Route back from Venice to Calais

[kevandali]

Hi everyone, got a few days before setting off as not in Venice yet.

Been thinking of heading for Merano and then not sure where?

Dont fancy tolls through France so would it be possible to bypass France and go into Germany, Belgium etc.

Was going to have a good look myself but just pulled into a maceedees for wifi.

As always any help appreciated.

Kev

[MartinP]

Hi Kev,

It's posible to go up through Merano and through Austria, avoiding go box, tolls and motorways.

 

I picked up this route from the forum some years ago. Do a search for Austria without go box or similar.

 

With apologies for plagiarism and incorrect attribution (Sorry!) I copied this bit from a post some time ago to indicate the overview of the route southwards. It will give you an idea to search for the original !!

I am indebted to the originator as we had a great trip following this route both ways.

Martin

 

 

"If you go down to Fussen in Bavaria and then south into Austria, and take the Fern pass to Reutte and Imst, and then the B171 to Landeck (avoiding the A12 for which a maut/vignette is required), you can take the Reschenpass into Italy at Resia, and then south via Merano and Bolzano. The first toll motorway you will hit will be at Bolzano. You can then do Trento, Verona, Padua, Venice by autostrada, or go via "state" roads to Trento, Primolano, Bassano del Grappa, and Castelfranco Veneto.

 

The Italian tolls are well worthwhile, as driving any distance off motorway can be slow and frustrating, but you do get to see more of the country as you go.

 

The Fern and Reschen passes are not dual carriageways, and are fairly busy, so will be slower than the Brenner, but you avoid the tolls, so it depends on your cost vs time preferences which way you go. Easy gradients, good roads, generally free flowing, pretty scenery, some scope to overtake, and only becomes tediously slow if caught behind a truck. Once to Merano you hit the SS38 "Mebo", which is fast dual to Bolzano. A good sat-nav should route you through easily if you set it to avoid tolls until you get to Resia (good car park stop by lake), then allow tolls from then on. The spaghetti junction where the Mebo hits the A22 Brenner motorway at Bolzano needs a good sat-nav! That is about the only complicated bit."

[Dickybeau]

If you drive the Brenner Pass on the old road, it’s slower but you miss the tolls. You would need to check go box free roads through Austria but I’d head towards Garmisch Partenkirchen (I think the Reschen Pass?) but turn towards hohenschwangau. From there you can head towards Stuttgart and on to the channel. I’d avoid the roads around Konstanz hence suggestion of going via Stuttgart.

I did lots of stuff around that area on motorbikes but I guess some of the roads aren’t quite so suitable for vans.

[alan k]

Passing thro Austria you need to avoid toll roads, and setting your sat nav will do this, it's not only motorways in Austria but also express ways.

 

From Merano head as recommended above (in the reverse order of course) towards Reutte and Fussen and into Germany. Be carefull in the border area I seem to remember a tunnel that required a toll (go box or vignette) which you need to avoid.

 

Then depending on speed required, head towards Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Landau, Pirmasens, Saarlouis, Luxembourg ( cheap fuel on motorway just before Arlon, just before Belgian border), then Brussels or other route to Calais.

 

There's a nice little campsite at Dahn nr Pirmasens, also at Arlon, we've not done that route using aires

 

alan

[kevandali]

Thanks for all the replies, intend to stop at Fussen as it was amazing on the way down but if anyone has an alternative place that might be nice, that would be great.

Dropping the wife/better half/ her that must be obeyed etc etc off at Traveso airport at 4.00pm then will head off from there.

Thanks again for all the help 

[kevandali]

Just for anyone else in the future, taking this route, it’s great, plenty of nice places to pull off and see if you have the time,  early all motorway, duel carriage way or decent roads. I’m just south o Luxembourg at the moment, not thought about route from there to Calais yet but probably Brussels then across into France. Thanks again for the help ??