Suggestions for Europe road trip itinerary

A snowHead

TIA for any help on this.

Looking at a road trip for 2 or 3 weeks in Europe starting in early January 2021.

Just me and the boss. Coming from NZ. Looking at flights for this coming January, just to get an idea of prices, Milan is a fair bit cheaper than Munich to get into on a long haul flight, so probably starting and ending in Milan, and I would think hiring a car, but happy to bus/train/whatever. I think Zurich or Frankfurt are other options to keep the flight under 35 hours.

Went to Saalbach earlier this year and loved it. Also been to Mayrhofen, loved it, Val D'Isere, loved it, Chamonix, loved it , Kitzbuhel, loved it Very Happy

If it's got snow, smallish lift lines, then we are happy.

So looking for suggestions on where to go/itinerary or alternative airports. Possibly 2 or 3 destinations, would prefer to do full 6 days in each spot, and I guess that makes accommodation easier, but all good to travel a bit each day to explore. Would be pretty keen to end up back in Austria as part of it, because we loved it Very Happy

Italy looks nice too, never been there. Not really worried about terrain choices, happy to slide down most slopes without a drama. Not massive party animals (spend every day on the other side of the counter) but enjoy a few beverages and a decent feed of an evening. Would definitely go back to Saalbach as part of the trip (really loved it Very Happy

) but not fixed on that if there are other just as awesome places. Probably less keen on big modern towns and more keen on picturesque destinations with a bit of history - don't have much of that at home. Some runs in the trees would be nice, because that's a novelty for us too Very Happy

Cheers

A snowHead

Firstly airport choice, though it could well be driven by cost. I would say Munich, Zürich or Geneva are better than Milan. Italian car hire does not have the best reputation and rumour has it that getting winter tyres is not easy (winter tyres are a must for Austria, Switzerland and Germany). Zürich and Geneva are good for train connections, Munich OK, Milan not really. Frankfurt is a good distance away from the mountains though it is an easy enough drive or train ride to many places. Personally if I was choosing I think I would go to Zürich, it is the most central, is a decent airport as these things go but car hire is not so cheap (nothing in Switzerland is!).

If you have not been to the Dolomites that should be on your list. There will be others who can suggest the best place to base yourself. The scenery is superb, there is a huge range of skiing, the hospitality is a cross between Italian and Austrian. There are lots of traditional villages not many modern resorts. The downside is that it does not usually get as much snow as elsewhere (not at the moment, there are huge amounts of the stuff right across the area south of the main alpine ridge) the weather is often cold, sunny but dry. Consequently the various resorts are well known for their snow making set ups, many of the snow machine manufacturers are based in the area.

You seem to have been to some of the Austrian places but have missed out on the Arlberg, for me it is a level above most other places in Austria. The main villages are St Anton and Lech. It has one of the best snow records and there is a huge variety of skiing (St Anton not so good for timid skiers). Staying in Lech can be expensive but there are some cheaper places if you look around. Prices in St Anton have been creeping up but again the are more reasonable options if you look, especially if you keep away from the village centre. St Anton is also known for its apres, even if you are keener on the quiet life stopping off at the Mooserwirt or other spots above the village is worth doing at least once!

There are a couple of places not far from the Arlberg, Ischgl and Serfaus/Fiss that are also first rate areas. If you fancy skiing all three places you could stay in the town of Landeck and drive each morning to the one of your choice (St Anton easy on the train too), though not sure that is the most relaxing.

Unfortunately Switzerland is expensive but there are some great places to ski. One of my most memorable skiing experiences was skiing down an otherwise deserted run above Grindelwald. Sunny, cold, perfect snow, complete silence amongst picture perfect meadows and farm buildings looking across to the magnificent north faces of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, majestic. If you like smaller resorts maybe look into the Magic Pass which covers a group of small resorts mainly in the Valais not far from Verbier. Verbier itself is well known possibly not really a traditional village anymore! Zermatt is a nice (but expensive) place, the Matterhorn is such an iconic image of the alps. A cheaper option is to stay on the Italian side at Cervinia which is linked over the glaciers to Zermatt.

