# Is a Go Box necessary?



## Richieboy (Nov 23, 2009)

Hello Fellow Motorhomers

Off to Greece in July via Germany, Austria and Italy.
Van is over 3500kg.
Is the Go box for Austria only for Motorway use? If it is then is it possible to enter Austria at say Fussen and follow the 179, the 189 and the 171 turning on to the 182 in Innsbruck to go over the Brenner pass.
Is there a separate toll for the Brenner Pass on the 'old road'?
Reading various discussions re the Go Box it seems a deal of hastle if there is no need for the Go box on ordinary roads.
Your help and advice would be appreciated.

Richard


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

I don't know the route you are asking about but having been in Austria last year with a GoBox I will try to avoid toll roads and do without one if we go back. I found it difficult to get one and really quite expensive to use the toll roads. Because we didn't know the Euro emission classification for our van we were charged the top price.

I guess it boils down to whether you are in a hurry or not, Alan.


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## Boff (May 10, 2005)

Hi Richard,

if you *strictly avoid* all "Autobahn" and "Schnellstrasse" roads, then no Go-Box is needed. However, it is not always easy to avoid them, sometimes just one wrong turn is enough, and you can be sure that just there and then you will be caught ...

The route you are thinking about should however be possible, and the old Brenner road is not a toll road.

Best Regards,
Gerhard


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## WildThingsKev (Dec 29, 2009)

We drove into Austria via Fussen in February and drove on the 179 189 and 171 around Innsbruck without getting a GO box for our 3.7t van. It can be quite slow going on the more built up areas, especially east of Innsbruck, with nearly continuous urban speed limits. I think we only had one "Oh No" moment but the road did split again, thankfully.


We paid the odd tunnel toll and also just fitted on the train tunnel between Mallnitz and Bad Gastein which was due to not paying enough attention to the road map and wondering where the main road had gone. We suddenly twigged when backtracking and came to the train station again, Duhhh! Quite cheap anyway but not much room to get out the van when loaded.

Kev


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## Richieboy (Nov 23, 2009)

Hi Guys

Thank you all for your replies.
I am going to attempt the route avoiding motorways. 
Train tunnel looks interesting.

Richard


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## StanDup (Sep 12, 2008)

Hi Richard

We've just returned from Greece, taking the ferry to Venice in our 4.2t Hymer.

We took advice from a young German couple who reassured us that with care, you can cross Austria without a GoBox.










We took the A4 Autostrada west to Verona, changing onto the A22 north to Bolzano. (Motorway toll Euro 17.80).

At Balzano we headed north west again on the newer SS38 to Merano and Lasa, changing onto the SS40 up to Austria via the Reschenpass.

There is a freecamp area at a Ski station, a few kilometers inside the Italian boarder by the larger reservoir.

We then told the Garmin NO TOLLS and NO MOTORWAYS.

The next day it took us less than a couple of hours steady drive to cross via-

180 Rescehstrasse north.

171 East ( NOT the A12). This road ambles either side of the A12 and is straight forward.

In Landeck you drive through the town following signs for the 171, (from memory) crossing the river twice. We were told 'Do not take the tunnel !!', but in the end didn't see it. All straight forward.

Continue on the 171 as it heads north to Imst changing into the 189 and then 179 crossing into Germany at the Fussenpass.

It was a lovely drive and had the advantage of having less motorway to wrestle with. Either way, you start off on normal roads and have time to get your head around the approach to the one section of motorway that needs to be avoided.

The climbs in Italy, Austria and Germany were gentle and fairly straight until the final approach to the passes, when the roads are excellent, but become serpentine. The route was used by a steady flow of motorhomers and 'Arctics'..... the latter obviously having to use the motorway at the bottom, as did anything else over 7.5t.

We were passed by Police motorcyclists and they left us alone.

I would certainly use this route again and recommend it to others. I obviously don't know what it is like in winter.

We were told that the Brennerpass is do-able but trickier with Innsbruck and more motorway decisions to make.

The Go-box system looks as clear as mud to some Austrians. On the Reschenstrass (twitching a little) we called into a fuel station, well into Austria and sought advice. We pointed to the Hymer and asked what we should do, and were told all we needed was a Vignette at Euro 7.90 for 10 days. The guy could see that we were puzzled and we questioned him, but he reassured us that was all we needed to use the motorway. A few minutes later he apologised and refunded our Euro's after we pointed out some 'wordage' with 3.5t to him. He didn't then know what advice to offer us.

In the end it was quite easy. The Sat Nav did its job, but we are confident that we could have done it with just the road signs.

Best wishes.

Barry and Ruth


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## musicbus (May 1, 2005)

Hi Richard,

Innsbruck then Brenner Pass without using tolls is easy. If you have sat nav its a snack. The road up from Innsbruck is winding and sometimes slow but wide - only about 60k to the border. I have gone this way many times now coming in via Garmisch Partenkirchen.

If you use Fernpass you can either go to Innsbruck and into italy that way or the Imst St Moritz to Lecco trip is absolutely stunning. This brings you in North of Milano via Lago Di Como. I highly recommend it.

There is a good camper stop at Plunds 14eu for the night.

We are in greece and heading back via brenner next week.


Have a great trip.

I always say no to GO.

cheers


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