More info:
The German Autobahn has taken on an almost legendary mystique. The reality is a little different than the legend. The myth of no speed limits is countered by the fact that Tempolimits are a fact of life on most of Germany's highways, and traffic jams are common. Signs suggesting a recommended speed limit of 130 km/h (80 mph) are posted along most autobahns, while urban sections and a few dangerous stretches sometimes have posted speed limits as "low" as 100 km/h (62 mph). The fact is that Germany's autobahn system is an extensive network of limited-access freeways that can usually provide a driver with a speedy route from city to city.
An Autobahn sign in Germany. Road signs in Europe, unlike those in the U.S., give directions by city rather than north, south, east, or west. This stretch of A5 (Autobahn 5) near Heidelberg has a sign
indicating we are headed for the Autobahnkreuz
(interchange) for Heidelberg. To navigate, you need to know the next large town or city on your route.
Within six years after the completion of the first Cologne-Bonn autobahn in 1932, Germany added 3,000 kilometers (1,860 miles) of super highway to its road network. Although Hitler has often been given credit for the autobahn, the real precursors were the Avus experimental highway in Berlin (built between 1913 and 1921) and Italy's 130-kilometer autostrada tollway between Milan and the northern Italian lakes (completed in 1923). Although Germany's depressed economy and hyperinflation of the late 1920s prevented plans for new autobahns from being carried out at the time, many miles of roadway were built during the time of the Third Reich. Hitler saw the construction of autobahns primarily as a military advantage; its benefit as a job-creation program in the 1930s was an added plus.
Today's German autobahn system stretches 11,000 km (6,800 miles) across most parts of unified Germany. Plans to increase the number and length of autobahns and other highways have often met with citizen opposition on ecological grounds. One of the latest, a new stretch along the Baltic coast in northern Germany, has been surrounded by controversy by those concerned with quality-of-life issues versus those who see economic benefits for the eastern German region.
Checking your rearview mirror is essential on the autobahn! Drivers quickly learn the importance of looking in the rearview mirror before passing (on the left only!). At speeds of 130km/h (80 mph) and up, cars can suddenly appear out of nowhere.
Austria also has an autobahn network, with some mountainous portions being built as toll (Maut) highways by public companies. Austria has a speed limit on its autobahns of 130 km/h (80 mph).
Extra: Austria and Switzerland charge drivers an annual fee for the use of their autobahns. A "vignette" sticker must be displayed on a car's windshield. Drivers entering Austria or Switzerland without a vignette must purchase one or be subject to heavy fines. If you're lucky, your rental car may already have one. If not, you will have to contribute 40 Swiss francs (about $35) to the Swiss treasury upon entering that country. Austria, unlike Switzerland, allows drivers to purchase an Autobahn-Vignette for various periods of time, from a week to a full year. You can buy an Austrian vignette at most gas stations near the autobahn or on the border.
