🇳🇱 Cross-border drive · Netherlands → Italy 🇮🇹
Driving from The Hague to Rome
Drive from The Hague to Rome via A12, A3, A67, A5, A2, A9. Cross borders, navigate tolls, and experience diverse European landscapes on this 1673km journey.
- Drive time
- 17h 39m
- Distance
- 1,673 km
- Same day?
- Split it
- 12 h+, plan a stop
- Fuel cost
- ≈ €249
- petrol · diesel ≈ €211
- Tolls
- ≈ €100
- mixed
- EV charging
- Unknown
- not yet surveyed
On this page
Route map
Route options
Other paths OSRM found between the two cities — handy when traffic, tolls, or scenery matter more than raw speed.
Avoids motorways
+10h 49m- Distance:
- 1,745 km (+72 km)
- Duration:
- 28h 28m
Via: SS3bis · B 9 · B 10 · SS12
How else can you make this trip?
Driving is the focus of this guide; here's how cycling, coach, and (soon) train and plane stack up for the same pair.
17h 39m
1.673 km · €249 fuel
See details ↓
Not realistic
1.673 km is far beyond a typical multi-day cycle tour. Try a shorter pair like a day or weekend stage.
No direct service
Our coach data (FlixBus + BlaBlaCar) doesn't list a direct service for this pair. National operators (e.g., National Express in the UK, Eurolines feeders) may still cover it — check their site directly.
What the drive is like
Drafted from the route's computed data on April 24, 2026 and reviewed against the route summary card. Read our methodology.
Leaving The Hague, you'll pick up the A12, quickly crossing into Germany to join the A3 Autobahn, your main artery south for a good stretch. Keep an eye out for the variable speed limits common on German motorways. As you approach the Austrian border near the Alps, the A3 will transition, and you'll join the A67, heading towards Munich. From Munich, you'll take the A8 southbound, a scenic route that often features tunnels and bridges as it winds through the Bavarian pre-Alps. Be prepared for stricter winter tyre regulations if travelling during colder months; these are enforced in Austria and increasingly in northern Italy.
Crossing into Austria, you'll transition onto the Austrian Autobahn system – a vignette is mandatory for using these motorways. You'll likely be on the A10 or A9 depending on the precise OSRM route, but expect to pay tolls for certain mountain passes or tunnels, such as the Tauern Tunnel. The landscape becomes dramatically mountainous. After navigating the Austrian Alps, you'll descend into Italy. The driving culture and road signage will shift again. Italian autostrade are generally tolled, paid for at booths along the way. You'll join the A5 near the border and then transition onto the A2 heading south, eventually linking up with the A9. This final stretch will take you through varied Italian scenery, from rolling hills to more urban environments as you approach the Eternal City.
Route highlights
- German A3 Autobahn
- Bavarian Alps scenery
- Austrian vignette requirement
- Italian Autostrade tolls
- Crossing the Alps
- Diverse border changes
Trip plan
How to think about the drive: one day, split, or overnight.
Overnight recommended
Too long for a single-driver day. Plan on 1 overnight stop(s) to do this trip right.
A natural overnight stop near the halfway point: Sursee (ch).
- Distance:
- 1,673 km
- Duration:
- 17h 39m (free-flow, no traffic)
Where to stop
Places along the route that make natural breaks for coffee, lunch, or a night.
-
Oberhausen 🇩🇪 de
≈209 km≈ 6.1 km detour from the main route
-
Idstein 🇩🇪 de
≈418 km≈ 4.5 km detour from the main route
-
Renchen 🇩🇪 de
≈627 km≈ 3.7 km detour from the main route
-
Sursee 🇨🇭 ch
≈836 km≈ 5.6 km detour from the main route
-
Chiasso 🇨🇭 ch
≈1,045 km≈ 1.1 km detour from the main route
-
San Martino in Rio 🇮🇹 it
≈1,255 km≈ 5.9 km detour from the main route
-
Arezzo 🇮🇹 it
≈1,464 km≈ 12 km detour from the main route
Along the way
Places to stop for coffee, a bite, a view, or the night — from OpenStreetMap.
