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Driving to hintertux

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi,
I'm hoping for some guidance please.
We are planning to drive from the north west at the beginning of Nov.
I'm a bit overwhelmed by the options on route planners
-ferry hull to Rotterdam
-ferry to Dunkirk
-eurotunnel

Then which way across Europe?? 🤔🤔

We have driven eurotunnel to Val disere before which seemed more straightforward

Could anyone advise??
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I've driven down to Austria a few times, you've got a few options and it's mainly down to what time you hit certain places and how much you're prepared to fork out for tolls etc.

The easiest bit for the first leg (assuming you're going via the tunnel) is the main autoroutes from Calais to Metz and across to Saarbrucken. The non toll alternative is a choice of routes through Lille/Mins/Charleroi/Namur (done at night is fine, during rush hour in some of those places is hell), or you can go along the coast up to Oostende and then via Brussels then down to Namur & Luxembourg, this is probably quicker and simpler, bit the Brussels ring road is a nightmare, even into the evening there can be mega hold ups.. there are local short cuts, a sat nav might help there?

Once you're in Luxembourg/Saarbrucken area, you can head east towards Karlsruhe either sticking to the autobahn via Kaiserslautern and Mannheim or cutting cross country via Pirmasens (it's a good road).

From Karlsruhe keep heading east on the A8, this stretch to Munich can get some mega hold ups, I actually hate the section near Munich that much, I take the A7 and head south via Memmingen and Kempten and enter Austria via the Fernpass, it's a bit of a twisty road, but nothing too daft and avoids the autobahn to the east of Munich and the section into Austria at Kufstein.

Whichever way you arrive at it, the drive up the Zillertal is pretty stunning, especially after Mayrhofen when you really start to climb.. the route is pretty straightforward as it's effectively a giant cul de sac (just be careful of a couple of narrow sections in the village beofre the main car parks, they're not very right hand drive friendly and the buses don't tend to wait to be asked through). Don't know if you'll have winter tyres or chains? The Germans can be funny that time of year if you don't have winter tyres, not sure about the Austrians?

Don't forget your vignette.. I think it's only about €9 for 10 days, you'll need it for all the autobahns and some of the main dual carriageways in Austria.

I did once try going via Switzerland, but I'm not sure it was worth it really, especially as you need to buy a whole years vignette (you can buy a week or a month) which in November would be a bit of a rip off..

Good luck, I'm doing a similar trip next weekend to Sölden Madeye-Smiley
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Hull to Rotterdam gives a good nights sleep, then you make the choice between tha A3 and the A61 through Germany. I usually take the A3 so Cologne, Frankfurf, Wurzburg, Ingolstadt, Munich, Inntal Autobahn. At the moment there are a lot of roadworks around Munich, I usually travel on a Sunday when there are no lorries on the roads so this is not too much of a problem.
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Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Sat 14-10-17 21:14; edited 1 time in total
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I use the Hull-Rotterdam crossing when heading to the Arlberg, and find it easier than heading to a southern UK crossing, and also a slightly shorter trip on the continental side. No tolls, just the vignette in Austria and, depending on your plans, you may need an Umweltplakette if planning a stop in/around some cities in Germany. Fine if you are on Autobahns, but be careful of any road closures that may divert you off them.
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Thanks all, after looking at the ferry options (liked the idea of the overnight sail), we will be using the eurotunnel as we are taking our dog with us and I don't want to leave her in a kennel.
My partner has decided a stopover in Stuttgart is called for to go to the Porsche museum....
rolling eyes rolling eyes Puzzled
I'm not sure if this is a detour or en route
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
We've done the North Shields (Newcastle) to Amsterdam crossing a couple of times en route to Austria, as it saves us 600 miles of driving in the UK (i.e. to Dover & back) - but adds on another couple of hundred miles abroad... Still, it's worth it if we can get a reasonable ferry price.

And, as mentioned above, the overnight crossing (with a cabin and a bed) is a nice part of the trip. Very Happy
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
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Bergmeister wrote:
We've done the North Shields (Newcastle) to Amsterdam crossing a couple of times en route to Austria, as it saves us 600 miles of driving in the UK (i.e. to Dover & back) - but adds on another couple of hundred miles abroad... Still, it's worth it if we can get a reasonable ferry price.

And, as mentioned above, the overnight crossing (with a cabin and a bed) is a nice part of the trip. Very Happy


You sure about adding more miles to the trip continental side? I know when I first looked at routes driving down to the Arlberg, the various North Sea crossings all gave shorter drives than the southern England ones by at least 50miles. Can't imagine it being any different for more eastern resorts?

