Marge

We are in Germany and have the choice of going to northern Italy through either Switzerland, or through Austria. We will eventually go through Rome,but would like to go to north Italy for a day on our way down, and would like to know which roadways are bast etc. What are the advantages and disadvantages of both passes?

Rex

Hi Marge!<BR><BR>Welcome to the Fodor's Europe forum, and thank you for your question.<BR><BR>I have done the reverse - - driving from Bassano del Grappa (north of Verona) - - up through the Trento area, over BrennerPass to Innsbruck (spending a night in Hall in Tirol), headed on to Munich.<BR><BR>The road is excellent, and I could not get over the sight of vineyards covering every square inch of uninhabited ground in Italy, leading up to the pass. I am very anxious to return to this area and see more. There are a number of SudTirol wines from this region that are not very well known in the US.<BR><BR>Of course, a lot depends on where in Germany is your origin. You might like to take a look at the website www.twenj.com - - an excellent resource on southern Germany (speficially Bavaria) - - and very strong on Switzerland.<BR><BR>And best of all, its creator(s) Ed (and Julie) are regulars here, and can "dialogue" with you. They (he) will almost always respond to questions on this forum or in direct e-mails.<BR><BR>I hope that this information is helpful to you - - and I hope you have a great time - - on both sides of the Alps!<BR><BR>Come back often and ask more questions as the plans for your trip evolve.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

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anybody else? <BR>

Alec

I have done both trips, to and from Italy via Switzerland or Austria. <BR>If you are coming through Eastern France/Southwest Germany (Strasbourg, Freiburg, Black Forest etc), it's simplest to go through Switzerland and cross into Italy via St Gotthard Tunnel. You pay 40 SFr ($23)for an annual 'vignette', which covers the tunnel as well. It's motorway throughout and apart from some hold-ups near junctions, the journey is straightforward. You stay more or less along valleys, but there is some impressive mountain scenery south of Lucerne. If you are coming from Munich, then you will normally follow Autobahn A8/A93 and cross into Austria at Kufstein and continue on A12 to Innsbruck and then the Brennerautobahn A13 to Italy. The scenery may be less spectacular but pleasant, and the Europabrücke south of Innsbruck is breathtaking. You need vignette to use Austrian autobahns and extra toll for the Brenner Pass. There's a 10-day vignette for AS 105 ($7), and further AS 110 ($7) for Brenner. You can veer off south of Brixen and tour around the Dolomites, which has impressive scenery. All routes to Italy get very busy in the summer, especially at the start and end of the season, i.e. the last weekend in July and August. It's not unusual to be delayed by a couple of hours. If you are not in a hurry, you can use ordinary road from Garmisch via Seefeld and over Brenner Pass, which can take around 3 hours and toll-free.

Rex

topping real questions, seeking to get things back to travel, even if only a little bit...

Ian

I am no expert when it comes to the Brenner Pass but here are some MAJOR tips when it comes to driving across Switzerland when the traffic is really heavy e.g. Saturday mornings in July! <BR>1. Avoid if possible the San Gottard tunnel - use the San Bernardino tunnel (South West of Chur) if possible; the route is a little longer but the traffic flows much, much better and the tunnel is shorter for anyone who dislikes long tunnels. <BR>2. If planning to stay in Como or Lake Como area, try to avoid the Customs at Chiasso/Como. Last weekend I heard that the queues to enter Italy were about 10 miles long at times. An alternative route is to exit at Lugano Sud, head for the lake (Lago) and follow the directions for Menaggio (also Saint Moritz). From Menaggio you have a pleasant drive down the lake to Como. <BR>3. If going to Lago Maggiore (Stresa etc), exit the motorway at Mendrisio in the direction of Varese/Stabio. Cross the customs at Stabio and re-enter the autostrada. It's about 6/7 miles from the customs along normal roads - just follow the green signs for the autostrada direction Milano. When on the autostrada you will find directions to Lago Maggiore, Gravellona Toce, etc. This route is also very useful if you are going to the Italian Riviera (Liguria) as there is an excellent new connection to Alessandria and then down to Genova. The first section is hardly used, 3 lane for most of it and you avoid the Tangenziale (Ring Road) of Milan. <BR>I shall work on a detailed set of instructions and will eventually post these in due course. But the above is a good start.

christina

ciao marge <BR> <BR>i often drive from here firenze to bern/switzerland to visit my family. in the very beginning i did the route bern - lucerne - san gottardo tunnel - chiasso - milano - bologna - firenze. it's suizide. the san gottardo tunnel is 17 km long, 1 tunnel, 2 way (like on a normal street) and the a1 here in italy is the moste used highway particulary for trucks (and they are on the road from monday to saturday 24 hours a day). i'm a very good driver and it's my hobby but still i don't like the gottardo. you will have the problem stay for hours in a traffic jam at the brennero as well. i found out another route. cost's maybe a bit more but is very nice to drive and till genova without any traffic: <BR> <BR>(i just give you the idea from bern to firenze) <BR> <BR>bern - fribourg - martigny - gran st. bernard - val d'aosta - alessandria - genova - lucca - firenze. <BR> <BR>you could visit torino (northern italy) or crossover from alessandria to milano and lago di como. you could visit asti (very nice spot, our singer paolo conti is from there). visit the whole piemont area (you drive through) famous for its' good food and wine. and a lot more. <BR> <BR>remember: from now on till end of august - whole europe is in holidays and a lot of them by there own cars. <BR> <BR>tantissimi saluti! <BR> <BR>christina

Anita

ciao Christina <BR> <BR>We'll be driving from the Berner Oberland to the Italian Riviera in late September. I notice that you don't mention Loetschberg Tunnel/Simplonpass. Is there a reason you avoid this route? <BR>Do you have any hotel recommendations in the towns you mentioned? <BR>Thanks in advance for your suggestions. Greetings from one Swiss Miss to another - Anita <BR>(Haimweh-Baslere in USA)