Calais to Malcesine Routes
I am looking at planning a route from Calais to Malcesine in my motorhome which is a 2007 Autotrail Tracker, (3500kgs).
I've never done this before, so a complete novice and would be grateful for any advice on route, places to stop etc.
I am planning for 3 weeks in total.
I have registered on the Michelin Maps website but it keeps telling me that it is impossible to calculate a route but I don't know why!
Any advice would be very well received!
Thanks in advance.
Comments
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Others will be along to give you their favourite toll or non-toll routes...
re: ViaMichelin, I've just tried the app and it won't do the route, 8m sure there is a maximum somewhere which I've come across before.
googlemaps will give you a route, if you have a TomTom then download the MyDrive app for iPad and you can get a route with your vehicle dimensions added, giving the most appropriate one.
once selected, you can mark waypoints along the route and then send it, along with the waypoints, to your TomTom.
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You can go across France, or Germany, or straight through Switzerland.. This road atlas will help. I hope you have a safe journey.
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When we drove to Italy we mainly used the route Calais to Metz and then join the German motorway system down to Füssen then into Austria over the Fern and Brenner passes which takes you down the Eastern side of Lake Garda. I have not been on that side with a caravan or motorhome. To get to Malcesine it seems you would leave the motorway either at the north or south end of the lake and then use the lakeside road to get to your site. Google Maps and Streetview are useful in showing what those roads are like. Where to stop might depend on how many days you are allowing to get there. For us a visit to Lake Garda was often a part of a longer trip so we were in no rush.
David
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Hi, We have done a very similar route to DK, but we started from Hook of Holland and used the Reisa pass heading for Prutz after the Fern Pass.
We were with friends in a Autotrail Scout-the reason we chose this route was to avoid having to use a GoBox in Austria-and it was a easy and enjoyable route.
ViaMichelin can be temperamental at times and although I have the app I often use the www. website as it seems more stable-I got routes for both toll and non toll just now.
I have also started to use Mappy.com, an old favorite, again and that also gave me routes. Our use of this site was to know what the tolls would be and it was very accurate however, its possible to go via Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Austria and avoid the tolls as we did.
As far as other details, such as stops etc, that's very much a personal thing and, as caravanners, we always use sites, but Italy, Garda and Malcesine are all beautiful and your three weeks will soon be filled with trips up Monte Baldo, on the ferry to Limone and the bus to Riva Del Garda etc!
Depending on when you go you may need to check on the Bavarian school holidays as its seems all Southern Germany decamps to Italy and sites will be extremely busy..
Clearly a MH will be less flexible once on site but the buses are good and if you fancy it we can recommend Peschiera Del Garda at the Southern end of the lake, where there are lots of sites and a MH Sosta.
From here there is good public transport-buses and trains- to Verona, Venice, Milan etc.
Have a great trip!
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Hi, Just realised that my avatar is a picture taken at Camping Aktiv in Prutz en route to Garda.
A planned one night turned into four and it is a very nice site, in a great position by the river Inn-as in Innsbruck-and the town and supermarket are a short stroll away.
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We have been to the lake Garda area and beyond many times. Our preferred route is Tunnel (or ferry) - Belgium - Luxembourg - Germany - Austria and into Italy using Fern Pass then either the Brenner or Reischen Pass via Landeck. Toll free until Austria.
We have a caravan but think a Motorhome stops would be similar. So our stops are as follows. After getting an afternoon Tunnel, which would suite from Gloucestershire: first night outside Calais, there are a number of nice sites about 20 ks East of Calais; 2nd Luxembourg; 3rd Bavaria or Imst area in Austria , dependent on traffic in Germany, (Alan's Prutz site is near Landeck further on than Imst). then to Lake Garda area. You actually drive down the EAST side of Lake Garda not the West (sorry DK!). If you use the Reichen Pass you avoid the need for an Austrian Vignette.
Alan is right to caution about avoiding the Bavarian school holiday which is approx 8 weeks after Easter - I haven't looked up the exact dates but Google is your friend.
If you are going out of peak season you do not need to book any en route sites although it may be prudent to book your site at Malcesine as we found the area very busy in June/early July this year. Look at joining ACSI. ET that is the map we use! Three week will be fine for your trip; very envious; have a great holiday and enjoy a glass or two of Limoncelo or an Aperol overlooking the Lake!!.
Greetings Alan and Jean from David and Jeni.
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Map book ordered. Thank you!
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If I were going again it would be ..
