Driving through Austria to Italy without a vignette?

If you want to save yourself the vignette (around 9 euros for 10 days), you can also drive through Austria without it. Important: You have to avoid almost all motorways and expressways, because you absolutely need the vignette there. We show you how to safely pass through Austria without a vignette.

Do you want to coming from Munich save the vignette, is it worth it to drive via Garmisch. To do this, take the A95 from Munich to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Then you follow the federal road B2 over great panoramas, including a view of the Zugspitze, via Mittenwald to Seefeld in Tirol. From there, take the B177 and B171 to Innsbruck.
Important: When approaching Innsbruck, you should always be careful not to accidentally drive on an expressway that requires a vignette. However, the Austrians clearly point this out, you just have to look closely at the signs.

Autobahn between Innsbruck Süd and Brenner not vignette required!

When you arrive in Innsbruck, you have to decide whether to take the Brenner autobahn or the country road. The Brenner motorway is subject to a toll, the Brenner federal road is not, but it takes a lot longer, especially during holiday periods. If you opt for the comfortable Brenner autobahn, you have to drive onto the autobahn in Innsbruck. Important: For the Austrian part of the Autobahn You don’t need a vignette from Innsbruck Süd to the Brenner state border! The first thing you get to is the Schönberg toll booth, where you pay a special toll for the Austrian part of the Brenner autobahn (approx. 9 euros). The rest of the toll is then due in Italy.

Vignette but often better than driving on country roads!

In our experience, however, it is not worth saving the 9 euros and driving via Garmisch. These are almost exclusively country roads with oncoming traffic, and when you are on vacation you are almost always stuck in traffic around Garmisch. Depending on the car, you quickly need more fuel on the country roads than you would have paid for the vignette. Also important: If you accidentally drive onto the wrong toll motorway around Innsbruck and are checked, three-digit amounts are quickly due as substitute tolls. If you avoid the toll, always be careful!

Toll-free further to Italy?

In the lower half of their article, our friends from mypianeta.de explain how to continue driving toll-free from Austria! We also recommend driving over beautiful mountain passes instead of the monotonous autobahn: We have, for example, driven over the Timmelsjoch several times (connects Sölden and Merano). A great experience and a dream panorama are guaranteed! There are also more ideas for the most beautiful mountain passes in the article about alternatives to the Brenner autobahn and in Curves Magazine Northern Italy. We have always been able to gather a lot of road trip inspiration from this illustrated book.

Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road (Sölden > Meran)