Please critique my Swiss trip for March - part 2!!
Discussion
Ok, I've had a big rethink about what I want from this trip and when I did my winter trip last year the area I loved th best was St Moritz. I've therefore re-jogged the route before I need to work in Stuttgart. Trip will be next month so the best passes are closed but hopefully I've added some good ones that are open, please let me know.
Sat 11th
Calais to Grindlewald
With tolls and get there as easily as possible. Long drive so lots of motorways.
Sun 12th - Avoid motorway settings in Google Maps for this day
Grindlewald
Lotschberg tunnel train
Simplon pass
Managgio
https://www.bls.ch/en/fahren/unterwegs-mit/autover...
Mon 13th
Managgio
Tirano
(Bernina Pass)
St Moritz
(Maloja Pass)
Chiavenna
(Julier Pass)
Bivio
Tue 14th
Bivio
er (well, it is funny….)
Davos
Stuttgart
Comments and advice most welcome.
I think I'll be using Swiss motorways even less on this route but I will get a Vignette anyway.
Sat 11th
Calais to Grindlewald
With tolls and get there as easily as possible. Long drive so lots of motorways.
Sun 12th - Avoid motorway settings in Google Maps for this day
Grindlewald
Lotschberg tunnel train
Simplon pass
Managgio
https://www.bls.ch/en/fahren/unterwegs-mit/autover...
Mon 13th
Managgio
Tirano
(Bernina Pass)
St Moritz
(Maloja Pass)
Chiavenna
(Julier Pass)
Bivio
Tue 14th
Bivio
er (well, it is funny….)Davos
Stuttgart
Comments and advice most welcome.
I think I'll be using Swiss motorways even less on this route but I will get a Vignette anyway.
We stayed here for a night last year and looking to go for 2 nights this year;
https://www.booking.com/hotel/it/casa-del-portico....
https://www.booking.com/hotel/it/casa-del-portico....
Ok, so the roadtrip starts tomorrow, early....
Breakfast in Gloucestershire, dinner in Grindelwald.
I'll try and do a daily update however I can't see their being much PH appetite for an Alps roadtrip at the end of winter when the best passes are closed.
Tomorrow is mostly a slog just to get there and the camera comes out on Sunday.
Breakfast in Gloucestershire, dinner in Grindelwald.
I'll try and do a daily update however I can't see their being much PH appetite for an Alps roadtrip at the end of winter when the best passes are closed.
Tomorrow is mostly a slog just to get there and the camera comes out on Sunday.
I'd route via Strasbourg and hop over the border there so you get a little blast on the Autobahn before hitting the Swiss roads.
Edited to add: The weather here is going to absolutely perfect this weekend, so your timing is good!
And again to say: Simplon pass will be open, and is spectacular. In Stuttgart on the way back make sure you have lunch in the restaurant at the Porsche Museum, but the Mercedes Museum is FAR more impressive, food aside.
Edited to add: The weather here is going to absolutely perfect this weekend, so your timing is good!
And again to say: Simplon pass will be open, and is spectacular. In Stuttgart on the way back make sure you have lunch in the restaurant at the Porsche Museum, but the Mercedes Museum is FAR more impressive, food aside.
Edited by civiclegend on Friday 10th March 14:46
Yes, although not a lot, as they know its stuffed full of Frenchies in little hatchbacks creeping up and down the border avoiding the tolls on their own roads. You can, however, still make much better progress anyway with a more relaxed attitude to speed limits in general, the French really have no sense of humour about the Rosbifs and speeding.
Day one completed and not too much to say and I didn't expect there would be. This day was all about getting down to Switzerland, swiftly and safely.
I had reviewed the time versus tolls versus Swiss vignette mix and decided that the most effective way to get to Switzerland was to stay off the French toll roads and travel down via Lille, Luxenberg and Nancy. I would then jump on to the Swiss motorway Vignette network for the final stretch.
When I reviewed Google maps, travelling my route versus paying for the roads in France was 30 minutes longer but saved up to €45
In France, Belgium and Luxembourg I decided to travel at the speed limit +20 KPH. I figured this was progress without taking the Mickey out of the speed limits and would be a minimal fine if caught. It turned out out that I was normally the fastest car on the road and I guess in 730 miles, I was overtaken fewer times than you can count on one hand. Apart from the first 50 miles or so from Calais, all the roads were freeflowing with little traffic.
When I got to Nancy I had my first stop and well head of schedule. I therefore revised my plans and decided to revert back to my very original plan of no tolls at all including no vignette. This would add about an hour and 3/4 to the journey in Switzerland. As I was head of time, I had time to play with.
No I must admit, the journey in Switzerland was slow going! The route through Basel and the villages was endless 50 KPH and 60 KPH limits. However it is so pretty in Switzerland and I was ahead of time, I didn't really mind.
The journey starting starts in earnest today and I can take a lot more time and stop for photographs.
The planned route for today is below.
I had reviewed the time versus tolls versus Swiss vignette mix and decided that the most effective way to get to Switzerland was to stay off the French toll roads and travel down via Lille, Luxenberg and Nancy. I would then jump on to the Swiss motorway Vignette network for the final stretch.
