Quickest route to Venice

[Wirralian]

Can anyone suggest the quickest route to Venice from Calais.

 

I am getting the ferry to Calais on Sun Sept 2, spending the night there abouts and setting off to Venice on Monday Sept 3. I aim to get to link up with family members in Venice on Thurs/Friday, 6/7 Sept.

 

Travelling no more than 250 miles a day, would I need to travel most of the way on the motorway to keep up that time scale? If possible I would like to keep the cost down and steer clear of the tolls.

 

Is Italy 'camping car friendly' like France and Germany? Do they have the equivalent to aires/stelplatz.

 

Any other revelant information would be welcome.

 

John (?)

[Basil]

Hi Wirralian,

 

I believe you will be hard pushed to only do 250 miles a day and get to Venice in three days!

My normal route for Italy, (mainly because it is free and therefore cheap) is to take the motorway E40 changing to E42 near Dunkerque follow that to Liege swap back to E40. At Frechen just before Koln (Cologne) switch to E31 down to Ludwigshafen, get on to the E52 passing south of Stuttgart on past Munchen (Munich) follow the E45 to Innsbruck over the Brenner pass staying with the E45 past Lago di Garda to Verona then take the E70 into Venezia (Venice).

Mainly free motorway may be a charge to go through the Brenner pass (not been for a few years) and not sure if you have to pay for the Austrian part of the motorway.

I have done that in two and a bit days whilst towing, and quicker in the motorhome, but I do drive long distances in one hit.

 

Bas

[Mel E]

According to my mapping software, the QUICKEST route is as follows (autoroute numbers followed by European Route numbers):

 

From Calais A26/E15

From Reims A4/E50 then E25

At Strasbourg, cross the Rhine into Germany and take A5/E35

At Swiss border take A3 then A2/E35 to Lucerne

At Lucerne take A2/E35

At Italian border take A9/E35 to Milan

From Milan take A4/E64 then E70 to verona then Venice.

 

This is not the cheapest way because all the French roads are toll motorways and there is a vignette to buy in Switzerland (but a Swiss told me in January this year that nobody bothers . . .)

 

But it is quickest - I've done it - at 850 miles and about 14 hours driving (averaging 60 mph, which means driving on the autoroutes at about 65 to 70).

 

Mel E

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[Bill Ord]

I've done Basil's route and would recommend it. You will need a vignette to cross Austria to the Brenner Pass. It costs about 7.5 Euros from memory and the Brenner is tolled. You will see signs as you enter Austria informing you of the need for the Vignette they are purchased at fuel stations on the road side, the 7.5 Euros vignette is for 10 days and is the minimum period. Why will you only be doing 250 miles per day? be realistic about the distance involved and take a break if you tire easily, 400 miles per day should be easy if you allow 10 hours for it.

 

Bill Ord

[Mike Parke]

Mel E> Cherry & I visit Switzerland every year and we always get checked at the Bale (Basle) border crossing for a vignette. (Which we always buy in advance). As the cost of same is only £22:00 i suggest that it is not worth the risk!

 

Regards, Mike & Cherry

[Philman]

Hi, the way I usually go is very similar to Mel E except that I go from Calais to Luxembourg, overnight there, then via Metz and Strasbourg cross into Germany down to Basel to Lucerne, for a second overnight stop, then via Milan past Verona to Venice.

 

This way is about 830 miles and with the 2 stops at around 250 miles and 500 miles makes for quite a pleasant journey taking in some very beautiful scenery on the way.

 

I would not advise doing a journey like this with only one overnight stop.

 

Phil.

[Mike Parke]

We went 2006 the same (almost) way as philmam except that we continue down thro' France via St. Die, Colmar and Mulhouse then thro' Switzerland & into Italy via Gottard Tunnel. Good route but definately a 'two stopper'!!

Enjoy it whichever way you go!!

 

Regards, Mike & Cherry.

[coach2000]

The route I used to go when the coach used to go twice a week to Jesolo was; Calais, Dunkerque, Lille, Mons, Namur, Luxembourg, Metz, Strasbourg, Colmar, Basle, Lucerne, Milan then Venice.

You will only pay tolls in the Metz- Srasbourg section. To avoid this, go Nancy and St. Die. If the tunnel is open you will have to pay. They had sceduled roadworks for a couple of years. Apart from the Swiss vignette there are only the Italian tolls. I would advise staying on the Autostrada.

It is a fair old run with much to see and definately a 2 stop or more if you have the time.

The coach used to do it twice week in the holiday season from England, but with the driving split between 4 drivers.

There are other ways to go, Here's a different one, Calais, Reims, Dijon, Bourg en Bresse, Mont Blanc Tunnel, Aosta, Milan then Venice. Still a similar mileage, 873 m on Autoroute. Possibly better French roads but plenty of tolls.

 

Clive.

 

[Brian Kirby]

Make you way into Germany by any convenient route and pick up the A7.  This autobahn runs North South, originating at the Danish border, just North of Hamburg, and descending South via Hannover, Kassel, Wurzburg, and Ulm to Fussen, so plenty of potential access points when coming from the Channel!  Follow the A7 to Fussen, where there a couple of quite good stellplatz if you need an overnight stop at that point.  Alternatively, overnight stops at Nesselwang (Camping International Gruntensee: plus stellplatz on An der Riese) and Haslach (Camping Wertacherhof, just behind hotel of same name), on B309/310, turn off A7 at exit for Oy-Mittelberg, just before Fussen.

