Category: Blog

Travelling Europe with an electric vehicle

2022-09-22 / City Traveller

Travelling with an electric vehicle (EV), especially longer trips, seems to scare a lot of people. We went on our first long trip to see for ourselves.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

The planned route was Netherlands to Belgium to Paris and later on we decided to add Switzerland to the list.

We drive a Tesla Model 3 which has – compared to other electric vehicles – the advantage of the Tesla Superchargers. We get back to this point later because it did affect our experience in a positive way.

Netherlands

Using an EV in the Netherlands is easy. There are thousands of charging points in the cities. Even in parking garages you can find a lot of chargers.
For example: Rotterdam City Centre alone has around 1000 charging points. Amsterdam and Utrecht are counting more than 3000 chargers in the city and the near area.

Due to the smaller size of the country, travelling from one city to another does not take long. Charging at the next destination is nothing to worry about. Also, the speed limit helps a lot to save energy which can be crucial on longer trips.

It is pretty safe to say, using an electric vehicle in the Netherlands is not a big deal at all.

Charging Points in Belgium

In Belgium it is a bit different. There are a lot of AC chargers, but mostly with just 2 charging points. It is neither easy to find a free spot nor are they clustered in parking garages like in the Netherlands. On our way to Ghent we stopped at a gas station on the motorway where Fastned had built a station approximately 50m away.

Despite the quantity of chargers available in Belgium, we couldn’t find one in the city centre of Ghent without using an app like Chargemap. Same situation in Bruges.

Don’t get me wrong here, we never had to worry about charging, but we didn’t find it as convenient as in the Netherlands, where, if you want to visit a place, park your car and a charger is right there.

All critique aside, Belgium is still easy to travel with an electric vehicle.

Electric vehicles in France

Travelling through France is another story. This country is so much bigger and the distances between destinations are mostly so long that service stations are needed.

Every bigger service station seems to have charging points and Tesla builds Superchargers at every one of them.

Why am I bringing this up?

The charging points are there but they are just not enough. We stopped at Aire de la Baie de Somme and fortunately we were able to use the Superchargers because there are also 5 more Ionity chargers where around 15 cars were waiting in line into the roundabout traffic.

Cars waiting in line at a service station on a motorway — Cars queue up to get a spot at the charging station

As you can see in the example above, this is currently the biggest problem with electric mobility. It’s not the missing places where you can charge your car, it’s the missing effort to provide enough spots at certain times of the day, week or year.

Tesla Superchargers Aire de la baie de somme charging station — Tesla Supercharger (12 Stalls, red) – Ionity Charger (5 Stalls, blue) – Apple Maps

Thanks to Tesla’s Superchargers, on the 3000+ km trip we have been on, we have not even had to wait once to plug in and charge. If you don’t drive a Tesla it is possible to use Superchargers on selected locations. Might be a bit pricey, but not waiting in line for an hour or more might be worth it, especially on vacation trips.

Charging in Paris

Our next stop was Paris. You can see a lot of EVs here and it seems that people kind of thought that through. You can find easy access charging stations next to parking lots on bigger streets. As you can see on the screenshot below, those parking lots are reserved for customers and where mostly free.

Charging Points for electric vehicles in Paris — Charging Points, with reserved parking in the streets in Paris – Google Maps

We couldn’t find a station for fast charging (50+kW) in the city centre. But it is worth mentioning that there is a Supercharger (16 stalls, 250kW) for all CCS-combatible cars in the south of Paris.

Conclusion

Our trip went very well and at no point was there any problem with charging our car. Everything was doable and we always arrived relaxed and safe at our destination. Using apps like ChargeMap or Bonnet is definitely a must, otherwise you will get lost in bigger cities, especially when you don’t know how the local charging stations look like.

To clear one thing up: the brand of your car doesn’t matter. Driving a Tesla was – as mentioned above – a big plus on the long distances because Superchargers are very reliable and always come in higher numbers. Hence waiting time reduces from a few minutes to none. That being said, I think it is worth downloading the Tesla App and check out the conditions and locations for using Superchargers for non-Tesla cars.

Visiting Paris – Hôtel des Invalides, Tuileries & more

2022-09-04 / City Traveller

Hôtel des Invalides, Jardin des Tuileries and Notre-Dame have been on our must see list on day 2 of our journey through Paris.

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

There is so much to see in Paris. With just one full day in this beautiful city we made a rough plan of where we wanted to go so we could be able to enjoy the city by walking from sight to sight.

