Help getting into italy

13679 Views 37 Replies 10 Participants Last post by Rapide561, May 22, 2009

r6demon

Discussion Starter · May 15, 2009

I have just seen a thread about £250 worth of tolls to get too Italy and I am suddenly getting a bit scared.

You may have seen my honeymoon thread - but the plan is to get into Italy asap so we can spend our 3 weeks touring the north \ mid part.

We planned to drive from Calais straight to Clairvaux-les-lacs for a 2 night stay then drive straight into Italy - Milan - Garda - Venice but I am now worried we are goingto get hammered on the tolls!

I did not fancy driving MILES around to avoid the tolls but do not want to spend hundreds on them.

PLUS I still have no idea on how to get into Italy from France!!

HELP!!!

1 - 20 of 38 Posts

r6demon

Discussion Starter · #2 · May 15, 2009

Ps dont have any phobia of tunnels etc ...... (yet)

Is it worth missing off the claivaux les lac and making ANOTHER change to our route??

How long does the luxemborg route take??

really starting to think I have bitten off more than I can chew with this trip

philjohn

· #3 · May 15, 2009

Hi,
If you look at a map of Europe Follow the Toll Free Motorway down through Belgium down to Luxembourg, Head for Basel in Switzerland, pay therir Tax at the Border 40 SF if I remember right their motorways are then free, to Gotthard Tunnel (also free) then I am afraid its pay up time into Italy, but nowhere near £250!!!!

Its a nice run and the scenery down through Switzerland is superb, plenty of Aires on route, enjoy!

PhilJ

hmh

· #4 · May 15, 2009

Have you checked out viaMichelin?

Put in your route (direct, quickest or whatever) and they will come up with driving time, cost of fuel and total for Tolls. Your £250 seems decidedly over the top but not much of your route is in France so I have no facts. But tunnels can cost dear and we usually go via Col de Larche into Italy to avoid them (but our starting point is a great deal further South than you!).

David.

cronkle

· #5 · May 15, 2009

r6demon said:
Ps dont have any phobia of tunnels etc ...... (yet)

Is it worth missing off the claivaux les lac and making ANOTHER change to our route??

How long does the luxemborg route take??

really starting to think I have bitten off more than I can chew with this trip

If it was me trying to get to northern Italy as quickly as possible and avoiding as much toll payment as I could I would be doing the Brussells, Luxembourg, Basle, St Gottard route. The Swiss vignette should be the only 'toll'. Two steady days driving should get you well into Italy.

Hope that helps

eddied

· #6 · May 15, 2009

Tolls to Italy

:roll: well I don't know where they got the €/£250 in tolls from, but I don't think I've ever paid that much even including the Channel crossing!
Of course the 'classic' toll free route is the best in my opinion cost wise - few tolls and cheap fuel fill up in Luxembourg.
Another good toll free way is Reims - Col du Bonhomme or Col du Bussang to hit Switzerland and Gothard at Basel.
Another route I did years ago but have not done lately is Mont Cenis pass via Modane - Lanslebourg on the N6. You could also use the Frejus tunnel on this route.
Getting into Italy from further south e.g. Colle della Maddelena is going to involve a bit more in tolls, but does that matter all that much? You are on honeymoon, push the boat out.
saluti,
eddied

Rapide561

· #7 · May 15, 2009

Toll free

Toll free to Lake Garda is basically....

Calais - Ostend - Brussels - Luxembourg - Metz - Nancy - Colline de Bussang - Basle (Switzerland) - Lucerne - St Gotthard - Chiasso and then into Italy. Tolls from the Swiss/Italian border to Lake Garda are about £14.00. You can avoid this too if you read my route in the Italy forum pages.

Russell

r6demon

Discussion Starter · #8 · May 16, 2009

All change AGAIN!!

Hi All,

After looking at the various routes I have decided that it is foolish to go to clairvaux les lacs as its miles out of the way and will cost quite a bit extra on tolls.

I assumed (and you know what they say about that) that down through france would be the quickest way but it seems via michelin et all have a different idea!

Sooo......

The question is (for) now.. if we are going to get a late ferry on sunday (1600 ish as we will then miss the traffic on the monday) we will need somewhere to get our heads down on the other side.

I would imagine that we would want to do a couple of hours driving (2 maybe?) from the ferry and then stop at an Aire or something?

I am not massively fussed on using some of the tolls on this route as it looks to be around 40E so we will just get south asap on the quickest route possible.

thoughts please.

Finally feel as if we have planned something (at last!!!!!!)

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hmh

· #9 · May 16, 2009

Help getting into Italy

Just a quickie.

If you can possibly do the French part on a Sunday, there are no lorries on the roads then, they are banned, which makes the toll-free roads in particular much less of a hassle. (Bank Holidays likewise.)

