Anyone offer any advice on driving to Venice in Italy.

Is it better to go through Switzerland or through Austria and avoid paying
for a Vignette?

Thanks.
M.

"Martin Cotterell" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Anyone offer any advice on driving to Venice in Italy.
    > Is it better to go through Switzerland or through Austria and avoid paying
    > for a Vignette?
    > Thanks.
    > M.

Let's guess where you come from......

Ron


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"Martin Cotterell" <[email protected]> schrieb im
Newsbeitrag news:[email protected]...
    > Anyone offer any advice on driving to Venice in Italy.
    > Is it better to go through Switzerland or through Austria and avoid paying
    > for a Vignette?

However, a vignette is also necessary in Austria, but you need not buy a
1-year-vignette, in Austria there are also cheaper 1-week-vignettes or so.



--
Regards,

Helmut Uttenthaler,
Graz

"Helmut Uttenthaler" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > "Martin Cotterell" <[email protected]> schrieb im
    > Newsbeitrag news:[email protected]...
    > > Anyone offer any advice on driving to Venice in Italy.
    > >
    > > Is it better to go through Switzerland or through Austria and avoid
paying
    > > for a Vignette?
    > However, a vignette is also necessary in Austria, but you need not buy a
    > 1-year-vignette, in Austria there are also cheaper 1-week-vignettes or so.
Swiss vignette costs 40 SFR (26 euro) and is valid 14 months (Dec 02-Jan
04). If you use St Gotthard tunnel no extra toll is payable. 10-day Austrian
vignette is 7.60 euro, plus Brenner toll of 8 euro one-way. So the return
journey will cost 23.60 euro, not much different from Swiss figure.
So your choice should depend not so much on costs as where you are coming
from. If Eastern France/Black Forest, then Swiss route is preferable, but if
coming through Bavaria, go through Austria instead.

Alec
    > --
    > Regards,
    > Helmut Uttenthaler,
    > Graz

I assume from your e-mail address you are from the UK, in that case the most
direct route would be through Switzerland. To go via Austria would mean
driving though some very busy autobahns in Germany. The motorways in
Switzerland are excellent and well worth paying for the privilege of using
them. Dan.

"Dan McLean" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > I assume from your e-mail address you are from the UK, in that case the
most
    > direct route would be through Switzerland. To go via Austria would mean
    > driving though some very busy autobahns in Germany. The motorways in
    > Switzerland are excellent and well worth paying for the privilege of using
    > them. Dan.

That rather depends where in Italy you are headed and how quickly
you want to get there.

Last time I drive I went down the Rhine as far as Koblenz , a
very beautiful drive, headed eastward via Augsburg and Munich
before crossing into Austria and driving to the Venice area
via Innsbruck

It was a very pleasant and scenic route, I came back via
Switzerland and that certainly has its attractions too

Keith

"R@L" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
    >
    > "Martin Cotterell" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    > > Anyone offer any advice on driving to Venice in Italy.
    > >
    > > Is it better to go through Switzerland or through Austria and avoid paying
    > > for a Vignette?
    > >
    > > Thanks.
    > > M.
    > >
    > >
    >
    > Let's guess where you come from......

um

scotland perhaps?


TBH, I feel that the 'annual' only version is a right rip-off and I
would want to avoid it too.

Tim

    >
    > Ron
    >
    >
    > ---
    > Outgoing mail is AVG certified Virus Free.
    > Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
    > Version: 6.0.507 / Virus Database: 304 - Release Date: 05-08-2003
    >
    >

"Alec" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
    >
    > "Helmut Uttenthaler" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    > >
    > > "Martin Cotterell" <[email protected]> schrieb im
    > > Newsbeitrag news:[email protected]...
    > > > Anyone offer any advice on driving to Venice in Italy.
    > > >
    > > > Is it better to go through Switzerland or through Austria and avoid
    > paying
    > > > for a Vignette?
    > >
    > > However, a vignette is also necessary in Austria, but you need not buy a
    > > 1-year-vignette, in Austria there are also cheaper 1-week-vignettes or so.
    > >
    > >
    > Swiss vignette costs 40 SFR (26 euro) and is valid 14 months (Dec 02-Jan
    > 04). If you use St Gotthard tunnel no extra toll is payable. 10-day Austrian
    > vignette is 7.60 euro, plus Brenner toll of 8 euro one-way.