We started from hotel La Bourdonnais (as mentioned in the previous post) which is a perfect starting point in Paris and walked to the Hôtel des Invalides. We picked up some water and snacks on the way and arrived there within 15 minutes. Basically a walk around the corner.

Hôtel des Invalides

Travel to Hotel des Invalides in Paris — *Hôtel des Invalides*, Avenue de Tourville, 75007 Paris

The Boulevard des Invalides lead us to the Place des Invalides which gave us an impressive view at the Hôtel des Invalides. In the other direction along the Avenue du Maréchal Gallieni was the stunning Pont Alexandre III.

Fortunately, trees cover the park on both sides of the Avenue du Maréchal Gallieni, so that we had the opportunity to have a snack and avoid the heat a little bit. 🥵

We crossed the bridge to the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais. Unfortunately, the Grand Palais was closed due to construction.

Along the Champs-Élysées to the Louvre

Walking the Champs-Élysées with hundreds of tourists gave us a glimpse of how popular Paris is. Either they come from or are going to the Place de la Concorde which was our next destination, too.

After crossing the Place de la Concorde and entering the Jardin des Tuileries the noise turns from “cars, busses and scooters” to “(a lot of) people taking a walk”.

There are places with benches, chairs and some tables between the trees where you can sit and relax. There is none of the rush of this big city, so you can walk calmly through the gardens and enjoy the scenery.

We took a little break under the trees in front of the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, a place pretty crowded with people looking for shelter from the sun.

Travel Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel — Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel

Next to the Arc there is a food truck which provides sandwiches, fresh waffles and cold drinks. So, if you are not prepared with food and drinks, you can recharge yourself pretty well here.

As we crossed the Place du Carrousel to the Louvre, we could already see the line of people waiting for tickets. We expected a lot of people would be there and didn’t really plan on getting a ticket, but it was a bit disappointing anyway.

We decided to keep exploring Paris and went along the Seine to see the Musée d’Orsay. With time ticking down we didn’t even think about going in, but we put it on the list for our next visit.

Bridges of Paris

Heading east, crossing Pont Royal and enjoying our way along the Seine to the Pont des Arts. From here you have a great view on the Académie des Beaux-Arts.

Pont des Arts Seine Paris — Pont des Arts

After crossing the Pont des Arts we took a turn on the Quai Du Louvre and crossed the Seine once again on Pont Neuf. For a short break we turned into a street with a building that turned out to be the Palais de Justice which was closed due to constructions.

On the opposite site of the street there is Place Dauphine which is a nice little park with benches, restaurants and cafes. Away from tourists and loud streets, locals were having snacks and enjoying themselves playing games of boule. It was like a little hideout in the middle of Paris.

Notre-Dame

We went on to the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris which – after the fire on 15 April 2019 – is still a construction site. Containers and fences are still blocking the view which does not stop the thousands of people streaming on and off the square every day.

The Rue Du Petit Pont lead us in the direction of our hotel and at the Saint-Séverin we turned into a small alley which lead us through postcard-like-Paris.

After arriving at the hotel a few hours later – with very sore feet and legs – one things was clear: we need to come back to Paris and visit all the other great places we couldn’t see on that one day. 🥰

Those were two very exhausting and exciting days and we need way more time to enjoy all the sights and places.

Also read our post about our first day in Paris Eiffel Tower – Visiting Paris for the first time

For more pictures from Paris visit our Instagram profile.

All pictures and videos are ours. None of the pictures are altered or enhanced.

Eiffel Tower – Visiting Paris for the first time

2022-08-16 / City Traveller

The Eiffel Tower is the most popular monument in the most visited city in the world. Experiencing the pulse of Paris is surely something special.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

We planned a 5 day trip and Paris was the last destination where we decided to spend two nights and then either drive home or spontaneously decide where else to go. This meant we had time to spend the rest of the arrival day and the whole next day to explore this gigantic city full of monuments and fantastic places.

Our starting point was the Hotel La Bourdonnais, located at the Avenue de la Bourdonnais, a central place and a short walk to the Eiffel Tower.

For a first time visitor it was very surprising to see hundreds of people in small groups having picknick with drinks and food on the green around Champ de Mars between the Eiffel Tower and the Grand Palais Éphémère.

Picknick in front Grand Palais Éphémère in Paris — Champ de Mars

Picknick around Champ de Mars in Paris — Hundreds of people enjoying their evening between Eiffel Tower and Grand Palais Éphémère.

The Eiffel Tower

The tower itself is highly guarded and surrounded by thick glas and concrete walls so there is no “walk through”. We walked around it admiring the gardens underneath which seem to be quiet and only accessible for paying visitors.

