Could anyone recommend a toll free route to Interlaken that would be reasonably stress free for towing. Also could you recommend 2 overnight stops on the way.
Thanking you in anticipation, Robin.
Thanking you in anticipation, Robin.
Route to Interlaken Switzerland.
- Thread starter Robin_5041462
- Start date
This virtually the same topic as I posted last week I need advice on Bregenze to Interlaken but have had no replies. Have found a good site in Interlaken that does ACSI card. But as we have a T/A caravan was checking on the roads. Hope you have more success.
Robin,
We travelled from Calais to Interlaken in July last year and used the toll free route via Belgium and Luxembourg heading into France near Metz.
We had a two night stop over at Forge de St Marie (Les Castels)before continuing onto Manor Farm site Interlaken.
Our experience was that this route was very busy and we encountered a lot of road works. Definately not stress free.
On our return we opted for the toll roads and decided that the additional cost was well worth it.
Hope you have a great time in Interlaken. In our view a great holiday destination.
We travelled from Calais to Interlaken in July last year and used the toll free route via Belgium and Luxembourg heading into France near Metz.
We had a two night stop over at Forge de St Marie (Les Castels)before continuing onto Manor Farm site Interlaken.
Our experience was that this route was very busy and we encountered a lot of road works. Definately not stress free.
On our return we opted for the toll roads and decided that the additional cost was well worth it.
Hope you have a great time in Interlaken. In our view a great holiday destination.
Hi Robin and Dianne
In 2006 and 20007 we travelled down Italy via Switzerland and a couple of years earlier we travelled down to the Interlaken area. On all 3 occasions we had large (7.2 metre 'vans) - a twin axle in 2007. Although as teachers we have to travel in July/August we did not book any sites in advance but had little trouble finding pitches. I have amalgamated our experiences to give you a route which we found reliable and some campsite recommendations. This route is TOLL FREE to the swiss border.
We travelled overnight arriving at Dunkerque at 06.00. After stopping for a couple of hours sleep at a Aire near Lisle we then drove on down through Belgium and Luxembourg on the E42. East of Namur we turned onto the E411.
Berchen motorway service, near Luxembourg, has the cheapest fuel in western Europe. For a night halt near the autoroute north of Luxembourg I would recommend Camping Chenefleur as an excellent night halt near to the motorway. We discovered this site in 2006 when we broke down on the way home and were towed there by breakdown truck. We stopped off there travelling south in 2007. My review can be found here
http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/reviews.asp?revid=7389
The above website has a number of excellent reviews for Swiss campsites
At Luxembourg we turned south onto the E23 and drove as far as an Aire near Nancy before stopping for the night at the aire - an excellent day's drive we felt. The motorway ended just south of Nancy but we continued south past Epinal and then turned west onto the N66. This single carriageway road is a good one which goes through the heart of the Ballons des Vosges mountain range. The views are lovely and although there are some gradients these are relatively easily laid out in long hairpins.
At the eastern side of the Vosges hills we spent a few days staying at the Camping Les Acacias site at Cernay. My review can be found here:
http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/reviews.asp?revid=7390
From Cernay we continued down the A35 to Basle where we crossed into Switzerland. In 2007 we crossed into Germany before entering Switzerland which meant we avoided the centre of Basle. I have heard subsequently that the roadworks in Basle are now finished and it much easier to negotiate.
At the border we had to pay for the overpriced annual Swiss motorway vignettes for BOTH the car and caravan. When stopped at the Border point a man comes to sell them to you - 2 are needed one for the car and one for the 'van. We wished to pay by credit card so we had to park up and pay at the office. There are loos there too.
For the Interlanken area from near Basle you would be best to take the E35/A2 motorway then turn onto the A1 Mway toward Berne. Before Berne branch onto the A6 motorway which leads down to Interlaken. The campsites are actually signed on the motorway signs showing the correct turn for each one.
