Croatia and Slovenia Trip - Routes and Sites Advice

[BigTim]

Hi

We are now just 2 weeks away from our planned 31 day visit to Slovenia and Croatia. We are 2 50+ers (& Max our elderly collie) driving a Kia Sorrento and towing a Bailey Senator Arizona.

We do have a lot of experience in Continental touring as we have been going for 4+ weeks for 12+ years.

This will be our first visit to Croatia and Slovenia. We are not in a terrible rush and try to avoid toll motorways in France. W do plan to use autoroutes, toll when necessary, in Germany and Austria and definitely in Croatia and Slovenia.

We have provisionally planned our route from Dunkerque as follows:

(a) East to Namur on E42

(b) SE to the S of Luxembourg on the E411

(c) SE to Saarbrucken on E29

(d) E to Karlsruhe (not to sure of the best route for this section)

(f) E to Munich on the E52

(g) E/SE bypassing Salzburg on the E52/60

(h) S on the E55 passing nr Villach and entering Slovenia via the Karawanken Tunnel

WE'D BE GRATEFUL FOR COMMENTS ON THIS ROUTE

On the way out, and home, we could do with a couple of campsite stops on the way. We aim to do about 350 miles in a day tops and then have a couple of days break before continuing. We don't aim to book sites but just phone ahead when we are in travelling distance - we find booking rather ties us down and doesn't allow for variations!! We have the Alan Rogers, Caravan Europe and ACSI (Book and DVD) guides.

Possible sites we've looked at are:

(1) Kawan Village Sagmuhle, Trippstatd - c330 miles from Dunkerque but it's a bit off our route

(2) Munchen Obermenzig

(3) Munchen Thalkirchen

(4) Panorama Camping Harras, Chiemsee

(5) Lake Bled as our first stop in Slovenia

We would be VERY grateful for comments on these AND other sites you'd recommend.

We've not yet got onto the route through Slovenia and Croatia and would be VERY GLAD of advice on routes. We will, obviously be keeping to autoroutes/main roads.

We would be grateful for advice on sites in Croatia and Slovenia, too. We hope to stop at 2 main sites in Slovenia and Croatia and stay for about 10 days at each. We prefer sites near the sea/Lake and not too commercialised.

On the way home we will maybe vary our route through Croatia/Slovenia until we reach Villach when we will probably travel the reverse of our outward journey UNLESS anyone can suggest better!!

Thanks in anticipation.

Tim

 

[BarryB_5039906]

Hi Big Tim

This is more or less the route we have used many times to Italy. From Salzburg and through the Karawanken Tunnel is easy and was quieter than the Brenner. There are a few tunnels on the way( they are not long)and some are traffic lighted. This does seem strange when you encounter traffic lights on a motorway, but I think it is to limit the number of cars in the tunnels. I am not sure if there is a toll for the tunnels as well as the Austrian vingette (about 8 Euro for 10 days )

As for the bit of the route from Saarbrucken to Karlsruhe I think it is best to follow the A8 to Pirmasens then route 10 to Landau where you pick up the A65. This route is 3 lanes/dual and single carriage way but it is not too slow or for too long.

As you enter Karlsruhe you follow the E52/A8 to Pforzheim and Stuggart and this keeps you on the dual/motorway type of road. Do not try to follow the A5 to the south as this takes you into the centre of the city and then out...

I am not sure where you may want a camp but we stay at Camping Lech just of the exit 73 at Augsburg. Camping Nord just off the Salzburg north motorway is good for a day or too to see the city, with public transport very handy.

Hope this is of use.

Happy travels BarryB

 

[BigTim]

That's really VERY helpful Barry just the sort of personal-experience information I was hoping for. Maps and SAT Nav are great but they don't tell you WHAT the roads, etc are really like.

Thanks a lot for taking the trouble to post.

Anyone else got any good tips?

Thanks

Tim

 

[DianneT]

Big Tim

We have been back just over a week from Europe and have travelled down to Southern Austria 7 times , where we stay is 30 minutes or so from 3 borders with Slovenia, which we visit for the day. On 2 borders you do not need vignette but not suitable for caravan just the car.

Anyway if you go to my website and see the route we took this year it was very good. All sites excellent. Though we do a lot of miles the first day we try not to do more than 200 miles a day with caravan on and stay 3/4 days at most sites.

Put this address in to you address bar and look at 7th Trip page. http://www.dvthompson.webs.com If you need any more advice get my email address from Parksy

 

[DianneT]

Sorry just thought when we were near Karlsruhe 2 weeks ago the Pirmesens route was closed for road works so we had to take the Autobahn North and then West past Kaiserslauten when coming home.

The Austrian Vignette is 7.90 Euro's for 10 days now. You do pay extra for Karawanken Tunnel not sure how much did not do that route this year. The road from Salzburg to Villach is I think the prettiest motorway in Europe. You do have to pay to go through the Tauern Tunnel 9.50 Euro's which also includes the Kattchberg Tunnel about 11 miles away. As you can see on the website we stopped near to Villach on the Ossiachersee for 6 weeks this year. It is our favourite area and site and if we wish to go to Slovenia or Italy we can go for the day from here.

 

[BigTim]

Thanks Snooks

That's just the sort of personal experience of sites and routes that I find helpful - I'm very grateful. I've had a look at your website and bookmarked it for reference.

Thanks again

More advice from folks still VERY welcome.

Regards

Tim