Italy
Hi, I'm sorry if this has been asked before but this is our first time with a caravan this year and we have been away 4 times this year. We are planning a trip to Italy next year can anybody help us on a good route or the best route to Italy. What tolls
there are and how much they cost. Also we need to find different camp sites along the route as we are going for two weeks travelling over three days to get to Italy 5 hours driving a day. Many thanks for any help you may give us.
Comments
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I'm guessing from Essex you are going out from Harwich and starting in Europe from the Hook of Holland. Yes?
But where are you making for in Italy? If you put in your start and finish into Via Michelin.com route finder it will suggest routes and tell you what the tolls will be - just remember to tick the box to say you are towing a caravan, or even say whether you want a toll free route.
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I went down to Italy in September using the tunnel and through France, Switzerland into Italy. The auto route tolls were just over £80 and vignette for Switzerland for car and caravan was £64. I returned via Switzerland, Germany and Holland as I returned
on Stena line from the Hook to Harwich.0 -
We went to Italy this summer but we stayed in the Mosel and Black Forest (Germany) before going to Provence and then on to Italy. We came back via the Frejus tunnel as we were heading for the Geneva area, then Chalon-en-Champagne before coming back to Calais.
One thing to be aware of is that the pitches tend to be quite small in Italy, and tend to get booked up quite quickly, in my limited experience. Choose your sites carefully, especially if you have a largish caravan. After saying that, we have only limited experience of the country, so there may be those with greater experience of the country.
Although I have not finished loading all the photos yet, if you want to see what we did and where we went in the summer do have a look at my 'story' HERE. We were in Italy from July 27th.
Hope this helps.
David
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My preferred route to the Adriatic coast and Garda area is Calais to Metz, Strasburg, Stuttgart, Ulm, Kempten then over the Fern Pass towards Innsbruck then the Brenner pass into Italy. There are good overnight stops in Metz (municipal site) and in Imst (Imst West site). You will probably find that 5 hours driving per day will not be sufficient but the driving will be less stresfull than in the UK since there will be less traffic on the motorways (especially in France and Italy). Others on the forum have their own preffered routes eg through Belgium, but the road surfaces are still not as good as those through France.
What time of the year are you planning to go?
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First thing, don't ever book when Caravanning in Europe unless you are going at peak time and to a very popular destination or you must stay at a specific site for a fixed date. It is not like the UK where you have to book nearly everything in advance and it spoils the whole concept of touring. I promise, you will always find somewhere to stop.
Second thing, there are many routes and they have been often discussed on this forum but essentially the quickest from Calais is through France and Switzerland (St. Gottard tunnel) and the cheapest is Germany/Austria and the Brenner pass. Depends where you are going in Italy and whether you want to avoid tolls.
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Agree 100% with hitch glitch and Deleted User User. done the Italian trip variously to Maggiore, Como, Venice, Tuscany, Elba and hitch's route is the no nonsense easy route. French autoroutes far less stressful than our M ways and Calaid to Maggiore feasible
with just one stop somewhere between Strasbourg and Mulhausen- but beware of traffic queues at tunnels- we try and hit them at night and make that a priority. Italy is Great country and I think that they are insisting on testing their nationals before awarding
driving licences now which is a great mprovement over our experiences of 50 years ago! Overnighting in Aires and Mway rests not recommended these days, and going off the main routes, using the CC handbooks to find sites on spec preferable to keeping to a
timetable.0 -
I would support the view that limiting your driving to 5 hours will add a couple of days to the journey each way. We always travel through germany but it does have the disadvantage of being the other side of Belgium with it's mostly awful road surfaces
However it does avoid all the tolls and France. We too head for the Fern and Brenner pass but if you are going in the summer peak season I personally think you would be foolish not to book your stopovers prior to departure. The certainty of a pitch at the
end of a days drive in my mind reduces the stress, enables better journey planning and saves valuable time. Also bear in mind Many sites will not accept less than a 4 night booking in peak season. We went to northern Italy 2 years ago stopping at Rudesheim
and Innsbruck on the way down and Augsburg and Saarburg return.0 -
Hi Everybody thank you for all your help, we are going to a place called Roma flash in Italy or nearest we can get to lake Garda and we were going to leave from Calais but now may look into going from Harwich. As this being our first time I have been told
it would be better to use the toll route. Perhaps we may have to have less time in Italy as I have only a 2 week window before I have to go back to work, shame really as they were offering 8 nights for the price of 7. Dam0 -
Jed
I am a bit confused. Isn't Roma Flash on Lake Bracciano just north of Rome. Are you intending to go to Lake Garda as well?
