Driving to the Dolomites from SE England

A snowHead

Hello SHers, we normally drive to France as very small children, ski bags and airports on transfer days is my idea of hell.

Going to Val Gardena, and Google maps is routing me through Germany. Any stopoffs to recommend to overnight each way with small kids? Cheap hotels or Air BnBs, as with the required stops for children, rest and driver changes, safest to overnight the drive each way, I think. I dislike driving through the night.

Car is a 4x4 on proper winter tyres so no issues there, apart from potentially hilarious fuel consumption.

Frankly the cost of flights, ski hire, transfers to and from each airport, car rental Italy will probably be around the same as Eurotunnel, fuel and cheap overnights. And even if our car costs more, it will be a nicer, if longer, trip.

So all recommendations/experiences gratefully received, with thanks.

A snowHead

Nothing to add, as I'm driving to Val Cenis at Easter, but planning a similar trip to yours for next season, so will follow with interest.

I'm sure the collective will give loads of useful info.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

The SH collective brain helped me my first time to the French Alps many years ago, a trip that is now routine! Some great experience on here.

I just costed up flying, including taxis, car rental, ski hire etc. Even driving our not very economical 4x4, Eurotunnel tickets, overnight stops and tolls, it is coming out at around £1000 cheaper to drive.

And will be way less hellish than the Ryanair Stansted (surely the worst airline and airport combination other than Aeroflot out of somewhere in Siberia) flights we have booked to Verona. They are transferable to another high season destination, thankfully.

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I put this into ViaMichelin and from Eurotunnel Calais it recommends the Autoroute des Anglais to Châlons-en-Champagne, then east to Strasbourg and Stuttgart, then SE to Innsbruck. Drive time 11h40m and cost €410.72 including €69.90 of motorway tolls, 1,172kms.

There's a more southerly route from Châlons via Basle and Zurich (12h3m / +24min), or a more northerly route from Calais via Cologne (12h49m / + 69min).

Is that what GMaps says as well? I ask because the route preference is obviously going to affect recommendations somewhat, especially if you plan to stop overnight.

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ViaMichelin. The first thing I didn't know about - thanks. Will check it out. That first route sounds good.

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You could void French tolls & go via Belgium & Luxembourg. Make sure to fill up on cheap fuel in Lux. for bigger savings!
I am sure something similar was asked not so long ago, so use the search function?

After all it is free

@Harry Flashman, once you've decided which route you'll be taking and which area you'll be looking for an overnight stop in then people can offer accommodation suggestions for the stop. e.g if you were going through Alsace I'd recommend staying in the beautiful village of Eguisheim near Colmar.

Thank you all - so helpful. Going to play with routes and then come back. Quite looking forward to the trip now!

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Keen to see how this plays out. Currently in MdC and our plane journey in was farcical!

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If you go the Luxemburg route - I'll be heading that way for the pre and birthday bashed - there's a bunch of hotels at Thionville just as you leave Luxembourg, we've stayed there several times, a few restaurants in walking distance as well.

You know it makes sense.

I always take a route via Luxembourg to fill up with cheaper fuel (A25,E42,E411,E25) then across to Karlsruhe ( short stretch of non motorway, but now all dual carriageway). Further south its a choice between turning S at Ulm and over the Fernpasse into Austria, or going further E to Munich to stay on Autobahns all the way. you'll need to buy a vignette to use Austrian motorways. Toll to pay for the Brenner Pass. Done this route many times, summer and winter.

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

We are halfway there in our motorhome as I write, a few kms north of Basel. We came the Swiss route because of the hassle of taking a 4.5t vehicle through Austria, plus I like Switzerland better. Prior to that came via Belgium (less potholes than last trip?) and Lux, only heavy traffic so far was around Lux city.
Cheap/free overnight stop for us but taking 3 to 4 days each way out of an 8 week trip.
Diesel in Luxembourg was only a little cheaper than Germany, 164 v 176.
Had 9 inches of snow overnight in Saarland.

ps heading to Passo Tonale and the Brenta Dolomites.

A snowHead

I've done this a couple of times in a pick up.

Deffo do as @dawma, and @andy n netty, say and use the Luxembourg route for your diesel.

You'll need a vignette to drive in Austria - not expensive tbh and you can buy them from a petrol station before you leave Germany somewhere near the border.

We have stayed in Stuttgart to break the journey up, but if we were doing it again we'd go Munich I think, just to mix it up a bit.

Watch out for Belgian drivers; they're nut cases.

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

True about the Belgians. Worst place for them would be the E40 between Gent and Brussels and the Brussels ring.

Too many choices over routes, and imho, there's not a lot in it between them all. Via Luxembourg is the logical choice. After that, between the Karlsruhe A5/A8 junction and Brenner Pass, it doesn't matter whether you go via Munich+Kufstein (feels like the wrong way), the Fernpass, or via Bregenz+Arlberg (costs an extra tenner in tolls), the time is basically the same. Comes down to what the weather and traffic is doing on the day. If it's dumping then avoid the pass and stick to the fully autobahn routes.
On a Friday evening I'd normally go via Karlsruhe+Munich (rush hour traffic would ease for me basically from about Karlsruhe). On a Sunday I'd often go back via Bregenz. Less stress at the expense of an extra toll.

Oh and as for places to stop off en route, in either direction, it really depends on what time you leave. Crack of sparrowfart ferry/tunnel and break up the journey? or after work Friday, and cheap hotel after an hour or so on the continental mainland?

