CALAIS TO MAASTRICHT

[DUSTY ROADS]

Hi all, i'm new here, ive browsed the site with interest, very helpfull indeed,,, I need some help please getting to Maastricht from the channel tunnel, ive looked at a few routes, North E40 to Bruges, Brussels ring road { ive been told is a nightmare? } Lueven and over to Holland, i dont fancy the Antwerp route.
i;m currently looking at the slightly longer route E40 Dunkirk then down to Lille, onto the E42 passing Mons over to Liege and up to Maastricht.
If anyone has done any of the routes and can help with any info on which would be the best for me , it would be much appreciated.
PS we're travelling in small car.
Thank you.
DR

[c2R]

I suppose Belgium is much like England, in that there is a high population density and a lot of cars and freight on the road.

I'd avoid Brussels unless travelling in the dead of night. As to the northern or southern route, it would depend on what time I was travelling. You don't want Antwerp in rush hour, essentially!

The southern route is fairly good, and although there's a possibility of a hold up at Lille, and traffic volumes will likely be high, you should make good progress (be careful in Lille though, as if you miss your turning, you'll easily end up in the city centre as the motorway TOTSOs!)

[DUSTY ROADS]

Thank you Sir. we'll be travelling through around lunchtime, so im currently looking on google maps at the road system around Lille following the E42, this looks to be the least dense route as far as heavy traffic on ring roads is concerned, time isnt really an issue for us, so although the route is longer, the density of traffic seem a little lighter with fewer cities on route to service, so unless i get info from someone who uses other routes this looks to be my favoured,,
nice to get feedback from other travelllers though.
Thank you

[c2R]

The other thing to look out for, if not just following the sat nav, is that in Belgium the cities on the southern route have multiple names in different langages and locals tend to remove the languages from signs en route that they don't like.

So, Ghent is also Gent or Gand; Liege is also Luik or Luttich; Mons is also Mont or Bergen; Tournai is Doornik; Lille is Rijsel.

[Owain]

... we'll be travelling through around lunchtime, so im currently looking on google maps at the road system around Lille following the E42, this looks to be the least dense route as far as heavy traffic on ring roads is concerned, time isnt really an issue for us, so although the route is longer, the density of traffic seem a little lighter with fewer cities on route to service, so unless i get info from someone who uses other routes this looks to be my favoured...

I've driven very extensively on the Continent!

Without a shadow of doubt, I would do A16-N225-A25 to Lille, where you should find it easy to drive straight through and pick up the A27 to the Belgian border. All of these roads are toll-free, and in France you are far less likely to be involved in a collision or get held up by a collision than you are in Belgium [on one trip through Belgium, I saw three accidents in one day, but I have never seen an accident in France, where I have drive far more extensively)! I would then follow E42 to Liège, and E25 to Maastricht. If you fancy a break, the city of Namur is quite scenic.

Enjoy your trip! I wish I were doing one this summer.

[Octaviadriver]

I make a journey to Lithuania once a year and travel a similar route to you for the start of the trip. For me though, going through Lille is too far south and I opt for going via Antwerp rather than Brussels. I always use the Dover-Dunkirk ferry rather than the Channel Tunnel, but it's not that much further east to make any difference to the route. I like the road from Dunkirk to Jabbeke as it's usually fairly quiet, but after that it's much busier. Antwerp is a pain to get through, but I just stick it out and, once through, the journey gets easier.

I've looked for alternatives to having to pass Antwerp or Brussels, but there's nothing that's practical.

I've been on the route through Lille many times when I'm heading for other destinations (usually Luxembourg) and that can be very busy at times because the motorway passes through the city and a lot of vehicles are hopping on and off for one or two junctions.

[Peter350]

I did the Calais - Antwerp route back in March as part of a trip to Amsterdam. Everything was fine traffic wise until we got to the Antwerp ring road. It was around 4pm so just coming up to rush hour, but the traffic was at an absolute standstill and it took us an HOUR just to get five miles from the E17/E34 interchange near Zwijndrecht to the E19/E313 interchange near Deurne.

I have never been to Lille or Brussels so can’t really give any comparisons there. My advice would be whatever route you choose to take, time it so you avoid driving through these cities during rush hour.

[exiled]

The Belgian network shows its age and the R0 is probably best avoided if you have not driven in Belgium before.

Another route to consider is take the E40 to Bruges then head towards the Wester Scheldt tunnel.

[Andy P]

I drive between Calais and Heidelberg in South West Germany quite often.