It is a long time since I skied in France but one place I did go to that has some smaller villages (though there are some places with the usual ugly "developments") was the Porte du Soleil. This is an area not far from Geneva than spans the French / Swiss border.

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The Swiss national Tourist Office site is a good place to give you an idea of Swiss locations, and will usually have various offers on it as well. See https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-gb/experiences/winter/

The Swiss public transport system is notoriously well-integrated, and you may find that part of your trip could be done by leaving the hire car behind or replacing car hire with a train, /télépherique /bus journey. The integrated timetable is at https://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html. There's a train station inside Geneva Airport (from Genève-Aéroport). But be careful, sometimes the price highlighted is based on having a half-price period discount card. THis site also has special offers on it, some of which are combined rail+hotel to ski locations.

If you like the idea of Switzerland, you can keep the costs down by self-catering. If you want to do this, you'd probably be better choosing a location and then contacting the Tourist Office and let them do the work of researching availability. They'd also be able to help f you wanted a weekday-to-weekday booking (most rental websites only offer Sat-Sat by default). For example, Verbier TO is at http://www.verbier.ch/en/index.htm and direct email to the TO is 'info@verbier.ch'

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@hang11,

If you are going in January then lift lines will not be a problem (except perhaps places like Chamonix and Engleberg on the morning of a big dump).
Equally accommodation will be no problem. I wouldn't book in advance beyond the first couple of nights perhaps.
I'd stay flexible with the itinerary and follow the best conditions.
For example, Dolomites might be wonderful but can also have poor snow early season depending on weather patterns.
If you fly into Milan, I might start with Monterosa region - Alagna or Gressoney.

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@hang11, Milan option is perfect. You could split your trip in two halfs. First heard 2h East/North East from Milan to Dolomites. Then for the second half move over to the frensh speaking part of Italy - Monterosa are or Cervinia. Champoluc is empty in January and is great. Best mountain food also!!!
Make it an Italian adventure Smile

if you have three weeks, then last week ski on French/Italian border - Courmayer or La Thuile. Drive back from Courmayer or Monterosa area back to Milan is circa 2-2.5 hours in good trafic conditions (all of it on a motorway).

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

For three weeks touring in January (assuming you'll be using a car), I too would be concerned about the difficulty of getting winter tyres in Italy.

Either make very sure they'll be provided, or hire from Austria / Germany / Switzerland.

After all it is free

Thanks all - great help, lots to think about.

Current flight prices are way cheaper into Milan - $1750 NZ v $2600 NZ to any other euro airport, but that could change in the next few months before I book anything, so just trying to get an idea of places to head to. Also need to be careful about the airline choice because we would be bringing our own gear. Emirates, Qantas and Qatar are good as gold on sports gear included in the ticket price. Not so sure about others.

Not keen on having car hire hassles, so the winter tyres thing is definitely something to factor in, but if I could half way sensibly get around on trains and buses, that would be a preferred option anyway.

Are there any multi area passes available that are worth looking at - something like the mountain collective ones, or is it just a case of get a week's pass for each area?

If you're researching driving routes, distances, and transit times, the Michelin Route Planner is pretty good for European routes: https://www.viamichelin.com/ They also do an app as well that you should pre-download and bring with you.

I'd echo the concern over the limitations of getting winterised cars at Milan.

There's a Swiss multi-area pass for 30 or so resorts in the Valais, see https://www.magicpass.ch/en/ but it excludes the 4 Valleés (Verbier and its satellites of La Tzoumaz, Bruson, Nendaz, Veysonnaz & Les Collons). If you came to the Valais https://www.valais.ch/en/activities/ski-and-snowboard/ski-snowboard you'd regret not doing Verbier so that'd be an extra. Probably borderline if you only plan to ski 3-4 areas.

The alternative Valais ski card https://www.valais.ch/en/information/landingpage/valais-skicard does include Verbier. I've no experience of this so you'll have to research what the terms and conditions are.

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@hang11, There are lots of area passes, a couple of big ones in Austria https://snowcard.tirol.at/de/index (unfortunately does not cover the Arlberg) and https://www.superskicard.tirol/en/super-ski-card-ski-pass-tyrol-salzburg-skiing-in-austria.html. Switzerland mentioned above. I believe there are similar things in Italy not sure about France.

