Hi,
so this coming season we'll be driving to Alta Badia from the UK for the first time and I'm looking for any tips people may have. We've driven a lot in France and Italy where the tolls are just gates for cash/credit cards but not the other countries.
Google is telling me that the best route is basically Calais>Reims>Stuttgart>Innsbruck>Brenner pass but also gives toll-free options via Belgium>Luxembourg.
Any recommendations on route, where to stay overnight? will we need to buy a pass for Austria/Germany ?
thanks in advance,
R
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@richb67, via Belgium and lux is a little longer, but if its a busy weekend the toll roads in France could be worth it...I've done both routes to Austria this year this year. For Austria you need a motorway vignette which you can buy at service stations in Germany as you get near the border. Nothing needed fir Germany.
You'll need winter tyres.
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 @holidayloverxx, I thought I read something about a vignette.
I suppose it depends in part on your private trade-off between cost and convenience. I've driven through France to the Alps lots of times and never bothered to drive off the motorway to save a few quid filling up on petrol. Similarly, I've used eurotunnel rather than ferry because although it's a bit more expensive, it's quicker and easier.
On the other hand, I sometimes drive across the Jura towards Geneva, rather than continue on the motorway. It saves tolls and makes a nice change. Fuel use is arguable. It's shorter, but slower. It probably saves fuel compared to 80 mph on the motorway. The choice, one way or another, is marginal. I make up my mind at the last minute, but a lot depends on weather. In very wet or snowy weather the motorway wins every time.
Unless the differences are huge I'd tend to choose whichever route I'd enjoy the most. Or dislike the least.
Whichever way you go, a couple of good audio books make a big difference.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I alway go via Lille and Luxemburg and do an overnight in Germany ( last year was Karlsruhe but that was because the hotel in Permasens was shut ) but this is with one driver ..the vignette in Austria is for using their motorways but this can be avoided and depending on which day you are traveling the Ferne Pass can be very busy( i have queued there for an hour) but you can avoid it by going via Munich and Garmisch I came back that way once and other people in my party who used the Ferne Pass and who left before me caught up with me after Ulm
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
You can buy the Austria Vignette from here, its number plate recognition so its an automated service......https://www.asfinag.at/en/toll/
You definately need the vignette for making your way to Corvara over the Brenner Pass, which you can also purchase from here. The back roads from Austria to Corvara are not recommended and can add time to your journey (although very scenic)
Driven to Corvara from the Eurotunnel on a few occassions, I also do the route@DaveD, has said and find it the easiest way, but this is all dependant on your driving and how you cope with Motorway driving. Drving through Belgium/Lux/Germany/Austria is the cheaper option than France/Switzerland.
Eurotunnel/Lille/Charleroi/Luxemborg/Pirmasens/Karlsruhe with an overnight stop, then to Munich, into Austria via Kufstein, over Brenner pass to Corvara.
There are multiple options which other people will post on here, so its open to different peoples opinion, mine is above.
After all it is free
After all it is free
The digital vignette for Austria looks like it a useful idea if you can book it in advance. Unfortunately the links from the page to 'buy now' just take to a page error.
Like the others, I'd suggest taking Eurotunnel, and don't forget you can use Tesco vouchers at 3x times their value on Eurotunnel.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Thanks, that works. I was following the link from Alastair Pink that was giving me problems.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
olderscot wrote:
Thanks, that works. I was following the link from Alastair Pink that was giving me problems.
I only gave that link to show the prices, I wasn't aware that it has a problem with actually buying a vignette, sorry.
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.
@richb67,
We did the drive to Arabba in January this year & looked at routes on ViaMichelin, it gave 3 alternatives giving similar drive times from Calais so we chose the Brussels, Liege, Stuttgart, Ulm, Kempten, route staying at OY Mittelberg which took 10.5 hours from Calais including a couple of fuel/snack stops. This route has no tolls.
After Brussels the roads were a quiet & relaxing drive through much of Belgium/Germany, busier around Stuttgart area but no problems & on journey back on Sunday no big lorries allowed to travel in Germany so roads were really quiet.
After OY we did Fern pass to Innsbruck then Brenner.
If you want to buy Austrian Vignette online you need to do it more than 18 days before (something to do with Austria on-line purchasing/cancellation rules). We missed this so had to buy at first service station crossing from Germany to Austria.
Stayed at OY hotel Mittelberg, an unstaffed modern motel type place, great if you want a no fuss inexpensive stopover with self catering rooms, which suited us, supermarket a mile away but no on site facilities.
We took early morning tunnel to Calais Thursday as we had Friday afternoon/Saturday morning stopover/ski at Kronplatz ski area before travelling onto Arabba but guess Friday travel may be busy.