Mostly I go via Brussels - the ring road is very busy and can be a bit slow at times, but it's only a few miles long and I've rarely come to a complete halt. I'd guess a 10-15 minute delay (compared with normal motorway speeds) is typical.

My alternative is via Antwerp, which I've found is usually not too bad outside rush hour, but it doesn't connect well with my preferred route into Germany (E42 / A60), which is scenic and normally relatively quiet.

With regard to the E40 in Belgium:
From Dunkirk to Jabbeke is indeed very quiet but an unbelievably boring drive.
From Jabbeke to the Brussels ring road is very busy but normally moves well. However, I remember on one public holiday driving in the opposite direction it was at a complete standstill, I guess with people from Brussels driving to the coast.
After Leuven towards Liege/Luik, it moves well, but you wouldn't go that way to Maastricht.

[DUSTY ROADS]

Thankyou all for the replies,, it looks like Owains route has won me over.
Thanks all for the help...happy safe journeys

[Andy P]

Google Maps is currently showing the route from Calais to Liège via Brussels as 13 minutes quicker and 14 km shorter than Owain's route via Lille.

Obviously, the time needed will depend on traffic conditions and time of day.

[roadtester]

I always seem to run into heavy congestion whether I go via Antwerp or Brussels. It just seems to be a fact of life.

[Octaviadriver]

.....With regard to the E40 in Belgium:
From Dunkirk to Jabbeke is indeed very quiet but an unbelievably boring drive.....

I enjoy this section of road where I can set the cruise control and relax. It's flat and very open, so you can see much of what is happening all around in the fields, farm houses, canals, etc. Not, I hasten to add, that I divert my attention away from driving and the road ahead!

[exiled]

I always seem to run into heavy congestion whether I go via Antwerp or Brussels. It just seems to be a fact of life.

The age of the network, combined with that bit of the country being the most densely populated part of Belgium to the extent that it makes the Belgian Ardennes look like the middle of nowhere, plus Antwerp and Brussels are in each other's commuter belt probably all feed together.

[roadtester]

I always seem to run into heavy congestion whether I go via Antwerp or Brussels. It just seems to be a fact of life.

The age of the network, combined with that bit of the country being the most densely populated part of Belgium to the extent that it makes the Belgian Ardennes look like the middle of nowhere, plus Antwerp and Brussels are in each other's commuter belt probably all feed together.

Back in the seventies, the Belgian network was brilliant - modern, superb alignments, elegant junctions/structures, extensively lit including in rural areas, mostly D2M but it just doesn't really seem to have been upgraded in line with traffic levels and changing expectations.

I don't know enough about e.g. how politics works in Belgium to venture a suggestion why that might have happened.

[exiled]

I always seem to run into heavy congestion whether I go via Antwerp or Brussels. It just seems to be a fact of life.

The age of the network, combined with that bit of the country being the most densely populated part of Belgium to the extent that it makes the Belgian Ardennes look like the middle of nowhere, plus Antwerp and Brussels are in each other's commuter belt probably all feed together.

Back in the seventies, the Belgian network was brilliant - modern, superb alignments, elegant junctions/structures, extensively lit including in rural areas, mostly D2M but it just doesn't really seem to have been upgraded in line with traffic levels and changing expectations.

I don't know enough about e.g. how politics works in Belgium to venture a suggestion why that might have happened.

When it was a unitary state spending IIRC did appear to be on a franc per franc basis on the roads so that if Flanders got said franc, Wallonia got a franc and vice versa.

Since federalisation the roads are now in the competences of the three regions, Flanders appears to have the better network possibly due to Wallonia having more challenging terrain.

[ScottB5411]

Unless you wish to visit Brussels (which is worth it btw) go via Lille

[Owain]

... it looks like Owains route has won me over.

Google Maps is currently showing the route from Calais to Liège via Brussels as 13 minutes quicker and 14 km shorter than Owain's route via Lille.

Nice to know I have a route named after me on the Continent!

Shame it's not the route to Italy ...

[Bryn666]

One bit of fun on the E40 is spotting the evidence of it being Belgium's oldest motorway - the junctions are a big giveaway.

I'd avoid Brussels and its ring unless you like busy city driving,

[exiled]

From Brussels to Liege it also shows Belgian language policy inaction. The road hugs the boundary between Flanders and Wallonia for much of the length and there is an RCS in Dutch, as the sign is in Flanders, between two junctions signed only in French as they are in Wallonia.