@boo22 bear in mind that if stopping round Stuttgart is that the traffic can be pretty horrendous. I've crawled along stretches of the autobahn there before, I tend to listen out to the German radio stations, and if there is problems with the traffic there, I'll take the A6 past Heilbronn and then down the A7. Also check, depending on where you stop, if you will require an Umwelt sticker (obtainable online for less than a tenner) for driving in a lot of German cities.
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The DFDS boat North Shields- IJmuiden is great, we use it often for trips to A and CH. We prefer the motorways from/to IJmuiden over those around Rotterdam (far less freight on the roads). From IJmuiden you can easily drive to Tirol within a (longish) day although it can be nice to break the journey overnight too.

I avoid the area around Stuttgart, not least because the autobahn between there and Munich is being upgraded hence nasty jams. We tend to go via Wurzburg. But Stuttgart is a great city.
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did the Newcastle - Amsterdam ferry and then drove down to Zillertal in March of this year...was very easy going.

The boat arrived at 9am and i was on the road for 10am...headed south following the sat nav .....Dusseldorf - frankfurt - Nurenburg - munich route.

Got stuck in some horrendous traffic at Leverkusen because of the football traffic on a Saturday...lost at least 90 mins to that. Stopped a couple of times for fuel, once in Germany and once at the border to get a motorway pass. Traffic again at the entrance to the valley as it too be expected on a Saturday evening. I was staying in Mayrhofen for a Couple of weeks and i was in my accommodation and away for a beer by 9pm.
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On the Newcastle ferry you can take the dog in the cabin with you! Apparently this is now the only route I am allowed to take wink
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Our Sue would have been all over this thread...
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@queen bodecia, +1.

@QRZBuddha, excellent advice. I have experienced the most diabolical traffic jams imaginable travelling from Munich to Fieberbrunn in European holiday times.

You should be fine travelling down from Munich when you are going.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
From Calais/Dunkerque, I think the suggested route is Lille - Charleroi - Namur - Luxembourg (cheap fuel) - Then A8 Karlsruhe - Ulm
Then 2 options.. via Munich ring and Kufstein (I almost always go that way, the bit from Augsburg-Munich is ace, but the ring may intimidate, with lots of getting in the right lane). The pants bit on that route is Stuttgart-Ulm and maybe a bit either side (I need to see where has roadworks this year).
or... A7 Ulm interchange - over the pass to Innsbruck (sometimes I do that). Don't tak the shortcut thru Ulm that the Satnav will suggest. Stay on A8 and go on to A7

From Amsterdam (IJmuiden) ferry... A2 to Utrecht then A12 to Arnhem then just keep going and it becomes A3 in germany, keep following A3 past Cologne, Frankfurt, and then A9 at Nuremburg to Munich. That's the route I take between Frankfurt and Scotland every year.

From Rotterdam ferry... think I went Dordrecht - Eindhoven - Venlo and then it picks up A3 (above) at Duisburg


The Umweltplakette (green environment sticker) is not needed for the German autobahns. It might be needed for a hotel if you stray away from the autobahn in to a city.

Interesting about the dogs in cabins on DFDS. I had a cabin right at the end one year, right next to the dog prison... erm I mean dog kennels.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
That's the ones Andy, about 4 or five of them are classed as dog friendly. You need to phone them to book them ( or go on chat and get them to phone you then it's free ).
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
We're heading to Mayrhofen via Newcastle ferry around Xmas, in a 7.5m motorhome. Arrive in IJmuiden on 24th and plan was to drive from there down to Nurtingen, just past Stuttgart, spend Xmas day there, to break up the journey and cos it looks nice. On 26th we're booked into the campsite outside Mayrhofen so will drive the last leg that day.

I was considering two options for that, the straightforward way via Munich, or head down the A7 and A96, entering Austria at Lindau. The Munich route is shorter, but by the sounds of the above, potentially full of traffic. Has anyone done the latter route?

I know there's shorter routes via Memmingen, but given the vehicle, if the weather is in any way dubious I'd prefer the lower level, main roads. Hopefully traffic will be fairly light compared to normal on the 26th Dec, a Tuesday.

EDIT: According to ViaMichelin, the Munich route is around 50 miles and an hour shorter, but that could easily get swallowed up in traffic jams. I know the other route involves the Arlberg Tunnel toll too.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Maybe for somewhere west of Innsbruck but not a route I would pick for Mayrhofen. These days I find the Stuttgart route slower than Frankfurt, Nuremburg, Munich route. There are plenty of shortcuts south of Munich if you need them, i.e. Holzkirchen, Tegernsee, Achensee, Jenbach or if the weather is bad just follow the motorway. If you are going to stop Stuttgart / Munich way you have all day to get to Zillertal so whichever route you take enjoy the ride and don't stress about the traffic wink You can always check traffic on Google maps to see how it's running if need be.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Thanks, originally we were looking at staying at Soelden, Serafus or St.Anton, so the more Westerly entry into Austria made sense. In the end we went for the Zillertal as we haven't skied there before, but spent 2 very enjoyable weeks there last summer.

