Tour of Switzerland and Italy

[Brains]

Personally I'd avoid Pompeii in a motorhome.

The roads around the site are all small, the driving quality of the locals is abysmal and there is nowhere to park easily.
I'd suggest staying on a decent and secure campsite in the area and getting a day trip into Pompeii

 

[Bertie Bus]

Venice There is a great Aire on the Island of Venice to see all the sites, short walk to the bus's, taxis, trains and the vaporetti, Venice's water bus system, the last time I was there it cost €26 a night, The address is 14 Isola Nova del Tronchetto, 30135 Venezia, Italie N 45° 26' 25.8" E 12° 18' 18.36" Pisa There is a Camp site 15min walk from the Tower of Pisa and train station is 5 minutes, called Camping Village Torre Pendente, not cheap at €39, but it puts you right there where most people want when in Pisa.
84 Viale delle Cascine56122 PisaItalie
N 43° 43' 26.76" E 10° 22' 59.52" Florence There is an Aire called Aire de service Firenze, €24 a night, not a great site, but perfect to visit Florence, close to the Tram. 24 Via Michele Mercati, 50139 Firenze
Ostis Antica
Great place to visit outside of Rome, this was the old Roman Port, this camp site is quite dear at €36.5, but if your into ruins, then this site is great and safe to visit Ostis Antica, I wouldn't use the car park by the ruins, risk of getting broken into, camp site is called Campeggio Villaggio Roma Capitol, 195 Via di Castel Fusano, 00124 Roma , Italie Pompeii
Location right next to the entrance to the historical site of Pompeii, called Camping Zeus, Perfect for seeing Naples, Vesuvius, Pompeii and and a lovely great site called Paestum, You can also get to all these sites very quickly by train, which is next to you very cheap, ticket price for Naples €3.30
3 Via Villa dei Misteri80045 PompeiItalie N 40° 45' 0.36" E 14° 28' 48.72"
Paestum This is a great site to visit, has three different Greek Temples, each a different period temple. There is a coach park, cost €18 a night, called Eolo Sosta Camper, 840 Via Magna Grecia, 84047 Capaccio Paestum, Italie If want to stay by the sea with just a short walk to Paestum, them this site called Camping Villaggio Dei Pini is ok, a van and electricity for 21€ always with the ASCI card, other wise they will charge you over €30. Via Torre di Paestum, 84047 Capaccio Paestum, Italia. Hope you enjoy your holiday, have a great time.

Brilliant info thanks

 

[Ridgeway]

The aire at Punta Sabbioni is free but was limited to 2 nights although nobody seems to mind too much:

The aire is exactly at the end of the arrow below, ie you drive out along that road (past the campsites) until you can’t drive any more, the aire is basically the parking then on your right side. Beach is 50m away.

 

[pandas]

And further on is a campsite which is 10min walk to the ferry.

 

[pandas]

Personally I'd avoid Pompeii in a motorhome.

The roads around the site are all small, the driving quality of the locals is abysmal and there is nowhere to park easily.
I'd suggest staying on a decent and secure campsite in the area and getting a day trip into Pompeii

We found it okay for our 7.4 mh and the gain is worth the pain to be right by the entrance and easy access to the railway station to visit the Amalfi coast and Huculaneum

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[Peregrinator]

Thanks

Always have the SS7qtr above it, and you can drive down towards it, but not along it.

 

[Mark1965]

Hi All
We are fairly experienced motorhomers having had our van since 2017 and done quite a bit of driving in France and Northern Spain. We are looking to take around 6 weeks (flexible) to drive through France, stop at Reims and Colmar, and enter Switzerland at Basel. We have a Bailey 75-2 rated at 3500 kg so i think i am correct in saying i need a vignette for Switzerland. We are looking for a day or two in Basel before heading down to the Interlaken/Thun area for a few days before going south towards Italy and the lakes. Do you have any suggestions for an additional stop in Switzerland before going on to Italy?
We are looking at going down the west coast of Italy to the bottom before crossing and returning up the east side to Venice and then back to Switzerland. We have done Rome before so will avoid there but we will want to visit Pisa and Naples (Pompei) plus others. Can you recommend and particular places to visit in Italy as apart from Rome, this will be our first trip there. Is the eastern side of Italy worth visiting?
We will then return to Switzerland to tour a bit through the eastern side before returning to France. We are looking to do Belgium, Germany and Holland on another trip so will return through Basel again.
We are looking to go in mid May through June so hopefully the roads should be clear of snow and ice and before the summer rush. Any advice and campsites/places to visit will be greatly appreciated.

