Nearly all European countries operate a broadly similar system of road signs, road markings and traffic signals, but there are noticeable differences mainly in: Graphic design details Local regulatory significance The colour-coding of directional signs Local language texts (sometimes bilingual) The meaning and colour-coding of horizontal road surface markings
Most European countries are party to the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals and the associated European agreements supplementing it. A comparison of signage, however, reveals some significant differences at a national level—alongside less minor differences at a regional level.
Standardisation
The 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals has been signed—but not necessarily ratified—by the following countries (including acceding states): Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom.
The Convention has not been signed by Iceland, Ireland or Malta, but these countries are nonetheless largely consistent with the key tenets of the system that the Convention establishes.
Graphic differences
Warning signs in Ireland are yellow and diamond-shaped (as in countries using Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices-influenced traffic signs), and thus differ from the white or yellow, red-bordered, triangular signs found in the rest of Europe The design of individual pictograms (tunnel, pedestrian, car, etc.), while broadly similar, often varies in detail from country to country Type of arrows may be different Fonts of written words
Directional and informatory signage The colour, shape, text style (bold, capitals etc.), or even an additional sign (pictogram, route number, etc.) of the signage give information about the road class of the indicated route.
Country Motorways (Controlled-access highways) Expressways (Limited-access roads) Outside urban areas Local destinations Tourist signs Temporary detour Primary routes Secondary routes Regional destinations Albania TIRANË SHKODER KUDHES n/a n/a Qender Plazhi i Zaroshkes DURRES Armenia ՍԵՎԱՆSEVAN ԵՐԵՎԱՆYEREVAN ԳՅՈՒՄՐԻGYUMRI n/a n/a ՀՅՈՒՐ. ԱՆԻ ՊԼԱԶԱHOTEL ANI PLAZA ՎԱՅՈՑ ՁՈՐVAYOTS DZOR Շրջանցման ուղղությունDETOUR Austria Salzburg Wien Villach n/a Salzkammergut Umleitung Belarus МІНСК ГОМЕЛЬ МАГІЛЁЎ n/a n/a вул. ФІЛІМОНАВА КАСЦЁЛ СВЯТОГА МІХАІЛА аб'езд Belgium Brussel KortrijkCourtrai GentGand n/a n/a CentrumCentreZentrum Atomium WegomleggingDéviationUmleitung Bruxelles Bosnia and Herzegovina SarajevoСарајево Banja LukaБања Лука MostarМостар n/a n/a CentarЦентар Međugorje ObilazakОбилазак Bulgaria СофияSofia РусеRuse ВарнаVarna n/a n/a ЦентърCentre ЕтърEtar ВарнаVarna Croatia Zagreb Bjelovar Osijek n/a n/a Centar Plitvička jezera Obilazak Zračna luka Czechia BRNO PRAHA VYŠKOV n/a SLOVANY Letiště Hrad Bouzov PRAHA Denmark Aarhus n/a Skanderborg n/a n/a Stadion Himmelbjerget Nakskov Estonia n/a TALLINN HAAPSALU n/a n/a MUSTAMÄE Pirita klooster ÜMBERSÕIT Finland HELSINKIHELSINGFORS LAPPEENRANTA PORVOOBORGÅ n/a KYMINLINNA Kirjasto Hiidenkivi TURKU France PARIS MARSEILLE BEAUVAIS TOULON LA CHAPELLE n/a Gare S.N.C.F. PARC NATUREL Déviation Germany Hamburg Freiburg Lübeck n/a n/a Bahnhof Burg Eltz Umleitung Greece ΘεσσαλονίκηThessaloniki ΠάτραPatra ΑθήναAthina n/a n/a ΚέντροCentre ΑκρόποληAkropolis ΕύοσμοςEvosmos Hungary Budapest Vác Gyöngyös n/a n/a ◉ Centrum Vár Gödöllő Iceland n/a n/a Akureyri n/a Garðabær Flugstöð n/a Hjáleið Ireland Áth CliathDUBLIN n/a Tulach MhórTULLAMORE SeantrabhSANTRY n/a n/a An BhóireannTHE BURREN Cúrsa TimpillDETOUR Italy VENEZIA UDINE BORGOSOLE n/a n/a aeroporto Colfosco deviazione Latvia n/a RĪGA LIEPĀJA n/a n/a centrs KURZEMES ŠVEICE DAUGAVPILS Liechtenstein St. Gallen Chur Schaan Vaduz n/a Bahnhof Burg Umleitung Lithuania VILNIUS KAUNAS MARIJAMPOLĖ n/a n/a CENTRAS Kernavės archeologinė vietovė Apylanka Montenegro Podgorica Bar Herceg Novi n/a n/a Centar Skadarsko Jezero Obilazak Netherlands A 44 Amsterdam Den Haag Arnhem N 50 n/a n/a Centrum Nationaal Park OMLEIDINGVolg A Norway Nannestad Lillestrøm Trondheim n/a n/a Sykehus Kvitsand Bergen Poland Warszawa Poznań Suwałki n/a n/a Centrum Kraków Objazd Portugal Lisboa n/a Portalegre Fig.ra Foz ALGARVE centro castelo Desvio Romania Cluj-Napoca Craiova Baia Mare n/a n/a Centru Castelul Bran Ocolire Russia БЕЛГОРОДBELGOROD МОСКВА ТЮМЕНЬ n/a ЛИПЕЦК ул. ЛЕНИНА музей-усадьба Н. К. РЕРИХА объезд Serbia БеоградBeograd КрагујевацKragujevac ЗрењанинZrenjanin Сомбор n/a ЦентарCentar СтуденицаStudenica ОбилазакObilazak Slovakia Košice Nitra Bratislava n/a n/a Centrum Hrad obchádzka Slovenia Maribor Nova Gorica Medvode n/a n/a Center Postojnska jama Obvoz Spain Villalba Córdoba Oviedo / Uviéu PINTO BADAJOZ n/a centro Navacerrada DESVÍO Sweden GÖTEBORG STOCKHOLM FALUN n/a NORRMALM Vårdcentral Långe Erik NYKÖPING Switzerland Basel Chiasso Moudon Ftan n/a Gare CFF Castello UmleitungDéviationDeviazione Türkiye İstanbul n/a Ankara n/a n/a Şehir Merkezi Dara Antik Kenti n/a Ukraine КиївKyiv ЖашківZhashkiv РудняRudnia n/a n/a ◉ Центр Борисоглібська церква об'їздdetour United Kingdom Nottingham M1 n/a Inbhir NisInvernessA9 TyddewiSt Davids The NORTH Village Hall Thorpe Park Diversion
Different typefaces in texts
