Tips for travel to Zurich and Northern Italian lakes

[Elfit]

We are planning our first trip to Europe for over 30 years in the van. We have the whole month of May and in that time wish to visit family in Zurich and perhaps see the lakes in northern Italy. The starting point will be Dieppe but apart from that we have no itinerary. We'd welcome any tips for routes and areas to visit.
Many thanks.

 

[groyne]

Buy your Swiss vignette as soon as you enter Switzerland. Places we like nearby, Rhine falls, lake Konstanz, A trip on the Jungfraujoch, Bern. If you stay at Pescheira del Garda, you can get the train to Milan and Venice.

 

[Boris7]

If you route via Luxembourg / Nancy it’s a nicer drive (imo) and you miss tolls, fill up in Luxembourg as it’s cheap.

 

[mark61]

I'd be tempted to route through Luxembourg too. Plenty to see in Belgium if you have the time. Metz is a great town to visit with an aire and municipal campsite 10 mins walk from centre, then head to Black Forrest.

But I suppose Luxembourg only make sense from Calais & Dunkirk, not really from Dieppe. West/East from Dieppe toll free is a bit of a chore unless you have plenty of time to explore.

 

[barryd]

The Lakes around Interlaken and the Jungfrau valley are amazing as is Lucerne. It all is though really. I think ive generally gone through the Gotthard tunnel to get to Maggiore and Lake Orta in Italy. There can be quite a difference in the weather between the Swiss side of the lakes and the Italian side. If its naff in the northern side check out the Italian side. You cant go wrong really from the Black Forest in Germany to the Italian Alps and Lakes.

 

[Glass man]

If you intend using French Toll roads and your mobile home is less than 3 1/2tons, 3,500Kg then do consider getting toll tag from emovis-tag.co.uk It makes life so much easier. Many tolls you can drive through without stopping at 30 or even 50Km/hr.
The Swiss Vignette is difficult to remove, it breaks into little pieces so don't press it hard onto your screen and definitely not in the corner!
Their are two campsites you can use www.fischers-fritz.ch Quite expensive at least 40 Swiss Frank's a night. It is on the side of the lake. Easy train, bus or cycle ride to the city. You can even go by ferry. BEWARE you can ONLY pay by cash but they do except Euros. Do book. ( They were quite happy for us to stay for a night and then get cash. )
The other site is further out but cheaper.
www.campingplatz-sihlwald.ch and by a river with a nearby railway station and nice cycle tracks. You can pay by card. Again do book.
Happy travelling.

 

[Boris7]

The Swiss Vignette is difficult to remove, it breaks into little pieces so don't press it hard onto your screen and definitely not in the corner!

Better still get some clear static cling, apply it to to windscreen in the size needed and put ALL your foreign Vignettes etc onto that, now all are removable and reusable without damage time and time again.

 

[gasgas]

We are planning our first trip to Europe for over 30 years in the van. .......

We are planning our first trip. (To Europe for over 30 years ). In the van.

That's ambitious for your first trip. And are you sure your van and yourselves will last another 30 years? How will you cope with the 90 days-in-180-days Euro rule?


Just joking, I thought it was funny at my first reading . . .

 

[Drover]

Going to have to follow this one as we are taking the grandson there in July... He's flying to the UK and we are dropping him back in southern Spain after Italy....
He is making a list of where he wants to go... I've not been to Italy either....