I am working on the last leg of our trip this July. You were most helpful last time so I'm coming back.

We (2 adults, 2 teens) will be driving from Levanto (Ligurian coast)heading toward Munich. We have two nights before we have to be in Munich on a Friday by 3pm.

Initially, we planned to go to Lake Garda for 2 nights then on to Munich. However, I read one post stating driving from Lake Como - St. Moritz-Landeck-Garmisch-Munich is the same distance and much prettier. I would love any suggestions/comments. We like beautiful scenery but want to stay within 4 hours of Munich.

I have been to both lakes (several times) and also driven north from both. I am partial to Lake Garda, especially the Gardesana Occidentale (the highway on the west side of the lake).

My suggestion would be to spend the two nights in Sirmione, on the peninsula on the south side of the lake, and take a couple of boat trips from there - - to Malcesine on the east side, and several of the towns along the west shore, and then - on the way to Munich - drive the while Gardesana Occidentale. In Sirmione I would look for a hotel in the old part of the town, which is very picturesque and has some good restaurants. I have stayed at the Hotel Ideal at the very tip of the peninsula and old town. Was very pleased.

Of course, if your teenagers are into parasurfing, then the place to stay is Riva, at the northern shore of the lake.

From Lake Garda, you then can take the autostrada A-22 to Trento, Bolzano, Brenner Pass, Innsbruck. (You need an Austrian autobahn a user's decal, available for about $8 at any gas station before the border and at the border.) At Innsbruck, take the A-12 11km west to the Zirl exit, and take the B-177 (Austria) and B-2 ( Germany) to Garmisch, via Mittenwald. Very scenic. From G. take the B-23 and Autobahn -A-95 to Munich. If you want to avoid the city and head for the airport, at the end of the A-95 take the Munich by-pass A-99 to the A-9 (Munich- Nuernberg Autobahn) north. It takes you to the airport autobahn (all clearly marked).If you want to stay about 4 hours from Munich, Mittenwald would be a nice place, I have stayed at the Hotel Post, in the center of town.

Thank you for all the detail.

Is Lake Garda more than 4 hours to Munich? I had checked on a online route planner and it looked like it was about 4 hours. Of course, those aren't always accurate.

I did look at images of Mittenwald. It looks really cute. Thanks again.

Very good advice from treplow. Anymore I just copy and paste your posts to my PC.
If you like mountain views and drives, please take a look at the routes here: http://www.thirdmansystems.com/vacation/maps/maps.htm. I've added "Lake Garda to Mittenwald" and a sub map from that route, "Bolzano to Obergurgl". I have photos taken on a trip on the Timmelsjochstraße I can post if you like. If you have extra time on the trip north you should try to see one of the areas either the Timmelsjoch or the Dolomites. The route posted has mileage and times. About 4.5 hr trip from Lake Garda to Munich via Mittenwald straight through. Unless on a Friday. Before 3 you should be ok.

How about stopping in the Dolomites north of Bolzano? I really like the small town of Bressanone (Brixen) just off the Brenner Pass autostrada, and there are a lot of fans on this board of Castelrotto (Kastelruth), also not far off the autostrada.

On our way into Italy from Munich, we will be spending time in the Dolomites. We are doing a big loop - Munich - St. Gilgen - Cortina - Venice-Cinque Terre -and back somehow.

I never heard of Timmelsjoch but that doesn't mean anything as this is our first time to Europe. I will do a google search. Thanks!

I still think 4 hours Lake Garda to Munich is almost impossible. Besides, I always give myself some leeway on travel time, especially during the peak travel season like July. It doesn't take much along the autostradas-autobahns to form huge traffic jams. Granted, you will be travelling against the major traffic flow which will be heading south, still I think a stop around Mittenwald (or Seefeld) will make for a more pleasant travel experience.

Yes the 4.5 hrs is in ideal traffic, no stops, average about 55 mph. Add in July travel, Friday travel, and many other reasons to stop and I'd say 6 hours at least. It would take us at least 2 days to do the trip. We can't help ourselves when it comes to scenic travel, stopping at shops and villages along the way. The worst we ever did was when we started out from Munich at 7 am with no goal in mind other than heading south. By the time we got back at 3 am we had been to Italy (Dolomites) and back. Way too long of a day, but we had a great time. We always estimate about 10 minutes stopping time for every 1 hour of drive time if we are trying to go directly somewhere and not touring.

This is a good site:
http://www.alpineroads.com/tyrol.php
Select Timmelsjoch from the menu on the right.

Hi,
There are many good suggestions here, so I'll just add my two cents...
I agree that Bressanone/Brixen makes an excellent place to stop. It's a beautiful town with a large pedestrian zone just minutes off the Autostrada.
www.brixen.org
Mittenwald is one of our favorite places also.
www.mittenwald.de
www.urlaub-in-mittenwald.de
We took the Timmelsjoch Pass years ago which was spectacular. (we stayed in Soelden)
www.soelden.com
Spending time im the Dolomites I'd highly recommend Val Gardena, about a 30 to 45 min. drive east off the Autostrada between Bolzano and Austria.
www.val-gardena.com

Hope this helps.
Paul

You have all been most helpful. I am glad to find out now rather than on the road that we it will take longer. Thanks again for the suggestions.