We(couple) wanted to drive from Salzburg to Fussen , do some sight seeing and head back out to Salzburg in the afternoon. Google maps says the fastest route is 214.3 km and it takes around 3 h and 14 mins . Is that accurate ? If its less than 4 hours one way ,if we started early in the morning we wanted to make the drive.
If there is anybody who has already done that drive , we would love to get your advice / suggestions .
Posted by
not here anymore
631 posts
I found a problem with Google Maps some time ago. The system is very good at finding routes. It can also find holdups and recalculate routes in some countries. And on ordinary roads it calculates sensible speeds. But put it on a motorway (autobahn) and it goes silly. In the case of the A8 west of Salzburg it currently assumes an average speed of 110kph (69mph) - which means every time your speed drops below that you will have to drive faster to make up lost time.
The fact that you have an estimate of 3hr14mins shows that you are looking at live planning based on current conditions, it will say "Leave Now" under the route parameters. I'm guessing you were in a different time zone when you checked it so it could have been early morning in Bavaria. At the moment (now 11AM in Bavaria) it is estimating 3hr40mins due jams on some roads - but that requires the 110kph average on the bits it thinks are clear. Knowing Bavaria at weekends I suspect those jams heading back into Munich will get worse.
If you click Leave Now it will let you set a departure time. In this case it will be very vague based on past history for that time and day. For example, it says for a 7:30 departure on a Tuesday it would be 3 - 4 hours - but the faster time requires an average of 120kph on the A8. And by looking forward it can't know about holdups, it might just average past delays.
The bottom line is that 3hr14mins requires clear roads and you driving like a german on the autobahn. Have you any experience of that? German autobahns are dangerous places for novices, if the road is clear there could be traffic passing you at 150 - 200kph. Do you understand the rules of lane discipline in Germany?
Posted by
OP
114 posts
Thats actually quite a reality check SteveB . We havent driven in Germany before so this would be a first time for us on the autobahn. It does sound rather different from where we are used to driving . Our original destination was only till Eagles Nest from Salzburg , but I wondered how far out Fussen really is .
Posted by
not here anymore
631 posts
Current situation: Multi vehicle crash, 12km of stationary traffic on A8 between the border and turn off for Fuessen, Google is suggesting you actually get off the A8 and go through the town of Traunstein! Your journey time is now estimated in excess of 4 hours. The autobahn system is good when it works but at times is like a war zone.
Posted by
Niagara, Ontario
1719 posts
I find Google Maps reasonably accurate, always assuming no hold ups. Add 10 to 15 minutes per hour.
It's a terribly long way to drive if your intention is to visit Ludwig's castles, the drive itself nothing out of the ordinary. Much closer by is the more interesting Hohenwerfen (which may already be in your plans). Schloss Ambras is well worth a visit, still quite a hike from Salzburg but much closer than Fussen. On the way to or from Ambras you can catch Tratzberg Palace, which has a very pretty interior and a good restaurant close by. Hall in Tirol, in between, is a delightful little town.
Kufstein Fortress is also well worth a visit, and Kufstein itself has a nice old part of town.
Posted by
Firenze, Italy
1834 posts
Well, I am in Innsbruck now and a couple of hours ago I had a look to traffic on Google maps. It looked like the section between Salzburg and Rosenheim was the only motorway in Europe to have serious traffic problems :-)
No, I have not driven Salzburg to Füssen, but I have driven once Oberammergau to Salzburg, that is a very similar itinerary. I remember it as a very long drive, the map is deceiving and it takes more than you think.
Posted by
OP
114 posts
Thanks everyone. We dropped that plan and plan on doing a day trip to Halstatt and St Wolfgang instead. Hopefully the time mentioned on google maps for it is accurate . We are reading some previous posts on it now.
If anybody made the journey to Halstatt or St Wolfgang from Salzburg, we would love to know how it went !
Posted by
not here anymore
631 posts
That's easy. Salzburg- St Wolfgang is about 30 miles and takes around an hour. That's to the village which requires a loop around the far end of the lake to come back along the other side due to gap in the road network. To reach the south side of the lake is much less, say 40 minutes. Hallstatt is slightly further. All of this can also be done on local buses. There's even a Hop On/Off tour bus service from Salzburg.
https://www.salzburg-sightseeingtours.at/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Landkarte-Salzkammergut.jpg
https://www.salzburg-sightseeingtours.at/en/mountains-lakes/