Day 1 Home to Calais. Camping Fort Lapin. 300 miles for us.
Day 2. Calais to Nancy. (France) Camping Brabois . 290 miles
Day 3 Nancy to Faido. (Switzerland) Camping Gottardo 260 miles
Day 4 Faldo to Lake Garda (Italy) 200 miles.
There is no right and wrong way though my pet hate was traffic on German autobahnen and I suppose motorhomers would mostly use Aires along the way rather than campsites.
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If you go onto the via michelin website look under options and make sure "no restrictions" is ticked and you will get your route.
Colin
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That worked! Thank you..
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Yes the traffic on the A8 in the area of Stuttgart - Ulm has been a nightmare over the past few years as they upgrade the road. All I can say is that when we used it in Jun/Jul this year we did not get held up. They must finish this work sometime! Glad you got Via Michelin to work; we just use the satnav (TomTom being much better than the one fitted in my VW Tiguan - and more up to date), a map and common sense! But I digress from the OP's question.
We use either Camping St Louis in Autignes, Camping Pommiers des Trois Pays in Licques or Camping La Bien Assine in Guines for our Calais stop. They are all quite close together, in the right direction (ish) and in ACSI. En route it is where we are at about 4pm, this gives us time to have a nice evening meal and relax. We use the 3 x 2 hr driving rule - 2 hrs coffee, 2 hrs lunch and 2 hrs stop - plenty driving for this oldie and his 'young' navigator.
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We visited Malcesine some years ago with our Autotrail Apache 634 but approached from the south.
Unfortunately we had not realised it was Corpus Christi (May 30 2024 in Germany) and the sites were full of Germans !
We ended up driving up a steep drive and were tucked into the only space, between fairly low trees !
Good luck
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Used to visit Garda many times and found the quickest route was by autoroute to Reims, Metz then into Switzerland at Basle, St Gottard tunnel etc. Of course, there are tolls on the French autoroutes and a vignette for Switzerland. Malcesine is awkward being on the east side of the lake. There is a car crossing from West to East which we have used for the car but you would need to check whether motorhomes are allowed.
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Thanks for this. At some point we would be going to the Peschiera del Garda as it seems trains are handy from there to Venice and Milan. Then either north to Malcesine or south to Peschiera depending on how we approach!
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I note you mention the Gottard Tunnel but I've read there are usually long delays there. Would the Pass be preferable?
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The pass was reconstructed a few years back and is OK but quite a climb and would take longer I should think. Occasionally they close the tunnel due to pollution from congestion but over many years we were a only delayed once.
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The last time we went to Italy was in 2012, I doubt much has changed? On this occasion we first stayed at Lake Calceranica which is nearer to Trento and north of Lake Garda but the route is similar. (We stopped at Lake Garda on the way home) We carried on to Venice and Rome on that trip. I have a blog of the trip here http://www.davidklyne.co.uk/arrivederci_roma.html which lists the sites we stopped on en route which might give you a few ideals.
David
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I’m glad Via Michelin is working for you now. I use it regularly and it does occasionally decide that a route is not possible. The route we prefer and that we use each year to or from the north Adriatic coast is very similar to that described above. Belgium, Luxembourg ( we usually stop at an excellent Stellplatz in Remich on the Mosel for our first night), Stuttgart, Ulm, Fern Pass to Imst (Excellent camp site in Imst, Camping Fink or alternatively there are a number of Stellplatz in Fussen). Then Innsbruck and Brenner Pass towards Garda, although we leave the Brenner autoroute at Bolzano and head for Dobbiaco but that’s no good for Garda.
There are still a lot of roadworks on the A8 around Stuttgart but delays as a result of these are becoming less.
The quickest route is, as ET suggests, through Switzerland and the St Gottard Tunnel. As ET says, Camping Gottardo in Faido is a useful stop and one of our favourites. An excellent Italian Sosta, adjacent to the A4 motorway, near Montebello (near Vicenza) is in the grounds of a hotel (Camper Park La Fracanzana). Ok, it’s between the motorway and a rail line but the noise is not unbearable, especially at night and the facilities are first class, including a reasonably priced restaurant. Get back to us if you need more info.
Garda will be very busy in August and at Whitsun time but at other times there will be no need to pre-book.
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Many thanks David. Will have a look at that..
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Thanks for the information. Although it might take a little longer I’m thinking the Gottard Pass might be more interesting than the tunnel?
