Driving in Austria - Advice please

AlastairH

AlastairH

Joined
Apr 10, 2017
Posts
134
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74
Location
Dunfermline
Funster No
48,116
MH
Bessacarr E520
Exp
Since 2013
Please could someone tell me where to get an emission sticker and/or a vignette? Can I buy them in Austria?
Is there anything else I need to know?
Thank you.
 
AlastairH said:
Please could someone tell me where to get an emission sticker and/or a vignette? Can I buy them in Austria?
Is there anything else I need to know?
Thank you.
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You don’t need an emission sticker unless you are a goods vehicle and vignettes (under 3.5t) can be got at any garage either side of the border👍
If you know the dates ahead you will be in Austria you can get them from Tolltickets website (I used to do it every trip when on the Harley’s and had the vignettes in place before I set off) 👍👍👍
 
It depends on the size of vehicle. If you are up to 3500kg then you will need to buy a vignette and as David said these are available at service/petrol stations in surrounding countries as you get near to the border. If you are more than 3500kg then you will need a Go Box. This is a unit you can collect at the border and it sits in your windscreen and records your mileage. It's many years since I've had to use a Go Box but the website below will help.
www.asfinag.at

GO toll

www.asfinag.at www.asfinag.at
As well as a vignette or Go Box you will also have to pay for some of the tunnels/passes.
 
jongood said:
Save yourself the grief, go through Switzerland
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If you’re under 3.5t and got a vignette there’s no grief, in fact at 5 tons and never had a go box, I’ve never encountered any grief, I’ve got good routes through there that should never put us on a motorway or expressway. I ❤️ Austria even better than Switzerland 👍

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I suppose a lot depends on your destination(s) and how much time you have. If your going to stay in Austria and under 3500 then it’s probably worth it at €9 for 10 days. We went through Switzerland this summer and we’re in a hurry so I found the best part of £35 quite a lot for 4 hours of driving. Horses for courses I suppose.
 
I avoid Austria, must be the least motorhome friendly country on main land europe and that goes for the natives themselves.

Must be careful beginning to sound like a certain Welshman!
 
Charente16 said:
I avoid Austria, must be the least motorhome friendly country on main land europe and that goes for the natives themselves.

Must be careful beginning to sound like a certain Welshman!
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Not my experience at all - one of my favourite countries; Summer and Winter
 
You MUST get your vignette before you even enter a toll road, buying at the first services is not good enough and you may get a fine even though you bought one later, I met a German who suffered this when I was camping on Garda with him.
 
How different Austrians behave on German Soil !

BUT !

I love the Otzal Valley and Solden.

In particular, We visit this after 3 days skiing !

www.aqua-dome.at

Startseite

AQUA DOME Hotel: Spa, thermal bath, sauna, beauty, fitness, gastronomy & tours in the Ötztal mountains in Austria. Book your wellness holiday!
www.aqua-dome.at www.aqua-dome.at

We stay here

Home

4-STAR CAMPING INCLUDING A DREAMING MOUNTAIN CULTURE - WELCOME TO THE WEBSITE OF THE CAMPING ÖTZTAL LÄNGENFELD!
www.camping-oetztal.com www.camping-oetztal.com

Free Shuttle busses in Winter

BUT BEWARE !

*IF over 3,500Kg / 3.5 Ton You will need a Go Box to use Motorways
THE Police Forced us onto a Motorway, even though we did not have a Go Box and were over 3.5t - No Checks or fines but it has been reported that's why they do this.
*MOTORHOMES are hated in many Places, well almost anywhere except campsites
WE Have witnessed Anti-British hostility (confirmed by German Friends and other Campers/Hotel/Bar clients)
*Some Towns and Villages Ban Motorhomes, well., with the exception of those with an Austrian Registration as we found out in Lech & Zurs.

Switzerland is SO Much Easier with the VIA app. But, make sure you are 100% Legal. We were treated in a shocking manner by the Swiss Police who refused to offer help in English and Insisted we filled a form out in German/Italian or French. They even brought out a fierce German Shepard on a Chain that terrified out then 2 year old Grandson.

B0257673-D7FE-4289-AEBF-3AAC664F3927.png
 
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royandsharont said:
You MUST get your vignette before you even enter a toll road, buying at the first services is not good enough and you may get a fine even though you bought one later, I met a German who suffered this when I was camping on Garda with him.
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Not necessarily, for example I crossed a gazillion times from De A3 at Passau, into A on A8, and always get the vignette at firs petrol station right after the border over the river.
Same as coming in from Hu M1 into A, I get the vignette at Nickeldorf station, first as you come in. If the crossing is motorway to motorway, it’s ok to get the vignette as soon as you cross.
 
Hmmmm

I have a go box

I stay in campsites

I speak German (reasonably well) with a Bavarian/Austrian accent

I love Austria beer and Wiener schnitzel

I stay each year in Grubhof/fieberbrunn/zillertal and solden

We are off to Austria in 2 weeks.