Helen

eddied

· #10 · May 16, 2009

If you decide on the Luxembourg route, then from Calais an easy drive to an aire just over the border into Belgium at first Belgian motorway exit (Tournai), or good municipal at Mons a bit further along.
saluti,
eddied

ned

· #11 · May 17, 2009

route to italy

Hi guys,

Watching this thread with interest. We are anticipating going to northern Italy at the beginning of September. As a retired chalk manipulator I get a great kick from emailing folks that have just gone back to work with sunny pictures by the pool. I do agree with everyone about the non payment/toll route as we use this to get to GERARDEMER for skiing in JANUARY and I can believe that toll roads through france can get to 250euros, there and back. Keep the info coming as I am still unclear as to a) the actual cost of the vignette and b) as my van is 3850kg will there be a surcharge on top of the vignette for the extra loading.

Keep em waxed............... Ned

r6demon

Discussion Starter · #12 · May 18, 2009

eddied said:
If you decide on the Luxembourg route, then from Calais an easy drive to an aire just over the border into Belgium at first Belgian motorway exit (Tournai), or good municipal at Mons a bit further along.
saluti,
eddied

Using both google maps and via michelin, this is the route it suggests:

Do you say much money or add much time going via lux?

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eddied

· #13 · May 19, 2009

Quickest route to Italy

Ciao, quite honestly it's probably 6 of one and haf a dozen of the other. The route you show will involve some tolls on the A4 if I remember rightly. This Google/Michelin route is a 'not thinking out of the box' one. You can save about 20% on a fuel tank fill up in Luxembourg, and not pay any tolls until you get to the Metz - Strasbourg stretch.
saluti,
eddied

Rapide561

· #14 · May 19, 2009

Italy

The route shown on the mpa on the A26 will cost you some money in tolls. Go via Belgium and Luxembourg. My route via Ostend is "better" than via Lille and Mons as the road surface is better. The route is three miles longer.

Diesel in Luxembourg is 0.78 euro per litre today - thats another incentive.

Free route again - Calais - Dunkerque - Ostend - Brussels - Luxmbourg - Metz. (Free up to there.)

Option 1.....free of charges - Nancy, Charmes, Epinal, Thann, Basle (Swiss border)

Option 2 - Metz, Chateau Salins, Phalsbourg, A4 for one junction (costs 1.10 Euro) to Saverne, then Molsheim, Obernai, Colmar and Basle. The one junction on the motorway is a by pass to the town of Saverne.

Option 3 - Metz, A4 to Strasbourg and then toll free on the N83 and A35 to Colmar and Basle.

From Basle - using a Swiss toll pass - Basle - Lucerne - St Gotthard - Chiasso - Milano etc.

You can go totally toll free as I have done, read these links.

Russell

Toll free Italy to the UK

Uk to Italy

Forgot to say, going via Luxembourg as opposed to via Reims will add about 7 miles and 10 minutes to your journey. If the route via Belgium was an issue, I would not use it. I have been to Italy a total of 82 times, 7 times by motorhome, once by car, once by air and 73 occasions by high speed coach! Even with a coach the Luxembourg route is not a problem.

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r6demon

Discussion Starter · #15 · May 19, 2009

I guess I was trying to say that I dont mind paying tolls if it makes the route quicker, but if you are paying tolls and only saving 10 mins then its not worthwhile.

Am off to run the suggested routes through via michelin.will post up the maps (might help someone else in future

) If you could proof check them that would be great.

Am then off to se IF THEY HAVE FIXED MY MH YET!!!!!!!!£$^£%^"%^£$%!!! just over a week and a half and no MH does not look good!

.......................and breath!!

rupert1

· #16 · May 19, 2009

If, as you say, you do not mind tolls then the quickest way into northern Italy is via the Mont Blanc tunnel. 580 miles from Calais, autoroute all the way.

r6demon

Discussion Starter · #17 · May 19, 2009

Right, MH is fixed just awaiting delivery on friday!

Lets run these maps!

r6demon

Discussion Starter · #18 · May 19, 2009

first go - calais to milan

10hrs 22 £50 tolls 682 miles -

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Rapide561

· #19 · May 19, 2009

Tolls

Hi

Your toll price of £50 is way too low for this route. I estimate about £75 including the Swiss toll pass.

The route is ideal and is easy peasy. The route via Luxembourg is cheaper, gives cheaper fuel and is not complicated at all.

Keep em coming.

Russell

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r6demon

Discussion Starter · #20 · May 19, 2009

Re: Tolls

Rapide561 said:
Hi

Your toll price of £50 is way too low for this route. I estimate about £75 including the Swiss toll pass. Russell

really? that was according to via michelin including the swiss toll?!
next route coming up

1 - 20 of 38 Posts

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