Help for Northern Italy/Austria (1 Viewer)

[Terry242]

Hi all. As the title says, I'm looking for any advice/recommendations or general tips.

We will be in the French Alps in July following the TdeF and will most likely end up around the Galibier. We then plan on travelling via Briancon over the Col into Italy from which a very rough plan is to do a bit of the lakes, travel through Austria via the Grossglochner Pass [tick a box there] and into Bavaria.

Both France and Germany are familiar to us but we've never MoHo'ed in either Italy or Austria so any advice will be helpful.

Thanks

Terry

 

[magicsurfbus]

We took a very similar route last autumn, from Avignon.

Briefly, free car park type aire with services at Briancon, pay for aire at Montgenevre on top of the col if required. The road up to Montgenevre winds but is easily negotiable in a MH as trucks use it all the time. On the Italian side it's good quality road all the way down to the Autostrada near Oulx.

For Lake Garda we've used Camping Amici di Lazise where you can either have a shady pitch inside or park aire-style on the tarmac at the front for a bit less - bloody hot though. Loads of other campsites down that stretch of road but most are fully-featured and busy in summer. Amici is low key and convenient for most things down that end - buses are regular, including free park shuttles, and it's easy enough cycling into Lazise where you can get lake ferries. There's a music-themed eat all you can diner on the corner too, which is a bit different, and the Aquapark next door is a hoot.

Top end of the lake we've used the camper stop at Torbole which is a MH only site with soft pitches. They may have a maximum stay limit though. Convenient for visiting Riva del Garda.

The thing you find with Garda after a few trips is that most of the lakeside towns are basically the same formula, and the whole setup is very commercial, so once you've seen two or three of them it's not vital to see loads more. Nice places to visit of course, but don't expect huge variety

Before hitting Austria we visited Otzi the Iceman's museum at Bolzano, then drove through the Brenner Pass. For Austrian toll autobahns you need to buy a vignette sticker at one of the last service stations on the Italian side if you're up to 3.5 tonnes, or get a Go Box at the border if you're over 3.5 tonnes.

The Grossglockner Pass is effectively a private road that you pay a fee to use. We didn't go up it on our visit as our MH was getting on a bit and we were due to sell it, so I didn't want to risk knackering anything, but it's perfectly feasible in a MH if you take your time. For local camping we stopped at Campingplatz Seecamp near Zell am See which is quite costly but very well situated, especially if you have bikes. There's another site at the opposite end of the lake which looks fine, but it's not as close to the water.

On the way there we used a campsite at Hall in Tirol near Innsbruck, which has MH parking on the tarmac outside or low rate small MH pitches inside.

If you've got time I'd recommend a look at Salzburg before getting stuck into Bavaria - we used camping Nord-Sam and cycled in to the centre along the river bank, but there's a bus stop outside the gate too. My missus went on the Sound of Music Experience coach tour while I explored the Schloss up on the crag. Interesting place.

[Afterthought: In Austria if you see a Spar signposted it probably won't just be a village shop like here. Over there they're often full supermarkets. The other popular supermarket chain there is Billa.]

 

[BreweryDave]

We are currently at Seefeld near Innsbruck, having come up from Lake Garda.
Italian roads are a bit bumpy, but the motorways are not expensive.
For lake Garda, I reccomend Malcesine, gorgeous.
For Austria we bought a go box as at 5tonnes the alternative routes for us via the Brennerpass were all 3.5 T limits, so used the motorway. Half hour from Brenner to Innsbruck ! Go box was €80 inc €75 credit. Easily bought and set up at service station before the border.
The 2 sites we have been on in Austria have been absolutely fantastic, Natterer See at Natters ( free bus into Innsbruck 20 mins!) and now at Camp Alpin, Seefeld.
Both €19 on acsi, plus local taxes. Worth every penny, the best sites we have ever seen! No wild camping allowed in this part of Austria.
Heading to Garmisch and Bavaria in the next day or so.

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[Alistair33]

Go box was €80 inc €75 credit. Easily bought and set up at service station before the border.

any idea how far €75 will get you?

 

[BreweryDave]

any idea how far €75 will get you?

Nope!!! it beeps once and takes credit whenever you pass a sensor.
When you reach €45 it beeps twice to let you know.
If it beeps 4 times youve run out and have 5 hours to top it up.
So we still have over €45 and have travelled from Brenner to Seefeld, only about 60km.
Could possibly check online, but can't be bothered! Be in Germany 30 mins from here and no more motorways in Austria this year lol!

 

[Terry242]

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