This trip begins in Italy, ready to cross into Austria via the Brenner motorway.
The so-called Brenner motorway connects Modena in northern Italy with Innsbruck, our final destination. In our case, we made the journey from Trento, where we were staying, to the aforementioned city of Innsbruck.
The motorway has a relatively short section in Austria, it is the A22 within Italy, and it is renamed the A13 when it passes into Austria.
Crossing the Brenner motorway
We stop first of all as we need to in order to make the crossing by car.
Purchase and placement of the vignette
To bring your car into Austria, you need to purchase a vignette. The vignette is a paid sticker that is stuck on the windshield. It is mandatory for driving on Austrian roads. It costs € 9.90 for ten days (price 2022).
You must purchase this sticker before entering the country. They will sell them at service stations on the Italian side, near the border.
On the motorway you will see signs announcing that the vignette is sold after a certain number of kilometres, until the last sign says “last chance to buy the vignette”. They are very visible on the Brenner motorway, so it is not difficult to find the sales points before entering Austria.
You must stick it clearly visible, in the middle of the windshield. This payment of the vignette does not exempt you from some special tolls that are paid separately.
For more detailed information on purchasing and using the vignette, please see this article from Austria.info.
Tour to Innsbruck
The drive is already a destination in itself. Austria has an excellent road network, and its landscape is very picturesque, don’t think twice if it’s something you want to do, you’re sure to enjoy it.
Austrian regulations require you to carry winter tires or chains between November 1 and April 15. Speed limits are 130 km on the highway, 100 km on the country road, and 50 km in built-up areas. But always pay attention to the signs because they can change at certain times. And the blood alcohol limit for driving is 0.5.
Apart from travelling along the Brenner motorway, once we entered Austria we chose to do some stretches on internal roads, as they are very, very picturesque.
From Brenner, in the province of Bolzano, and bordering Austria, we have about 40 kilometers to Innsbruck, our destination. If you didn’t read our article about Innsbruck, the capital of Tyrol in Austria, we recommend you do so, you will find a charming city.
It is a journey not to be missed, we did it slowly and enjoying landscapes and towns, until our destination, which was wonderful.
Do you come to Italy and Austria from far away like us and having internet all the time is a problem? When we make this type of journey by car we always use maps on our mobile, or we want to be connected in case of any eventuality. In our case we have used the Holafly data SIM for travellers, a very good option. In the link you will find all the information as well as a discount for followers of Europe accompanied by the following code: EUROPAACOMPAÑADA5.↓
These views deserve a video!! Well, here it is, just enjoy the trip…
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NOTE: The information in this article is based on our own experience, being totally objective. This article contains affiliate links.
