UKC

travelling down to the dolomites from manchester via calais and looking for a campsite stop off at on the journey about 4 hours from the dolomites ....any ideas ?

In reply to snorbie:

Erm, which way you going ?

In reply to Dark-Cloud:

the fastest way ...i presume thats what the sat nav will show us .

In reply to snorbie:

There are good campsites in the pfaltz and some climbing too.... your sat nav might take you though france and strasbourg or it might take you though belgium. Either way the Pfaltz is pretty much on the way ish.

In reply to snorbie:

Forget the Pfalz, it´s about 8 hours from somewhere like Cortina. 4 hours from the Dolomites puts you around Munich and the most convenient campsite for people coming down the A8 is Camping Ampersee. No idea what it´s like, I just drive past it occasionally.
Most of the other campsites around the city are a bit off the way really.

In reply to snorbie:

No specific suggestions but I have generally found that driving until I get tired and asking the satnav for the nearest camp site when I want to stop generally works out well. I haven't hit a bad one yet.

In reply to jimtitt:

Doh - missed the 4 hour bit... I usually do Pfalz on the way as it breaks it into two manageable portions. If you want 4 hours there is a campsite on the road over the Fernpass which is 4 hoursish...

In reply to snorbie:

I take it you need a motorway vignette to get down through Austria to Brenner Pass etc.?

Is it easy to get one of these on the spot at the motorway? And do you get plenty of notice of where you will need one?

I'm just wondering that if I end up over in the Dolomiti at some point soon (via some other route) and decide to come back via this Austrian route I might suddenly need a vignette. Is it all straightforward, or do you need to be highly planned and buy something online first.

In reply to BruceM:

you can buy the Austrian vignette at a petrol station before you get to the border
10 day, 2 month or annual

In reply to Carless:

Brilliant, thank you.

In reply to snorbie:

We have stopped at Municipal Camping Munster (France), pleasant, cheap and not too far off the main road.

It is bout 30 miles north of Basle,


Chris

In reply to BruceM:

We normally cross on the tunnel (highly recommend) and drive through France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and overnight just before Munich (hotel on motorway) and use the same stopover on the return trip. Like in the UK you can save quite a bit on fuel by hoping off the motorways and filling up in local towns, also it's well worth going into Italy with a full tank.

The only toll we had the remotest difficulty with was the Dartford crossing.

Austrian Vignettes are available from petrol and service stations south of Munich (under €10 for 10 days), loads of signs to remind you to get one. Depending on the length of your stay the vignettes are available for different periods, but if just transiting through Austria two 10 day ones are your cheapest option.

Toll for the Brenner pass (under €10) and conventional toll booths so really easy and you will probably also find yourself on the toll motorway when you first come into Italy, it can be avoided but the exit off the Brenner onto local roads is very easy to miss and if heading for Cortina the toll is only around €2-3 and again toll booths.

Never tried going down through France so can't comment.

In reply to BruceM:

If you are very careful you can avoid the vignette. Drive from Ulm down to Neuschwannstein, then over Fernpass down to Telfs - don't follow the motorway signs. Then Pettnau, Telfs and west Innsbruck, all avoiding the motorway. Go through Innsbruck to the 182 towards Schoenberg im Stubaital. Coming out of Innsbruck you'll climb a steepish hill with some long sweeping bends, then next to a tram line and soon after there is a motorway entrance next to a shell station. Here join the motorway up to the Brenner. The whole of this section is not part of the Vignette as it is a privately owned section of Motorway. You still have to pay the brenner toll but not the vignette which frankly is a pain and saves you 9 euros (potentially each way if you are there for longer than 9 days!) and adds really next to nothing on the journey time. Found this out after driving into Innsbruck multiple times to go to Ikea and getting annoyed with buying the brenner AND the vignette for only 2km's of motorway! I asked at a petrol station and they told me where to get off and hey presto, 1 free case of beer at the supermarket in Innsbruck...

In reply to Jenny C:

France is definitely much quicker - I've tried France, Belgium, Lux, Germany, Austria, Italy and find the roads slower. I also tried doing the Arlberg then swiss motorways and then France but that's super expensive. The last few times I've done France down to Strasbourg, into germany down to Ulm and then over the Fernpass to Insbruck. I've also done the Munich variation and it's definitely longer other than in high season when you get caught up on changeover days or school holidays. The only down side to the French way is fuel prices are higher and tolls...

In reply to beardy mike:


I know it won't happen overnight, but just imagine the extra time and hold ups for all those border crossings if we leave the EU on 23rd June...............

I remember the pre EU days when you had to get entry and exit visa stamps in your passport each time you passed through these European countries.

In reply to Trangia:

No, because with us out of the way they will just become one country and we'll only need one visa Mind you, they might just leave the anti refugee fences in place and stop the ferries...

In reply to Jenny C:
Thanks very much Jenny and Mike. That's a lot of useful information. I'm used to driving down into France and within Italy, but not those other bridging countries. I'm going to sit down with the maps and ViaMichelin and your info. Cheers.

In reply to BruceM:

thanks for the info everybody !