Bob and Karen

We took our Swift Select on an Italian Road trip last June for 3 weeks. Drove from the Eurotunnel to about an hour from Colmar no trouble at all in the first day.
Then onto Lake Como via the Gottard Tunnel all very easy but Basel is very busy, make sure you dont get into the Truck queue on arrival as they are all going into Customs! I can give you some decent sites if interested as we went in the following order to Como, Venice, Pescara, Sorrento, Rome, Pisa. All nice roads and if needed use the Tolls as they are Cheap.

Regarding the Swiss Vignette, as you (as is mine) are only 3500kg then you can apply online to the Official Govt Website for the Vignette. You put your details of your Van on the online form. Once done it lasts 12 months from the date of application. You dont get any sticker etc, but a emailed receipt and informed your vehicle is now registered .

 

[Bertie Bus]

We took our Swift Select on an Italian Road trip last June for 3 weeks. Drove from the Eurotunnel to about an hour from Colmar no trouble at all in the first day.
Then onto Lake Como via the Gottard Tunnel all very easy but Basel is very busy, make sure you dont get into the Truck queue on arrival as they are all going into Customs! I can give you some decent sites if interested as we went in the following order to Como, Venice, Pescara, Sorrento, Rome, Pisa. All nice roads and if needed use the Tolls as they are Cheap.

Regarding the Swiss Vignette, as you (as is mine) are only 3500kg then you can apply online to the Official Govt Website for the Vignette. You put your details of your Van on the online form. Once done it lasts 12 months from the date of application. You dont get any sticker etc, but a emailed receipt and informed your vehicle is now registered .

The site info would be great. Thanks for the info

 

[smeaty]

Hi All
We are fairly experienced motorhomers having had our van since 2017 and done quite a bit of driving in France and Northern Spain. We are looking to take around 6 weeks (flexible) to drive through France, stop at Reims and Colmar, and enter Switzerland at Basel. We have a Bailey 75-2 rated at 3500 kg so i think i am correct in saying i need a vignette for Switzerland. We are looking for a day or two in Basel before heading down to the Interlaken/Thun area for a few days before going south towards Italy and the lakes. Do you have any suggestions for an additional stop in Switzerland before going on to Italy?
We are looking at going down the west coast of Italy to the bottom before crossing and returning up the east side to Venice and then back to Switzerland. We have done Rome before so will avoid there but we will want to visit Pisa and Naples (Pompei) plus others. Can you recommend and particular places to visit in Italy as apart from Rome, this will be our first trip there. Is the eastern side of Italy worth visiting?
We will then return to Switzerland to tour a bit through the eastern side before returning to France. We are looking to do Belgium, Germany and Holland on another trip so will return through Basel again.
We are looking to go in mid May through June so hopefully the roads should be clear of snow and ice and before the summer rush. Any advice and campsites/places to visit will be greatly appreciated.

Bob and Karen

if you're going to Interlaken area, you should consider a stay at Dany's camping it's close to Lütschental beautiful sunsets, quiet and great views down the valley towards the Wetterhorn......
Southern Italy .......go to Alberobello, and the region of Puglia......very nice food!!

 

[Eddieb]

Our favourite places in Italy were Soave (great free Aire) Bologna (The food !!! good campsite on the outskirts) and Padua. The earlier post about Pompeii - we parked in a very nice campsite about 1 minutes walk from the front gate of the ruins and next to the railway station with good links to Herculaneum and Naples.

