Driving conditions in late March

Hi. I was planning to go to Achensee area (staying in Maurach) in late March. I plan to go to Innsbruck, Salzburg and Munich (will be using Munich airport). I read about buying the vignette pass to use motorways of Austria and other information from previous posts which were very helpful.

I would like to ask about driving conditions in this period in that area since I have never driven in snow. I read about ways of reaching the areas by public transport which seem to be very efficient (using a bus to go from Maurach to Jenbach and then get trains from there). However I am tempted to hire a car to explore better the region but am hesitant because of possible bad driving conditions.

Also is it very hard to find parking in the large cities of the area (like Innsbruck and Munich)

Thanks for your replies

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Late March should not be a problem at all - especially if you stay on the main roads. Don%26#39;t worry, the reality is not that spectacular! Parking can be painful in most cities if you insist of driving through the city centers. I would refrain from doing that - especially in Munich - and use public transportation to reach the center.

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You choose a very nice area for your vacation.

The road crews do an excelent job of keeping the roadwasy in good condition in winter. Normally you will find little or no trouble driving using some care.

Maurach by the lake is by the roadway #181. If you go south , it will take you down off this high plateau to the Inntal valley near to the town of Jenbach and the Autobahn A-12 take this west to Innsbruck or east toward Munich - Salzburg.

The 181 roadwy from Maurach to the Inntal is a good roadway but with many curves and some steep parts. Watch for this. It can be a little slippery very early in the morning. Otherwise ,this is a busy route and the road workers take good care of it.

You may see sighns by Maurach for another alternate wy to Jenbach- A-12.

I would avoid this . A much smaller roadway through forests and steep curves - OK for those knowing it - less so for the visitor.

Innsbruck has many central city parking garages.

These are well marked with park garage signs to guide you into the city center ( zentrum ) and onwrd to the garages.

Several by the Congress House are very near the many old town sights - others not far from the train station.

No trouble to reach them.

Munich can be reched easily by auto too - using the A-12 into germany and then german autobahn onward to Munich. This way easy to the Munch Airport too.

or a more scenic way driving north on the 181 toward Tegernsee- more scenic.

While I find Munich not at all hard to drive in and with numerous city center garages, you may wish to consider their park and Ride system.

This avoids havig to drive your auto into the city center if you wish

www.parkunride.de/

Be certain as you mention alreay to have your vignette for austrian driving ( none needed for germany ) and good to have snow tires for your auto..

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I agree with you, a vehicle will give you more freedom.

Two things to watch for, when you get the car - make sure it has winter (snow) tires on, and perhaps %26#39;spring%26#39; for the extra cost of a TomTom (or other navigation device). They really will take you to where you want to go, in your own language and with greatest ease. The charge for one of these is around $ 10.00 per day, so if you travel a lot, buy one and take it with you. You can load and unload maps and keep them up to date with your PC or lap-top.

With respect to snow tires, Austria has passed a law demanding that cars, vans and trucks up to 3,500 kg must be provided with winter equipment under winter weather conditions (November 1 to April 15). I would check to see that your chosen rental agency will comply, since you will get the car in Munich.

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Thanks for your very helpful replies.I am more confident now.

I will take %26quot;mickey%26quot; and %26quot;vertical%26quot; suggestions regarding park and ride of Munich.

Thanks %26quot;vertical%26quot; for your tips regarding the 181. On google earth I saw what you meant and definitely will avoid that other road to Jenbach (which has many curves through forest) and follow the 181 which has less problems it seems. I was a bit hesitant to take the 181 North to Tegernsee. I saw that road and is definitely more scenic than the Auobahn but was afraid to use it. Will give it a try if I am confident with the conditions I find.

As regards %26quot;amphytrion%26quot; suggestion regarding snow tires I was in fact going to get them from Budget car rental (checked online and they have them for an extra). Will get snow chains just in case as well. Yes I agree with GPS utility and in fact I have one.

Thanks again

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Good advice from Vertical

the park and ride site is

www.parkundride..de

I drive this area sometimes, summer and winter.The area roads are well cared for both in Austria and Germany.

Your rental auto will probably be provided with a device to warn you of freezing temperatures. Perhaps a bell or light even both.

The situation called %26quot; Black Ice %26quot; a very thin layer of ice can form on roads in dampness mostly very early in the morning or late at night..

Unlikely perhaps when you drive in late march , but something to be aware of .

Some not accustomed to this warning, wonder what is happening when the warning commences

The drive through the area of Tegernsee is quite beautiful at any time of year and the lake offers moderation of temperatures and most often any snow quickly is gone .

