the border insurance (about €90 for a month) at the port kiosk.
Diesel is around a third cheaper than Spain; fill up after you land, not before.

Mediterranean

Sète / Genoa / Barcelona – Tanger Med

GNV, Baleària · 28–48 h · weekly to several weekly

Car €400–800 return with a cabin
Van or camper €500–1,000 return with a cabin

Skips Spain altogether; sailings are long and the schedule shifts with the season.
Vehicles are measured on the quay; declare the true length.

Mediterranean

Marseille / Genoa / Palermo – Tunis

CTN, GNV, Corsica Linea · 20–24 h · several weekly in season

Car €350–700 return with a cabin
Van or camper €450–900 return with a cabin

Tunisia stamps the vehicle into your passport: you must leave with it.
Green card cover for Tunisia varies by insurer; check, or buy at the port.
Fuel is state-set and cheap; stations are frequent along the coast, sparse in the south.

Adriatic

Ancona / Bari / Brindisi – Igoumenitsa / Patras

Superfast, Minoan, Grimaldi, ANEK · 8–20 h · daily

Car €200–450 one way
Van or camper €300–650 one way (camping on board allowed on most in summer)

'Camping on board' lets you sleep in the van on the open deck in summer: ask when booking.
Skips the Balkans drive; the Balkans drive is the better trip.

Baltic

Puttgarden – Rødby, and the Øresund bridge

Scandlines, Øresundsbron · 45 min · every 30 min

Car €60–120 one way
Van or camper €90–180 one way

The quick way from Germany into Denmark and on to Sweden; the Øresund toll is by vehicle length and height.
Or drive round via Jutland and the Great Belt bridge: no ferry, one big toll.

Reviewed 22 Oct 2026. Never scraped: these come from the operators' own tariff pages.

Six routes

Not the quickest way, the good one. Real distances, the tolls a van pays, and fuel from this week's prices at your own mpg.

Calais to Andalusia, the long way down

France at your own pace, then the whole of Spain.

2,100 km · 3–5 driving, a fortnight if you mean it

Leg	Distance	Tolls, van	Fuel
Calais → Bordeaux France: the A28/N10 and the D-roads add two hours and cost nothing	870 km	£95
Bordeaux → Madrid Spain: most Spanish autovías are free; the AP-1 and AP-68 are the paid ones	690 km	£20
Madrid → Tarifa Spain	650 km	free
Road costs	2,100 km	£115	–

Crossings

Dover – Calais: van £90–220 one way (over 1.85 m or over 6 m)

Crit'Air sticker needed for Paris, Lyon, Marseille and a dozen more; order it before you leave.
Spain's aires are few; its campsites and quiet beach car parks are many. Wild camping is tolerated outside national parks and busy coasts, less so in summer.
Fill up in Spain, not France: diesel is usually 20 to 25 per cent cheaper.

Santander to Marrakech

The ferry does the boring bit; Morocco does the rest.

1,300 km · 3 driving, three weeks in the country

Leg	Distance	Tolls, van	Fuel
Santander → Algeciras Spain: the A-66 'Ruta de la Plata' is free and beautiful	1,050 km	£25
Tanger Med → Marrakech Morocco: the N-roads are slow and better	580 km	£20
Road costs	1,300 km	£45	–

Crossings

Portsmouth / Plymouth – Santander / Bilbao: van £350–800 one way with a cabin
Algeciras / Tarifa – Tanger Med / Tanger Ville: van €200–400 return (priced by length)

Paperwork at Tanger Med: passport stamp, vehicle temporary import (keep the paper), border insurance at the kiosk.
Moroccan diesel is the cheapest on this map; Spanish diesel at the port is not.
Campsites everywhere and cheap; the police move you on from beaches and town edges, politely. The Atlas passes close in snow from December to March.

The Alps, three countries in a week

Passes by day, valley aires by night.

1,400 km · 7–10

Leg	Distance	Tolls, van	Fuel
Calais → Annecy France: N-roads via Reims and Dijon, three hours more	800 km	£110
Annecy → Innsbruck Switzerland: Switzerland: the vignette (CHF 40 a year, no shorter option) covers motorways; over 3.5 t it is a different, per-day tax	480 km	£40
Innsbruck → Munich Austria: Austria: 10-day vignette; the Brenner and some tunnels charge extra	160 km	£12
Road costs	1,400 km	£162	–

Crossings

Dover – Calais: van £90–220 one way (over 1.85 m or over 6 m)

Germany's motorways are free for vans under 3.5 t; cities need the green Umweltplakette.
High passes open June to October; the Stelvio and Grossglockner charge or close.
Austria: 10-day vignette about €12 under 3.5 t; over 3.5 t needs a GO-Box.

Hook of Holland to the Lofoten

Long light, free camping, dear fuel.

