 Poster: A snowHead
|
Hello,
In light of the excellent advice I received last year regarding the best route to Oberstdorf, I would like to pose the same question again this year, with a slight variation:
This year the route is Dunkirk - Flachau. The two choices would appear to be Dunirk - Luxembourg - Munich - Austria, or Dunkirk - Belgium - N. Germany - Munich - Austria. Leaving Dunkirk on Friday night @ 9pm (half term!). Any suggestions gratefully received.......
Skimac 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
skimac, I do most of that run on a fairly regular basis and I never use the northern Germany route.
The easiest and most cost effective route is as follows:
Dunkirk - Lille
Lille - Tournai
Tournai - Mons
Mons - Charleroi
Charleroi - Namur
All of which avoid any major conurbations by following the E42 motorway route. This road was upgraded about 6 years ago and is not likely to be worked on in a major sense for a couple of more years yet.
Namur - Luxembourg - following E411/E25 motorways (essentially the same but the number changes at the Luxmbourg border)
In Luxembourg you should be able to fill up at the Berchem/Bettembourg service area just south of Luxembourg city on the E25/A3. Fuel here is cheaper than anywhere else along your route, if you can avoid filling up at a German motorway services then do so as their prices can be horrendous. BTW do not fill up at the Walserberg service area on the German Austrian border - their prices are just extracting the urine!
After the Luxembourg services, follow the signs to Germany at the big motorway interchange (Croix de Bettembourg) where you switch from the A3 to the A13. The next big Luxembourg town you will see sign posted on the motorway is Mondorf les Bains and the road signs should indicate Saarbrucken &/or Deutschland. You cross into Germany at Schengen by the way!
At the German border the road number changes to the A8 and you follow this until you reach the interchange with the A6 at Kreuz Neukirchen. Depending on the traffic and road conditions, this is where you make a decision to stay on the A8 directly to Karlsruhe or whether to switch to the A6 and drive round to Mannheim before Karlsruhe. The reason I say there is a decision to make is that the Mannheim route is motorway the whole way, whereas the A8 peters out after 35kms at Pirmaesens. You are then on normal A-type road for a while (B10) before joining the A65 the other side of the National forest. It is a really good road but it is a little winding and hilly and oncoming traffic can be disconcerting if the driver(s) are tired. When driving on my own, I stay on the motorway, if I have a co-driver I take the shorter route through the forest.
From Karlsruhe you pick up the A8 again and follow it all the way to Munich (A99 around Munich) and then onward to the Austrian border at Walserberg. From there you follow the A10 Tauernautobahn directly to Flachau.
A tip to save time and frustration at the border is to pick up the Austrian vignette (10 days is 8 Euro and 2 months is 23.40 Euro) at one of the German service areas that advertise that they sell them. They are the same price everywhere, so there are no cost penalties. The service areas selling the vignette are all the ones between Munich and Salzburg with a big red sign on top of the info sign for the service area and some of the ones on the way down from Stuttgart to Munich.
Even though you are travelling overnight from Friday through to Saturday, you are likely to encounter some heavy traffic in Germany and Austria. Lots of Germans set off straight after school finishes on the Friday as well. The bottlenecks at the moment are:
1. South of Stuttgart on the A8 where there are extensive roadworks at Mühlhausen in Thäle. The road splits here to climb over the escarpment of the Schwabish Hills (it is called the Drakenstein). Leading up to this the motorway is being widened on both sides from 2-lane to 3-lane so you have quite extensive re-routing and narrowing of lanes.
2. South of Munich at the Irschenberg, again where the traffic starts to climb over a steep ridge. The 10km before the Irschenberg is strictly limited in speed (normally 120km/h) in order to prevent traffic piling up at the steep hill. But if there is on or two slow lorries in the right-hand lane, things do quickly jam up).
3. Between Grabenstätt and Siegsdorf there are major roadworks because they have to replace a bridge. This sometimes causes tailbacks that turn into jams when the road is busy.
I hope this helps you have a trouble free run, you can get back to me with any questions if you have any.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
Many many thanks Sue,
I have had a few people suggest this route over the N Germany one, and you have confirmed it. A lot of it I know from last years drive to Oberstdorf - thanks in particular for showing me how to avoid the B10, it was a bit of a chore last year. Also, I am sure people know but you can now buy the Austrian vignette on line before you leave http://www.tolltickets.com/country/austria/vignette.aspx?lang=en-GB is the link.
No problem with the snow this year!
Thanks again,
skimac
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
I just buy mine vignette at the services these days. Usually first one off the Munich ring, whose name escapes me, but isn't Irschenberg (where I refuse to stop). I'll need to stop for a 5min break anyway, after 4 hours on the road, so it's no time lost.
For the non-cross country route going via Mannheim, I have no idea what state roadwoarks are in this year. Last year there were 2 equal ones, so could go either Mannheim-Heilbronn-Stuttgart or Mannheim-Karlsruhe-Stuttgart and both were about 2-3mins delay. I tend to avoid Karlsruhe at rush hour, but usually go back that way late at night.
Handy to know about Drackenstein... think that's been going on for years. PITA stopping at services there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Sounds familiar. Normally get it from the cafeteria till. First "proper" services (I think).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hello,
Many thanks for all the advice. Snow tires being put on the car this week. To those in the know I realise that 11-18 Feb is UK half term, and also the Austrian Flasching week - both my previous trips to Flachau and Wagrain were outside those dates. I realise that it will of course be busier, but will it be unbearable  .....
Skimac
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
I change mine at the end of each January when the previous one runs out!
