Rapide561
Free Member
Ciao
Here are a few routes to northern Italy. The mileages are pretty similar overall. I have used Calais as a starting point and Desenzano at the southern end of Lake Garda as the finish. There are various towns mentioned on the routes - these are merely seen on sign posts and as such, you pass most of them rather than going through the towns.
Option 1 - cheapest!
Calais - Dunkerque - Ostend - Brussels - Arlon - Luxembourg - Metz (re enter France) - A4 toll free for a few miles, then follow signs to Metz Aeroport and then Chateau Salins. On then via the D955 to Phalsbourg and pick up the A4 motorway for one junction to Saverne. This costs 1.10 Euro and saves a lot of time. Leave the motorway and head for Molsheim, Obernai, Selstat, Colmar and the Swiss border at Basle. The D955 is a good road, partial dual carriageway and I have used it humpteen times, both towing a car and not towing.
In Switzerland, Basle, Lucerne, St Gotthard Tunnel, Lugano, Chiasso and the Italian border.
From the Swiss/Italian border, toll free signed as Fino Monasco and then signed as Monza and Bergamo. Join the A4 motorway at Bergamo and leave at Brescia Est. Take the SS11 to Lake Garda south.
Option 2 - a compromise on tolls
Calais - Dunkerque - Ostend - Brussels - Arlon - Luxembourg - Metz - Strasbourg (tolls payable - about 7 euro) and then Colmar, Mulhouse and into Switzerland. At the Italian border follow signs for Milan and then Venice. Tolls in Italy about 15 euro.
Option 3 - no worry about toll cost
Calais - Reims - Strasbourg - Mulhouse - Basle - transit Switzerland - Italy - Milan and signs to Venice
Estimated French tolls - 45 euro, plus the Italian one.
There is another option, running via Luxembourg to Metz, then Nancy, Epinal and Thann, then to Basle. I have overnighted in Charmes on that route, but prefer overnighting at Obernai through personal choice.
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Running via Luxembourg is a few miles longer but it toll free. The diesel is also amongst the cheapest in Europe.
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I usually travel to Calais on day 1, and sleep at the ferry terminal.
Day 2 - about 370 miles - toll free (well apart from 1.10 euro) to the municipal campsite and Obernai - www.obernai.fr
Day 3 - about 370 miles to Garda. It is about 15 miles shorter running toll free from the Italian border to Garda than by using the motorway. "Newcomers" will find the motorway option the easiest though.
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Russell
Here are a few routes to northern Italy. The mileages are pretty similar overall. I have used Calais as a starting point and Desenzano at the southern end of Lake Garda as the finish. There are various towns mentioned on the routes - these are merely seen on sign posts and as such, you pass most of them rather than going through the towns.
Option 1 - cheapest!
Calais - Dunkerque - Ostend - Brussels - Arlon - Luxembourg - Metz (re enter France) - A4 toll free for a few miles, then follow signs to Metz Aeroport and then Chateau Salins. On then via the D955 to Phalsbourg and pick up the A4 motorway for one junction to Saverne. This costs 1.10 Euro and saves a lot of time. Leave the motorway and head for Molsheim, Obernai, Selstat, Colmar and the Swiss border at Basle. The D955 is a good road, partial dual carriageway and I have used it humpteen times, both towing a car and not towing.
In Switzerland, Basle, Lucerne, St Gotthard Tunnel, Lugano, Chiasso and the Italian border.
From the Swiss/Italian border, toll free signed as Fino Monasco and then signed as Monza and Bergamo. Join the A4 motorway at Bergamo and leave at Brescia Est. Take the SS11 to Lake Garda south.
Option 2 - a compromise on tolls
Calais - Dunkerque - Ostend - Brussels - Arlon - Luxembourg - Metz - Strasbourg (tolls payable - about 7 euro) and then Colmar, Mulhouse and into Switzerland. At the Italian border follow signs for Milan and then Venice. Tolls in Italy about 15 euro.
Option 3 - no worry about toll cost
Calais - Reims - Strasbourg - Mulhouse - Basle - transit Switzerland - Italy - Milan and signs to Venice
Estimated French tolls - 45 euro, plus the Italian one.
There is another option, running via Luxembourg to Metz, then Nancy, Epinal and Thann, then to Basle. I have overnighted in Charmes on that route, but prefer overnighting at Obernai through personal choice.
__________________________________________________________________________
Running via Luxembourg is a few miles longer but it toll free. The diesel is also amongst the cheapest in Europe.
__________________________________________________________________________
I usually travel to Calais on day 1, and sleep at the ferry terminal.
Day 2 - about 370 miles - toll free (well apart from 1.10 euro) to the municipal campsite and Obernai - www.obernai.fr
Day 3 - about 370 miles to Garda. It is about 15 miles shorter running toll free from the Italian border to Garda than by using the motorway. "Newcomers" will find the motorway option the easiest though.
__________________________________________________________________________
Russell