Roads thru the Alps
 

We will be driving from Salzburg via Kitzbuehl onto Garmisch-Partenkirchen.Can anyone recommend a good place to spend the night between Salzburg and Garmisch? Also, what are the roads like through the mountains in that part of Austria? We are going the first of June. Our concern is the condition and safety of the roads. Do they have guard rails? Are the roads more valley than mountain? Is it a "white knuckle" drive?

Hi Alice, We went from Salzburg to Garmisch two months ago. There was much snow (stunningly beautiful ride) and the drive was very tame. We found the roads and highways to be superior. As far as lodging, we had no trouble finding a place, in fact we had no reservations during our 2 week trip, but then it was off season, June may be a challenge in that area.

Hello to Mustangs81. Thanks for the info on the roads in the Alps. I feel better about it. May I ask you where you bought the "road tax" stickers for the rental car? Hertz was clueless. I understand we need them for Switzerland also.

I was told about the road tax stickers for Switzerland by a friend who was fined for not having one. It was just before we left and with all the other last minute preparations I couldn't find any information about where to purchase them so we just stuck to minor roads (as I understand it they are only required for freeway driving but I may be wrong on this) As it was, we were only in Switzerland for two days and found the minor roads were postcard beautiful and although our trip took much longer it was incredibly beautiful. We were quite thankful that we were too scared to drive on the freeways. <BR>Are the stickers also required in Austria? If so, we drove everywhere blissfully unaware. <BR>

Alice, <BR>Most auto rentals in countries adjacent to Switzerland have the Swiss placard. It's a sticker that is posted on the windshield in the upper left hand corner; it looks like the universal European sign for an autobahn: a two lane receding highway with an overpass. If you're renting a car in Austria, it should come equipped with the Austrian sticker which permits travel on autobahns and in cities. There are threads on this forum relating horror stories about steep fines for the lack of one.

The Germans and Austrians take excellent care of their roads so there is nothing to fear unless you're driving in a blizzard. Be sure you have lots of washer fluid though cause they put alot of cinders and/or salt on their roads. <BR> I was just there last month, but never knew about a sticker for Swiss roads. I was aware of the Austrian sticker and bought one right at what used to be the border crossing. I barely attached it to the window and was thus able to take it back off to bring home as a souvenir.

Alice, you have gotten good info today from fellow posters. I got the sticker from a change booth at the first border crossing into Austria. I found the information about the sticker (vignette it's called) on the web site for Austria. Look up "Austria +vignette", the site will tell you how much, why to purchase it, and places to obtain one. I picked up my rental car in Zurich, and the rental agent (for what that's worth to you) said one wasn't necessary in Switzerland. Again, as far as the roads, we should have such well maintained roads in the US! Even in the heavy snow that we experienced, the road crews did their magic like little elves in the wee hours. <BR>

In Switzerland you have to pay a road tax of 40SFr. if you want to use the highways. It's calles "Vignette", it's valid for a year and you can buy it at the frontier, in post offices or at a "Kiosk". <BR>