When Lisa moved from Stuttgart, Germany to Bordeaux Métropole, France for her Erasmus+ study-abroad semester, it didn’t take much for her to decide that her car, a sleek blue SEAT Leon, was coming along with her—even if it meant driving for nearly 12 hours. Between biking, hopping on the train/ metro and driving, the latter always comes first for her as she relishes the comfort that comes from being behind the wheel. Lisa’s Leon has traversed many of Europe’s roads, but she finds Bordeaux’s to be particularly interesting.
What was your first driving experience?
The first time I drove was when I was 18 when I got my licence. And it was actually quite challenging because it was in Stuttgart, my hometown in Germany and it was snowing really bad. So the roads were very slippery. And it was my first time alone in the car. So yeah, I was actually a little scared.
What are the most common ways of getting around in Stuttgart?
In terms of public transport, the top one is definitely the U-Bahn, our metro. It’s also really common to bike and there are buses, but they’re not used as much as the U-Bahn. The U-Bahn is generally affordable but even more so for students since there are student deals available.
So, how essential would you say it is to drive in Stuttgart?
Not much. Because there’s also a lot of traffic, it’s most of the time not even worth driving with a car because you get stuck in traffic, so it’s much faster to take the metro.
I mostly take the car, though, because it’s just more comfortable for me, especially when I go in later during the nighttime. The road is free and then it’s just safer.
What car do you drive and what did you look out for when you were getting it?
It’s a SEAT Leon. This is not only my car, but also I share it with my brothers and we were looking out for a car that’s practical, that’s fuel economical and that can fit enough people.
What’s the major difference between driving in Stuttgart and Bordeaux?
I’d say that the French drivers are different, so they’re a little bit more unpredictable. They would… For example, in Germany, usually everybody follows the rules. So if you want to pull over to the right, you blink. And here, they sometimes don’t. So they do unexpected things. And then I expect them to blink. And then I think, you know, he keeps on driving, but suddenly he pushes the brake. So yeah, I think that’s the main difference, the unpredictability.
What was the process of getting the requirements to drive in Bordeaux like?
Oh, I use my German driving licence. I can drive anywhere in the EU with it.
How long did it take you to drive from Stuttgart to Bordeaux?
About 11 ½ hours. I took maybe 1 main stop to spend the night at a bed and breakfast I had booked on Booking.com. I honestly can’t remember where it was. It was in the middle of nowhere, somewhere in a very small town in France. I barely took any other breaks, except to get gas.
What’s one thing you like about driving in Bordeaux?
Oh, I know one. On the highway in Germany, we usually have a lot of speed control cameras. And here, there are signs where they say, ok, there’s going to be a speed control in 2 KM, for example. So, it’s more chill. You don’t have to fear if you’re driving too fast that you’re going to get caught and then have to pay a very high fine.
In Germany, the fines depend on how much over the speed limit you drive. For instance, if you drive about 10 km/hr above the speed limit, you could pay €50 and then it gets higher and higher. So the controls are like little machines that flash you when you drive too fast and they get a picture of your licence plate and send a bill letter to the address attached to that licence plate. Sometimes, they’re even in camouflage so you don’t see them.
What are some things to look out for when driving in Bordeaux?
When you drive in Bordeaux, there are a lot of narrow streets and also the way some of the roads were built, it’s confusing to understand where you can go and where you cannot go. For example, they have bus lanes. A couple of times, I accidentally was on the bus lane and I was supposed to be on the main lanes, but I didn’t know because the lanes weren’t clearly separated.
What’s one traffic rule or custom in Bordeaux you haven’t gotten used to?
I’m not sure if that’s like a strict traffic rule, but whenever cars go into a roundabout, yeah, they blink to the left when they stay inside. And when they go out, they blink to the right. And when I go into a roundabout in Germany, I just blink when I go outside, and not when I keep in. So yeah, I guess that and I still don’t do that because I’m not used to it.
Is there any other interesting or unique thing about driving in Bordeaux?
Well, I think not about driving necessarily, but just that people, they don’t care about hitting other cars that much. So for example, in Germany, when you get hit and get a little scratch on the car, you get it fixed right away. But here, they don’t fix it. And it also doesn’t really matter when you accidentally scratch somebody; they just leave you and don’t tell you. And in Germany, you would never just leave it. So I actually got a scratch and I don’t know where it’s coming from. I just found it one day.
What’s the traffic situation like in Bordeaux and how do you navigate rush hour?
The rush hour here is 4 or 5PM, when people come back or home from work. And yeah, I usually avoid driving at that time. The traffic congestion can get really bad; I’ve once been held up in traffic for up to an hour for an ordinarily 15-minute trip.
What routes do you usually take?
I usually go from Pessac to Arcachon, also sometimes to the sea. Yeah, but even here, there’s one main highway going around Bordeaux that is usually very packed. So when I go to the City Centre, I usually just go straight from Pessac.
I have only one hour in Bordeaux, where do I drive to?
So don’t drive into Bordeaux itself actually. Drive into the direction of Arcachon, where Dune du Pilat is. It’s a really nice drive.
What other countries have you driven in?
OK. I’ve driven in the US. I’ve driven to Zurich, Switzerland. I’ve driven to Milan, Italy. I’ve driven to Sweden and Denmark as well.
What would you say was the most difficult place you’ve driven in?
The US actually. I drove around Dallas and it was confusing because there, they have different rules and the roads are totally different. For example, the traffic lights are across the intersection and not in your face at the intersection. So, it’s confusing where to stop in the 1st place. And then they also have a lot of stop signs. And they have the rule that whoever comes first goes first. All European roads are similar, so it’s easier for me to drive here.
Oh also, Midas in Italy. That was crazy, because they don’t have any lanes at all.
What’s the best place you’ve driven in?
I want to say Munich or Stuttgart, but there’s a lot of bikers and it makes it complicated because you have to pay attention to the bikers. So, I’d say maybe somewhere in the northern part of Germany where driving is calmer.
What’s the difference between the cost of owning your car here and in Germany?
Fuel is slightly more expensive here. About €0.20 more per litre.
If you had an unlimited budget to rent a car for a day in Bordeaux, what car would you pick?
So I’m honestly a big Porsche fan, but I probably wouldn’t drive it here. I’d probably drive it back home in Stuttgart. Because then, I could also test out the speed on the Autobahn. Yeah, but here in Bordeaux, I’d probably have a convertible where you can open up the roof. Yeah, I think that’d be fun.
Have you experienced road rage in Bordeaux?
No, not really. The drivers here also don’t honk very much. So I think that’s nice, but I’ve actually been honked at once because there are multiple lane roundabouts here… That’s actually another difference. In Germany, there are no multiple lanes in the roundabouts and so it’s a little bit complicated when you’re on the inside and then you want to exit. I was not aware of that and I was looking at my navigation and then, I realised, oh, I need to exit. I wanted to exit quickly. And then the lady behind me got mad because I was turning so quickly.
What’s the biggest challenge of parking in Bordeaux?
So firstly just finding parking spots in general, because especially in the city centre, it’s rare to find spots on the street. There’s public parking lots, but you have to pay for them. So I avoid that. I just drive around and try to find a free parking spot.
If you could change just one thing about driving in Bordeaux, what would it be?
There’s actually sometimes really big potholes in the roads or bumps when the road is damaged or poorly maintained. And I don’t like that ’cause you know, it’s not good for your car when you drive away. In Germany, we say Schlaglöcher. They’re quite bad here, especially coming from Pessac.