Food · 6
-
+0.4 km
restaurant · 's-Gravenhage
-
+0.5 km
restaurant · 's-Gravenhage
-
+0.6 km
restaurant · 's-Gravenhage
-
+0.6 km
restaurant · 's-Gravenhage
-
+0.6 km
restaurant · 's-Gravenhage
-
+0.8 km
restaurant · 's-Gravenhage
Coffee · 6
-
+0.4 km
Moments
cafe · 's-Gravenhage
-
+0.9 km
cafe · 's-Gravenhage
-
+0.9 km
Pathé Café
cafe
-
+1.5 km
cafe · 's-Gravenhage
-
+1.2 km
Tuba
cafe · Roma
-
+1.4 km
Bar Rosi
cafe · Roma
Museums & history · 6
-
+0.3 km
Zusters van Liefde
memorial
-
+0.3 km
Aartsengel Michael
memorial
-
+0.4 km
Sinti- en Roma monument
memorial
-
+1.1 km
museum · 's-Gravenhage
-
+0.6 km
Plaquette Prinses Irene Brigade
memorial
-
+0.7 km
Porta Magica
ruins
Outdoors · 6
-
+1.2 km
Wereldvredesvlam
attraction
-
+1.5 km
Constantyn Huygens
attraction
-
+2.0 km
Colle Palatino
attraction
-
+2.0 km
Quattro Fontane
attraction
-
+2.2 km
Belvedere Romolo E Remo
viewpoint
-
+2.3 km
Forum Romanum view
viewpoint
Stay the night · 6
-
+0.6 km
hotel
-
+0.8 km
hotel · 's-Gravenhage
-
+0.9 km
hotel · 's-Gravenhage
-
+0.8 km
De Salon van Fagel
hotel · 's-Gravenhage
-
+1.3 km
hotel
-
+1.5 km
hotel · Roma
Key moves
Things to know before you set off — borders, sides of the road, tolls.
Multi-country chain · NL → DE → FR → CH → IT
You'll cross 5 countries on this drive — each with its own toll system, fuel pricing, and motorway rules. Skim the must-know section below before you set off, and have your registration plus insurance card in the door pocket for any roadside check.
Tolls on motorways in FR / IT
Budget for motorway tolls — France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal charge per-km, Croatia and Greece by section. Contactless cards work almost everywhere; have one loaded.
Vignette required in CH
Austria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Bulgaria, and Romania require a sticker or e-vignette for motorway use. Buy at the border — missing one is a heavy on-the-spot fine.
Must-know before you go
The things a driver from another country wouldn't think to ask about — fines, stickers, payment cards, opening hours.
City access & emission zones
Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart need a green Umweltplakette
Must knowGermany's low-emission zones (Umweltzone) are simpler than the French system but stricter on entry. You need a colour-coded sticker physically on your windscreen before entering. The vast majority of zones today require a green sticker (Euro 4+ petrol, Euro 6+ diesel). Order via TÜV / DEKRA / certified workshops — about €6–13, ships in days. Driving without one costs €100 even if your car would qualify.
Order your Crit'Air sticker before the trip
Must knowParis, Lyon, Strasbourg, Marseille, Toulouse and a growing list of cities require a Crit'Air air-quality sticker visible on your windscreen — even for a single drive-through. It's €4.51 from the official site and ships by post (allow 2–6 weeks abroad). Without it, expect on-the-spot fines from €68. Your registration document tells the issuer your emission class.
ZTL cameras read your plate from any country
Must knowItalian historic centres (Florence, Rome, Milan, Bologna, Pisa, Siena, Verona, Naples, Turin, Palermo and dozens more) are ringed by automatic Zona Traffico Limitato cameras. Driving in without a permit triggers €80–120 per crossing, and the fine reaches your home address up to a year later via cross-border collection. Treat any city centre as off-limits unless you've confirmed your hotel offers a permit, and ask the hotel to register your plate the day you arrive.
Centro Storico ZTL is permit-only, day and night
Must knowRome
Rome's historic centre ZTL operates Mon–Fri 06:30–19:00, Sat 14:00–19:00, plus Fri/Sat night party hours. Cameras at every entrance, no booth. Hotels inside the ZTL register your plate for the duration of your stay — but only if you ask, the day you arrive, with the registration document. Trastevere and Testaccio have their own night ZTLs.
Borders & documents
You're leaving the EU customs zone
Must knowSwitzerland is in Schengen but NOT in the EU customs union. Random customs stops happen at every border. Personal allowance: €300 in goods (CHF cash equivalent), 5L wine, 1L spirits. Above that you declare and pay duty. If you've loaded the boot with cured meat or cheese in Italy, declare it — confiscation is routine.
Tolls, vignettes & road payment
Mont Blanc, Grand St Bernard, San Bernardino tunnels charge extra
Must knowThe vignette covers most motorways but NOT the major Alpine road tunnels. Mont Blanc tunnel (FR-IT) is roughly €54 one-way for a passenger car, Grand St Bernard about €33, San Bernardino is included in the vignette but Gotthard road tunnel is a vignette-only route in summer (the queue can be 2 hours; the rail-shuttle alternative through the Lötschberg is faster).
