Baden-Baden to Calais. Via Germany or France?

[rossyl]

Hi,

I'm trying to work out what would be the best route in terms of speed/interest from Baden-Baden back to Calais.

I've read a lot here and come up on the following options:

OPTION 1
Baden Baden
Strasbourg
Metz
Luxembourg
Namur, Belgium
Mons
Dunkirk

OPTION 2
Baden Baden
Karlsruhe
Hochspayer
Trier
Luxembourg
Charleroi
Mons
Dunkirk

Option 3
Baden Baden
Metz
Luxembourg
Namur, Belgium
Brussels Ring Road
Ghent
Dunkirk

Would really appreciate some thoughts.

Thanks,
R

[greengreenwood7]

i may be having a slow start to the day, what are you looking for a fast way to Calais or an interesting way? the 2 don't often go hand in hand as teh former normally means motorways.
From what i hear from pals that have just come back i'd not be fussed about going anywhere near Lux.
earlier in the year we were further down - at Mulhouse. That allowed us to enjoy part of the Alsace - but that afternoon we drove from saint die area across to vitry le francois just below Reims - you could do something similar if you're not after 100% motorway?

[MC Bodge]

I've done both.

French autoroutes are generally quieter and can be quicker point to point than the autobahnen.

It depends where you want to go to and see.

[dcb]

greengreenwood7 said:

From what i hear from pals that have just come back i'd not be fussed about going anywhere near Lux.

I would. Cheap petrol GBP 1.05 / litre, cheap diesel GBP 0.95 / litre, cheap booze,
cheap fags, cheap tobacco.

I fill up and stock up everytime I am in the area.

[Red Devil]

MC Bodge said:

French autoroutes are generally quieter and can be quicker point to point than the autobahnen.

With gendarmes waiting to relive 'le rosbif' of his cash?

[MC Bodge]

Red Devil said:

With gendarmes waiting to relive 'le rosbif' of his cash?

Setting the cruise to 90mph and maintaining it for a few hours is often quicker than spurting up to 130mph, catching up the car in front and then being held up by static traffic, roadworks or a100km/h stretch which happens very frequently on autobahnen during the day.

[dcb]

MC Bodge said:

Setting the cruise to 90mph and maintaining it for a few hours is often quicker than spurting up to 130mph, catching up the car in front and then being held up by static traffic, roadworks or a100km/h stretch which happens very frequently on autobahnen during the day.

I tend to set the cruise on 159 kph in France and have yet to have any bother
in the 130 kph sections.

German roadworks are frequent and 80 kmh is a usual limit. The Germans
have a somewhat relaxed attitude to speed, watching much more closely the
standard of driving than the speed alone.

The autobahn construction teams are workaholic, unlike the UK, so construction
sections can be frequent and long. I am looking forward to the A8 being finished.

The German traffic ministry would tend to disagree with you. As best I can
make out, autobahn mean speed in 2014 is about 140 kph, which isn't very
far above the French upper limit and the 85th percentile is about 170 kph,
way beyond anything permitted in France.

[Sa Calobra]

Topic relives!

Thinking of doing the same. Same advice applies?

Might go via Brugges.

[rossyl]

Ended up doing this...on.the way back from Modena.

SUNDAY

Modena
St Gotthard Pass
Grimselpass
Susten Passmode
Wassen
Weggis - SeeHotel Gotthard

= 325miles roughly 7hrs


MONDAY

Weggis
Wehr, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Todtmoos, Germany
Todtnau, Germany
Furtwangen, Germany
Oppenau, Germany
Strasbourg

Cave du Roi Dagobert, Cave de Traenheim, route de Scharrachbergheim, 67310 Traenheim, France [vineyard]

Saverne – Villa Katz Hotel

218 miles= 5hrs



TUESDAY

Saverne
Saarbrucken
Namur
Mons – Hotel Dream

[Excellent restaurants in Mons]

253 miles = 4hrs



WEDNESDAY
Mons
Calais
Eurotunnel
115miles = 2hrs

[dcb]

Sa Calobra said:

Might go via Brugges.

Novice mistake. All the tour guides will send you there,
but it's a town packed full of tourists, with very few locals.

Gent is better and cheaper.

[Pericoloso]

Not sure if this is on people's routes but the E42 around Lille up to junction 57 of the A16 has a lot of roadworks on it,night closures,contra flow with speed cameras.

[Pericoloso]

That's the A25 E42.

[Sa Calobra]

dcb said:

Sa Calobra said:

Might go via Brugges.

Novice mistake. All the tour guides will send you there,
but it's a town packed full of tourists, with very few locals.

Gent is better and cheaper.

Been to both. I didn't like Gent. Thanks backstreets of Bruges are my favourite.

[rossyl]

rossyl said:

Ended up doing this...on.the way back from Modena.

SUNDAY

Modena
St Gotthard Pass
Grimselpass
Susten Passmode
Wassen
Weggis - SeeHotel Gotthard

= 325miles roughly 7hrs


MONDAY

Weggis
Wehr, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
Todtmoos, Germany
Todtnau, Germany
Furtwangen, Germany
Oppenau, Germany
Strasbourg

Cave du Roi Dagobert, Cave de Traenheim, route de Scharrachbergheim, 67310 Traenheim, France [vineyard]

Saverne – Villa Katz Hotel

218 miles= 5hrs



TUESDAY

Saverne
Saarbrucken
Namur
Mons – Hotel Dream

[Excellent restaurants in Mons]

253 miles = 4hrs



WEDNESDAY
Mons
Calais
Eurotunnel
115miles = 2hrs

FYI this will take you on some of the best driving roads.

Also, I was shocked how terrible the roads are in Belgium.

The Weggis to Saverne route is brilliant.

[Deesee]

Sa Calobra said:

Topic relives!

Thinking of doing the same. Same advice applies?

Might go via Brugges.

Brugges is nice, we do a few day trips there through the year, yep its touristy but thats the quirk, but the Belgium motorways its like mad max.

Last time we went to Baden Baden, we drove straight there on the Autoroute (no traffic, no one bothering us at 180kph), its the quickest (and most expensive), would probably go Via Luxemberg now, and would save circa 50 euro in tolls, so would buy at least 5 beers!

Edit..

If your looking at crossings is easy to forget that DFDS go to Dunkirk (rather than tunnel/P&O calais), its another 40 mins saved if your going by ferry.

Edited by Deesee on Friday 27th July 08:52