Please critique my Alps road trip for next month?

[A900ss]

I need to do some work in Stuttgart next month so I thought Id take a little road trip and make it more interesting. I need to work Wed and Thurs but the rest of the time is mine.

Plan is NO tolls (that includes French Autoroutes getting there/back and no Swiss vignettes). Im not in the V8, this is more about scenery, my camera and great roads. Car is a typical RWD euroboxbut with winter tyres fitted.

Please see my draft routes below and feel free to add comments/critique if the roads will be closed or if I’m missing something obvious.

I know day 1 is a long slog but Im used to high mileages and just want to get there. The google map links should be clickable for each day just ensure that route options is no tolls.

Thanks in advance


Saturday - Calais to Lausanne 523 miles
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Calais,+France/L...

|http://thumbsnap.com/wC2ReNg8[/url]

Sunday - Lausanne to Lucerne 153 miles
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Lausanne,+Switze...



Monday - Lucerne to St Moritz 139 miles
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Lucerne,+Switzer...




Tuesday (to get to Work) St Moritz to Stuttgart 262 miles
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/St+Moritz,+Switz...



Friday
Spa in Baden Baden for morning then onto Reims 241 miles
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Baden-Baden,+Ger...




Saturday - Reims to Calais 191 miles
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/Reims,+France/Ca...[url]

[W99KSY]

Should all be fine - don't think any of the Swiss routes you've selected are mountain passes that are closed over winter - drove up to Lenzerheide a couple of weeks back after heavy-ish snowfall and roads cleared first. Good website here to check closer to your travel time:

http://www.myswissalps.com/car/trafficinfo

btw most of your Swiss routes inc some travelling on Motorways so you might have issues if you decide against the vignette

Edited by W99KSY on Wednesday 8th February 13:24

[G Man]

Seems a lot of blasting down motorways and missing all the great fun routes you drive right by such as Route des le Crete, the black Forest and the roads around Pirmasens.

[A900ss]

Apart from the first and last day, I have avoided all motorways.

I'll need to recheck my route plans as that is far from th intention.

[VerySideways]

FYI - your routes on days 3 and 4 definitely include roads that require a vignette. They're not motorways but they are arterial routes, and you will see signs which tell you that those roads require you to have a vignette.

Years ago the penalty for not having a vignette was being forced to purchase one by the roadside. Now you can still be forced to purchase one, but they can also give you an on-the-spot fine of up to 1000CHF.
Don't risk it - one of my group got collared a couple of years ago for a few hundred CHF.
For the sake of £30 it's really not worth the risk.

[A900ss]

This is really weird but I appreciate your feedback.

I supposedly have route planned avoiding all motorways (except first and last day) and all vignette/toll roads. When I was in Switzerland last year my routing was spot on and I didn't touch a vignette road.

It looks like you guys are seeing something that I'm not, so back to the drawing board to check the routes.

Thanks all.

Edited by A900ss on Wednesday 8th February 22:30

[VerySideways]

I wouldn't change the route, i'd just spend £30 on a vignette and not worry about taking a wrong turning

[A900ss]

I'm just reviewing days 2, 3 and 4.

Does this look a better day 2?

If you click on the Goolge Maps link, can you please check you have the 'no tolls' option clicked as I think this might have caused some confusion earlier as I have routed no tolls in Switzerland.

Thanks
https://goo.gl/maps/QSzfZt3N62T2

[W99KSY]

I think round Luzern you'll run into issues as you'll probably end up on route 2 and route 8 down to Sarnen - from memory I think its just sections of this road that qualifies for the vignette. You can download a map from this page (at the bottom) that shows you what's under tolls - as per VerySideways suggestion, i'd just stump up the 40chf for the vignette

https://www.ezv.admin.ch/ezv/en/home/information-i...

[VerySideways]

W99KSY said:

I think round Luzern you'll run into issues as you'll probably end up on route 2 and route 8 down to Sarnen - from memory I think its just sections of this road that qualifies for the vignette. You can download a map from this page (at the bottom) that shows you what's under tolls - as per VerySideways suggestion, i'd just stump up the 40chf for the vignette

https://www.ezv.admin.ch/ezv/en/home/information-i...

[Yipper]

Avoid Switzerland altogether. They hate cars, speed cameras are hidden everywhere, any speeding fines are ridiculous, and scenery is not really that good unless you hop on a train and go somewhere high-up like Zermatt (southwest). Instead, head for Germany Bavaria mountains and Italy Dolomites and swing back up via Monaco and toward the Vosges mountains.

[VerySideways]

Yipper said:

...scenery is not really that good...

Errr, might have to agree to disagree on that one.
Perhaps you haven't been to the right bits of Switzerland?

[gadgetmac]

Yipper said:

Avoid Switzerland altogether. They hate cars, speed cameras are hidden everywhere, any speeding fines are ridiculous, and scenery is not really that good unless you hop on a train and go somewhere high-up like Zermatt (southwest). Instead, head for Germany Bavaria mountains and Italy Dolomites and swing back up via Monaco and toward the Vosges mountains.

I semi agree with this. Certainly the German Alps and the area around Fussen in southern Bavaria is spectacular. I'll be back that way for the 3rd time later this year.

[A900ss]

Defo going to Switzerland as I loved it there last year.

I've changed my route though so the new start of the trip before Stuttgart (and work!) is now here:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Drive out Saturday 11th March so only about 2 weeks to go....