 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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iblair, think I'd go through France to Basel, then through Switzerland via Zurich personally. When we moved out here we did the Belgium/Germany route and not only is it longer but every booger is trying to go fast on the German motorways resulting in more stress, more tiredness and more traffic. The tolls in France have the advantage of keeping the roads pretty clear (except round non-toll Strasbourg of course). So France to Basel, then through CH is prob least busy and least stressful. JMHO
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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?
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Thanks eng_ch, I was looking at that way too. 
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Just searching snowheads for tips and came across this, is eng_ch's, suggested route still the one to aim for? We are driving from Leeds, aiming for a lunchtime tunnel on Friday 9th April, drive 4-5 hours on the other side, stop over, then get up and get to Stuben saturday monring....
I assume we'd need to buy a vignette before crossing Switzerland and then also buy one for Austria??
cheers,
greg
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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iblair, From my experience (only in the summer) the German road network is crammed. Our experience of the French roads has been excellent, if a little expensive in around 6/7 trips by car in summer. Think if I was driving to western Austria I would definitely stick to the French roads
When we were in Stuben earlier this year there were a couple of French families fromoutside Strassbourg that make the journey regularly to the Arlberg and said it was dead easy for them
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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kitenski, it's still how I'd do it. Calais, Reims, hang a left at Chalons en Champagne towards Verdun and Metz, under Luxembourg, up to you whether you stay on the motorway round Strasbourg (easy navigation) or cut down past Saverne/Wasserlonne/Molsheim (saves about half an hour if you know the way), then past Colmar, hang another left just before Mulhouse towards Basel. The worst of the tolls are down to Verdun - from there to Basel is about € 4. Re vignettes, the answer to your question is yes - on sale at both borders. You also need to pay about € 8 for the tunnel before St Anton IIRC. It's somewhere we want to check out one weekend this year since our place is let
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kitenski, try the viaMichelin routeplanner:
http://www.viamichelin.com/viamichelin/int/tpl/hme/MaHomePage.htm
They recommend Calais-Reims-Strasbourg then into Germany across the Black Forest via Freiburg, into Switzerland hitting the A1 motorway east of Zurich. Not sure about that one, especially in winter.
You can buy the swiss vignette (1yr-approx. €25)at the border crossings, they force you to at Basel as you enter on a motorway. Basel can be a nightmare there's no through motorway and they were doing roadworks when I last passed through but I noticed there's now a route to avoid it near the German town of Lorrach.
Michelin's quickest route is the dash across France to Strasbourg then Karlsruhe-Stuttgart-Ulm-Bregenz, presumably they're discounting any traffic hold-ups.
Have you considered Calais-Dunkerque-Lille-Tournai-Mons-Namur-Luxembourg-Saarlouis-Pirmasens-Karlsruhe-Stuttgart-Ulm-Bregenz-Stuben? I did this route about 15 years ago. Belgium and Germany are busier than France. So could be a bit slower but no tolls (even between Calais and Lille), no swiss vignette, cheap fuel in Luxembourg (not the incentive it once was) just need the Austrian 10 day sticker (about €8 ) which you can buy near the border.
Cheap overnight is the Formule 1 chain, there's one in Freyming-Merlebach, junction 40 off the French A4 between Metz-Strasbourg, there's a selection of chain hotels just inside France near Basel-Mulhouse airport, depending on your routing.
It's likely you could hit traffic around any of the big towns you pass at peak times.
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Watch out for German motorway roadworks. Last season I drove from Brussels to St Anton a few times through LONG sections which were two lanes only, marked at 80 km/h and very narrow. Very tiring driving, especially when passing buses / trucks going at 60, with about 4 inches to spare on either side of the car. Added more than an hour to a 7-8 hour trip.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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iblair,
| Quote: |
| Or do I go across to Belgium and down through Germany, therefore avoiding all tolls until I get to Austria? |
I always use this route when commuting back to and from the UK. I live on the German /Austrian border between Rosenheim and Salzburg. As you are not travelling in a holiday period, there should be no problems with traffic jams unless you are very unlucky. I normally do it in one hit, travelling by myself
I enter Belgium after Lille - no tolls until after there. I use the route from Lille past Tournai, Mons, Charleroi, Namur, then down to Luxembourg where I fill up with the cheapest fuel in Western Europe at the moment.