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[Molly A]

Hi All
We are fairly experienced motorhomers having had our van since 2017 and done quite a bit of driving in France and Northern Spain. We are looking to take around 6 weeks (flexible) to drive through France, stop at Reims and Colmar, and enter Switzerland at Basel. We have a Bailey 75-2 rated at 3500 kg so i think i am correct in saying i need a vignette for Switzerland. We are looking for a day or two in Basel before heading down to the Interlaken/Thun area for a few days before going south towards Italy and the lakes. Do you have any suggestions for an additional stop in Switzerland before going on to Italy?
We are looking at going down the west coast of Italy to the bottom before crossing and returning up the east side to Venice and then back to Switzerland. We have done Rome before so will avoid there but we will want to visit Pisa and Naples (Pompei) plus others. Can you recommend and particular places to visit in Italy as apart from Rome, this will be our first trip there. Is the eastern side of Italy worth visiting?
We will then return to Switzerland to tour a bit through the eastern side before returning to France. We are looking to do Belgium, Germany and Holland on another trip so will return through Basel again.
We are looking to go in mid May through June so hopefully the roads should be clear of snow and ice and before the summer rush. Any advice and campsites/places to visit will be greatly appreciated.

Bob and Karen

The eastern side of Italy is lovely. Puglia is a great place to visit, as is the Marche.
The 'spur' of the boot, the Gargano is well worth exploring, Matera is a famously gorgeous town , Termoli is a lovely town on the coast, with a really good sosta. Ascola Piceno too, just a little inland a little where you climb up into the hills and you can find amazing little walled towns everywhere . The Marche is particularly great for this, in the hinterland of Ancona. San Marino is good, fabulous historic citadel and tax free diesel. Lots of coastal resorts which do get busy in high summer but should be ok when you visit. Futher north you find historic cities like Ravenna, Venice, of course, Verona and my favourite, Mantua, which is small, easy to get around and ridiculously beautiful. From there you can head west to visit lake Garda and lake Iseo and across to Como, or head over to the Dolomites and through to Switzerland that way .
Use all the online park up guides, we use mainly Camper Contact and Park4Night, although there is an agritourismo site as well which looks quite good. There are quite a lot of nice sostas to be found and small campsites particularly a little inland .
Beware that many of the campsites right on the coast are backed by the main railway line and/or the motorway. The railway is the main North/ south line on the east coast so is very busy. Unless you are an ardent trainspotter I would avoid any that are too close. We made that mistake the first time we visited in Senegallia, it took a couple of bottles of wine and lots of gin to even get to a state where we could sleep!!
Hope this helps.

 

[Molly A]

Is the vignette just for M-ways?

No, it pays for the tunnels too.

 

[Molly A]

East coast of Italy, apart from San Marino a bit dire to be honest. Eventually gave up trying to find somewhere and got onto the toll road to head south. Totally different country below Rome. Puglia is wonderful, Alberobella,Tropea, Civita de Bagnoregii, Termoli, Ostuni and especially Matera where there is parking on the opposite side of the gorge. Might not have enough time in six weeks to do the south of Italy justice as it is a bit of a stunning place. Especially if you like falling apart old Italian towns reeking of history and atmosphere.
And you quickly realise that there is still an amount of ‘organised’ stuff going on but never felt unsafe


www.rufusdoeseurope.co.uk

Ah, I would disagree. In the Marche you need to avoid the coast and go a little inland, glorious little walled towns, many with great little Sostas. Marvellous food and wine away from the tourist pizza fest on the coast . Agree with Puglia though.

 

[Molly A]

We took our Swift Select on an Italian Road trip last June for 3 weeks. Drove from the Eurotunnel to about an hour from Colmar no trouble at all in the first day.
Then onto Lake Como via the Gottard Tunnel all very easy but Basel is very busy, make sure you dont get into the Truck queue on arrival as they are all going into Customs! I can give you some decent sites if interested as we went in the following order to Como, Venice, Pescara, Sorrento, Rome, Pisa. All nice roads and if needed use the Tolls as they are Cheap.

Regarding the Swiss Vignette, as you (as is mine) are only 3500kg then you can apply online to the Official Govt Website for the Vignette. You put your details of your Van on the online form. Once done it lasts 12 months from the date of application. You dont get any sticker etc, but a emailed receipt and informed your vehicle is now registered .

