Please help - Europe road trip advice
Discussion
Hi all,
I have a week off from work, 9th October - 18th and have decided to embark on a fairly ambitious European roadtrip in the short time that I have. The hotels have been booked but I would be grateful if any of the more seasoned road trippers could give me a bit of advice about my planned route - routes nearby, things to see and avoid along the way.
It will be me and the partner, travelling in a Porsche Boxster. As the weather is on the change, i'm a bit nervous about the lack of winter tyres although I am happy to purchase some snow chains. A lot of driving too, over 3,000 miles but i'm up for it! Route planned as below...
Day 1 (Friday evening) - Bristol - Portsmouth. Overnight ferry Portsmouth - Caen.
Day 2 Caen - Peaule (visitng family for a few hours) - Toulouse
Route
Day 3 Toulouse - Millau bridge - Monte Carlo
Route
Day 4 Monte Carlo - Pisa - Montepulciano - Lake Trasimeno
Route
Day 5 Lake Trasimeno - Pesaro
Route
Day 6 Pesaro - Misano circuit - Modena - Venice
Route
Day 7 Venice - Milan - Lake Como
Route
Day 8 Lake Como - Stelvio Pass - Stuttgart
Route
Day 9 Stuttgart - Donchery
Route
Day 10 Donchery - Reims - Epernay - Calais - Bristol
Route
Thanks!
I have a week off from work, 9th October - 18th and have decided to embark on a fairly ambitious European roadtrip in the short time that I have. The hotels have been booked but I would be grateful if any of the more seasoned road trippers could give me a bit of advice about my planned route - routes nearby, things to see and avoid along the way.
It will be me and the partner, travelling in a Porsche Boxster. As the weather is on the change, i'm a bit nervous about the lack of winter tyres although I am happy to purchase some snow chains. A lot of driving too, over 3,000 miles but i'm up for it! Route planned as below...
Day 1 (Friday evening) - Bristol - Portsmouth. Overnight ferry Portsmouth - Caen.
Day 2 Caen - Peaule (visitng family for a few hours) - Toulouse
Route
Day 3 Toulouse - Millau bridge - Monte Carlo
Route
Day 4 Monte Carlo - Pisa - Montepulciano - Lake Trasimeno
Route
Day 5 Lake Trasimeno - Pesaro
Route
Day 6 Pesaro - Misano circuit - Modena - Venice
Route
Day 7 Venice - Milan - Lake Como
Route
Day 8 Lake Como - Stelvio Pass - Stuttgart
Route
Day 9 Stuttgart - Donchery
Route
Day 10 Donchery - Reims - Epernay - Calais - Bristol
Route
Thanks!
At day 8 you can drive the Hahntennjoch, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hahntennjoch,, a brilliant mountainroad.
Than on to Reutte and visit http://www.highline179.com/nl/
Just after Reutte (Fussen) you can visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuschwanstein_Castl...
At Stuttgart you can visit http://www.motorworld.de/stuttgart/
In Austria, just over the border from Italy, you can also visit Samnaun, a tax free village (cheap fuel)
Hope this helps and have a nice trip.
Than on to Reutte and visit http://www.highline179.com/nl/
Just after Reutte (Fussen) you can visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuschwanstein_Castl...
At Stuttgart you can visit http://www.motorworld.de/stuttgart/
In Austria, just over the border from Italy, you can also visit Samnaun, a tax free village (cheap fuel)
Hope this helps and have a nice trip.
Edited by PTT on Monday 28th September 12:54
Edited by PTT on Monday 28th September 12:55
I've recently done a similar trip down to Tuscany (I did a write up of it here), so have a few comments on your route that will hopefully be useful.
Firstly I'd check that the passes you want to drive are actually open - there has already been some snow up in the Alps, so it's possible that they may be closed mid-October.
You've got quite a lot of motorway driving in your route - personally I'd rather do less miles, but avoid motorways as much as possible, and explore the more enjoyable alternatives. E.g., with a slight detour to the south as you leave Stuttgart, you could drive through some of the Black Forest.
Unless you're really keen to tick Stelvio off your list, I think it's over-rated and there are better passes in the Alps. Personally, I'd head into Switzerland after Como on your day 8, and take in some of the passes across the Alps. You could head across to Lugano and then up the San Bernardino pass, or go via St Moritz and take the Albula pass - both better than Stelvio IMO.
In Tuscany, Montepulciano is worth a visit, and that whole area is lovely. The road to San Quirico d'Orcia is good, as are some of the others in that area. Pienza is also worth a visit.
Firstly I'd check that the passes you want to drive are actually open - there has already been some snow up in the Alps, so it's possible that they may be closed mid-October.
You've got quite a lot of motorway driving in your route - personally I'd rather do less miles, but avoid motorways as much as possible, and explore the more enjoyable alternatives. E.g., with a slight detour to the south as you leave Stuttgart, you could drive through some of the Black Forest.
Unless you're really keen to tick Stelvio off your list, I think it's over-rated and there are better passes in the Alps. Personally, I'd head into Switzerland after Como on your day 8, and take in some of the passes across the Alps. You could head across to Lugano and then up the San Bernardino pass, or go via St Moritz and take the Albula pass - both better than Stelvio IMO.
In Tuscany, Montepulciano is worth a visit, and that whole area is lovely. The road to San Quirico d'Orcia is good, as are some of the others in that area. Pienza is also worth a visit.
To me a "road trip" is about the journey and not the destination. Your route looks (to me) like you've picked some big name destinations and then let google join the dots, so the journey ends up about mostly hacking down the motorway and bypassing swathes of great driving roads.
Take Millau bridge for instance; It's majestic but driving over it is pretty much like any other m/way bridge. Come off the m/way and get underneath and it's even more impressive but then most stare for 1/2hour, eat some Pringles and get back on the m/way an because they have to get to Monaco... Yet turn east through Millau and there's the magnificent Gorge du Tarn, Ardesh Gorge, Avignon, MtVentoux, Verdon, Route Napoleon, Col Turini...
I'd say shorten the milage (after day 2 you'll be knackered for the rest of the trip)and don't be too amibitious (probably cut out most of the Italian leg) and enjoy it a lot more.
...and just for balance.... the Stelvio if brilliant, but do it in the early evening when the traffic has gone and you can really play.
Take Millau bridge for instance; It's majestic but driving over it is pretty much like any other m/way bridge. Come off the m/way and get underneath and it's even more impressive but then most stare for 1/2hour, eat some Pringles and get back on the m/way an because they have to get to Monaco... Yet turn east through Millau and there's the magnificent Gorge du Tarn, Ardesh Gorge, Avignon, MtVentoux, Verdon, Route Napoleon, Col Turini...
I'd say shorten the milage (after day 2 you'll be knackered for the rest of the trip)and don't be too amibitious (probably cut out most of the Italian leg) and enjoy it a lot more.
...and just for balance.... the Stelvio if brilliant, but do it in the early evening when the traffic has gone and you can really play.
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