I am considering driving from Munich to Italy in July. The routes that look interesting go down through Switzerland to the Milan area or through Salzburg, Austria down to Venice. Has anyone had any experience with these routes? I've driven in the Rockies, would love the scenery - but don't want to go hundreds of miles over roads that you can only go 30 miles an hour on. I'll have about 3 days in each direction. Is that enough time to also stop in a few towns for at least a few hours? I have gone to several of the driving distance sites but while they are very specific about route numbers and all they don't really tell you what the driving will be like.

I have driven over the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse in Austria. Is that one of the routes you were thinking of?<BR>If so, I will respond in more detail.<BR><BR>I have not driven all the way to Milan, but from Luzern, the route follows several long tunnels, including the reopened St. Gotthard Tunnel.<BR>I know from the passes I have gone over, that they are quite steep and the pace is not fast because of the hairpin turns. The Gotthard route goes mostly under the mountains once you leave the Lake of Four Cantons, (Vierwaldst&auml;tter See) on which Luzern is located.

Did you consider the route via St. Moritz? I often stay there for vacation and I highly recommend it to you. You can take the motorway from Munich via Kufstein and Innsbruck to Landeck. The road from Landeck to St. Moritz is in good condition (2 hours). You should stay in a hotel in a village near St. Moritz. The last leg of your route takes you via Chiavenna to Lake Como (1.5 hours) and from there it is a short ride using the motorway to Milan.<BR><BR>The driving on this route is really very easy (except the 4 or 5 miles down the Maloja pass) and you will love the scenery. In case you decide to take this route I will give you some advice on sightseeing along this way and around St. Moritz.<BR><BR>Bye Ingo<BR>

What Bob didn't mention is that it is possible (and I highly recommend) to drive OVER the Gotthard Tunnel via the Gotthard Pass. The road is historic and scenery impressive.

hi there,<BR>there are lots of highways in Swizzerland and Italy where You can "flee" if You dont wanna go over the small, slow roads.

Thanks for your replies. One route I was considering goes from Munich to the Colmar region of France and then down through Switzerland to the Cinque Terra region of Italy which is where my Italy itinerary begins. How does that sound? I'm not afraid of a few mountain passes and small roads, I just don't want to be in the car constantly for several days. The total mileage doesn't look bad at all, it's just a question of how long those miles would take. Thanks