Elisabeth54

Hello all,
Next Thursday, July 20th I will be traveling by car from Freiburg im Breisgau (near Black Forest) in Germany with destination Mantova.
I have driven to Northern Italy a number of times before, but never in July at the peak of the holiday season. I dread the possible long lines at the Gotthard pass/tunnel and am thinking about the Simplon pass as an alternative. Any thoughts, suggestions most welcome!

uktravelover

I think either way will be busy. Why not turn it into an opportunity, take the Simplon pass stop overnight at Stresa (or similar) on route and enjoy an afternoon/ evening by the lake if you can find somewhere to stay.

Elisabeth54

Thanks for your speedy answer, UKtravelover. I have checked the hotels in Stresa and there are still some vacancies so I'm looking into that possibility.

I will be driving my son's car (including all the luggage of his young family) to his holiday destination near Bologna. Unfortunately my son was recently stricken with a back hernia and has difficulty sitting for long periods, so a long drive is out of the question at the moment. They had been looking forward to this much needed holiday for a year, it seemed such a shame to have to cancel it.
Therefore I have offered to drive the car while he and his young family are flying to Bologna. Finding a hotel is not so difficult but finding one with a secure parking is a different challenge I have discovered. I'm working on it!

I was wondering: would the Splügenpass be an alternative to look into?
Thanks again for your thoughts!

uktravelover

Hi. I’ve never done the Splügenpass. I prefer the Simplon to the Great St. Bernard pass or the St. Gotthard pass as for me Stresa is a lovely stopping point.. I think that there are pros and cons for each route, so I’m sure others will suggest other options.

Elisabeth54

Grazie mille, thanks again for the suggestions! The Simplon pass seems like a good option. Too bad the tunnel train only operates on weekends. I'll try that on my next (hopefully more relaxed) trip to Italy.

neckervd

Avoid the Gotthard tunnel and the Brenner Pass and check instead:
Freiburg - A5 - Maerkt - A96 - Rheinfelden - A2 - Haerkingen - A1 - Bern Wankdorf - A12 - Vevey - A9 - Martigny - A21/21 - Gd St-Bernard Tunnel - T2/SS27 - Variney - Sorreley Tunnel - Aosta Est - A5 - Ivrea - E25 - Alessandria - A21 (Autostrada dei Vini) - Cremona - SP10 - Mantova
or
Freiburg - A5 - Maerkt - A96 - Rheinfelden - A3 - Sargans - A13 - Spluegen - SS36 (hairpins!) - Pescate - SP72/SS442 - SS671 - Bergamo - SS498 - A4 - Verona airport - A72 - Mantova.
Alternatives:
Martigny- A9/SS33/A26 - A4 - Verona airport - A72 - Mantova
Sargans - 28/SS41/SS38 - Bolzano/Bozen - A22 - Verona airport - A72 - Mantova.

neckervd

CAR SHUTTLE TRAINS ACROSS THE ALPS
Kandersteg (close to Spieiz A6) - Goppenstein (close to Visp A9): daily, at least every 30 minutes from 5.12 until 21.18
Brig (motorway A9) - Iselle (motorway SS36)aily, every 90 minutes from 5.28 until 21.58
Kandersteg - Iselle: very few trains and not daily
Vereina (itinerary Sargans - Bolzano): daily, every 30 min from 5.20 until 19.50
The Simplon Pass road is in excellent condition, no hairpins. Motorway up to Ried (above Brig) and from Varzo.

Elisabeth54

Hi Neckervd, thanks so much for your suggestions. Today, however, I checked and if my information is correct the car shuttle trains from Kandersteg run only on weekends. I will be traveling on a Thursday. Will definitely check your suggested route though. Always good to have an alternative. According to your experience Is the Splügen pass a better option than via Simplon?

P.S. what a great community Fodor's is! I wish I had more time to sit and read everyone's extensive trip reports and travel advice. So inspirational. Really great!

neckervd

Once again:
CAR SHUTTLE TRAINS ACROSS THE ALPS
Kandersteg (close to Spieiz A6) - Goppenstein (close to Visp A9): daily, at least every 30 minutes from 5.12 until 21.18 (since decades)
Brig (motorway A9) - Iselle (motorway SS36)aily, every 90 minutes from 5.28 until 21.58
Kandersteg - Iselle: during holiday weekends, not many trains.
for more details: https://www.bls.ch/en/fahren/autoverlad

If the weather is fine, it's nicer and often fastter to drive over the Simplon Pass than to wait at Brig until the shuttle train leaves.