Regarding sites when we actually stayed in the Bernese Oberland a few years back when I looked at Manor Farm, Lazy Rancho and the other central Interlaken sites at the end of July I found them very crowded and was not too impressed. We found two very pleasant alternative sites in the village of Brienz. This is at the far end of the Brienzersee from Interlaken. Both sites are in the Caravan Club's Caravan Europe guide. Below is a copy of a review I wrote soon after our visit.
The 2 sites are both right on the lakeside. There is
Camping Seegartli Tel 033 9511351
This is quite a small site with the only facilities being toilets, launderette and hookups but it in superb position right on the lakeside. We turned up without booking and stayed for nearly 2 weeks. We had a superb lakeside pitch - our van was about 2 metres from the water's edge with uninterupted views along the Brienzer See towards interlaken and the mountains. It is run by a interesting man who lives on site. Although a little officious at times by the end of the visit he had become very friendly. At the end of our stay he actually came out onto the road to stop the traffic to allow us to pull out!!
Camping Aaregg Tel: 03395111843, Email: camping-aaregg@bluewin.ch Website: www.aaereg.ch
Aareg is the bigger of the 2 with more facilities. snack bar, shop, etc. It is is on the same minor road as Seegartli, a little further on. We looked at this but too but chose Seegartli. Our sons regularly paddled their inflatable along the lake from Seegartli to Aareg to buy sweets at the latter campsite's shop!
Both sites feature in the Caravan Club's "Caravan Europe" (Vol 2) which I would recommend both volumes as an essential guide for caravanning on the Continent.
Both sites are very close to the picturessque lakeside village of Brienz which is famous for woodcarving. It is quiter than Interlaken which we found rather busy at times. It has its own railway station, mountain railway and lake boat station within walking distance of the campsite.
We bought a combined rail and cable car pass and hardly used the car all the time that we were on the site. The rail pass gave us access to all the main peaks including the spectacular Jungfraujoch with its glacier and ice cavern and Schilthorn made famous in the James Bond Film "On her Majesty's Secret Secret Service". Alhtough our children were quite young we were able to walk in the mountans by using the cable cars and walking between them.
Interlaken and Meringen are within easy travelling distance and the valley floor is flat enough for cycling. We cycled to Meringen and the nearby Reichenbach falls, where Sherlock Holmes "died"!!?? and, also, visited the Sherlock Holmes Museum in the former English Church in Meringen. En route a very helpful Swiss motorist stopped and, in perfect English, directed us to a beautiful minor road for cycling - all orchards and flower-decked chalets, cos he thought the main road was too busy for our family cycle!! Meringen, also, had a wonderful selection of, free-to-use outdoor toys in a public square near the centre of the town. Our boys had a great time there.
Just writing this brings back many happy memories of a super caravan holiday in staggeringly beautiful surroundings. Switzerland is, also, a very clean and efficient country. Although the campsites were not too expensive we found that food and other things tended to be and I hear that has got worse in 2009 with the present financial situation.
It was a really memorable holiday and still brings back many happy memories.
If you are following my recommendation of Brienz I would recommend staying on the A8 Mway all the way to eastern end of the Brienzersee and then turning onto the Route 6 for Brienz. The road along the northern side of the lake from Interlaken to Brienz is quite narrow and has overhanging rock outcrops which are bit dodgy for caravans.
A general point about Swiss motorways is that although they are good quality roads they are only dual or sometimes single carraigeways with quite a lot of tunnel sections (but then I don't like Tunnels much.) Lorry drivers and other motorists tended to get rather annoyed at us sticking to the 50mph towing speed limit.
I hope this helps.
Regards
Tim
In 2006 and 20007 we travelled down Italy via Switzerland and a couple of years earlier we travelled down to the Interlaken area. On all 3 occasions we had large (7.2 metre 'vans) - a twin axle in 2007. Although as teachers we have to travel in July/August we did not book any sites in advance but had little trouble finding pitches. I have amalgamated our experiences to give you a route which we found reliable and some campsite recommendations. This route is TOLL FREE to the swiss border.