Or you can stop at the border post in Basel and buy one from the nice ladies . Takes about two minutes

 

[PlacidoD]

Hi there. We have done this a few times. We love Switzerland and Italy. Like others, we have learned about the vinyette system. We use the ‘Via’ app to buy on line.
For the last few trips we have used the Gotthard Tunnel stopping at Bellinzona on the way south. Keep an eye on the weather, our last trip saw us go from drizzle at the north end of the tunnel into a foot of snow at the south end. - March.
There are some great places to visit in Northern Italy. Verona and Bergamo are well worth a trip.
Fuel is very expensive in Switzerland so make sure your tank is brimming as you go in. If you use Search for Sites, you can find some great places to stop without breaking the bank.
Have fun.

Fuel prices vary from one canton to another as each canton can set its own rate of tax. Best to check prices online if filling up at all frequently.
From somewhere like Argegno on Lake Como it was cheaper to take the back road through to Arogno and fill up in Switzerland (not that I would recommend that road to any Moho! I did it by motorcycle and had boiled the fluid in my back brake hydraulics by the time I got to the bottom!!) and a more obvious example is the several PFS just the Swiss side of the border on the road from Menaggio to Lugano.

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[PlacidoD]

We took our Swift Select on an Italian Road trip last June for 3 weeks. Drove from the Eurotunnel to about an hour from Colmar no trouble at all in the first day.
Then onto Lake Como via the Gottard Tunnel all very easy but Basel is very busy, make sure you dont get into the Truck queue on arrival as they are all going into Customs! I can give you some decent sites if interested as we went in the following order to Como, Venice, Pescara, Sorrento, Rome, Pisa. All nice roads and if needed use the Tolls as they are Cheap.

Regarding the Swiss Vignette, as you (as is mine) are only 3500kg then you can apply online to the Official Govt Website for the Vignette. You put your details of your Van on the online form. Once done it lasts 12 months from the date of application. You dont get any sticker etc, but a emailed receipt and informed your vehicle is now registered .

The Vignette lasts from 1st of Jan one year to the 31st Jan the next whenever you buy it. The same rule applies for online purchase and a paper version (but who wants to clutter their windscreen?!!). There was a referendum seeking to put it up to some exorbitant annual figure (over 100 Swiss francs) but it did not attract enough votes. So the status quo of 40 francs stays in place.

 

[Mark1965]

The Vignette lasts from 1st of Jan one year to the 31st Jan the next whenever you buy it. The same rule applies for online purchase and a paper version (but who wants to clutter their windscreen?!!). There was a referendum seeking to put it up to some exorbitant annual figure (over 100 Swiss francs) but it did not attract enough votes. So the status quo of 40 francs stays in place.

Yes my mistake you are correct with the dates of the Vignette. If you are over 3500kg you have to buy it in person I believe..

 

[B-JandBella]

Many thanks for the info. Lausanne does look great so will have a longer look. I did think that the eastern side of Italy was perhaps not the best but as we are looking to go so far south, we thought it may be the route to take back.

Bob and Karen

If you do visit Lausanne, you must go and visit the Olympic museum. Very interesting I found.
And while you are around that area, you can visit the statue of Freddie Murcury in Montreux, and also the statue of Charlie Chaplin in Vevey, who's body was stolen after his death and was not recovered until about 2 months later.

You will love Switzerland. I was based there for work back in the late 1990's and the people are very friendly.
Billy

 

[Gaston aires]

We stayed at Diano marina on the Ligurian cost in a campsite up the mountain overlooking DM. We paid 90€ for 10 nights, cash only, incredible value all things considered. When we tried again a few years ago it had been shut down by the tax authorities for evading tax. No wonder it was so cheap.
Phil

 

[Peregrinator]

Where do you camp when in Mantua?

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[Molly A]

Where do you camp when in Mantua?

Over the bridge in the sosta. Perfectly ok but tbe toilets can be a bit grubby. Short walk over the pedestrian bridge into town. Fabulous place.