Calais to Lake Garda (help for a newbie)

[SteveWay]

For a few years now we have travelled to Moniga on Lake Garda for 3 weeks each year stopping at the excellent Piantelle. Until recently we had a motorhome and would pretty much stop where we felt tired at a motorway aire or use a dedicated off autoroute one. We've always gone via Chamonix in the past, although it is probably not the cheapest route to follow.

With our newest daughter came the need for more space so we have changed to a caravan and are trying to work out the best route with two stopovers on the way there and one on the return journey. Ideally we will want to just pull up early evening, plug in and leave again by 10 the next day. I'd rather not stop at a motorway services as irrespective of the risk we never feel fully rested due to the noise.

Our curent plan (version 99!) is to go via the Brenner Pass so will be looking in the Strasbourg area for the fist night and close to the pass for the second. On the way home I would probably do a long day first and get to Stasbourg again. We leave the UK on the first train on 19th July and return on the 13th August.

Any help or advice on either the route or the stopovers would be most appreciated, I'm anticipating a slower trip as it appears that the 100kph I cruised at in the motorhome needs to be dropped to 90 / 80 for the caravan...

Huge thanks in advance

Steve and Laura Way

 

[BK123]

We have stayed at the site in Obernai for our first night on way to Italy.

 

[DianneT]

We have done this trip with the van many times the route and campsites we have used are on here on the page titled European Routes.
Address as below for website. Ant questions just ask.

 

[SteveWay]

Thanks for the replies they are very helpful..

 

[Percy1]

The route through the brenner pass in Austria was our favourite, it was a couple of hours further but cheaper than going through Switzerland especially if you go via Luxembourg(cheapest fuel in Europe)

 

[JonnyG]

For a few years now we have travelled to Moniga on Lake Garda for 3 weeks each year stopping at the excellent Piantelle. Until recently we had a motorhome and would pretty much stop where we felt tired at a motorway aire or use a dedicated off autoroute one. We've always gone via Chamonix in the past, although it is probably not the cheapest route to follow.

With our newest daughter came the need for more space so we have changed to a caravan and are trying to work out the best route with two stopovers on the way there and one on the return journey. Ideally we will want to just pull up early evening, plug in and leave again by 10 the next day. I'd rather not stop at a motorway services as irrespective of the risk we never feel fully rested due to the noise.

Our curent plan (version 99!) is to go via the Brenner Pass so will be looking in the Strasbourg area for the fist night and close to the pass for the second. On the way home I would probably do a long day first and get to Stasbourg again. We leave the UK on the first train on 19th July and return on the 13th August.

Any help or advice on either the route or the stopovers would be most appreciated, I'm anticipating a slower trip as it appears that the 100kph I cruised at in the motorhome needs to be dropped to 90 / 80 for the caravan...

Huge thanks in advance

Steve and Laura Way

Have concerns about your return plans to get from moniga to near strassburg. Assuming you will be returning the same way you went ie via brenner pass as the route is 466 miles,towing you will not be able to average 50 mph given the roads out moniga towards the Mway and indeed the possibilty that you will be leaving Italy on the weekend of August 12th?with the 14th being feri agusta [the main holidays in Italy] so the weekend will be busy with traffic,and then you are also travelling up toward fussen in germany, .So before you even weigh in with breaks you are looking at atleast 11 hours of driving..

 

[JonnyG]

The route through the brenner pass in Austria was our favourite, it was a couple of hours further but cheaper than going through Switzerland especially if you go via Luxembourg(cheapest fuel in Europe)

Hi. have herd this said so often but everytime i do the maths the difference is so small as to be nothing.... calais/dunkrk- luxembourg- switzerland- Italy is 100 miles shorter. the tollsl are 19 Euro's each way using Metz to strassbourg as the only French tolls. 2 switz vignettes at 33 Euro's each equals 106 Euro's.
Going calais/dunkirk-luxemburg-germany ect ect. the tolls are approx 8 euro each way austrian vignette 8 euro brenner pass equals 32 euros TOTAL. unless you stay in Italy less than 10 days then you save 8 euro's. then add 100 miles each way extra and the fuel you need so that an extra 7 or 8 gallons of fuel depending on if you get 25 mpg or 30 mpg given the terrain near fussen and brennar more likely to be nearer 25 mpg. so 8 galons of extra fuel is what 36 litres even if you use Austrian diesel prices thats 1.3 a litre its an extra 47 euro's..tolls in Italy favour chiasso switzerland to desenzano by 14 Euro's against the breener route to garda..
So you can at best save a grand total of 6 euro's each way!!! going the brenner route and,nothing if you have to fill up in germany in stead of Austria..