If you prefer trains to hiring a car then Milan is not ideal. There is a train into Milan itself (the main airport is a fair way from the city) but it takes a while and onward connections from there to ski spots are not brilliant though good for the Valais in Switzerland. Zürich is good, easy connections to both Swiss and Austrian resorts, many of which are straightforward to reach by train. Geneva is good for many French resorts though connections are probably best by road, there are various coach services from the airport also good for trains to the Valais and central / western Switzerland. Munich is OK, though you need to get a suburban train from the airport to the main station. Connections to Austrian resorts and also to Dolomites (Innsbruck is a good place to access these too). Frankfurt is good for easy access and train connections to Switzerland and Austria but journey times and number of changes might be an issue.

snow reports

hang11,

A creative thought... With that level of saving on flights, you could fly to Milan then drive to a garage and buy 4 winter tyres!

Then swap them back at the end of your trip. wink

@Bergmeister, Good idea, would try to get them back to NZ. Can't buy them here, would be good to see what all the fuss is about. Would also mean the OH wouldn't have any room for new clothes, so potentially an even more significant saving Very Happy

You know it makes sense.

A family came from Oz last year and did a 3 week trip and documented it on here. Well worth a read.

If you want picturesque and history then Switzerland, Austria are you best bets. Cortina is a must.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Milan is a great place to start and finish.
Here's my 3 week plan using Milan as a start, with low stress amounts of driving between venues and a variety of cultures:

11th Jan Milan -> Madonna di Campiglio ~4hrs drive.
The Brenta Dolomites are beautiful and Madonna is a proper town and a classy town. It's lovely to walk around the shopping precinct in the evening although you need to watch out for the occasional Ferrari because they, for some reason, are allowed to drive on pedestrian zones to park up next to the Maserati that clearly has similar privileges. It's connected to a couple of other villages so there's more than enough skiing for a week there. As I say, Madonna's a treat to stay in but if you're looking to shave the costs, Marileva or Folgarida are on the same ski ticket, but far less charming in themselves.
18th Jan Madonna di Campiglio -> Saalbach ~5hrs drive (via Lunch/Afternoon in Innsbruck?)
I'm not recommending Saalbach because I know anything about it as I've never been there. but you said you'd like to go. There are a few snowHeads likely to be around there that week (some are there all season). I myself may even be there that week - it's on my list and convenient for where I'm going the following week, which brings us to...
25th Jan Saalbach -> Alleghe ~4hrs drive
This week is the PreBBWUW. You've been a snowHead for long enough that it's probably about time you met a few others. This isn't a huuuge bash but big enough. The ski area is all tree-lined, lots of inexpensive, charming little reffugios to stop at and lots of snowHeads to run into for advice, company and laughs. The hotel is in a lovely setting on the edge of a frozen lake, has friendly staff, does excellent food and you're in the 'other' part of the Dolomites. Madonna's very Italian, Saalbach is obviously Austrian but this part of Italy has a good mix of the two cultures, especially if you ski a few KM North on the Sela Ronda. We're not directly on the Sela Ronda (as we will be in Arabba the following week) but it's easily accessible from there, as are the Hidden Valley and Cortina.
From there, you're an easy 5hrs drive back to Milan. Or take a couple of days to drop in on Venice while you're near.

A snowHead

@hang11, Milan is fine. With a hire car you could head up to ther Monterosa area (Champoluc, Gressoney or Alagna) for some off piste skiing, It is a quick, easy drive from Malpensa, which I assume is the Milan airport you are heading for.

It is a bit more of a trek across to the Dolomites, but IMHO it is the most beautiful mountain area in the world. If you like quaint little towns then I would advise Wolkenstein or St. Ulrich. For more access to the harder skiing then Arabba would be an excellent base for a week.

You could then finish up with the long drive across Northern Italy to one of the French Mega resorts.

Milan is also fairly good for train access to ski resorts. An express train will take you th Chambery in the French alps and a local train to Bourg st Maurice. Though there is a train to Bozen, as a gateway to the Dolomites it takes rather a long time. There are several coaches per day, however, which are much cheeper and faster. You could start with https://www.thetrainline.com to look at european train and coach journeys.