From Fussen, follow the road on South and through a tunnel into Austria.  You'll now be on the Austrian 179.  Follow the 179 towards Ehrwald - which you by-pass through a tunnel - continuing over the Fernpass and then via the 189 to Imst.  From Imst take the 171 (but avoid getting "sucked" onto the A12 autobahn) towards Landeck.  Just before Landeck look for a left turn onto the 180 towards Prutz, Ried, Pfunds, Nauders and the Reschenpass to Italy.  This gets you across Austria, through some nice Alpine scenery, over quite gently graded passes, without needing either a Go-Box or a Vignette. 

Continue on this road into Italy, passing the Reschensee (now Lago di Resia), and continuing via the Italian 40 and 38 down the Val Venosta to Malles Venosta, Merano and Bolzano.  At Bolzano pick up the A22 South to Trento, and follow this to Verona, than A4 via Vicenza and Padova to Mestre/Venezia.  There is a good campsite at Ora (Camping Markushof, just behind the hotel of the same name, with superb facilities), between Bolzano and Trento.

Alternatively, at Trento, take the scenic route on the 47 along the Val Sugana to Bassano del Grappa.  At Bassano, you have a choice between the 245 diagonally to Venezia or following the 47 on to Padua, and then turning left to pick up the A4 to Mestre/Venezia.  If you get near Venice at rush hour, avoid, if you possibly can, the 11 from Padua via Dolo and Mira to Mestre!

Campsite at Oriago (Camping Serenissima, family run with good, rather than outstanding, facilities), just outside Mestre.  Interesting little place with a lot of renaissance villas along the Brenta canal.  It is on the above road 11, which gets jammed at rush hours by commuters avoiding the autostrara tolls, but there is a half hourly bus to/from Venice (Piazzale Roma) that runs to time outside the rush hour, is surprisingly cheap, and stops almost outside the campsite gate.  Good (large) Panorama supermarket at the Centro Commerciale just in Mestre.  If you go to Serenissima, the'll tell you how to get there.

Final thought, don't try to get to the Venice aree di sosta, which is the Venice end of the cauesway.  It will be packed with vans and, I'm told, is prone to break ins and extortionately expensive!

[KD]

tom knows best

[coach2000]

Brian, that looks an interesting route. I am thinking of going to Italy next year, what was the milage, can you remember and how many days did you do it over?

 

Thanks,

 

Clive.

[Brian Kirby]

Clive

Our actual route was through Northern France to Alsace, and then via the Black Forest to Nesselwang/Fussen, picking up the A7 near Memmingen.  We used the A26 from Calais to Boiry-Notre-Dame (Camping la Paille Haut), just East of Arras, where we stopped one night.  Thence, via mainly “D”, and a few “N”, roads to Charleville-Mezieres (Excellent Municipal) for another stop; with a final stop in France at Obernai (another excellent Municipal) in Alsace - where we spent a few days because we like Alsace.  We also used a bit of the A4 to hop around Metz.  This route is reasonably close to a straight line on the map.

From Obernai, we headed East on the D426 to cross the Rhine near Ottenheim (Germany), and thence via Lahr, Biberach, Hausach, Schramberg, Rottweil, Albstadt, and Biberach an der Riss, to Memmingen and the A7.  Overnight at Nesselwang (Camping Wertacher Hof).  Overnight at Ora (Camping Markushof), in the Val Lagarina.  Next night Oriago (Camping Serenissima), near Venice.

Distance, on this route, 865 miles.  We left most sites around 10:30 am, and arrived 16:00 latest, with one hour for lunch, so probably could have chopped a day off the time by driving for longer, and possibly two days by using motorways.

[Wirralian]

Many thanks to you all for your help. I'm spoilt for choice.

 

Brian's route is very tempting but I'm a bit concered about the time taken. Well worth considering on the way back when I shall have more time.

 

John Lewis (lol)

[catinou]

Hi John,

 

We have picked up on Clive's route (as per coaches) and decided we will use that. The only thing stopping us going via Switzerland before was the cost of the vignette - we will be towing a trailer with car behind our Autotrail Dakota. I then saw that you could buy them in advance and have found a site https://www.swisstravelsystem.com/index.php and purchased 2 tickets - one for the 'van and one for the trailer at a total cost of £39-50 = £18 each for the vignettes as opposed to getting them en route at £40Swiss each. The extra £3-50 was for the "booking fee". A real BOGOF offer in the end!

 

Good luck with your trip.

 

Jenny B-)

[alan k]

just returned from Northern Italy, Dolomites, Venetian plain, Padua and Bormio.

Used routes more or less from the Michelin Route Planner but went thro Luxembourg for cheaper diesel.

 

So first night just outside calais, Watten or Andruic, then Dunkirk, to Luxembourg then south and east past Permessens to a night stop at Dahn. Super campsite, even better german greek grill. Across to karlsruhe across the rhine then east towards Stugartt, then down to Fern Pass and into Austria. We used motorways thro Austria and over Brenner, about 7 euros I think for each the toll road and the permit, then we went east across the north of Italy to Dobbiaco for the night. Now in touring mode we made Venice in about another 4 hours. So 2 stops after Calais about 350 miles first 2 days, my navigator starts to get a little tetchy if we're not parked up around 5pm.

 

As our last call in Italy was Bormio, we tried a slightly different route. First over the Stelvio Pass, you know the one with all the hairpins, something like 39 up and 47 down, a super drive then north west and north into Austria and over the Reichen/Reissen Pass into the Inn valley and stayed the night at Nassereith, nice site then over the Fern Pass and followed our outward route. But no permit, we avoided the "motorway" bits and found the older roads, quieter, nicer countryside and you passed thro the small towns and villages that the motorway bypassed.

 

A good trip 2800 miles from here in West Yorks in nearly 4 weeks,

 

alan