We travelled overnight arriving at Dunkerque at 06.00. After stopping for a couple of hours sleep at a Aire near Lisle we then drove on down through Belgium and Luxembourg on the E42. East of Namur we turned onto the E411.
Berchen motorway service, near Luxembourg, has the cheapest fuel in western Europe. For a night halt near the autoroute north of Luxembourg I would recommend Camping Chenefleur as an excellent night halt near to the motorway. We discovered this site in 2006 when we broke down on the way home and were towed there by breakdown truck. We stopped off there travelling south in 2007. My review can be found here
http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/reviews.asp?revid=7389
The above website has a number of excellent reviews for Swiss campsites
At Luxembourg we turned south onto the E23 and drove as far as an Aire near Nancy before stopping for the night at the aire - an excellent day's drive we felt. The motorway ended just south of Nancy but we continued south past Epinal and then turned west onto the N66. This single carriageway road is a good one which goes through the heart of the Ballons des Vosges mountain range. The views are lovely and although there are some gradients these are relatively easily laid out in long hairpins.
At the eastern side of the Vosges hills we spent a few days staying at the Camping Les Acacias site at Cernay. My review can be found here:
http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/sites/reviews.asp?revid=7390
From Cernay we continued down the A35 to Basle where we crossed into Switzerland. In 2007 we crossed into Germany before entering Switzerland which meant we avoided the centre of Basle. I have heard subsequently that the roadworks in Basle are now finished and it much easier to negotiate.
At the border we had to pay for the overpriced annual Swiss motorway vignettes for BOTH the car and caravan. When stopped at the Border point a man comes to sell them to you - 2 are needed one for the car and one for the 'van. We wished to pay by credit card so we had to park up and pay at the office. There are loos there too.
For the Interlanken area from near Basle you would be best to take the E35/A2 motorway then turn onto the A1 Mway toward Berne. Before Berne branch onto the A6 motorway which leads down to Interlaken. The campsites are actually signed on the motorway signs showing the correct turn for each one.
Regarding sites when we actually stayed in the Bernese Oberland a few years back when I looked at Manor Farm, Lazy Rancho and the other central Interlaken sites at the end of July I found them very crowded and was not too impressed. We found two very pleasant alternative sites in the village of Brienz. This is at the far end of the Brienzersee from Interlaken. Both sites are in the Caravan Club's Caravan Europe guide. Below is a copy of a review I wrote soon after our visit.
The 2 sites are both right on the lakeside. There is
Camping Seegartli Tel 033 9511351
This is quite a small site with the only facilities being toilets, launderette and hookups but it in superb position right on the lakeside. We turned up without booking and stayed for nearly 2 weeks. We had a superb lakeside pitch - our van was about 2 metres from the water's edge with uninterupted views along the Brienzer See towards interlaken and the mountains. It is run by a interesting man who lives on site. Although a little officious at times by the end of the visit he had become very friendly. At the end of our stay he actually came out onto the road to stop the traffic to allow us to pull out!!
Camping Aaregg Tel: 03395111843, Email: camping-aaregg@bluewin.ch Website: www.aaereg.ch
Aareg is the bigger of the 2 with more facilities. snack bar, shop, etc. It is is on the same minor road as Seegartli, a little further on. We looked at this but too but chose Seegartli. Our sons regularly paddled their inflatable along the lake from Seegartli to Aareg to buy sweets at the latter campsite's shop!
Both sites feature in the Caravan Club's "Caravan Europe" (Vol 2) which I would recommend both volumes as an essential guide for caravanning on the Continent.
Both sites are very close to the picturessque lakeside village of Brienz which is famous for woodcarving. It is quiter than Interlaken which we found rather busy at times. It has its own railway station, mountain railway and lake boat station within walking distance of the campsite.