Vignette is annual only — CHF 40
Must knowSwitzerland sells one vignette: an annual sticker (or e-vignette) for CHF 40 / about €42. There's no 10-day option. Buy at any border post or online before you leave. The sticker must be physically affixed to the windscreen — keeping it loose in the glovebox earns the same CHF 200 fine as not having one.
You'll hit three different toll systems on this trip
Must knowThis route crosses countries with mismatched toll mechanics — France's ticket-and-pay, vignette stickers, electronic-only stretches. There's no single transponder that works everywhere, but a Telepass EU device covers FR/IT/ES/PT and a Bip&Go covers the same plus a few more. For a one-off trip, contactless cards plus a Swiss vignette and Austrian e-vignette is the simplest mix.
Contactless works at every autoroute booth
UsefulFrench autoroutes use a ticket system: take a card on entry, pay on exit. Every barrier accepts contactless tap-to-pay — pull into the "CB / bank card" lane (orange "t" logo means Liber-T transponder only, avoid those). For frequent EU travellers a Bip&Go transponder pays itself off in two trips by skipping the queue.
Telepass saves you the toll-booth queue
UsefulItalian autostrade work like France: ticket on entry, pay on exit. Contactless cards work at most modern lanes (look for "Carte" — avoid yellow "Telepass" lanes without the device). For long routes, a Telepass EU transponder works in IT/FR/ES/PT and pays for itself across two days; at minimum, keep your insurance card and registration in the door pocket — booth attendants occasionally ask.
No motorway tolls, but Westerschelde tunnel charges
TipDutch motorways are free for cars, but a few specific crossings charge. The Westerscheldetunnel near Vlissingen is €5–7. Kil Tunnel (A29) and Liefkenshoektunnel (Antwerp side) are similarly priced. Pay contactless on entry — there's no booth queue.
What your car must carry
Triangle, first-aid kit, hi-vis vest — all three
Must knowGermany requires a warning triangle, a first-aid kit (compliant with DIN 13164, with a "use by" date — €10 at any pharmacy), and a reflective vest in every passenger car. Roadside checks do happen at borders. The first-aid kit is the one foreign drivers most commonly miss.
Hi-vis vest in the cabin, triangle in the boot
Must knowA reflective vest must be reachable without leaving the vehicle (in the door pocket or under your seat — boot is too late). One warning triangle is also mandatory. The 2012 breathalyzer rule was scrapped in 2020 but is still nice to keep. No spare-bulb requirement.
Hi-vis vest mandatory before stepping out
Must knowItalian law requires you to wear a reflective vest before exiting the vehicle on a motorway shoulder, day or night. One warning triangle in the boot is also required. Both items are typically €15 at any Autogrill or fuel station — don't arrive without them.
Rules, fees, and thresholds change. Always verify against the official source the day before you drive — this page is a checklist, not a legal reference.
Main roads
The highways this route spends the most kilometres on.
-
A1var Variante di Valico307 km
-
A 3 —301 km
-
A 5 —288 km
-
A2 —288 km
-
A1 Autostrada del Sole237 km
-
A12 Utrechtsebaan138 km
-
A50 —31 km
-
A9 Autostrada dei Laghi31 km
-
A 67 —24 km
-
A8 Autostrada dei Laghi4 km
Route character
How much of the drive is motorway vs. secondary vs. rural.
Motorway drive — fast, predictable, uneventful.
- Motorway
- 99%
- Secondary
- 0%
- Other / rural
- 1%
Drive difficulty
At-a-glance feel: how demanding is this drive for one driver?
Overall
Demanding
Tough drive — multiple complicating factors compound fatigue. Strongly recommend splitting across days.
- Long drive: 17h 39m behind the wheel at free-flow speeds.
- Cross-border: NL → IT. Keep documents accessible and check border rules.
Fuel & tolls
Rough cost expectation for a typical EU passenger car. Treat as an estimate — pump prices change weekly.
Petrol (RON 95)
≈ €249
125.5 L × €1.99 / L · 7.5 L/100 km
Diesel
≈ €211
100.4 L × €2.11 / L · 6 L/100 km
Electric (DC fast)
≈ €187
293 kWh × €0.64 / kWh · 17.5 kWh/100 km
Public DC fast charging — slower AC charging at home or hotels typically costs about half.
