Ostend to venice

[Donnaml]

Hi

New to the site and looking for advice on the cheapest and quickest way to travel from ostend to venice, other half really doesn't want to pay vignette in Switzerland but I want to get there as quick and easy possible! Driving around 6 hrs with a snack break is easily do able with just one overnight stay, all suggestions welcomed ????

Thanks in advance

[StuartO]

I have driven to Venice (or rather to Camping Fusina on the W side of the lagoon, a boat ride from Venice) a couple of times and it's a long way - and too far for me to contemplate only a single night stop en route.  We have done it with two - it depends what time of day you get going after crossing the Channel.

 

We drive from Dunkirk through Belgium, Luxembourg (cheap fuel stop)  and just into Germany where we stop overnight at a Stelplatz at Mettlach, only about 10 miles off the motorway.  Then back on the autobahns through Germany and into Austria, avoiding Austrian motorways so as not to need a vignette/GoBox, towards the Reisen Pass to get into Italy, stopping overnight again at a scenic campsite just over the border at Mals Venosta.  Then  a final day's drive down to Venice.

 

It's a long way but do-able.  

[Violet1956]

We took a similar route as suggested by StuartO to the North of Italy earlier in the year and stopped for three nights en route as we took a late Channel hop and we are wimps. It was still quite a trek involving at least 6 hours of driving each day. I didn't recognise his reference to the Reisen Pass. It seems it has several names (German Italian etc) but is more commonly known perhaps as the Reschen Pass. Wikipedia states it is between the between the Brenner Pass in the east and Viamala in the west. We were able to take the Brenner route and had to obtain a 10-day (roughly 9Euro) vignette for Austria at Fussen as our MH is less than 3.5T. May try to Reschen next time due to StuartO's recommendation- variety being the spice of life. :-)

[StuartO]

The Reschen Pass (or whatever it is called) is an easy winding climb, ordinary road, not too busy or too high and scenic to boot.  We were towing a big box van trailer and had no difficulty.  We crossed using the Brenner one years and that's motorway and tolls - and in our case the weather turned and we got a snow storm up there too!

 

[Robinhood]

StuartO - 2016-08-29 1:22 PM

 

We crossed using the Brenner one years and that's motorway and tolls .....

 

...unless you use the old road, which is neither (and quite negotiable).

 

The Reschen Pass is (IMO) however, a more pleasant route, particularly if you choose to dally on the Italian side.

[Violet1956]

StuartO - 2016-08-29 1:22 PMThe Reschen Pass (or whatever it is called) is an easy winding climb, ordinary road, not too busy or too high and scenic to boot.  We were towing a big box van trailer and had no difficulty.  We crossed using the Brenner one years and that's motorway and tolls - and in our case the weather turned and we got a snow storm up there too!

I see from wiki that it is also not a bad ski area so definitely one for us to try next winter if me old knees can take the strain. ;-)

[ron.]

The Swiss vignette will only cost around £30 to cover you there and back and if on your preferred route then it is well worth it. I read a lot about the dreaded Swiss vignette, and how to avoid it, in the motorhome press but it has been one of the cheapest toll charges in Europe for many years if you care to compare it to others.

[vindiboy]

we were at Annecy France when we decided to go to Venice and went via the Mont Blanc tunnel, Aosta Italy , Milan , Lake Guarda and then to Venice , and then onward to Greece from Venice, great trip .