We bought a combined rail and cable car pass and hardly used the car all the time that we were on the site. The rail pass gave us access to all the main peaks including the spectacular Jungfraujoch with its glacier and ice cavern and Schilthorn made famous in the James Bond Film "On her Majesty's Secret Secret Service". Alhtough our children were quite young we were able to walk in the mountans by using the cable cars and walking between them.
Interlaken and Meringen are within easy travelling distance and the valley floor is flat enough for cycling. We cycled to Meringen and the nearby Reichenbach falls, where Sherlock Holmes "died"!!?? and, also, visited the Sherlock Holmes Museum in the former English Church in Meringen. En route a very helpful Swiss motorist stopped and, in perfect English, directed us to a beautiful minor road for cycling - all orchards and flower-decked chalets, cos he thought the main road was too busy for our family cycle!! Meringen, also, had a wonderful selection of, free-to-use outdoor toys in a public square near the centre of the town. Our boys had a great time there.
Just writing this brings back many happy memories of a super caravan holiday in staggeringly beautiful surroundings. Switzerland is, also, a very clean and efficient country. Although the campsites were not too expensive we found that food and other things tended to be and I hear that has got worse in 2009 with the present financial situation.
It was a really memorable holiday and still brings back many happy memories.
If you are following my recommendation of Brienz I would recommend staying on the A8 Mway all the way to eastern end of the Brienzersee and then turning onto the Route 6 for Brienz. The road along the northern side of the lake from Interlaken to Brienz is quite narrow and has overhanging rock outcrops which are bit dodgy for caravans.
A general point about Swiss motorways is that although they are good quality roads they are only dual or sometimes single carraigeways with quite a lot of tunnel sections (but then I don't like Tunnels much.) Lorry drivers and other motorists tended to get rather annoyed at us sticking to the 50mph towing speed limit.
I hope this helps.
Regards
Tim
Thanks Tim and Swift2008 for you remarks. We are travelling back from Austria and then going through Switzerland to Interlaken for a few days. We were just wondering what the roads are like between Bregenze and Interlaken. Coming home we will be going to the Black Forest and then Oberweiss and Home.
We do not touch France going as we go straight from the Tunnel and into Belgium and Germany for our 1st night at Oberweiss and coming home except for half an hour from Belgium into France to stay one night at Guines for easy trip back to the Tunnel next morning. Austria and Germany are our favourite Countries and cheapest for fuel, food etc., We are not lovers of France. This year we are doing a 2 months trip with 3 countries being visited. Last year was such a big one 10 countries in 3 months adding in Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic after Austria, Italy and Germany,visiting Luxembourg and passing thro Belgium and France on the north coast.
This year will be our 6th European Tour and hopefully not our last.
We do not touch France going as we go straight from the Tunnel and into Belgium and Germany for our 1st night at Oberweiss and coming home except for half an hour from Belgium into France to stay one night at Guines for easy trip back to the Tunnel next morning. Austria and Germany are our favourite Countries and cheapest for fuel, food etc., We are not lovers of France. This year we are doing a 2 months trip with 3 countries being visited. Last year was such a big one 10 countries in 3 months adding in Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic after Austria, Italy and Germany,visiting Luxembourg and passing thro Belgium and France on the north coast.
This year will be our 6th European Tour and hopefully not our last.
Thanks for your help folks, I THINK we have now decided to bite the bullet and pay the tolls including the Swiss vignette (why can't they do a tourist pass for a month at a time).We are leaving on the 10 am Norfolk Line ferry on Sat. 13th June. We are hoping to stay at Frutigen near Interlaken and to spend a few days travelling around the mountains in the area with a 6 day Jungfraubahen pass.Heres hoping for the best.
Robin
Robin
Robin,
Hope you have a great holiday. The area is fantastic and the public transport system excellent.