David
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With limited time available my wife and I share the driving 50/50 and we leave on a midday ferry from Dover and drive nonstop arriving at lakeside by noon Saturday. same returning, X crept we never get up early enough to avoid St Gottard tunnel queues but
you could always go over the top if you have a suitably matched unit.0 -
Hi forgot to say when we were going, we are leaving on the 18th June to the 2nd July we have looked at leaving from Holland and its half hour longer then going from Calais so not much in it really, It only saves us time this side as we are nearer to Harwich.
Don't know yet about tolls via Holland to Italy.0 -
If you go to here on this page is a Campsite on Braciano in our first or first trip.
Detailed route with stop overs en route on it too. here
Main Autobahns in Belgium are far better than those in the UK well our route it is.certainly OK last June. I would attempt the route going through France and Switzerland too expensive. Any more info pleasse ask will be glad to help.
DianneT
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Jed. We have been to Lake Bracciano a couple of times and loved it. However, I hate to put a damper on your plans but it is a long way and as you have only 2 weeks is it perhaps a little ambitious, especially so as you would be the sole driver (like me).
It is 1031 mile to Bracciano from Calais and you need at least 3 overnight stops to get there arriving on the 4th day. Maybe Lake Garda area would be more realistic as it would be a day less travelling each way. Just a thought. Regarding route; we use
the Tunnel (free if you have Tesco points!), then Belgium (roads ok now), Germany, Austria, Brenner. All motorways except the Ferne Pass, and toll free until Austria. You should look at ACSI for sites as you could save the subscription on your way down! Also
ADAC for Breakdown/recovery insurance. Can recommend Dianne's blog all sound advice based on her many years travelling in Eutrope Whatever you do have a great trip in beautiful Italy.0 -
Jed
If you decided to not go as far as Roma Flash perhaps an alternative would be Lake Trasimeno which is near Perugia. We stayed at this
campsite which is right on the shore of the lake and has reasonable sized pitches. If you are interested in reading blogs this
one might be of interest as it details our trip which included the the campsite above. It also details the route we took to get to Italy with stops en route including some views
of the Fern Pass.David
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If you are using Dianne's route then she should answer your question, but since you are going in June which we have been doing for many years then it is worth getting ACSI (as others have recommended). You will always find a site but it is true to say that
there are a handful of sites that are very popular night halts and if you arrive quite late you may be unlucky. Usually this will be mentioned in the handbooks and there will always be another site nearby.0 -
Yes Jed I do email ahead three days ahead to check availability especially if it is a new site to us.
With regards to Prumtal I always book for going down and coming back as we have a favourite large pitch down by the river which accommodates our large caravan with plenty of space. In June they can be quite busy especially when there is a German Public
Holiday. They are very good and dont take a deposit at that time of year.You should certainly get ACSI Camping Card most of the sites on my /route are in the scheme including Prumtal.
DianneT
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We have done the route to Lake Garda several times Towing our caravan via Calais. As has been said it's all motorway pretty much whichever route you choose. My preference would be to leave Calais in the morning, travel north into Belgium, Gent, Brussels,
then south to Luxembourg. There is a very good stopover site just in Belgium called Camping du sud. Then into Germany via Saarbrucken. You will need another stop I would suggest Fussen in Bavaria which is worth a longer stop to visit the castles lakes etc,
but it's a long haul, we have done it but the problem in Germany is the traffic and road works. Also be aware that there are often long sections where vehiicles with trailers such as caravans and lorries are not allowed to overtake. I would then take the
Brenner pass which is easy motorway into Italy.0 -
the problem in Germany is the traffic and road works. Also be aware that there are often long sections where vehiicles with trailers such as caravans and lorries are not allowed to overtake. I would then take the Brenner pass which is easy motorway into
Italy.Not just Germany. We had a torrid time around the Brussels ring road, both heading South and then back North, this year. We'll probably go via France next time, at least until South of Luxembourg.
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If you go through Switzerland then of course you will need a vignette (two if towing) so there is a cost, however, you can minimise the tolls avoiding most of the French autoroutes from Calais by going via Belgium and cutting down to, say, Metz or even Saarbruken. You have to pay Metz to Strasbourg but then the autoroute to Basel is free.
Last time we did that we kept to the South of Belgium (Lille, Mons, Charleroi) rather than Brussels but the motorways we so bad I posted a thread "Bumpy Belgium". There were also road works through many parts of the route. This was a few years ago and they may be better now.
Should you go the more expensive route from Calais - Reims, Metz etc.- you will find the autoroute excellent with light traffic (except for Strasbourg which you should by-pass unless off-peak by going Saverne - Obernai).
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