Andorra officially uses the Swiss 721 (Black Condensed) typeface, which is identical to Helvetica. However, some signs use the Caractères and Carretera Convencional typefaces. Austria and Slovakia use the Tern typeface. Austria used the Austria typeface until 2010. Slovakia used the Universal Grotesk typeface from Czechoslovakia era until 2014. Azerbaijan, Belarus, Greece, North Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Russia, Slovenia, Turkey and Ukraine use the Arial Bold and/or Helvetica Bold typefaces in mixture with other official typefaces. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine use typefaces based on one specified in the Soviet standard GOST 10807–78. In Russia, the modern standard is GOST R 52290–2004. In Belarus, the according standard is STB 1140–2013 (formerly STB 1140–99). In Ukraine, it is DSTU 4100–2002. Ukraine has recently started using the typeface, as part of a signage redesign according to DSTU 4100:2021. Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, and Serbia use the SNV typeface. Liechtenstein and Switzerland used this typeface until 2003. Cyprus uses the Helvetica typeface. Denmark uses the typeface. The typeface is derived from the British Transport typeface. Estonia uses the Arial Narrow Bold typeface. Finland uses a typeface developed in the 1960s by the former national board of roads and waterways. France uses the typeface. In the French Basque Country a lighter variant of Helvetica is used for Basque language place names. Germany, Czechia and Latvia use the DIN 1451 typeface. Greece uses a modified version of the British Transport typeface on most regular roads; motorway signs use a modified version of DIN 1451. Hungary does not use a defined typeface as the letters are defined one-by-one in the national regulation. The typeface resembles the DIN 1451 typeface closely. Italy, Albania and San Marino use the typeface (with the narrow variant ), a heavier version of the British Transport typeface. Luxembourg uses the Helvetica, Caractères and SNV typefaces, often inconsistently. The Netherlands uses typefaces derived from FHWA typeface: ANWB/RWS Cc (narrow), Dd (medium) and Ee (wide). Norway uses the typeface. Poland does not use a defined typeface as the letters are defined one-by-one in the national regulation. There are three typefaces resembling the defined one, with two of them distributed as non-commercial freeware – and typefaces. The third one, fully compliant with the regulation is only available for road sign manufacturers. Spain uses the (also known as CCRIGE) typeface, which is derived from the British Transport typeface, and is almost identical to the Italian . Until 2014, (derived from FHWA series E modified) was used for motorways. Sweden and Åland use the Tratex typeface. Åland formerly used the Finnish typeface in mixture with Tratex. Switzerland and Liechtenstein use the ASTRA-Frutiger typeface since 2003. Turkey uses two typefaces derived from the FHWA typeface. O-Serisi is used for motorways and E-Serisi is used for all other roads. The United Kingdom, Iceland, Ireland, Malta and Portugal use the Transport typeface. An oblique variant of Transport is used in Ireland for Irish text. Motorway typeface is used for route numbers on United Kingdom and Ireland motorways, and for exit and route numbers in Portugal.
In Albania, Armenia, Andorra, Belarus, Czechia, Estonia, Finland. France, Greece (partly), Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Monaco, Russia, San Marino and Sweden, destinations on direction signs are written in capital letters. In Ireland, they are written in all-capital letters in English and in mixed-case letters in Irish. In Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Greece (partly), Hungary, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine both capital and lowercase are used. In Spain, destinations reached by motorway are written in capital and lowercase, while those reached by other roads are written in capital letters. In the United Kingdom and Portugal, regional destinations names and cardinal directions are written in capital letters, while the remaining destinations names are written in capital and lowercase.
Differences in meanings
Sometimes similar signs have minor differences in meanings, following the local traffic codes. The United Kingdom's "pass either side" sign indicates that drivers may pass on either side of an obstacle, such as a traffic island, to reach the destination. The Irish "rural speed limit" sign takes the appearance of that used to denote the end of all previously signed restrictions used elsewhere in Europe, but actually indicates a speed limit of 60 km/h. It is always accompanied with a "SLOW" supplementary plate. All European countries use the SI system (distances in kilometres or metres; speeds in kilometres per hour; heights, widths and lengths in metres; weights in tonnes) with the exception of the United Kingdom, where distances and speeds are still indicated in imperial measurements (miles or yards and miles per hour). Since 2016, on width and height limit signs both metric and imperial measurements are used (metres and feet & inches), however older signs still show imperial-only measurements. Weight limits have been expressed in metric tonnes since 1981, but signs continued to use an upper case "T" until 2011.
Road surface markings
Longitudinal lines (lanes and margins) and symbols on the carriageway are always white (but in Norway a yellow line separates two-way traffic and in Ireland edge lines are yellow). Temporary markings are yellow in Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, but red/orange in Liechtenstein, Switzerland and Russia, and white in the United Kingdom.