Can someone sanity check my Euro road trip route?
Discussion
Never done this before...I have a week off in early July and I'm very tempted to book the ferry today. Me, the missus, the Boxster, a limited budget so we will take a tent and camp where possible, and limited time.
I know there's a lot of experienced eurohooners on here, so can someone sanity check this route? Want to get the right balance between driving and sightseeing, not bite off more than we can chew, but also not miss any hidden gems that might be 10 miles off my planned route, which is...
Saturday-Calais to Reims, 174 miles
Sunday-Reims to Mulhouse, 288 miles
Monday-Mulhouse to Como, 210
Tuesday-Como to Stelvio 138
Wednesday-Stelvio to Davos 61
Thursday -Davos to Stuttgart 210
Friday-Stuttgart to Raismes 391 (or somewhere in that area)
Saturday-Raismes to Calais 97
Total 1569 miles on the European side
The reason for the Stuttgart diversion is to take the Boxtser "home" and have a look at the Porsche museum. However this really isn't essential, so if there's a nicer route back that saves mileage, straight from Davos, that's fine. Thoughts?
Also, camping, prices seem to vary wildly. What on average are people paying for a simple 2 person tent, and in July is it generally OK just to rock up?
Thanks!
I know there's a lot of experienced eurohooners on here, so can someone sanity check this route? Want to get the right balance between driving and sightseeing, not bite off more than we can chew, but also not miss any hidden gems that might be 10 miles off my planned route, which is...
Saturday-Calais to Reims, 174 miles
Sunday-Reims to Mulhouse, 288 miles
Monday-Mulhouse to Como, 210
Tuesday-Como to Stelvio 138
Wednesday-Stelvio to Davos 61
Thursday -Davos to Stuttgart 210
Friday-Stuttgart to Raismes 391 (or somewhere in that area)
Saturday-Raismes to Calais 97
Total 1569 miles on the European side
The reason for the Stuttgart diversion is to take the Boxtser "home" and have a look at the Porsche museum. However this really isn't essential, so if there's a nicer route back that saves mileage, straight from Davos, that's fine. Thoughts?
Also, camping, prices seem to vary wildly. What on average are people paying for a simple 2 person tent, and in July is it generally OK just to rock up?
Thanks!
We drove to Como and beyond in a Cayman last summer and had a great trip. In fact, Como is so nice that I'd suggest spending two nights there and cutting out Davos or only driving through Stelvio instead of staying there. For a small tent, it's pretty unusual to have a problem finding a camping space, but I like to book at least one night in a hotel in the middle just to enjoy things like a real bed and a shower that's all ours!
NNH said:
We drove to Como and beyond in a Cayman last summer and had a great trip. In fact, Como is so nice that I'd suggest spending two nights there and cutting out Davos or only driving through Stelvio instead of staying there. For a small tent, it's pretty unusual to have a problem finding a camping space, but I like to book at least one night in a hotel in the middle just to enjoy things like a real bed and a shower that's all ours!
Another vote for Lake Como..but Como itself not so lovely..try Varenna!Mileages look very dooable
I just did Calais to Reims yesterday in the TVR.
Loaded up the tomtom, told it to avoid motorways and ended up with an easy 4.5 hour journey (we did it In a bit less though
)through some nice towns and villages. We'd also done 3 hours theat day getting to Calais and even the mrs though that was OK (and she doesn't really like travelling in the Tiv).
Enjoy it.
Loaded up the tomtom, told it to avoid motorways and ended up with an easy 4.5 hour journey (we did it In a bit less though
)through some nice towns and villages. We'd also done 3 hours theat day getting to Calais and even the mrs though that was OK (and she doesn't really like travelling in the Tiv). Enjoy it.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
For our Euro road trips, we like to do the biggest mileage on the first and last day so we can get to somewhere "new". In your shows, I'd make the first day all the way to Reims, and the last day all the way back from Stuttgart. Then you can stay two nights in a couple of places. The year before last we drove all the way back to London from Lindau, and it was a long but perfectly comfortable day with a stop for lunch in Luxembourg (also cheap petrol!)Hi
We have done plenty of road trips on a budget (with a tent in a VX220, Mk1 MR2 and Smart Roadster). They were all brilliant fun!