Arriving on the other side of the tower we saw the more touristic part. Thousands of people on the Pont d’Iéna and in front of the Palais du Trocadéro.

Palais du Trocadéro seen from under the Eiffel Tower over the Pont d'Iéna — People are already waiting in front of the Palais du Trocadéro

Eiffel Tower seen from Palais du Trocadéro — View from the Palais du Trocadéro towards the Eiffel Tower

Taking a break in front of the Palais we wondered why so many people were gathered there. A while later we could finally see the reason why.

The illumation of the Eiffel Tower started and it became an even more beautiful view when it got darker. Every full hour the tower gets an extra dose of sparkling lights which make this scenery even more special.

The “Oh’s” and “Ah’s” started a couple of minutes later.

Sadly, you cannot hear it in the video I posted below.

Eiffel Tower at night

We took a walk along the Avenue de New York until we arrived at the Palais de Tokyo. From there we went over the bridge “Passerelle Debilly” which gave us another beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower.

Romantic view over the Seine, the illuminated Eiffel Tower and Pont d’Iéna.

On our walk back along the Avenue de la Bourdonnais we experienced the active night life of this city. Restaurants and cafés with streetside seating were filled with guests enjoying their late night meals and drinks.

On our way back to the hotel we stopped at a very small Italian restaurant named “Il Grigio“. We ordered Linguini al Salmone and Pâtes à la carbonara to go. After around 10 minutes our food was ready and we even got an additional fresh ciabatta bread. Both dishes were delicious which is why we highly recommend “Il Grigio” should you be in the area and have a craving for Italian food.

Also read our post about our second day in Paris: Paris – Hôtel des Invalides, Tuileries & more

All pictures and videos are ours. None of the pictures are altered or enhanced.

Grimselpass – Travelling through Switzerland

2022-08-15 / City Traveller

If you are travelling by car, you should go up the Grimselpass in Switzerland. An exciting way through the mountains, which provides amazing views over the mountains and the valleys.

With our Hotel in Bern, the plan was to drive to Grindelwald to get the typical tourist view on the Eiger mountain, then travelling the Grimselpass to Italy and visit the Lake Maggiore.

The (old) Route

This was considered to be a full day trip with a lot of sights to visit and memories to make.

Due to a construction site at Grindelwald, which took away more than an hour, we sadly had to change our plans.

We had to scratch the visit to Italy and the Lake Maggiore from our list and went with an easier plan.

Map of planned route from Bern over the Furkapass to Luino (Italy) — Planned route from Bern over the Grimselpass to Luino (Italy) (opens in Google Maps)

The new Route

We drove to San Gotthard and went through the San Gotthard Tunnel over Lucerne back to Bern.

On the way to the San Gotthard Tunnel back to Lucerne there was a traffic jam, where we spend another hour, which was also not planned.

For future planning, add at least an additional 90 minutes for traffic, even when your navigation system says differently.

Changed route through San Gotthard Tunnel over Lucern back to Bern (opens in Google Maps)

Travelling the Grimsel Pass

As mentioned before, we spend more time than expected on the way to the Grimselpass itself. Fortunately, we haven’t been in a hurry and did enjoy the “climb to the top” with several stops to enjoy the scenery.

View down from Grimselpass on the Furkastreet — View down from Grimsel Pass on the Furkastreet

Just a few cars have been on the pass, which means less traffic and less noise. One of the views we had, you can see below in our YouTube Video.

Travelling the Furkapass gives you fantastic views over the landscape

The view at the top – at about 2500 meters – is very rewarding with fantastic views over valleys, lakes, and mountains.

On Top there is the Hotel Restaurant “Alpenlodge Grimselpass” and the “Totensee” where people went for a swim. Bikers and Campers like the location as well to take a break and enjoy food and drinks with a fantastic view.

Lake at the top of the mountain, next to the restaurant. — “Totensee” which lies in front of the parking lot of the “Alpenlodge Grimselpass”

View down from the Grimselpass serpentines to the lower part of the Furkastreet — View down from the serpentine to the lower part of the Furkastreet

The descent from the top of the Grimselpass is on the Furkastreet, which leads to the famous Furkapass.

If you have the time, you can also take a turn in the village and go up the Furkapass.

Most People know the Furkapass from the James Bond movie Goldfinger. A street sign on the location of the scene also says “James Bond Strasse”, which I think is pretty cool 😎.

We can really recommend this tour through the Alps, and if you want to travel to Italy, this is a wonderful way to get there.

You find more information at Wikipedia (en)