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
thanks everyone, looks like a bit more research required from my side but the options are narrowed down.
The plan is Eurotunnel using Tesco vouchers, got to do something with them now we can't swap for airmiles...
We have some flexibility on travel days so i was thinking of taking the some approach as @Tony111, i.e. leave UK Thursday, arrive Alta Badia Friday am/lunch to miss the worst of the traffic, then find somewhere cheap for the Friday night (our apartment is from Saturday). We'll need to rent some skis so it gives us time to sort the passes out and get skis on Friday then a full day skiing Saturday
Buying the Vignette online seems like the way to go, as we're staying more than 9 days we'll need two but they seem reasonably priced and as @Simon94 says the only sensible option in Winter is via the Brenner pass so you can't really do it without them.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@richb67, the traffic through Germany will be pants on a weekday ...allow an extra 2 hours at least to the Google maps time.
You can buy 2 separate vignettes to run consecutively
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
The Austrian vignette is 10 days, not 9 (or has it changed?). So Thursday to the following Saturday inclusive is 1 vignette (or Friday to the following Sunday).
I thought that you didn't need one for the Brenner, so long as you access it from the correct junction (ie not the main Innsbruck Mitte interchange), and leave the Brenner at the correct junction on the way back. Of course that also means the non-autobahn route to get to either the road to Garmisch or the one to Füssen. Don't forget the extra Brenner toll (about €10ish), and the Brennero Autostrada toll on the Italian side (a few €).
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@andy, he's 'staying' more than 9 days so a 10 dayer will expire before he leaves
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
andy wrote:
The Austrian vignette is 10 days, not 9 (or has it changed?). So Thursday to the following Saturday inclusive is 1 vignette (or Friday to the following Sunday).
I thought that you didn't need one for the Brenner, so long as you access it from the correct junction (ie not the main Innsbruck Mitte interchange), and leave the Brenner at the correct junction on the way back. Of course that also means the non-autobahn route to get to either the road to Garmisch or the one to Füssen. Don't forget the extra Brenner toll (about €10ish), and the Brennero Autostrada toll on the Italian side (a few €).
I did manage to do this one year as I wanted to stop for fuel ( Austria is usually cheaper than Germany and a fill up here can get me to Lux)at the end of the Brenner and the sat nav gave me a very easy non autobahn route to Garmisch and I did look up on the asfinag site which shows the Brenner as toll not subject to having a vignette
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?
Just a quick update on this as we arrived today, thanks everyone, the trip went smoothly.
Wednesday pm driving from SW to Folkestone, overnight Folkstone, ca 7 hrs but we stopped for a pizza on the way… stayed Holiday Inn express, clean, functional, has bar and is 10 mins from the tunnel terminal.
Thursday – 8:20 Eurotunnel, it ran late and we left Calais at 10:30, arrived OY Mittelberg 21:15 so 10 hrs 45 mins including a lunch stop and two shorter breaks.
We took the toll free route via Lille & Luxembourg. Traffic fine except between Worth and Stuttgart where it was very busy, very rainy and some long roadworks so very slow. Stayed at Hotel OY Mittelberg, a motel which was cheap, clean but lacking in basics for the kitchenette.
Friday left OY Mittelberg ca 9:00 am to Alta Badia via Fern pass & Brunico (for some shopping), easy drive, very scenic, ca 5 hrs including the stops, quite a bit of snow so now felt like we were going skiing. Google says 3:30 without stops which seemed about right. This gave us plenty of time for getting ski passes, skis, paying for lessons etc.
Filled up with fuel in Luxembourg where there is currently a max price of Eur1.61 for Diesel so every station charges this, then on the edge of Innsbruck for Eur1.73 (ca 200m from first junction after you turn South on A13 so close enough to be city prices), saw Diesel at Eur2.20 plus at the service stations in Germany and Austria so plan ahead if you want to save some cash. Min of Eur1.97 in Italy.
It was Eur 11 toll for the Brenner pass but you can take the toll free road. We bought the Austrian Vignette online a few weeks ago, you specify the start date so that was easy.
Having the time to do it over 2 half and one full day worked well for us. I guess you can do Folkestone to Alta Badia in one day if you get an early crossing and are willing to do a long drive but I’m glad we didn’t. Next time we might stop nearer Stuttgart/Ulm to make day 2 a bit shorter as we had plenty of time on arrival
Now about to pop out to Ustaria Posta in Badia for a meal and few drinks
@luigi, actually I did bump into him and said that I enjoyed the videos, he changed from serious hotel owner to smiling, laughing guy in a nano second.
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Poster: A snowHead