But some of this is in Italy. Whichever way you go there are going to be
Italian tolls to pay so you have to consider the total cost not just a
snippet

Tim


    > So the return
    > journey will cost 23.60 euro, not much different from Swiss figure.
    > So your choice should depend not so much on costs as where you are coming
    > from. If Eastern France/Black Forest, then Swiss route is preferable, but if
    > coming through Bavaria, go through Austria instead.
    >
    > Alec
    > >
    > > --
    > > Regards,
    > >
    > > Helmut Uttenthaler,
    > > Graz
    > >
    > >
    >
    >

"Dan McLean" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
    > I assume from your e-mail address you are from the UK, in that case the most
    > direct route would be through Switzerland. To go via Austria would mean
    > driving though some very busy autobahns in Germany.

But unless he is inclined to pay the french tolls he will have to do this
anyway. The amount of 'busy' autobahn that will be added, by going to
Austria, will not be large.

    > The motorways in Switzerland are excellent and well worth paying
    > for the privilege of using them.

Perhaps?

Tim

    > Dan.
    >
    >

"tim" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > But some of this is in Italy. Whichever way you go there are going to be
    > Italian tolls to pay so you have to consider the total cost not just a
    > snippet
    > Tim

Of course you don't. The Italian tolls apply whether you come through
Gottardo or Brenner or have Scotty beam you in.
If you map this, however, you will see that you will spend much more in gas
if you take the eastern route, which seems silly. I'd do it for the beauty
one time, perhaps, but I would know why I was doing it, which wouldn't be
Swiss tolls. Imagine the cost of keeping up some of those roads through the
Alps? The other thing is Swiss prices for gas seem a bargain compared to
Italy, anyway. The money has to come from somewhere.

I would like to thank everyone who took the time to respond to my post, it
was a great help.
As this is my first time down this way (from the UK) I will take the Swiss
route.

Cheers,
M.

"Judith Umbria" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > "tim" <[email protected]> wrote in message
    > news:[email protected]...
    > > But some of this is in Italy. Whichever way you go there are going to be
    > > Italian tolls to pay so you have to consider the total cost not just a
    > > snippet
    > >
    > > Tim
    > Of course you don't.

"Of course you don't" what? (Have to consider the total cost? - of course
you do!)

    > The Italian tolls apply whether you come through
    > Gottardo or Brenner

Which is exactly what I said. The previous poster tried to say that it was
cheaper to go via CH beacause he did his calculation by adding the cost of
the Italian tolls onto the A price but he didn't add the Italian tolls onto the
CH price!

    >or have Scotty beam you in.

No need to be rude.

    > If you map this, however, you will see that you will spend much more in gas
    > if you take the eastern route, which seems silly.

I haven't planned every route but the route via B/D/A is 45 km further
than the one via F/CH. The route via B/D/CH is the longest by 20km.

So ISTM that by avoiding the CH vignette you also avoid the French
tolls. A win/win!

    > I'd do it for the beauty
    > one time, perhaps, but I would know why I was doing it, which wouldn't be
    > Swiss tolls. Imagine the cost of keeping up some of those roads through the
    > Alps?

The route in Austria is much the same, the difference is that the Austrians
(fairly) let you buy a pass that suits your personal needs, the swiss only have
a pass which is designed to rip-off the one-timers to the benefit of the
regulars and IMHO needs to be avoided for that reason alone.

    > The other thing is Swiss prices for gas seem a bargain compared to
    > Italy, anyway.

This is an entirely different point. If one wants the best price for gas(?)
you have to get off the motorway.

    > The money has to come from somewhere.

Which money is this. If a country wants to charge people for the use
of its roads the fairest method is one with an element based upon usage.

Tim

I wouldnt describe the motorways in Switzerland as excellent.
Excellent compared with UK in terms of being quite quiet, but they are
maily two lane, and the main motorway between Basel and Zürich which I
drove at the weekend was like on looooong roadwork punctuated with
tunnels. The Swiss attitude to roadworks is to put up a few cones and
squash the cars into narrow lanes rather than lose a lane. Quite
stressful especially if driving at night.

German motorways have a different problem called BMW drivers -
tailgate at 180kmh and flashing you to pull over. Incredible but there
we are. This leads to a "fast as you can" followed by "hard on the
brakes" wave cycle throughout any journey in busier times. And before
anyone says it , slowing down is not the answer as it doesnt stop the
loon in the car behind coming within 1m of your rear bumper in
whatever lane.

Anyway before I ramble on too much, I was in a hire car and object to
paying 40CHF every time I visit for the weekend. The vignette goes on
the car unfortunately.
Dave

"Dan McLean" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
    > I assume from your e-mail address you are from the UK, in that case the most
    > direct route would be through Switzerland. To go via Austria would mean
    > driving though some very busy autobahns in Germany. The motorways in
    > Switzerland are excellent and well worth paying for the privilege of using
    > them. Dan.