I like your route but I think it is too much driving and not enough relaxing/ site seeing. Especially if setting up a tent each night. We usually went for two weeks and based at each location for at least a couple of nights.
An example we did
Drove Calais to Geneve (La Clusaz??) - stayed in a ski chalet for four nights
Geneve - Interlaken - camped for three nights
Interlaken - Koln - camped for two nights
Koln - Amsterdam - camped for three nights
Amsterdam - Bruges camped for two nights
Bruges - home
These were just places we wanted to visit and explore around. We did this before the explosion of the interweb - so some of the great driving roads were missed (not known about) but truly a great trip!
We have done plenty of road trips on a budget (with a tent in a VX220, Mk1 MR2 and Smart Roadster). They were all brilliant fun!
I like your route but I think it is too much driving and not enough relaxing/ site seeing. Especially if setting up a tent each night. We usually went for two weeks and based at each location for at least a couple of nights.
An example we did
Drove Calais to Geneve (La Clusaz??) - stayed in a ski chalet for four nights
Geneve - Interlaken - camped for three nights
Interlaken - Koln - camped for two nights
Koln - Amsterdam - camped for three nights
Amsterdam - Bruges camped for two nights
Bruges - home
These were just places we wanted to visit and explore around. We did this before the explosion of the interweb - so some of the great driving roads were missed (not known about) but truly a great trip!
This is all great feedback...thanks people.
Unfortunately it's got to be one week only, so much as I'd like to take things at a slightly slower pace, we don't really have the option. However I've tried to keep the days generally below 200 miles, which means realistically an early afternoon arrival is perfectly possible and the days are still long. But it does seem rude going continental and not doing the Alps.
If we aimed to stay around Lake Como for two nights, can anyone suggest a good alternative route? TBH I'm really not that fussed about Stuttgart, although it would still be great to do if it wasn't that far off our route. There also a bit of me would love to touch a bit of de-restricted autobahn, however the car is 12 years old and I'd rather not physically see the fuel needle moving, so if there's a prettier, cheaper route home, that's fine.
Unfortunately it's got to be one week only, so much as I'd like to take things at a slightly slower pace, we don't really have the option. However I've tried to keep the days generally below 200 miles, which means realistically an early afternoon arrival is perfectly possible and the days are still long. But it does seem rude going continental and not doing the Alps.
If we aimed to stay around Lake Como for two nights, can anyone suggest a good alternative route? TBH I'm really not that fussed about Stuttgart, although it would still be great to do if it wasn't that far off our route. There also a bit of me would love to touch a bit of de-restricted autobahn, however the car is 12 years old and I'd rather not physically see the fuel needle moving, so if there's a prettier, cheaper route home, that's fine.
Zulu 10 said:
Breaking the journey in Reims is great if you’re going to do a couple of the Champagne houses and fill the car up, but respectfully, as you’ve said you’re on a budget and you’re not fat for luggage space, then I’d not bother stopping.
Having once broken the Hampshire – Calais – Luzern route into two days, in a dozen trips since I’ve never bothered repeating the experience, so personally I’d do the Calais to Mulhouse run in one day to get the bulk of the driving out of the way.
I’d then spend Sunday morning strolling around the Shlumpf Collection for a couple of hours (my other half isn’t interested in cars but she was fascinated by it), and possibly have lunch in their restaurant, then spend a leisurely couple of hours on Sunday afternoon driving down towards Luzern and stop there ready for the Monday drive over the Alps.
