estelle Hankey Posted July 6, 2023 Share Posted July 6, 2023 Good day everybody I am brand new at motorhoming, live in Africa and am planning a trip to Europe, where I will travel with a Knaus motorhome. Is there perhaps anybody on this forum who has such a masterpiece and who can give me some info as regards average fuel consumption, when vehicle is used on a fairly level road-surface. If anyone has any other tips that might come in handy, I would gladly listen and learn. Thank you and have a splendid day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtravel Posted July 6, 2023 Share Posted July 6, 2023 Depending on speed and driving style you may expect from 9 to 11km/ltr. Roads are (more or less) fairly good. Exceptions could be former soviet republics and the UK (smile). As for Europe, Africa is huge but Europe is wide enough. Gibraltar to Nordkapp sum around 5,600kms. Which countries do you plan to see and which are your interests (nature, arts, history, etc) ? Just capitals or even small towns of character ? How much time around do you plan ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
estelle Hankey Posted July 6, 2023 Author Share Posted July 6, 2023 hi there thank you so much for the info. My sister and I have a month to travel around. Our main interests are antiquities, old architecture, history and the local cuisine of each country. primarily Spain, France, Germany and Austria. We have absolutely no interest in the normal touristy hangouts, bars or clubs. We are over 60, but very active. It is quite a daunting adventure as we know there is just sooo much to see and experience, and we both vowed to return next year. But this willbe the first taste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtravel Posted July 6, 2023 Share Posted July 6, 2023 I would suggest that you focus just on one country. Otherwise you will spend the most of you time while driving. Cuisine ? Austria. Geez. French eat frogs and snails. Up to you. Try instead Italy (oops, I am Italian). In one month you can see Rome, Florence, Venice, Siena and other unforgettable towns plenty of arts museums, architecture, etc, etc. Where will you land and hire you van ?. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidmac Posted July 6, 2023 Share Posted July 6, 2023 Hi, as well as fuel costs tolls can be expensive on motorways. If you are looking at doing a full tour of Europe you will probably need to use toll motorways to fit everything in. France expensive, Italy Spain less Germany Belgium free. Not sure about Austria and Switzerland. As already suggested do one country at a time, take your time and enjoy, Regards David Just drove from Rouen to LeMans 200km €57 toll charge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 20 hours ago, estelle Hankey said: Good day everybody I am brand new at motorhoming, live in Africa and am planning a trip to Europe, where I will travel with a Knaus motorhome... The Knaus BoxDrive 600 XL campervan is described here https://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/reviews/campervans/knaus-boxdrive-600-xl-campervan The model will be rare in the UK, but I'd expect a realistic average fuel consumption around 9 to 10 litres per 100 kilometres (28 to 32 miles per UK gallon). This recent owner review includes some fuel consumption figures https://www.bmwland.org.uk/index.php?threads/ownership-diary-knaus-boxdrive-600xl.4945/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtravel Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 Highways: Austria (up to 3.5 tons): sticker. 10 days around 10€. Available aty Customs. Over 3.5 requires a toll tag. Switzerland (up to 3.5 tons). Sticker. One year 40CHF. Over 3.5 requires to buy a dozen of days allowance in the country. Both available at customs. Italy, Croatia, France: toll gates, VISA and MC. Spain: free in the south. Toll gates somewhere. VISA and MC. Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania: electronic vignette available at Customs. Portugal: vehicle registration at few highways entries. Alternative a debit card (some amounts) available at post offices. Complicated, better to avoid highways. Some German and French towns require a pollution sticker. Germany plakette available at DEKRA points. France Crit'Air just online. Spain recognize German and French stickers. UK, Sweden and Norway have low emission or congestion charge/registration process but to explain everything will require a lot of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 On 06/07/2023 at 11:46, estelle Hankey said: Good day everybody I am brand new at motorhoming, live in Africa and am planning a trip to Europe, where I will travel with a Knaus motorhome. Is there perhaps anybody on this forum who has such a masterpiece and who can give me some info as regards average fuel consumption, when vehicle is used on a fairly level road-surface. If anyone has any other tips that might come in handy, I would gladly listen and learn. Thank you and have a splendid day Hello Estelle Re fuel consumption, until the early part of this year we had A Knaus BoxStar 600 Street, which we'd owned since late 2017. During that time we'd driven just under 14,000 miles (mostly Franc and Italy) at an average 28.63 miles per UK gallon. Are you hiring the BoxDrive, shipping one over, or buying new when you arrive? There may therefore be some mechanical differences between our 2017 van and what you will be driving, but I would expect newer vehicles would be more, rather rather than less, fuel efficient than ours, so around 28MPG should be a fair approximation of what to expect. The BoxStar / BoxDrive differences are largely cosmetic and layout related; the actual Fiat Ducato vans from which both are converted being the same (except for minor differences between one year and the next). I agree with Max (mtravel) above that your schedule looks very ambitious for one month, and that you might do better to take one country at a time. Generally, France is the most motorhome friendly European state, with an abundance of reasonably priced campsites and motorhome specific stopping places across the country. It also has an organisation called "Les Blus Beaux Villages de France" https://tinyurl.com/2p2r7e3k that promotes some 250 usually old, usually historic, often quirky, often breathtakingly sited, nearly always intriguing and entertaining, villages, many of which had been abandoned, or nearly so, through de-population, and have been brought back from the brink of obscurity. Inevitably, many are now mainly second homes, but their present owners bought them for what they are, and have guarded their individual character carefully. Some, of course, have become somewhat touristy, but more have not. Most, by their nature, are fairly remote, and are definitely "off the beaten track" (though some do attract coach parties at times). See what you think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtravel Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 If not wrong I think the new Box Drive is based on MAN vans. That shouln't change average data. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtravel Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 Italy has "i piu' bei borghi d'Italia". To give an idea, I have been a few times (let say six) in Umbria (the smallest region after Valle d'Aosta) and not been able to visit all of them yet. Incredible but true, the most part of them host a small museum with masterpieces of middle age and renaissance. Not to mention those from etruscan and roman times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laimeduck Posted July 7, 2023 Share Posted July 7, 2023 If you do decide to travel into Switzerland you can get an App called Via which allows you to do everything from your smartphone. It is really straightforward. I have used it twice to buy the HGV (over 3500Kg) equivalent of the Vignette and it currently costs 25 CHF for 7 days. (Basic price is quoted as 3.25 CHF a day and you can choose your duration) If under 3500 Kg you will have to buy an ordinary Vignette which is valid for a year and costs 40 CHF Jeremy https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ch.ezv.dazit.via&hl=en_GB&gl=US Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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