Non of the European resorts have great tree skiing - for that you may want to go to Japan (Or do you have something against Aussies?)

A snowHead

@hang11,
Early January can be quite varied for snow, and sometimes the differences between different regions of the alps can be very marked indeed. Nowhere always has good snow. From Milan you can get to a number of places pretty easily. Its fairly straightforward to head West over Montgenevre to Serre Chevalier (Great tree lined skiing)and beyond or through the Frejus tunnel to Maurienne and beyond equally Switzerland is straightforward and everywhere in Italy and once you are in the dolomites Austria is readily available .
I would not disagree with any of the suggestions above as ideas In particular I think the dolomites are fantastic for a variety of tree lined skiing with huge extent. But If I was flying half way round the world to go for a number of weeks I would only have an outline itinerary so as to maximise the chances of great skiing and minimise the chances of disappointment.

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Aosta valley.
Not too far from milan, turin better. One pass and you have the whole of the monta rosa, cervina, pila, and Courmayeur. Plus a few more. Easy access to chamonix and zermatt. Cheap food and accommodation. Some of the best off piste in the world. Heli skiing.

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Interesting thread and something I will refer to in the future.
Which end (west or east) would be best to do first? For example the Tarentaise earliest in January then move toward Austria (Saalbach) later in the trip. Or opposite?

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In no particular order
You'd be mad not to visit the Dolomites.
You be crazy not to visit some of the high mountain regions in Switzerland.
Think about regional lift passes.
Spend a few hours in Milan,...then get the train to Switzerland, just over 2 hours gets you to Brig...and the Valais region.
Car would be nice...but public transport is good in Switzerland and Austria. Car parking in winter season can be expensive.
Italian car hire is often...ummm not good in terms of winterisation. You'd be fine Austria or Switzerland.
Eating out in Switzerland is expensive, a couple of modest courses plus a beer will be usd75 minimum...Oh and tap water in restaurants is charged for.
Eating in in Switzerland does not have to be expensive.
Picnics for lunch are normal, resorts often have picnic areas on the mountain...locals use them.
I am envious.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Loads to think about here! Liking @admin suggestions, might have to see about making it a 4 week trip Very Happy

@johnE, nothing against ozzies, share lifts with plenty of them for 3 months a year, would be nice to hear some other accents though!

After all it is free

Aaaah, now if it was 4 weeks, I'd be tempted to agree with starting out in the Aosta Valley.
Gressoney or Champoluc in the Monterosa, for example, are just a couple of hours from Milan.
Then it's only about an hour extra (total 5hrs) heading from there back up to Madonna.

OTOH though, that would make 3 weeks in Italy and only 1 in Austria: seems a little imbalanced.

OK,
- Start at Madonna as previously suggested
- then 4hrs drive to St Anton am Arlberg.
- 3hrs from there to Saalbach
- then on to the PreBBWUW.

50/50 Italy and Austria.
Western Dolomites => Vorarlberg/Tyrol => Saltzburgerland => Eastern Dolomites.
I think that has a nice symmetry to it snowHead

Given the places you’ve already been to and enjoyed, Arlberg, Dolomites and Monte Rosa (Snow permitting) all sound like solid choices. Adding Zermatt and Verbier in Switzerland and 3 Valleys in France as some other world class, snow sure options with extensive skiing. Considering that accommodation is generally easy to find in January, I would leave your final itinerary and accommodation bookings to the last minute so you can adapt based on where the early season snow has fallen and the 2 week forecast from the resident weather Gods... The North / South divide can bring big differences so when Monterosa or Dolomites are dry and bony, Arlberg could be kicking off. Similar story for West vs East.

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I'd take the Aosta Valley over the Madonna area - I've skiied Folgarida twice, Passo Tonale twice, Courmayeur four times and Gressoney once.

