We have now travelled through Austria by motorhome. The day before yesterday it was time to leave Italy. We drove north from Verona and entered Austria via the Brenner Pass.
We had to buy a vignette to put on the windscreen (€8.50) and also pay a motorway toll (€9), but you can smile and look happy. If we had a heavier motorhome, we would also have had to get a Gobox, which we didn't have to do as our motorhome has a maximum registered weight of 3.5 tonnes. Once we entered beautiful Austria, it was time to find somewhere to spend the night ...
Driving through Austria with a motorhome
We drove towards Insbruck and then in a north-westerly direction towards Tirol camp Leutasch, which we set the GPS to. We had to drive a long way on roads that wound steeply uphill and then even more uphill.
Driving in the high mountains of Austria is incredibly beautiful. Occasionally you'll come across a castle or a small village with charming houses that look just like you'd expect them to in Austria, with long wooden balconies, carved bears and paintings on the outside of each house.
Finding a place for the night
There are several year-round campsites in Austria. We chose one that was northeast of Innsbruck, as we then had plans in that direction. Eventually we arrived ... only to find that the campsite was closed.
Fortunately, there were car parks outside the campsite with electric poles where you could put in coins to get electricity, so we stayed there overnight. We had no code for the campsite's WiFi, but we managed to buy a sim card with 5 GIG (!) for 10 euros in the nearest supermarket. Easy and cheap!
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Maggan and Ingemar says:
Sometimes you have to be lucky 🙂 We usually go over Füssen and toll-free road down to Bolzano. I myself want to go a little more in Austria, I love the Alps, there is so fabulously beautiful. Not many campsites that are open at this time of year, but you are not forced to stand on camping, it went well even outside 🙂 We alternate. Now snow is expected on the home front, so drive carefully.
16 November 2015 - 18:57
admin says:
Maggan and Ingemar, I agree that Austria is beautiful! You definitely don't have to be camping all the time, but we have limited LPG (and can possibly find refill points in Germany, but it's hard if it runs out all of a sudden ;)) so we would like to stay with electricity as often as possible to heat the car with electricity instead of LPG. Then we sometimes want WiFi on campsites - but the Internet still worked out this time 😉.
16 November 2015 - 19:07
Motorhome Helge says:
It is good that there was an electric pole outside the campsite and that you will continue to have access to electricity. Have a good trip with lots of exciting info for all your readers.
16 November 2015 - 19:29
admin says:
BP, haha, yes it's a bit of a culture clash! Definitely colder, but good weather! The swimming cards were very affordable, although we did not stay long enough to fully utilise them... 😉 And agree, we have seen a lot of this type of house in Germany too!
The motorhome Helge, the electric pole was perfect! Of course we will continue to blog along the way! 🙂
16 November 2015 - 20:27
BP says:
Talk about a total culture clash - beach life against the Alps. Beautiful! Oh the sun is hanging on:-)
Oh what a clip with the sim card. Good work there!
It is always so much fun to look at castles as well as the old houses with paintings. Even in southern Germany it is quite "common" to find such buildings. Another culture clash thus:-)
16 November 2015 - 19:28
nils-åke hansson says:
It's getting cold so it might be nice to have an electric pole. It must be marvellously beautiful to drive that route.
16 November 2015 - 20:50
JoY says:
It really looks like Autumn with you now. Lovely with sunshine, what is the temperature? We had +9 the night that was and the days are around +21gr, we enjoy and roll slowly north over hihi
Hugs Yvonné
16 November 2015 - 21:00
Matts Torebring says:
When we came to Austria on our European trips in the early 2000s, we used to say, "Now it feels like home again". Such good people, such a nice landscape and not least wonderful ski slopes. Then when the Go box was introduced, for vehicles over 3500 kg, it was not as easy and fun anymore, with a larger motorhome. But we can't wait to get back there.
