What the drive to Turkey costs, country by country
Driving between Turkey and Europe does not have one price — every country takes its money differently. This page covers the whole road: what is paid where, what changes at each border, and what twelve real routes actually come to.
Why the same kilometre costs four different things
Motorway charges in Europe come in four shapes, and which one you meet changes how the trip has to be planned. The difference is not only the amount — it is when and how you pay it.
- Vignette: a time-limited permit bought before you enter. You pay for days of validity, not for distance, so a country crossed in an afternoon still costs at least one day. Entering without one is a fine, and most are electronic now rather than a sticker.
- By the kilometre: take a ticket on the way in, pay on the way out. The amount follows the distance driven, which makes it one of the heaviest single lines on a route that transits a country end to end.
- Barrier by barrier: a separate charge at each toll plaza along the road. The total depends on how many you pass, so two ways across one country cost two different things.
- No motorway charge for a car. That is not the same as no cost: fuel in most of these countries is appreciably dearer, so the expense moves from the barrier to the tank.
On top of all four sit bridges, tunnels and ferries with tariffs of their own, paid separately whatever the country's system is.
The countries these routes cross
The 16 countries below are the ones the twelve routes on this page actually drive through — measured, not picked. The number on the right is how many routes cross each.
| COUNTRY | HOW IT CHARGES | ON ROUTES |
|---|---|---|
| Turkey | Closed system (entry to exit) | 12 |
| Bulgaria | Vignette | 9 |
| Serbia | By the kilometre | 8 |
| Germany | No motorway charge | 6 |
| Austria | Vignette | 5 |
| Croatia | By the kilometre | 4 |
| Slovenia | Vignette | 4 |
| Hungary | Vignette | 3 |
| France | By the kilometre | 2 |
| Slovakia | Vignette | 2 |
| Czechia | Vignette | 2 |
| Greece | Barrier by barrier | 2 |
| Belgium | No motorway charge | 1 |
| United Kingdom | No motorway charge | 1 |
| Georgia | No motorway charge | 1 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | By the kilometre | 1 |
Twelve routes, measured
Each one priced from a real routed journey: diesel, 6.5 L/100 km, two people, one way, vehicle class 1. Longest first.
- Istanbul – London
2,995 km · 10 countries · estimated €597
- Istanbul – Paris
2,727 km · 8 countries · estimated €485
- Ankara – Berlin
2,650 km · 7 countries · estimated €384
- Istanbul – Cologne
2,412 km · 7 countries · estimated €405
- Istanbul – Berlin
2,200 km · 7 countries · estimated €330
- Istanbul – Munich
1,883 km · 7 countries · estimated €317
- Istanbul – Tbilisi
1,620 km · 2 countries · estimated €162
- Istanbul – Vienna
1,558 km · 5 countries · estimated €239
- Istanbul – Sarajevo
1,241 km · 4 countries · estimated €169
- Istanbul – Rhodes
778 km · 2 countries · estimated €268
- Istanbul – Thessaloniki
594 km · 2 countries · estimated €85
- Istanbul – Sofia
548 km · 2 countries · estimated €66
What this figure leaves out
Accommodation, food, time spent at borders, green card insurance and getting the car ready are not in it. These are fuel and crossing costs, they are estimates, and they do not stand in for what an operator will actually charge.
Where the data comes from →Work it out for your own car
The figures here assume one particular vehicle. Enter your own consumption, fuel type, number of passengers and whether you are coming back, and the same sum is done for your car.
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