Nearby is the interesting town of Bad Tolz. This worth a visit if time allows.

I would not be concerned if chains are not available or you find them to be very costly. They are very rarely needed including the areas you mention in your posting.

Winter tires mandatory only during times of snow and ice., but certainly a important thing for your travels

I would watch the speed limits. These change quickly and especially in the small towns of both countries you find muchreduced speed and often the local police waiting next to the sign

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%26quot;With respect to snow tires, Austria has passed a law demanding that cars, vans and trucks up to 3,500 kg must be provided with winter equipment under winter weather conditions (November 1 to April 15). I would check to see that your chosen rental agency will comply, since you will get the car in Munich.%26quot;

You%26#39;ll need to specify/request winter tyres at munich.

For some very strange reason although it%26#39;s manditory in munich to have winter tyres rental companies will still charge.

In fact they%26#39;ll still rent a car with summer tyres on :(

I almost got caught out two years ago when I didn%26#39;t book winter tyres assuming they would be fitted to the car as in Switzerland and Austria. Only when I asked to confirm the tyres on the car was I told they had summers on. It was snowing outside and they were willing to let me take a car out which was not legal!

Again this Christmas I%26#39;m having to pay for winter tyres at munich ariport....

At least in January I%26#39;m flying to Salzburg and won%26#39;t have this tyre issue.

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If you are hiring your car from Munich airport with some of the main operaters (such as Hertz) they endeavour to ensure that most of their hire-vehicles have %26quot;Winter tyres%26quot; fitted. during the winter months. You can also request at pre-booking that the car has %26quot;winter tyres%26quot;. Although I am not sure about the law in Austria but the Law in Germany during the Winter months currently is that if you are unfortunate to be involved in an accident which is not your fault but the weather conditions were such that your vehicle should have been fitted with %26quot;Winter tyres%26quot; and they weren%26#39;t fitted then you will unfortunately be held partial responsible.

If you are coming into munich on the A8 (Salzburg-Munich Autobahn) I think the easiest area to park would be the U-Bahn station at Neuperlach-Sued. (less than 10mins drive from Autobahn exit Unterhaching). It has a park and ride car-park and the U-Bahn No. U5 (metro/underground) runs frequently into the town centre (Karlsplatz -Stacchus where you can wlak down to Marienplatz along Neuhauserstrasse) - every 6mins (peak) 12 mins normal. 2 stops further down at %26quot;Neuperlach Zentrum%26quot; there is a large outdoor free parking area directly opposite the %26quot;PEP center%26quot; shopping centre and next to the %26quot;Neuperlach Zentrum%26quot; U-Bahn station.

I wouldn%26#39;t personally park at an S-Bahn park and ride (e.g. Neubiberg) as it only runs every 20mins.

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In case it was unclear it is NOT law in Germany for vehicles (personal or hire) to be fitted with %26quot;Winter Tyres%26quot; during the winter period. This on one hand makes sense when you consider the difference in weather between Hamburg and Munich. It makes no sense for people in north Germany to have to have Wintertyres.

I like most people here (and not everybody does it including Germans) change my tyres for winters in November.

The weather can be so changeable. I have in previous years on 21st December been in a t-shirt playing golf (in Munich) and other years digging my car out of the snow.

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Thanks for the tip regarding lights or buzzer that the car may be fitted with. Will save me panicking on whats happening.

Also thanks for ideas on snow tires and to make sure I pre-book them to avoid hassles.

Nice to know a good park and ride place because was getting a bit lost since there are many park and ride stations. In fact i found also this site which created more confusion

mvv-muenchen.de/en/…index.html

So glad I have this info on a good park and ride station

Thanks for all this useful information

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I agree with %26quot;Little_Wong%26quot; - this should be brought up with the rental agencies, especially in German gateways like Munich, where many tourists will travel south and into winter weather.

I find it deplorable that they feel a need for an extra charge for providing winter tires during winter months, especially when German insurers recommend it to their clients (%26quot;giftzwergs%26#39;s%26quot; comment is right on!).

Back in February 2007 I had the same experience in MUC - summer tires on a car from Avis and a hefty up-charge, to get snows (around 140.00 Euro for a week) and an hour wait time. I took a chance and declined - it was a very mild winter, but I would not recommend it to anyone.

Perhaps if more customers expressed their dissatisfaction with the current status, it would lead to change. Winter tires in winter, especially in an alpine region, should not be in the same %26quot;extra charge group%26quot; like a baby-seat or a GPS.