Munich to Venice by car: vignettes, tunnels and tolls
Driving from Munich to Venice over the Brenner takes one vignette, the Austrian one, plus the Brenner motorway toll and Italian distance tolls down to the lagoon. Germany is free. Italy has no vignette at all. That is the entire shopping list, and it fits on a sticky note. What follows is the detail behind it: which stretches are free, which one people pay twice for, and why the 1-day vignette is sometimes the smarter buy.
On this page
How many vignettes do you need from Munich to Venice?
A drive from Munich to Venice via Innsbruck and the Brenner needs exactly one vignette, the Austrian one, and nothing else you have to buy in advance. The route is roughly Munich, Rosenheim, Kufstein, Innsbruck, Brenner, Bolzano, Verona, Venice. Austria is the only vignette country on it, and you are in Austria for barely more than an hour.
An hour is still long enough to be caught. Austrian motorways are watched by cameras that read plates, and a digital vignette is tied to yours, so there is nothing to stick on the glass and nothing for a camera to miss.
Do you pay anything between Munich and the Austrian border?
The German Autobahn from Munich to the Kufstein border costs nothing for a car in 2026, because Germany has no car toll and no vignette. You take the A8 toward Salzburg, fork onto the A93 at the Inntal junction near Rosenheim, and cross into Austria at Kufstein. Free all the way.
There is even a free bit of Austria. ASFINAG lists the A12 Inntal motorway between the Kufstein border and the Kufstein-Süd junction as exempt from the vignette, which helps if Kufstein is where you stop. If you are heading for Venice, it just postpones the moment you need one by a few kilometres.
What do you need for Austria on the way to Venice?
Austria requires a vignette on the A12 Inntal motorway from Kufstein-Süd to Innsbruck, and ASFINAG states plainly that the toll sticker is compulsory on the A12. For a car in 2026, the official ASFINAG toll shop prices the 10-day digital vignette at €12.80 and the 1-day at €9.60, both with immediate validity possible.
Which one? If you are driving down and back within ten days, the 10-day vignette covers both legs for €12.80. If you are staying in Italy for two weeks, or flying home, buy a 1-day vignette for each crossing instead. Two 1-day vignettes cost €19.20, which beats buying a 10-day vignette twice. The 2-month and annual versions have a waiting period when bought online by consumers, so they are rarely the right tool for a single holiday. The Austria vignette page has the full price list and the rules on validity.
Does the Austrian vignette cover the Brenner?
No, the Brenner motorway A13 from Innsbruck to the Italian border is a special toll section, and the vignette does not pay for it. ASFINAG lists the 2026 single-trip car price at €12.50 for the full distance. You pay at the barrier, or buy a digital section toll ticket in advance, which ASFINAG keeps valid for one year from purchase.
Here is the one piece of Austrian logic that works in your favour. ASFINAG says no vignette is needed on the sections between the toll stations, so the A13 itself is toll-only. The vignette you bought is for the A12 that gets you there. Count the Brenner twice if you drive home the same way, because the barrier does not remember you.
What does the whole trip cost in fixed fees?
The fixed road charges on the Austrian part of a one-way Munich to Venice drive come to €22.10 for a car in 2026 with a 1-day vignette, or €25.30 with a 10-day vignette, before any Italian tolls. Here is where those figures come from.
| Leg | What you pay | Car, 2026 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Munich to Kufstein (DE) | Nothing on the Autobahn | €0.00 | No car toll |
| Kufstein border to Kufstein-Süd (AT) | Vignette-free stretch | €0.00 | ASFINAG |
| Kufstein-Süd to Innsbruck (AT) | 1-day or 10-day digital vignette | €9.60 / €12.80 | ASFINAG |
| Innsbruck to Brenner (AT) | A13 section toll, single trip | €12.50 | ASFINAG |
| Brenner to Venice (IT) | Distance tolls at barriers | Depends on exit | Autostrada del Brennero and others |
Official ASFINAG prices, checked September 2026, car up to 3.5 t. A return trip adds another €12.50 for the Brenner, and a second 1-day vignette if you did not buy the 10-day one.
What do you pay in Italy between the Brenner and Venice?
Italy has no vignette, so from the Brenner to Venice you pay distance tolls at barriers, and you pay them on the way out, not the way in. You take a ticket entering the A22, and Autostrada del Brennero works out the charge by multiplying the kilometres driven by a rate for your vehicle class. It applied a 1.46% tariff adjustment on 1 January 2026, its first since 2021. South of Verona you switch to the A4 toward Venice, run by a different operator, and the same ticket-and-barrier routine carries on.
Card works at the booths. Pick the lanes marked for cards or cash, and stay out of the lanes reserved for electronic toll devices unless you have one. The motorway ends near Mestre, and the causeway takes you to Piazzale Roma, which is as far as any car goes in Venice. The rest is on foot or by boat, which is sort of the point.
Is the Tauern route through Salzburg any cheaper?
The Tauern route from Munich via Salzburg, Villach and Udine to Venice still needs the Austrian vignette, and it swaps the €12.50 Brenner toll for the A10 Tauern and Katschberg toll, which ASFINAG prices at €15.00 per car trip in 2026. It is longer for most of Munich, and dearer. I would only take it if the Brenner is jammed, which on a summer Saturday is not a hypothetical. Our guide to vignettes versus toll roads lists every Austrian section toll, and if you are towing a caravan, check the motorhome and trailer rules first.
How do you sort it all before you leave?
Buy the Austrian vignette before you set off, check the plate on the confirmation, and keep the Brenner toll and the Italian barriers in the budget. You can buy it directly from ASFINAG at the state fee. Or let us handle it: order your official digital vignette for Austria here, with the state fee and our service fee shown separately before you pay, registered against your plate and confirmed by email. Driving a hire car? Read our guide to vignettes for a rental car, because a vignette on the wrong plate is no vignette at all.
Munich to Venice vignette FAQ
Do I need a vignette to drive from Munich to Venice?
Yes, one: the Austrian vignette, for the A12 Inntal motorway between Kufstein and Innsbruck. Germany charges nothing for cars and Italy has no vignette, only distance tolls. The Brenner motorway A13 is not covered by the vignette and has its own toll, €12.50 per trip for a car in 2026 according to ASFINAG.
Is the Brenner motorway included in the Austrian vignette?
No. The A13 Brenner motorway is a special toll section that ASFINAG charges separately, €12.50 for a single car trip over the full distance in 2026. ASFINAG also says no vignette is needed on the section itself, but the A12 Inntal motorway that leads to it from Germany does require one.
Which Austrian vignette is best for a Munich to Venice trip?
For a holiday of up to ten days, the 10-day digital vignette at €12.80 covers both the drive down and the drive back. For a one-way transit, the 1-day vignette at €9.60 is enough. ASFINAG confirms both can be bought with immediate validity, unlike the 2-month and annual versions.
How do I pay tolls in Italy between the Brenner and Venice?
Italy charges motorway tolls by distance, paid at a barrier when you leave the motorway, by card, cash or an electronic toll device. On the A22 Brenner motorway, Autostrada del Brennero multiplies the kilometres driven by a rate per vehicle class, and it applied a 1.46% tariff adjustment from 1 January 2026.