16 November 2015 - 21:03
Ditte says:
How nice! Austria is so nice! Have been here a lot with a regular car, and over the years there has been a lot of skiing in the Austrian Alps, and opportunities to see and experience a lot. We have often flown from Sweden and then rented a car, shorter to drive if skiing is the most important.
Good for you with both an electric pole and good and cheap internet.
Wishing you a continued good journey.
16 November 2015 - 21:05
Henny says:
We wanted to go to Austria and northern Italy when we did our European tour, but my driver was reluctant and we changed direction. So it's great to join you on your journey. When do you plan to land in our capital and start digesting all the impressions?
16 November 2015 - 21:11
admin says:
Nils-Åke, beautiful but definitely cooler, so great with electric pole! 🙂
JoY, yes it was much colder in Austria. about +16 degrees during the day and maybe +4 degrees at night. Now we have come to Germany and here it is a little milder.
Matts, yes I saw that there was a difference for motorhomes over 3500kg! I didn't familiarise myself with how it worked... I hope it's not too complicated, because it's nice to travel here!
Ditte, yes, these are really skiing areas! We have also travelled past Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which is a famous ski resort in southern Germany. I myself have never skied in the Alps actually, only in the Swedish and Norwegian mountains and in the Harz in Germany once.
Henny, we have access to the boat from 1 Dec (now it is rented out). But we are coming to Sweden earlier to meet friends, get winter storage for the campervan etc.
Spider girl, yes it is beautiful with all the high mountains!
16 November 2015 - 21:24
solan says:
Hooray, you were lucky with the weather...Luck is an electrical site outside a campsite, understand that you have to skimp on the gas. Keep your fingers crossed that it will last all the way to the Swedish border. There you will have to show your passport when crossing ...
16 November 2015 - 21:54
s p i n d e l t j e j e n says:
The Brenner Pass is soooo beautiful!!! 😀
16 November 2015 - 21:12
admin says:
Solan, yes haha, imagine that you can be so happy with a bit of electricity 😉 We have realised that we will probably have to show our passports at the Swedish border and mine is valid for about 10 more days so it should be fine I hope 😉.
16 November 2015 - 22:29
admin says:
Alexandra, haha, if you are lucky, it works to plank! 😉 (However, I have heard of someone who got a few thousand in fines too... not as fun then.) Of course it is beautiful as in a fairy tale! 🙂
Steve, Tigris is on top of it, we think... 😉.
16 November 2015 - 22:58
Alexandra says:
The first time we were on a car holiday in Europe, we went through Austria haha. Would only drive on the motorway for about 45 minutes to get to Germany and then we did not want to pay for a vignette. In the summer, however, we did it because it was a little longer in Austria then. But driving there is really an experience, looks like you are in a fairy tale!!!
16 November 2015 - 22:52
Mr Steve says:
These are real contrasts you have been experiencing lately. Tigris seems to have a good grasp of the situation.
16 November 2015 - 22:54
Otherwise says:
Have been following on and off, nice reading. Just have a big question, why have you opted out of bikes on your trip? Almost all motorhome travellers have bikes with them to be able to get as much more out of the destinations.
17 November 2015 - 0:02
admin says:
Anders, glad you read our blog sometimes! We thought about bikes before we left, but our motorhome is overcrowded, so we couldn't pack anything else. Hanging bikes in the back is unthinkable as we have weight issues. One could possibly think of some small folding lightweight bikes, but the economy felt at the limit when we were leaving so we did not dare to spend any more money. So yes, these are the reasons. Bicycles would have been good, but we have still managed well without, we think.
17 November 2015 - 8:48
Ama de casa says:
It is so adorably beautiful in the Alps! Recognise the routes, mainly from the different ski trips we have done 🙂 .
17 November 2015 - 12:44
Dryden says:
The views in Austria, absolutely marvellous! I remember as a child travelling over the Brenner Pass, clearly powerful!
17 November 2015 - 13:12
admin says:
Ama de casa, isn't it beautiful!
Dryden, glad you remember it from when you were a kid. The Brenner Pass is mighty!
18 November 2015 - 9:29