Motorway tolls & vignettes
≈ €100
- FR — €0.10/km on the motorway network (≈ 101 km in-country ≈ €10)
- CH — Vignette (motorway sticker / e-vignette) — €42.00 for 365 days
- IT — €0.08/km on the motorway network (≈ 634 km in-country ≈ €48)
Prices last refreshed 2026-05-04.
Weather by month
Average daytime high / overnight low and typical monthly rainfall, over the past five years.
🇳🇱 The Hague
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
7°
3°
|
9°
4°
|
11°
4°
|
14°
7°
|
17°
10°
|
21°
14°
|
21°
15°
|
22°
15°
|
20°
13°
|
16°
11°
|
11°
6°
|
9°
5°
|
| 111mm | 65mm | 67mm | 80mm | 78mm | 52mm | 114mm | 76mm | 95mm | 120mm | 128mm | 86mm |
hot mild cold
🇮🇹 Rome
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
14°
6°
|
15°
5°
|
17°
8°
|
20°
9°
|
23°
13°
|
31°
19°
|
34°
22°
|
33°
22°
|
28°
18°
|
24°
14°
|
17°
9°
|
14°
6°
|
| 72mm | 73mm | 120mm | 63mm | 115mm | 48mm | 21mm | 57mm | 106mm | 106mm | 98mm | 62mm |
hot mild cold
Next 5 days at Rome
Live forecast — refreshes every few hours.
-
Tue 12
⛅
16° / 16°
1mm
-
Wed 13
🌧️
20° / 14°
44.4mm
-
Thu 14
🌧️
20° / 12°
19.8mm
-
Fri 15
☀️
20° / 13°
2.1mm
-
Sat 16
🌧️
18° / 15°
21.7mm
Forecast: MET Norway
Directions
Turn-by-turn summary of the main manoeuvres, generated by OSRM.
Show all 47 manoeuvres
- Sirtemastraat
- Utrechtsebaan (A12) 54 km
- (A12) 60 km
- Europaweg (A12) 20 km
- (A12) 3 km
- (A 3) 65 km
- (A 3) 75 km
- (A 3) 161 km
- — 0.9 km
- (A 67) 24 km
- (A 5) 51 km
- — 0.5 km
- (A 5) 25 km
- (A 5) 6 km
- (A 5) 51 km
- — 0.3 km
- (A 5) 155 km
- (A2) 14 km
- (A2) 28 km
- (A2) 9 km
- (A2) 43 km
- (A2) 64 km
- (A2) 123 km
- (A2) 7 km
- Autostrada dei Laghi (A9) 31 km
- Autostrada dei Laghi (A9) 1 km
- Autostrada dei Laghi (A8) 4 km
- (A50) 31 km
- Autostrada del Sole (A1) 5 km
- Autostrada del Sole (A1) 177 km
- Autostrada del Sole (A1) 32 km
- Variante di Valico (A1var) 32 km
- Autostrada del Sole (A1var) 275 km
- Diramazione Roma Nord (A1) 23 km
- — 1 km
- Grande Raccordo Anulare 0.2 km
- — 0.3 km
- — 0.6 km
- Via del Casale Redicicoli 0.2 km
- Via Elsa de' Giorgi
- Via delle Vigne Nuove 0.1 km
- Via delle Vigne Nuove
- Circonvallazione della Stazione Tiburtina 3 km
- Largo Settimio Passamonti 0.2 km
- —
- —
- Via Luigi Luzzatti
Frequently asked
What are the main road numbers I'll be using?
The primary roads are the Dutch A12, German A3 and A67, followed by Austrian Autobahns likely including the A8, and finally Italian roads including the A5 and A2 before reaching the A9.
Do I need a vignette for Austria?
Yes, a vignette is mandatory for using Austrian motorways. You can purchase these at border crossings or online in advance.
Are there tolls on this route?
Yes, expect tolls in Austria for specific sections or mountain passes, and virtually all Italian autostrade are tolled. Germany's Autobahns are generally free for passenger cars.
What should I know about driving in Italy?
Italian autostrade are tolled. Be aware of speed limits, which can vary. Many cities have 'ZTL' (Limited Traffic Zones) which restrict non-resident vehicle access; ensure your accommodation is outside these areas or they can arrange access.
Are winter tyres required?
Winter tyre mandates apply in Austria and parts of northern Italy during colder months. Check specific regulations for the period you are travelling.
How this page is built
Compiled by COD Solutions Oy from open European data — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for the route geometry, Open-Meteo for monthly climate normals, EU Weekly Oil Bulletin for cross-border fuel-price bands, OpenStreetMap via Overpass for sights along the route, and Google Gemini drafts the narrative and FAQ from the computed route data. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.