As you say, we'll have all day to get from Stuttgart area to Mayrhofen so can decide on the route on the day depending on traffic and weather, and will be in no rush. Might feel more exciting going in over the Fernpass if the weather is OK, we've been over it in a tour bus so there's no fear of doing it in our Motorhome.
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Go whichever route satnav plots as the fastest on the day. I have been lots of different ways to Austria and time wise there often isn't much in it ...but on a bad day on the A8 dont stick with a plan if Sat nav can send you a quicker route
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Hi Ravelin; I’ve driven to Mayrhofen many times from Calais and despite what others say the best route has been via Cologne, Frankfurt, Nuremberg, Munich, and entering Austria at Kufstein. Unless there are extreme winter conditions you would have no trouble at all. The only likely bottle neck is the Inntal at Kufstein which can be a problem on Saturday change overs. As Chris n says above there are work around provided the weather is ok.
if you do go this way I can recommend this excellent free overnight parking which is slightly over half way from Ijmuiden.
http://www.erwinhymerworld.de/meta/kontakt/stellplaetze/
It’s only a few hundred meter off the A3 near Wertheim village
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@boo22,
If your going to the Porsche Museum, you might as well take in the Mercedes Museum as well.

Zuffenhousen would be a good stop over as well.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
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All of the routes have potential problems - Brussels, Mannheim, Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Munich all have queues at peak times and an accident in the wrong place can lead to a couple of hours of queues no matter what time of day it is, so as @holidayloverxx advises use a satnav with live traffic reports and follow its recommendations. Also don't be afraid to exit 5-10km before the queue and cut across country to bypass it, as in some places that's just about the only option other than sitting in the queue. Kufstein on a Saturday morning is hell in both directions, but you can avoid it completely by taking the back roads from Rosenheim to Worgl.

I'd also be wary of ViaMichelin - it once recommended that we take the mountain road from Fieberbrunn to Saalbach, despite the fact that this is a single track road closed in winter owing to the 1700m elevation and the metre of snow lying on it wink My car GPS clearly has the same map source and routing algorithm, as it tried to do the same last year.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Sitter,

You are right! I am mixing up my (summer) drives to Val Thorens & (winter drives to) Austria...

In the summer we've always gone to Val T via Dover (because of the £500 summer ferry price from Newcastle, versus £80 or so from Dover); & in the winter we've twice gone to Austria on the Newcastle route (for a bargain £300 wink )

I've just checked the mileage on via Michelin website and it's 110 miles further to Val Thorens from Amsterdam than it is from Calais - but Mayrhofen is 80 miles closer! Very Happy
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Thanks everyone.
Can't convince OH on the Newcastle ferry option, so eurotunnel it is.
I quite like the idea of a stopover in ULm???
Any picturesque places en route (ish)? When we drove to Val disere, we stayed over in Troyes and it was so pretty, it added to the trip. 😊

Oh, and sooo looking forward to the course- it's with world class skiing. I'm all the gear and no idea so in need of much guidance and tuition Embarassed
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@boo22, i stay in Leonberg. Can't think of anywhere picturesque that would be worth the detour for the short time you will be there.
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@boo22, Germany is full of picturesque places, but most of them really need at least a full day to do them justice. For an overnight stop, we've always arrived, eaten, collapsed rather than gone out sightseeing, and then left early the next morning...

On the A8 between Stuttgart and Munich, Ulm and Augsburg are old cities which have a lot of nice buildings in the centre despite being surrounded by more modern sprawl, while on the A3 Frankfurt route Wurzburg is lovely and if the A7 south to Ulm is your chosen onward route then Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a little gem of a walled city which is unfortunately overrun by tourists in the summer. None of these is more than 10km from the autobahn.

Munich is also lovely in the centre, and if the A99 is snarled up it can actually be quicker to go through it rather than around it as long as you have a decent satnav.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Fly to Munich and then hire a car....
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Its a long way to drive ... I'd do what @russ_e, says .. Fly to Munchen
Rent a car which has the correct tyres on it and you'll be up the Tuxertal before you know it.

But you may have an ulterior motive .. as you were interested in having a look at the Porsche museum ..
perhaps you've got a Porsche Macan and you're itching to take it on that long spin?
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@DrLawn, there are many reasons to drive, not limited to fear of flying, carrying large amounts of stuff, cheaper, scenic, beer collection in each direction, etc. I drive at half term because with 4 people in the car and an overnight stop in Rosenheim, the total travel cost is about £450 including a 4-year split on the cost of winter tyres and chains, breakdown insurance, etc, compared to £1600 to fly and hire a car. In January or March, we would fly, and it would be cheaper than £450.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Hi All, thanks for the advice.
We couldn't fly as we are taking our dog with us Very Happy

Dr Lawn- the Macan is next years car for the boy to add to his boxster gets Toofy Grin

Sooo, we are here.. it felt a like long slog! We stopped over before the eurotunnel then went Lille-Luxembourg-Karlsruhe-ULm for a stopover. Took all day (we have a roof box and stopped a couple of times) with many roadworks and lots of traffic rolling eyes then miserable rain all the way here today.
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