Lake Garda

Can I suggest a toll free route (save for Swiss Vignette though, unfortunately, you will need two of those!! 40 Swiss Francs each):

From Calais:

Toll free M'way to Lille

E42/E411 through Belgium and down to Luxembourg

A8 thru Germany to Zweibrucken then cut across the Vosges du Nord to Haguenau (France)

Cross the Rhine at Baden-Baden and take the toll free German M'way down to Basel then 

A3/A13/A2 through Switzerland which will take you down to just west of Milan and south of Lake Como. 

The above has you on dual carriageway/motorway throughout your journey for speed and ease of travel save for the 1 hour across from Zweibrucken to Haguenau and crossing the Rhine thereafter. You can make Haguenau in the day from an earlish tunnel crossing. I plan an overnight there enroute for Switzerland late August this year.

Best to avoid the tunnel routes under the Alps. They are often subject to traffic jams and hold ups. 

I can suggest a couple of slight detours to get off the M'way if my suggested route interests you.  

I ride motorbikes and now have a MoHo so I will have to leave you to do the maths of the cost of a toll route across France and into Italy that way. I have visited Lake Garda by motorbike but normally head for Lake Como and take the Julier Pass and Maloja Pass to get there. I doubt you will want to do that towing a caravan! So I will leave you to figure the route across to Lake Garda once in Italy as I have no direct experience.)

Hope that helps?

Chris

TeamDavey, MoHoSinger has given you a sensible plan, but you can go to Lake Garda all sorts of ways so spread out a big paper map.

How much time have you got? I once spent nearly a fortnight getting there - pauses in Luxembourg, Nancy, Alsace, Lake Constance, the  Austrian Tirol plus a bit of walking in the Italian Alps - then hated the crowds at Lake Garda when we finally got there and fled on the second day. It was August.

But others love it there and will tell you about sites there for sure. Enjoy your planning.

Usually when we have gone to Lake Garda (and Italy generally) we have traveled down through France to Reims, then out to Metz and across the border into Germany, then south to Fussen into Austria and over the Fern and Brenner Passes. This takes you down the eastern side of the Lake. If you find a site in Desenzano del Garda there is a station that will take you direct to Santa Lucia station right in the centre of Venice. There is so much to see in Venice and the Lagoon that a day visit will only give to a flavour of it. You might like to have a look at my Blog of our last visit to Italy, although on this occasion we stayed at a different lake to Garda. http://www.davidklyne.co.uk/arrivederci_roma.html and an earlier trip here where we did stay at Garda http://www.davidklyne.co.uk/The_%20Italian_%20Blog_%202009.htm

David

Hi, Well you are in for a treat, as Garda is a stunning place.

You have a choice of routes available, including non toll, so it depends on your preferences and available time.

Using toll roads and tunnels will certainly add to the cost, as will travelling via Switzerland where you would need two vignettes, but again your personal circumstances will, determine whats best for you.

Even using the quickest option will still be a long journey, with likely at least two overnight stops, but the non toll routes are not that much longer, relatively, and for us a lot more of a relaxing journey.

If we were looking to get there as quickly as possible it would be autoroute to SW France and then into Switzerland, at Basle, and on from there. We have done both MB and Frejus tunnels and the pricing is such that its not much different than going via Switzerland.

Our route, if landing at Coquelles, would be TL head for Dunkerque and then Namur, Luxembourg, Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Fussen and the via Landeck and the Fern Pass into Italy and the Reisa Pass.

We have always camped on the Southern shore and there is a good choice of sites, including ACSI depending on time of year you visit, but I would certainly check with sites direct due to the size of your van.

Happy planning!

We used to go to Garda with our caravan and stayed a couple of times at Camping Fontanella which we always enjoyed. Generally we favour toll roads as they are better so the most direct route is Calais, Reims, Metz, Basle, St. Gottard and onto the Autostradas. Most people head for southern Garda but if by chance you wanted to go to the Northern part then the route would be different. Try and avoid travelling too far along the lakeside, the roads are busy, narrow and slow.

We have been to Italy many times including the Lake Garda area.  You hint that you will be going there next summer, so ACSI will be of no use to you.  The pitches in Italy tend to be smaller than those elsewhere in Europe and you could well find fitting your outfit a challenge.  So some careful research will be needed needed and it will be essential that you book as it will be very busy.  

Regarding routes; like you we use the tunnel.  So suggestions.  Afternoon crossing stay in one of the few attractive sites just east of Calais.  Suitably refreshed, next morning off to Luxemburg; overnight, then next day off to Bavaria and stay near ULM.  Next day to Austria, Fern Pass and stay near IMST.  Final day Reishcenpasse into Italy and down to Garda.  This route is Toll Free unless you use the Brenner Pass where you will need an Austrian Vignette and pay a toll fee.  Bear in mind we do not travel in peak season.  

Trip to Venice, yes go by train but possibly from Verona rather than Milan.  You can of course drive there but parking in Venice (just after you cross the lagoon) may be difficult.  Have you thought of going to one of the sites on the Lido and getting a ferry for the short, and smooth, crossing from Punta Sabioni?

Sorry to repeat myself, but it will be very advisable to book all your sites if going in Jul/Aug not so late May/Jun.

Hi Allan and Jean we ended up in Languedoc in Jun had to go this far south to get the good weather.  Arrived home Thurs eve, new hip fitted on the Monday (ie last Monday!).  Recovery going well.

The Garda area is beautiful but if you go in August you will see it at its worst. It will be uncomfortably crowded and the surrounding roads will be gridlocked.

If possible avoid August if you can. I agree with much of the recommendations above. The route via Belgium, Luxembourg, Stuttgart, Ulm, Fussen, Imst and over the Brenner pass is one we use every year and if towing a caravan its arguably the cheapest. The French tunnels are prohibitively expensive. The Swiss route via the St Gottard tunnel is fine but there are a few reasons why it can be problematic for Garda ie. A section of the A13 motorway in Switzerland was washed away following a storm about two weeks ago and the resultant delays will put extra pressure on the very busy St Gottard tunnel. We came through the tunnel last week and the delays were reasonable but it may be different in August. The A4 motorway via Milan to Trieste is very busy and delays are inevitable. We were held up in our motorhome for over 90 minutes last week on the A4 around Milan.

If you’re planning to visit sites other than the south end of Garda then the Brenner pass is preferred. A train from Verona to Venice is a better bet than from Milan where parking can be a nightmare. I hope you get a plan together and the advice is useful.