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OK, everyone - looks like the route will be via Strasbourg, Stuttgart, Innsbruck.

Thinking a stop somewhere near Strasbourg. Cheap F1 hotel probably the way forwards with two small children who will need to sleep. But any tips welcome!

Have the AA European driving kit which should deal with all legal issues, car has headlamps that self adjust for driving on the right, snow tyres etc. Have looked at the RAC website for driving in Germany and Austria, but any quirks would be good to know about from SHers with prior experience.

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I’m starting to wish I did this. It’s virtually impossible to get winter tyres in Italy. My only other recommendation is to buy the Emovis tag that sticks to your windscreen. I have one for France and one for Spain stuck either side of my rear view mirror. It automatically charges for the toll roads but the best bit is you don’t stop and mess around with cash or credit card and just drive straight through. I did drive to the Dolomites in my twenties with a couple of friends on a rock climbing trip. Did it non stop and I think it took about 24 hours. It’s a long drive. Personally I’d rather fly now. We did it last year with a seven and four year old and took a double buggy which was great for the airport. Was actually quite easy apart from the lack of winter tyres on the hire car.

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there is the hotel Schenk in Permasens just off the route clean and relatively cheap and it has an Italian restaurant next door the hotels in Thionville are good value as well and there you get the ubiquitous Buffalo Grills..remeber to not fill up in Italy as fuel is expensive there and you need an austrian road pernit ..you might get stopped and fined otherwise but I always go via Stuttgart and Ulm never had any problems

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After all it is free

On the fuel usage front I have done the drive in 3 different vehicles and it was the 4x4 kuga that got the best efficiency and the 0.9l dacia that got the worst efficiency.

Dacia is only 5 gears so sitting at 85mph on the French motorways was over 4k revs in 5th and was only getting 250miles to a tank where the kuga sits at 2.5k revs and was getting 510 miles to the tank even through they both have the same tank.

Kuga took 150l to go from London- cham - London

Dacia took 230l to go the same route

A3 took 180l to go same route (may have gone a bit faster in this car)

We used to drive from West Cornwall to the Val Gardena Valley (1250m, it appears to be a bit less now due to road improvements) quite regularly when the kids were younger. For the 6 of us, it was significantly cheaper than flying, less hassle (living so far from main airports) and the kids could take a heap of gear. We started by overnighting in Aachen on the German/Dutch border, but eventually gave that up to do it in one hit, the Wife and I sharing the driving. It became fairly routine and a bit of an adventure and I was always quietly chuffed to see our english plates parked up in the hotel carpark in Selva.

As for tips.....
Fill your screen wash tank with neat screen wash (-20) well in advance.
There's a cheap motel in Aachen which is quite acceptable.
Google will pick your route. Look out for the GRODEN turn off when on the Innsbruck to Modena autoroute via the Brenner pass. Missed that once. Razz

Relax and enjoy.

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@luigi, The kids (teenagers at the time) all had their own kit, one had a veritable quiver. rolling eyes

I'd have two ski boxes on the roof. It would work out around £700 door to door return back then. Considerably cheaper than flights, transfers and an overnight at Gatwick at the time.

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@luigi, I disagree. They skied for 2, or more likely 3 weeks most years. I always bought their equipment either heavily discounted, or often used. It was looked after and resold after 2/3 seasons of use. By assiduous buying and selling of equipment, I am in no doubt that I saved significantly over rental over the years and I didn't spend nearly a grand hauling equipment, I spent it hauling the people to use the equipment that came along in tow. So let's be precise. Cool

As we all know, once we've made the commitment to introduce our children to the wonders of skiing, the cost/benefit has been considered and signed off. The bank balance will take a kicking, but as you say, each to their own and no apology necessary.

You know it makes sense.

Calculate from UK to run low on fuel in Luxembourg to maximize the saving. And calculate the diversion to see if it is at all worth it.

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

A snowHead

A snowHead

I asked a similar question last year and did the drive a few weeks ago, info here
https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=161268

on the way back we stayed at the Radisson blu nr Karlsruhe, on way out at OY Mittelberg

np getting to Luxembourg from SW England on full tank, still plenty left in Volvo XC60

we'd do the same route again, no French tolls and no hassle, just be careful with timings between Stuggart/Karslruhe as it was very busy but we travelled midweek.

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Driving in Germany is nothing like France. Always watch your mirrors because no matter how fast you are going, there will be someone coming up behind you before long. On the 3 lane autobahns its not uncommon for a few cars to be travelling at 140mph or more, and the locals don't like people who hog lanes that they don't need to. Always move back to the right after passing other cars.

The serways service stations do fantastic Schnitzels, Frikadellen and Bratwurst, so are well worth a stop. Unlike French service stations they also sell Beer and Wine (for the non-drivers of course Happy

)

The Austria vignette is about Euro10 for 10 days and they sell them at all service stations in Austria and usually the last few in Germany too. Don't be tempted to avoid getting one, the Polizei regularly check cars when they exit the motorway junctions and it's Euro 120 fine if you don't have one.

On Saturdays both the Munich/kufstein and Alberg pass routes are very busy. From my experience the Arlberg route is less busy and if you have time to spare the trip over the arlberg pass rather than the tunnel is very scenic but about 30 mins longer than the 14km tunnel.

I really like driving in Germany, everything is done just right Happy

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Driving to the Dolomites from SE England

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