Quite right about the champagne....no room and rather spend it on petrol! However we will be starting in Warwickshire so Mulhouse is just too far really (and a 986 is no GT car), plus Reims looks quite pretty...and I'd love to get a pic of the car on "that" circuit!Having once broken the Hampshire – Calais – Luzern route into two days, in a dozen trips since I’ve never bothered repeating the experience, so personally I’d do the Calais to Mulhouse run in one day to get the bulk of the driving out of the way.
I’d then spend Sunday morning strolling around the Shlumpf Collection for a couple of hours (my other half isn’t interested in cars but she was fascinated by it), and possibly have lunch in their restaurant, then spend a leisurely couple of hours on Sunday afternoon driving down towards Luzern and stop there ready for the Monday drive over the Alps.
Apart from the Stuttgart bit I have pretty much done that exact trip taking in Euro Disney on the way there.
Its a great drive, admitedly I did it in an Audi A6 but fully laden with 4 people and luggage.
Mileages are doable, but as others have said its good to have the odd day off from driving
Its a great drive, admitedly I did it in an Audi A6 but fully laden with 4 people and luggage.
Mileages are doable, but as others have said its good to have the odd day off from driving
irocfan said:
sounds like a fun trip - did something similar a month or so back loved it! This isn't too far out of your way and worth a visit:
sinsheim.technik-museum.de/en
+1 on this sinsheim.technik-museum.de/en
well worth a visit, a cracking day out. good autohof, (truckstop) just before it that does a cracking meal.
Off motorways, calculate 350km/day tops, i.e. for a day that is enjoyable, includes a short lunch stop of sorts, and stopping at/taking pics at all the interesting places.
Sometimes this figure is not attainable especially if you don't know where you are staying and hope to be sorted at a reasonable hour in the early evening.
I have had to cut short a day's route because of this on a couple of occasions, reverting to motorways to make up for time.
Personally I don't see the point in making what could be an enjoyable holiday (as they all should be) a stressful and boring experience of miles of non stop driving, like getting somewhere fast is the one and only scope, which is why I only exceed that mileage when I need to get somewhere to start the "interesting" bits.
I would add that driving to the Dolomites is well worth it, you are not that far to include and your mileage allowance in the passes is low, bear in mind that apart from stopping for pics there is not much to do, the mountain passes are really just something to drive through.
The Dolomites area is stunning and the roads are brilliant too, better than the Stelvio even though the views there are dramatic (and the air thin!)
The Stelvio (not that you should skip it) is a collection of hairpins, tight ones, in the main.
Possibly the best drivers road as far as mountain passes go, is the Fluela Pass, from Davos to Zernez. You are going to Davos so make sure you include this.
Don't be silly with the car though, there would be police even on the passes, and besides, some of them don't even have barrier rails to prevent falls the height of Ben Nevis...
Sometimes this figure is not attainable especially if you don't know where you are staying and hope to be sorted at a reasonable hour in the early evening.
I have had to cut short a day's route because of this on a couple of occasions, reverting to motorways to make up for time.
Personally I don't see the point in making what could be an enjoyable holiday (as they all should be) a stressful and boring experience of miles of non stop driving, like getting somewhere fast is the one and only scope, which is why I only exceed that mileage when I need to get somewhere to start the "interesting" bits.
I would add that driving to the Dolomites is well worth it, you are not that far to include and your mileage allowance in the passes is low, bear in mind that apart from stopping for pics there is not much to do, the mountain passes are really just something to drive through.
The Dolomites area is stunning and the roads are brilliant too, better than the Stelvio even though the views there are dramatic (and the air thin!)
The Stelvio (not that you should skip it) is a collection of hairpins, tight ones, in the main.
Possibly the best drivers road as far as mountain passes go, is the Fluela Pass, from Davos to Zernez. You are going to Davos so make sure you include this.
Don't be silly with the car though, there would be police even on the passes, and besides, some of them don't even have barrier rails to prevent falls the height of Ben Nevis...
Edited by 996TT02 on Saturday 28th June 12:26
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff