There have been some recent posts about paying special tolls and getting a special sticker in Switzerland and in Austria. In June we will be driving from the Dolomites to Slovenia and will go through a few miles of Austria on a super highway. What is the deal about this? Do we need to get a special sticker in advance or do we just pay something at the border? Thanks for the help.

Gas stations near the border sell the sticker; just hop in, buy one, affix it to your windshield, and you're done. It's much cheaper than risking the fine, which I understand is considerable. Bon voyage!

I hate to sound like a dummy, but do you mean the gas stations near the border but within Austria, or before you get to Austria? Does this include the big service stations right on the autoroute if there are such things on that particular highway? And can you buy it just good for one day? Rough idea of cost?<BR>

Here's some info on the vignette necessary to drive on Austrian highways.<BR><BR>Motorway subject to toll: Austria's motorways and speed roads (also city motorways) are subject to toll. The toll is effected by purchasing a sticker that has to be attached to cars' windscreens. The annual toll is ATS 550. - for automobiles and motor homes (up to 3.5 tons), for motorcycles ATS 220. - For people on holidays 2-month stickers (ATS 150.-) and 1-week stickers (ATS 70.-) are available.<BR><BR>Infringements of the toll regulation will be punished with an additional charge of ATS 1,100. – or an administrative fine. The toll stickers may be purchased at automobile clubs in Austria and abroad, at petrol stations and stores close to the border as well at post offices, tobacco shops and petrol stations all over Austria. <BR>

I was in Austria last month - ATS (Austrian shillings) are no longer in circulation. The charge for a 10-day vignette, which is the shortest time period they can be purchased for, was 7.50 Euro.

Thanks everyone. So it looks like we pay 7.50 Euros to drive less than an hour on an Austrian road -- guess it's worth it to avoid a lot of slow mountain driving the other way. We actually enter the motor route near Spittal after driving on a smaller road from Cortina and past Lienz in Austria, so guess we can find a place on the other smaller road before we get on the motor route.

Susan--If you are headed north from Cortina into Austria, you will most likely go east on Italy highway 49 from Dobbiaco to Lienz. You will go through a border station as you enter Austria, and you will normally find it totally unguarded. There is a little shop to your left as you get to Austrian side of the border station; park there, go into it and ask the clerk "Kann ich ein autobahnpass fur zehn tage haben?" Or if that's sorta long, just say "Autobahnpass, bitte" and you'll get the sticker (actually 2 stickers that both go side by side on the windshield). Don't be surprised that the shop is a sort of 7-11 kind of store, and the clerk also sells all the other stuff and serves coffee at the little bar. Usually the clerk on duty speaks enough English that you can also just make the request in English.

Thank you Wayne, that is an incredibly concise and helpful answer. Now I feel I know exactly how and where to do it. I don't speak German, but will write out the phrase you gave me, just in case.

Thanks also to this thread in general. We spent a few weeks driving around Austria last summer and had no idea a sticker was needed. We spent very little time on the autobahns, but they were hard to avoid from time to time. We're going back to the Steiermark this summer for a few weeks and will make sure to get a sticker this go-round.

Yes, thanks also for this thread. I hadn't thought about it, but we're doing the reverse of you, Susan -- Bled in Slovenia to Cortina, so guess we'll look for a place at the eastern end. I knew that something like this was needed for Switzerland, but had no idea about Austria. Since we're not really going to Austria -- just passing through a corner -- I'm sure I never would have found out about this if I hadn't happened to read it here.