I’m actually finding Google Maps more user friendly than viaMichelin!
At the moment we’re thinking either June or September..
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June should be fine as Bavarian holiday finishes 1 June 2024. June would be my preferred month to enjoy the lighter evenings. Going out of season it could be worth you looking at joining ACSI. I went over the St Gothard pass in 1956 just remember it being awe inspiring - I wasn't driving!!!!
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The Italian lakes are very popular with Germans so try to avoid their school holidays (which unfortunately vary with different regions in Germany). We often visited Maggiore in June and it is a great time of year.
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The timing for our own visits out there was governed by what we wanted to see when the opera season opened in the open air Roman arena in Verona. We always bought cheap tickets a day or so in advance and sat up high on the stone seats with the raucous crowd. The 2024 programme is already on line - it starts on 8 June and runs for a couple of months. I must admit we spent more time in Verona than by the lake - and then went on to Venice.
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Hi, Nice to see such good responses-Italy clearly has a pull for many of us!
As said June is a good time to make the most of your time there, and Google maps shows a time difference of just two hours for non toll route.
I believe that there is a different system, than the vignette, for larger MH in Switzerland so a circular route could be viable however, with three weeks you may prefer to just get there as quickly as possible and enjoy it.
It is of course a bit of a lottery-we have been held up at Gotthard, one year the road was closed due to a rock fall, and last year the route via the Brenner and A8 in Germany was diabolical, but that was July.
Oh, and Hi to Commeyras-sadly all the Nobile is long gone!
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We have experienced the opera, (Carmen), at Verona many years ago. It was a very hot evening and we were very glad of the cushions being handed out to sit on as you could have fried eggs on those steps. It was a great experience!
Would be interested to know where you stayed when you went to Venice?
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We too watched Carmen from the stone steps many years ago but unfortunately we had a thunderstorm part way through the performance and the stone steps soon became waterfalls. Subsequently we always bought tickets in the front stalls and where we could shelter in the tunnels when it rained.
We always use camping Al Bateo in Punta Sabbione when we visit Venice. It’s a short walk to the water bus terminal from the site. If you like opera, La Fenice opera house in Venice is an amazing building, We saw La Traviata last month - highly recommended.
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Thanks for the reply. As a fellow motorhomer I would be interested in your preferred route from Calais (or Eurotunnel) to northern Italy.
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Would be interested to know where you stayed when you went to Venice?
Camping Fusina is very well placed and ferry to Venice is next to site.1 -
Would be interested to know where you stayed when you went to Venice?
It depends if you are willing to go around the Lagoon to Punta Sabbioni which if you are tight for time you might be better staying on the Mestre side of the Lagoon and use the site mentioned by Allan. We have visited Venice 4 times with our then caravan. I don't know the site mentioned by Dave Nicholson but the one we used three times out of four was this one http://www.davidklyne.co.uk/camping_miramare.html which is also a short distance from the ferry which goes into St Marks which in my view is the only way to arrive in Venice? On one of our visits to Venice we stayed at a site at Ca Savio, called Ca Savio!!! Nothing really wrong with the site but it is not as convenient as those near the ferry as its a bus ride away, albeit a good service.
David
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We have two ‘preferred’ routes to northern Italy. The first is Calais (Eurotunnel) to Belgium (south of Brussels via Namur) to Luxembourg (Remich) then Saabrucken, Stuttgart and Ulm (via A8) then Fussen, Imst (Fern Pass), Innsbruck. Brenner auto route towards Bressanone (Brixon) but we leave the auto route before Bressanone onto the SS49 to Dobbiaco. Then the SS51 through Cortina de Ampezzo to Conegliano where we pick up the A28 to Portogruaro. We’re always heading for Bibione which is NE Italy equidistant from Venice and Trieste.
The alternative route and quickest one, but one that’s not as scenic in our opinion, is from Remich back into France then Basel, Gottard Tunnel (try not to use the tunnel at the weekend) down to Milan then the A4 to Portogruaro. The motorway around Milan is always busy and it’s a bit of a lottery as to how long the delays are. The A4 is one of the busiest motorways in Europe but providing there are no accidents the traffic moves quickly and much of it is three lanes now.
As DK has said, Punta Sabbione is on the eastern side of Venice so not ideal if you’re coming from the south or south east towards Venice. Al Bateo is next door to Camping Miramare and is more suitable for motorhomes unless you have a small/medium sized caravan or a motor-mover.
Where are you planning to go to in norther Italy?
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