2,900 km · A fortnight each way if you stop

Leg	Distance	Tolls, van	Fuel
Hook of Holland → Puttgarden Germany	600 km	free
Rødby → Stockholm Sweden: Øresund bridge or the Helsingør ferry; Sweden's roads are free	650 km	£30
Stockholm → Lofoten Norway: Norway's tolls are automatic by number plate (register with EPC); ferries along the coast add up	1,650 km	£60
Road costs	2,900 km	£90	–

Crossings

Harwich – Hook of Holland: van £150–350 one way
Puttgarden – Rødby, and the Øresund bridge: van €90–180 one way

Allemannsretten: you may camp on uncultivated land in Norway and Sweden, 150 m from houses, two nights.
Norway's fuel is the dearest here; fill in Sweden before the border.
Midsummer to mid-August is the window; after that the ferries thin out.

Italy to the Peloponnese by ferry

Camp on deck, wake up in Greece.

1,900 km · 5 driving, the rest is yours

Leg	Distance	Tolls, van	Fuel
Calais → Milan France: via Switzerland needs the vignette; via the Mont Blanc or Fréjus tunnel is a €60–70 toll each way for a van	1,000 km	£150
Milan → Ancona Italy: Italian tolls are by class and distance; vans over 2 m pay class B	430 km	£55
Patras → Kalamata Greece	220 km	£15
Road costs	1,900 km	£220	–

Crossings

Dover – Calais: van £90–220 one way (over 1.85 m or over 6 m)
Ancona / Bari / Brindisi – Igoumenitsa / Patras: van €300–650 one way (camping on board allowed on most in summer)

'Camping on board' sailings from Ancona and Bari in summer: you sleep in the van on deck, with power.
Greece: wild camping is illegal on paper and common in practice away from beaches in season.
Italy's ZTL zones fine by camera; stay out of old-town centres.

Vienna to Istanbul overland

The old road east: Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, the Bosphorus.

1,600 km · A week driving, a month exploring

Leg	Distance	Tolls, van	Fuel
Vienna → Belgrade Hungary: Hungary e-vignette by category (vans over 3.5 t are D1 at a higher rate); Serbia tolls by distance	620 km	£25
Belgrade → Sofia Serbia	400 km	£15
Sofia → Istanbul Bulgaria: Bulgaria vignette; Turkey HGS tag bought at the border	560 km	£15
Road costs	1,600 km	£55	–

Green card: check Serbia, Bosnia, Kosovo and Turkey are listed on yours; buy border insurance where they are not.
Turkey: a foreign vehicle is stamped into your passport for up to 730 days; HGS toll tag from a post office at the border.
Fuel gets cheaper as you go east; Turkey's LPG is everywhere.

Country by country

Albania £1.96
Algeria £0.17
Austria £1.78
Belgium £1.98
Bosnia and Herzegovina £1.59
Bulgaria £1.58
Croatia £1.67
Cyprus £1.67
Czechia £1.63
Denmark £2.09
Estonia £1.75
Finland £2.12
France £1.96
Georgia £1.43
Germany £1.92
Greece £1.77
Hungary £1.61
Iceland £1.99
Ireland £1.78
Italy £1.87
Kosovo –
Latvia £1.74
Lithuania £1.85
Luxembourg £1.71
Malta £1.01
Montenegro £1.64
Morocco £1.20
Netherlands £2.06
North Macedonia £1.33
Norway £2.23
Poland £1.49
Portugal £1.82
Romania £1.70
Serbia £1.68
Slovakia £1.64
Slovenia £1.59
Spain £1.57
Sweden £1.70
Switzerland £2.20
Tunisia £0.55
Turkey £1.45
Ukraine –
United Kingdom £1.99

Fuel: European Commission, Weekly Oil Bulletin (prices with taxes); Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Weekly road fuel prices (OGL v3); European Central Bank reference rate. EU figures are the week of 26 Oct 2026; UK the week of 26 Oct 2026; † marks hand-checked indicative figures for countries outside both series. Map: Natural Earth, public domain. Climate: rounded 1991–2020 normals from national meteorological services. Crossings and country notes are our own and dated. Something here is out of date already, so check before you go.

The far side of the ferry.

Fuel this week

Fill up before the border

When to go

The crossings

Dover – Calais

Folkestone – Calais (LeShuttle)

Newhaven – Dieppe

Portsmouth – Caen / Le Havre / St Malo / Cherbourg

Portsmouth / Plymouth – Santander / Bilbao

Harwich – Hook of Holland

Hull – Rotterdam / Amsterdam (Newcastle – Amsterdam)

Holyhead – Dublin, Cairnryan – Belfast, Fishguard/Pembroke – Rosslare

Algeciras / Tarifa – Tanger Med / Tanger Ville

Sète / Genoa / Barcelona – Tanger Med

Marseille / Genoa / Palermo – Tunis

Ancona / Bari / Brindisi – Igoumenitsa / Patras

Puttgarden – Rødby, and the Øresund bridge

Six routes

Calais to Andalusia, the long way down

Santander to Marrakech

The Alps, three countries in a week

Hook of Holland to the Lofoten

Italy to the Peloponnese by ferry

Vienna to Istanbul overland

Country by country