There are a number of options for buying passes which cover trains buses and boats depending on where you want to go.
The boat trips on Lake Thun & Brienz well worth a try.
Hope you have a great holiday. The area is fantastic and the public transport system excellent.
There are a number of options for buying passes which cover trains buses and boats depending on where you want to go.
The boat trips on Lake Thun & Brienz well worth a try.
Hi Swift,thanks for your comments, if you have any specific information regarding trips and travel passes I would be very grateful. Regards Robin.
Robin,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.
Firstly, Trips out and about. We have only been to Switzerland once, but decided that of all the places we have visited this was the nicest.
It is clean and very efficient. The transport system works properly and the interchange between buses trains and boats quite something to experience.
We were based at Manor Farm which is just outside Interlaken. Next to the caravan park is Neuhaus which has bus and boat connections.
The boats on both lake Thun and Brienz sail up and down the lakes stopping at the various villages and towns and makes a very relaxing way to spend a day.
We spent a day on each visiting Thun one day and Brienz on another. From Brienz you can catch the Rothorn railway and visit the carving school.
On our trip to Thun we stopped off in Oberhofen which is very picturesque.
From Interlaken we caught the train up to Kline Sheidegg from where the train leaves to go up to the Jungfrau. This is a great experience but not cheap. At the top you can ski and try a dog sled if you get there early enough.
Meriengen, Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald are all worth seeing.
A trip we particularly enjoyed was a drive round the three passes of Susten, Furkha and Grimsel. At Susten there is a single track road past the hotel which is worth a look.
The City of Berne is also a good day out if you like shopping.
We also took the train to Gstadd to have a nosey and found it very pretty. Very high class shops.
When in Switzerland we met up with a family with 3 kids say 8-14 and their experience was very different to ours as they found it difficult to keep the kids amused and also very expensive.
Switzerland is not a cheap holiday destination but in our opinion worth every penny.
As for rail travel tickets there are various options which are too numerous to go into. Would advise checking on Swiss Travel website to see which suits best.
Hope it is as good for you as it was for us. I suppose it depends what you are looking for.
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.
Firstly, Trips out and about. We have only been to Switzerland once, but decided that of all the places we have visited this was the nicest.
It is clean and very efficient. The transport system works properly and the interchange between buses trains and boats quite something to experience.
We were based at Manor Farm which is just outside Interlaken. Next to the caravan park is Neuhaus which has bus and boat connections.
The boats on both lake Thun and Brienz sail up and down the lakes stopping at the various villages and towns and makes a very relaxing way to spend a day.
We spent a day on each visiting Thun one day and Brienz on another. From Brienz you can catch the Rothorn railway and visit the carving school.
On our trip to Thun we stopped off in Oberhofen which is very picturesque.
From Interlaken we caught the train up to Kline Sheidegg from where the train leaves to go up to the Jungfrau. This is a great experience but not cheap. At the top you can ski and try a dog sled if you get there early enough.
Meriengen, Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald are all worth seeing.
A trip we particularly enjoyed was a drive round the three passes of Susten, Furkha and Grimsel. At Susten there is a single track road past the hotel which is worth a look.
The City of Berne is also a good day out if you like shopping.
We also took the train to Gstadd to have a nosey and found it very pretty. Very high class shops.
When in Switzerland we met up with a family with 3 kids say 8-14 and their experience was very different to ours as they found it difficult to keep the kids amused and also very expensive.
Switzerland is not a cheap holiday destination but in our opinion worth every penny.
As for rail travel tickets there are various options which are too numerous to go into. Would advise checking on Swiss Travel website to see which suits best.
Hope it is as good for you as it was for us. I suppose it depends what you are looking for.
Hi Swift.
Thank you for the information, both you and Tim have really wetted our apetite for the trip. We are taking the "shaking shed"to Chatsworh on Monday our first trip of the year,here's hoping for some good weather.
Regards Robin.
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