They get my vote.
 
bladerunner said:
Hmmmm

I have a go box

I stay in campsites

I speak German (reasonably well) with a Bavarian/Austrian accent

I love Austria beer and Wiener schnitzel

I stay each year in Grubhof/fieberbrunn/zillertal and solden

We are off to Austria in 2 weeks.

They get my vote.
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I speak very basic German too. Our German Friends say I don't make any sense, but they understand what I mean/want.

I refused to speak German when the Angry, Obtuse and officious git, banged on our Camper window and threw the above note into the cab.
 
Things must have changed. I lived in Brno for a year and travelled extensively into Vienna and the surrounding area. I always found the Austrians to be very friendly.... :)
 
Had 2 dealings with the Austrian police, one for spot check and two was involved in a road accident, both times on the Harley, and both times they were nothing but helpful and courteous. We too have found the Austrians very friendly👍
We will return next year🫶
 
Just like anywhere else you will encounter very friendly helpful people and absolute terrible obnoxious people and everything in between , I have spend many many holidays in Austria for over 40 years summer and winter and have mostly encountered the very friendly sort, it is a stunning country, if you want to convince yourself please visit Serfaus, Fiss, Ladis, have a look on their website, it’s pure paradise👍

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Austria is fine, sure they have their own way of doing things but if you want to play then you must pay.
This is my bedtime reading ....Austria is MH friendly.
Communities that don't like MHs exist everywhere, We were kicked off a handicapped parking space in Potsdam because MHs are not allowed, legally parked or not, they don't want them so you must go.


The joke in Bavaria is: Why are there no mental hospitals in Austria?......because they would need to roof the whole country.... they are all crazy but fun.

Go to Austria and enjoy 😉
 
Raul said:
Not necessarily, for example I crossed a gazillion times from De A3 at Passau, into A on A8, and always get the vignette at firs petrol station right after the border over the river.
Same as coming in from Hu M1 into A, I get the vignette at Nickeldorf station, first as you come in. If the crossing is motorway to motorway, it’s ok to get the vignette as soon as you cross.
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What I would say is that the Austrian rules are that you must have a vignette to drive on their motorways so in your case you didn’t have one when you drove on their motorway and therefore were liable to a fine. Buying in retrospect will not be a defence anywhere that I am aware of, otherwise we wouldn’t have the laws everyone would just buy after they’ve been stopped.

Whilst I think it is logical to do this perhaps this is exactly why they sell them on all the services before the Austrian borders so you cannot say there was no where to get them.

We all know how officious the Austrian police can be and I personally have seen the fine posted to the Germans home address for crossing the border without one when he had bought it as you do. He was caught with those gantry cameras showing no vignette in the window.

I suspect the Austrian law will be pretty much like here for car parking tickets and the old tax disc, not only must you have one valid at the time it must be displayed too. Either failure is/was an offence or infringement of the rules.

Similarly the Crit’air etc must be bought and displayed before you enter.

You take your chances but I’d prefer not to risk it and wouldn’t advise anyone else to do so without pointing out their risk.

We love visiting Austria and have never had a problem that so many say they’ve experience, long may that continue but we do abide by all their rules, as far as we are aware 😜
 
royandsharont said:
Whilst I think it is logical to do this perhaps this is exactly why they sell them on all the services before the Austrian borders so you cannot say there was no where to get them.
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When we came through from Mikulov in May we bought one for each of the bikes at the shop that used to be newsagents at the Drasenhofen border post. It's simple to do and the woman behind the counter clips the date of purchase.
 
Soycd said:
It depends on the size of vehicle. If you are up to 3500kg then you will need to buy a vignette and as David said these are available at service/petrol stations in surrounding countries as you get near to the border. If you are more than 3500kg then you will need a Go Box. This is a unit you can collect at the border and it sits in your windscreen and records your mileage. It's many years since I've had to use a Go Box but the website below will help.
www.asfinag.at

GO toll

www.asfinag.at www.asfinag.at
As well as a vignette or Go Box you will also have to pay for some of the tunnels/passes.
Click to expand...

We are over 4250 but look 3500 (weight uprate). We just got the Vignette at the border. To be honest it was a waste of 'a lot' of money. We were only on the motorway for a few miles. If I went again I'd save my money keep off the motorways.
 
VXman said:
We are over 4250 but look 3500 (weight uprate). We just got the Vignette at the border. To be honest it was a waste of 'a lot' of money. We were only on the motorway for a few miles. If I went again I'd save my money keep off the motorways.
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If you are travelling through, using motorways and not intending to stay over then its probably worth it. The difficult part is working out what an 'express way' is as you need a vignette for motorways and express ways. It's a similar definition in Solvenia. My mate 'misinterpreted' and picked up a €180 fine!! Of course I didn't take the p*ss!
 
VXman said:
We are over 4250 but look 3500 (weight uprate). We just got the Vignette at the border. To be honest it was a waste of 'a lot' of money. We were only on the motorway for a few miles. If I went again I'd save my money keep off the motorways.
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If you had bought the GO Box it would have cost you a lot more.

I would not risk not getting the GO Box because there are a lot of instances of stops for weighing.
 

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