When I reviewed Google maps, travelling my route versus paying for the roads in France was 30 minutes longer but saved up to €45
In France, Belgium and Luxembourg I decided to travel at the speed limit +20 KPH. I figured this was progress without taking the Mickey out of the speed limits and would be a minimal fine if caught. It turned out out that I was normally the fastest car on the road and I guess in 730 miles, I was overtaken fewer times than you can count on one hand. Apart from the first 50 miles or so from Calais, all the roads were freeflowing with little traffic.
When I got to Nancy I had my first stop and well head of schedule. I therefore revised my plans and decided to revert back to my very original plan of no tolls at all including no vignette. This would add about an hour and 3/4 to the journey in Switzerland. As I was head of time, I had time to play with.
No I must admit, the journey in Switzerland was slow going! The route through Basel and the villages was endless 50 KPH and 60 KPH limits. However it is so pretty in Switzerland and I was ahead of time, I didn't really mind.
The journey starting starts in earnest today and I can take a lot more time and stop for photographs.
The planned route for today is below.
Edited by A900ss on Sunday 12th March 05:59
A900ss said:
Just because the best passes are closed this time of year, doesn't mean you can have fun.
I'll be doing several passes including Simpson, Julier, Bernini and Maloja.
So many snow covered mountains though, I am half expecting to meet the Milk Tray Man.
Have you got chains? And/or winter/tyres?I'll be doing several passes including Simpson, Julier, Bernini and Maloja.
So many snow covered mountains though, I am half expecting to meet the Milk Tray Man.
No real commentary to give, I will let the photos do the talking. The route I took is in the entry above, the scenery and the roads were stunning.
Parts of today were in Switzerland and parts were in Italy. You can tell the parts that were in Switzerland as the road surfaces were in good condition. Italy, on the other hand, is just as bad as UK. Long travel suspension required!
I can thoroughly recommend the SS387 on the other side of Simplon pass going into Italy (half of the road is actually in Italy and then it goes back into Switzerland). I think you need a small car to really benefit from it as it is very windy and very narrow. I would say that the ideal car for this road is a fiesta ST, or maybe as we are in Italy, a Fiat 500 Abarth. I had fun just holding on to the coattails of an enthusiastic local Yaris driver. Believe me this road is never straight, it is curves one way or another all the time. Power will count for nothing on this road, it's all about the bends and I guess I got no faster than 40 mph on that road.
Parts of today were in Switzerland and parts were in Italy. You can tell the parts that were in Switzerland as the road surfaces were in good condition. Italy, on the other hand, is just as bad as UK. Long travel suspension required!
I can thoroughly recommend the SS387 on the other side of Simplon pass going into Italy (half of the road is actually in Italy and then it goes back into Switzerland). I think you need a small car to really benefit from it as it is very windy and very narrow. I would say that the ideal car for this road is a fiesta ST, or maybe as we are in Italy, a Fiat 500 Abarth. I had fun just holding on to the coattails of an enthusiastic local Yaris driver. Believe me this road is never straight, it is curves one way or another all the time. Power will count for nothing on this road, it's all about the bends and I guess I got no faster than 40 mph on that road.
And today goes into my Top 5 motoring days!!!!
Great drive today, lots of passes, lots of altitude, great fun.
The route changes slightly as I had undercalled the mileage for today so added a bit on.
Rough route was:
Menaggio
Maloja Pass
St moritz
Ofen pass
Tschierv
Munt la Scera toll tunnel
Livigno
Torino
Bernina Pass
St Moritz
Julier Pass
Bivio
Map view below.
I took lots of photos today so rather than post them all here, if you want to see them, please click the link to an app I'm using to breadcrumb my route, show photos and add some commentary. I think it's quite a nice app for friends and family to see what you are seeing on your trip. Scroll up and down for timeline, route map at top and photos side to side.
https://www.polarsteps.com/KarlT/80682-alps-road-t...
Great drive today, lots of passes, lots of altitude, great fun.
The route changes slightly as I had undercalled the mileage for today so added a bit on.
Rough route was:
Menaggio
Maloja Pass
St moritz
Ofen pass
Tschierv
Munt la Scera toll tunnel
Livigno
Torino
Bernina Pass
St Moritz
Julier Pass
Bivio
Map view below.
I took lots of photos today so rather than post them all here, if you want to see them, please click the link to an app I'm using to breadcrumb my route, show photos and add some commentary. I think it's quite a nice app for friends and family to see what you are seeing on your trip. Scroll up and down for timeline, route map at top and photos side to side.
https://www.polarsteps.com/KarlT/80682-alps-road-t...
B500 through the Black Forest - Done!!
A very different drive to the Alp roads I've been driving on. Much wider and faster, sweeping bends rather than switchbacks.
A great road for very different reasons but as one end of the road is at Baden Baden with the Spa, it makes for a great day.
As an aside, if you do drive the B500, when you get to the southern end, turn onto the L92 and drive to Oppenau. A very different drive to the wide B500. This is through the forest down a ravine. Tight and twisty but good sight lines through the trees.
A very different drive to the Alp roads I've been driving on. Much wider and faster, sweeping bends rather than switchbacks.
A great road for very different reasons but as one end of the road is at Baden Baden with the Spa, it makes for a great day.
As an aside, if you do drive the B500, when you get to the southern end, turn onto the L92 and drive to Oppenau. A very different drive to the wide B500. This is through the forest down a ravine. Tight and twisty but good sight lines through the trees.
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