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@hang11, I'd be skiing Dolomites 2 days start and finish to find your legs/ aclimatise and settle in, and then onto Ischgl, Arlberg, Damuls (if time permits and surfs up), Verbier, (and potentially Davos and Engelberg if doing a 4 weeker).

snow reports

Milan > Dolomites > over the Brenner and into Austria for a few days in Saalbach > western Austria and a few days in Arlberg or Montafon > Switzerland and Verbier and/or Zermatt > France and Chamonix or somewhere? > Italy and either Aosta valley somewhere or Alagna > Milan and fly home

@hang11, if indeed you are looking for 2-3 destinations for a couple of weeks then it would indeed be easier logistics wise to not cross borders as it involves mountain passes or tunnels. As you had skied in Austria already head to the Dolomites, plenty of options there. Skiing in IT western side is different and could also give you access to either Swiss (from Cervinia) or French (from La Thuille) experience but without the need to drive there. East-West drive in IT is easy, no mountain passes involved. Cultural and culinary experiences are also diverse between IT east and west. Looooots to see and do. Even if you prefer to drive every few days then you can still drive around many Dollies resorts and the same would apply in the West - Champoluc, Alagna, Gressoney, Pila, Courmayer, La Thuille, Sestriere, Sauze dOulx. Monterosa area alone is good for a full week and of the snow is good you can spend two weeks there without any need to travel elsewhere

You know it makes sense.

As others have said, it can be a challenge to get winter tyres on Italian car rentals, most come with summer tyres and snow chains in the boot, which is sufficient for Italy, but no good for Austria, where you must have winter tyres if driving in wintry conditions between Dec & April.

This is critical to your itinerary, so if you plan to enter Austria, you will need to make sure you have a car with winter tyres fitted. Rentals at Munich will have winter tyres fitted as it is law in Germany also. Maybe you can specify this with certain companies at Milan Malpensa, but it is certainly not standard.

If you are renting a car, and it is a wise choice as it's the most convenient way of accessing skiing in the Alps, it can often pay for itself by enabling you to find an accommodation base a short drive away from the lifts, which will be a whole lot cheaper than one in a major resort right next to the lift station.

I'm with others that have suggested booking your flights & car hire now if you see a good price and leaving the actual choice of itinerary and accommodation until you know more about the snow conditions nearer the time. This November has seen bumper early snowfalls on the Italian side of the Alps which does bode well, but that doesn't necessarily mean other areas won't catch up by January. The Alps are a huge chain and subject to varied weather patterns, so conditions can be very different from N to S and E to W.

Last season I based myself near Zell am See in January and skied Saalbach, Hinterglemm, Zell, Kaprun & Maria Alm. Awesome apres fun in Austria.

In February I went to the Dolomites in NE Italy, based in Alleghe and skied there, Arabba & Falcade/Passo San Pellegrino. Stunning scenery in the Dolomites. Finished that trip with a day in Venice, before flying home.

This winter I will going to Aosta Valley in NW Italy, hopefully skiing the Monterosa, Courmayeur, Pila, Cervinia linking to Zermatt in Switzerland and La Thuile linking to La Rosiere in France. Three countries in one week!

Three great areas to base yourself in and enjoy some very different Alpine experiences. All three have an option for a 6-day area ski pass that would allow you ski a different resort each day.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

Just to add, this report on another forum of various ski areas in the Dolomites, shows what could be done in a week...all in German, but nice photos...

https://www.alpinforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=62298

A snowHead

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Ooops! Duplicate post! Embarassed

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It is a long flight.

Ride the best Europe has to offer.

NZ to Milan.

Week 1 = Cortina (scenery)
Week 2 = Wengen / Murren (atmosphere)
Week 3 = Verbier (trees / steeps)

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

You'll need to Register first of course.

I don't think it has been mentioned but make sure you you add a non freezing additive to the car if hiring in Italy. See message below from the hotel I stayed at. He was all for turning me around until I said I already had it!

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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Never leave home without it. Seriously fill up in the mountains, keep the tank fullish, if it heading south of 15c then take precautions. Defiantly turn the engine over every very cold day.

After all it is free

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I don't think it has been mentioned but make sure you you add a non freezing additive to the car if hiring in Italy. See message below from the hotel I stayed at. He was all for turning me around until I said I already had it!

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Suggestions for Europe road trip itinerary

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