If you travel via Gd St-Bernard - Aosta - Alessandria (tooll road from the border), you will not have to cross the connurbation of Milan.
if you travel via Splugen, avoid the Zurich rush hours. The Splugen road between Spluegen Dorf and Chiavenna is rather small and has many hairpin curves. So count enough time for this leg.

Elisabeth54

Thanks again Neckervd. I have made a decision and have booked a hotel in Orta San Giulio overlooking the lake. Non vedo l'ora!

uktravelover

You will love Orto. San Giulia

neckervd

Enjoy yoour trip!
According to meteosuisse, the weather will be somewhat cloudy, with temperatures up to 20 degrees at Simplon Pass and up to 33 degrees at Ort San Giulio.

Melnq8

We've crossed the Splügenpass via bus several times - personally, I'd not want to drive it...and I'm from CO, and used to high mountain passes.

Elisabeth54

Thank you for all your kind support and advise dear Fodorites. I must admit that I felt very reluctant about this long drive during the busiest time of year and during one of the hottest Summers ever experienced in Europe. I hope my careful planning will pay off. Now please will you cross fingers that I will not get stranded at Bologna airport on my way home as a result of the announced strikes? Thank you!

Melnq8

neckervd

Data inizio: 17/07/2023 - Settore: Aereo - Rilevanza: Nazionale - Regione: Italia - Provincia: Tutte

modalità: 4 ORE: DALLE 19.00 ALLE 23.00
Data fine: 17/07/2023
Settore: Aereo
Rilevanza: Nazionale
Regione: Italia
Provincia: Tutte
Sindacati: FILT-CGIL/FIT-CISL/UILT-UIL/ANPAC/ANP
Categoria interessata: PERSONALE NAVIGANTE TECNICO DELLA SOC. POSTE AIR CARGO
Data proclamazione: 03/07/2023
Data ricezione: 03/07/2023

Elisabeth54

A quick feedback on my experience. So glad to have taken the route via Simplon as was advised by Neckervd.
To my great surprise hardly encountered any traffic on the way from Southern Germany. When we arrived at the Kandersteg station we got ourselves some coffee and the train arrived 10 minutes later. Everything went so smoothly.
The weather that day was stunningly beautiful so we decided to drive the pass. At the top of the pass we stopped for lunch at restaurant Simplon Blick. We reached our next destination, Hotel San Rocco in Orta San Giulio in time for a nice swim and relaxing afternoon overlooking the lake. We had intended to take the ferry to the Isola San Giulio to see the chapels but it was far too hot to do anything. We dined on the terrace overlooking the lake and felt like a million dollars. The room was comfortable due to the airconditioning so we had a good night's sleep. The next morning was cloudy and cooler and we had an uneventful drive via Milano to the city of Mantova. There we stayed at the Hotel Ca' degli Uberti in the center of town. I can highly recommend this hotel. We drove a VW Touran with extra baggage compartment on top so we needed a secure parking with higher access. The hotel staff was very friendly and arranged for us to park the car in one of the other hotels belonging to the same hotel chain a couple of blocks away. Mantova is a pedestrian friendly town. Again it was too hot to do much more than stroll a couple of blocks and have a cool drink in the shade. Dinner was a very enjoyable affair too: al fresco at Osteria Tiratappi on the square next to the cathedral. La vita è bella!

uktravelover

I am so pleased that everything went well and you found the Simplon pass as easy as I had indicated when you first posted the query. You also get some tremendous views on route. I agree that Lake Orta is a delight and much overlooked.

Elisabeth54

As it turned out we are SO lucky to have travelled when we did. I watched the various news reports on hail- and thunderstorms with incredible winds in exactly the areas which we passed. Phew!

lavandula

Yeah, I saw the torrential rain in northern Italy on TV the other night, and also a small tornado. Yikes! You were really lucky!

Lavandula