After Luxembourg, I use the new motorway to Germany heading off toward Saarbrücken. This has been a quiet and relatively problem-free route the last 4 or 5 times I've used it. It is also very fast.
I follow the route towards Karlsruhe where I then pick up the A 8 going towards Stuttgart. After Stuttgart I would head to Ulm where you turn south on the A7. At Memmingen, switch to the A96 and follow it down to Bregenz. The last section of missing motorway (8km) is being opened next week so depending on when you are travelling you could be on motorway the whole way. From Bregenz to Bludenz is just a short hop
At any service area before the border you can pick up the Austrian vignette - costs €7.70 for 10 days and you do need it, not only the autobahns in Austria but also the "Schnellstrasse". Don't try and do without it and drive on the Maut-pflichtig roads - the Austrian police just love lightening your wallet!
I ran this through my sat-nav and came up with a journey time of 10.5 hours and 645.78 miles Obviously I did not have the exact start and finish points though. The only toll you need to pay is the one for Austria and if going on to St Anton the tunnel.
boabski - it is easy for the Strasbourgois because they cross the river at Kehl and drive on the German roads to Basel - apart from the Swiss annual vignette, does not really cost them much! I used to live in Strasbourg and did the same trip or similar several times!
eng_ch - the tolls are a wee bit more than that - I had to use that route to Paris in September and they took €16.60 between Strasbourg and just the other side of Verdun one way! We were surprised at how expensive it was to be honest and how often we had to stop for either the tickets or to pay (we used a credit card so I've just checked the receipts for the costs) Yes the motorways were relatively quiet but all in all we thought the tolls in France were a rip off. Especially as the police use the toll sections as a way of checking the speed! And my God is that A4 boring to drive along at 130kmh - goes on for bloody ever  [/u]
Sue 
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| luigi wrote: |
| They recommend Calais-Reims-Strasbourg then into Germany across the Black Forest via Freiburg, into Switzerland hitting the A1 motorway east of Zurich. Not sure about that one, especially in winter. |
I wouldn't do that - it's pretty slow at the best of times if you're talking about a cross-country route rather than motorway
| Quote: |
| You can buy the swiss vignette (1yr-approx. €25)at the border crossings, they force you to at Basel as you enter on a motorway. Basel can be a nightmare there's no through motorway and they were doing roadworks when I last passed through but I noticed there's now a route to avoid it near the German town of Lorrach. |
The Swiss vignette is CHF 40. The tunnels under Basel were completed just over a year ago and it's now a clear run under the city from France. There's always been a motorway through from the German side, but that is the much busier border crossing.
Calais to here (half an hour south of Zurich) was less than 8 hours with clear weather before they opened the Westring in May; probably nearer 7.5 now. Calais to Basel is about 6-6.5 hours. Sue is right that some of the French motorways are pretty dull - the bit between Calais and Reims just has to be endured - but after that there are at least landmark exits every hour or so. That's also why we cut down past Molsheim (coz it's pretty!).
Sue, that 16€ toll was almost certainly mostly accounted for by the bit between Metz and Verdun (I'd forgotten that) - certainly Metz to Basel is not very much. Seems to get more expensive the further north you go. From where we are it would add hours to avoid Basel and the empty roads in France are a much more pleasant prospect than the A5 up from Basel towards Karlsruhe (urgh).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| luigi wrote: |
kitenski,
Have you considered Calais-Dunkerque-Lille-Tournai-Mons-Namur-Luxembourg-Saarlouis-Pirmasens-Karlsruhe-Stuttgart-Ulm-Bregenz-Stuben? I did this route about 15 years ago. Belgium and Germany are busier than France. So could be a bit slower but no tolls (even between Calais and Lille), no swiss vignette, cheap fuel in Luxembourg (not the incentive it once was) just need the Austrian 10 day sticker (about €8 ) which you can buy near the border. |
That is the route I have taken and probably the cheapest. We did it overnight so there were no traffic problems.
On the map the navigation looks complicated but with satnav it will be easy.
Even before satnav there were those "E" route signs on the motorways which always used to puzzle me, but once you get to understand how they work they are very effective.
It took the same time for us to drive from Calais to St. Anton as it did from Calais to Val d'Isere.
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