Alps Trip Write Up - Guide
Discussion
Formatted better here
HD Video up the Susten Pass Here
Booking.com – Hotel and B&B reservation with free cancelation.
Alps Passes in Google MapsAlps Passes in Google Maps – A great guide compiled by a biker, includes videos.
Alps B&Bs in Google MapsAlps B&Bs in Google Maps – A great guide to some cheaper Alps B&Bs.
Pistonheads Road Trip Planning – Useful links and the Forum.
Alpine Roads – The best roads in the Alps!
Alpentourer – Great guide to touring the Alps.
View larger map
Day 1: London – Bruges. Set off for Eurotunnel on Friday afternoon after cramming the small boot. Mussels and a beer for dinner in Bruges and a really nice night stay at B&B Huyze Weyne, highly recommended.
Day 2: Baden Baden. A day of motorways in 30 degree sun, finished with a couple of hours at Caracalla Spa and dinner in Baden-Baden (both well worth it). Head to Pension Williams (expat run) for the night on the edge of the B500.
Day 3: Lake Constance. Great day of driving down the B500 through the Black Forest, past the Rhine Falls (Europes largest waterfall and worth seeing) and onto Lake Constance. We stay at Hotel Graf Zeppelin.
Day 4: Stelvio Pass. Swiss border control won’t let us in due to a lost front number plate, so we head back into Germany to have a temporary one made. We enter the Alps, taking in the first mountain passes and end at the top of the Stelvio Pass for a night at Rifugio Garibaldi, an amazing view to wake up to. Well worth staying here.
Day 5: Lavertezzo. After taking in the view of the mountains and Stelvio Pass snaking it’s way up, we make an early start for a day full of mountain passes including Julier Pass and San Bernardino. We arrive at Lavertezzo, a really amazing place and well worth the slight detour. Magical afternoon swimming in the crystal clear mountain river to cool off after the days driving. Comfortable stay and meal at Osteria Vittoria.
Day 6: Meiringen. Drive back past the Contra / Locarno Dam from Goldeneye and onto more mountain passes including St Gotthard Pass and through Andermat to the Susten Pass (video here). We spend the afternoon at the Aare Gorge and a night at Chalet zum Steg.
Day 7: Annecy. Weave our way down past Spiez and Le-Petit-Bornand /Le-Grand-Bornand. When we arrive in Annecy it’s raining and the car’s back end is sliding about on road white lines. Turns out there is no tread left! Stay at Palais de L’Isle.
Day 8: Annecy. A second day in Annecy to have some new rear tyres fitted (only fitted a few weeks before the trip!) and go Canyoning (great fun and a nice day off driving).
Day 9: Reims. Manage to find some nice roads (D396 & D996) but mostly motorway to get home as quickly as possible. Very nice stay at La Grange Champenoise and excellent meal at the local ‘Le Jardin’. Both highly recommended for a memorable night on the way home from the Alps.
Day 10: London. Just motorways home…
HD Video up the Susten Pass Here
Planning Resources
Having wanted to drive the Alps for years, it took months of planning to get the route right. I wanted to document the trip to help those planning as it is quite a daunting task. Click here for a video of the drive up the Susten Pass. By far the best resources used for planning the trip were:Booking.com – Hotel and B&B reservation with free cancelation.
Alps Passes in Google MapsAlps Passes in Google Maps – A great guide compiled by a biker, includes videos.
Alps B&Bs in Google MapsAlps B&Bs in Google Maps – A great guide to some cheaper Alps B&Bs.
Pistonheads Road Trip Planning – Useful links and the Forum.
Alpine Roads – The best roads in the Alps!
Alpentourer – Great guide to touring the Alps.
The Route
Each pin in the map marks a B&B/Hotel. The trip was planned with a balance between driving miles each day, and time to see some sights in the area visited – this worked well.View larger map
Day 1: London – Bruges. Set off for Eurotunnel on Friday afternoon after cramming the small boot. Mussels and a beer for dinner in Bruges and a really nice night stay at B&B Huyze Weyne, highly recommended.
Day 2: Baden Baden. A day of motorways in 30 degree sun, finished with a couple of hours at Caracalla Spa and dinner in Baden-Baden (both well worth it). Head to Pension Williams (expat run) for the night on the edge of the B500.
Day 3: Lake Constance. Great day of driving down the B500 through the Black Forest, past the Rhine Falls (Europes largest waterfall and worth seeing) and onto Lake Constance. We stay at Hotel Graf Zeppelin.
Day 4: Stelvio Pass. Swiss border control won’t let us in due to a lost front number plate, so we head back into Germany to have a temporary one made. We enter the Alps, taking in the first mountain passes and end at the top of the Stelvio Pass for a night at Rifugio Garibaldi, an amazing view to wake up to. Well worth staying here.
Day 5: Lavertezzo. After taking in the view of the mountains and Stelvio Pass snaking it’s way up, we make an early start for a day full of mountain passes including Julier Pass and San Bernardino. We arrive at Lavertezzo, a really amazing place and well worth the slight detour. Magical afternoon swimming in the crystal clear mountain river to cool off after the days driving. Comfortable stay and meal at Osteria Vittoria.
Day 6: Meiringen. Drive back past the Contra / Locarno Dam from Goldeneye and onto more mountain passes including St Gotthard Pass and through Andermat to the Susten Pass (video here). We spend the afternoon at the Aare Gorge and a night at Chalet zum Steg.
Day 7: Annecy. Weave our way down past Spiez and Le-Petit-Bornand /Le-Grand-Bornand. When we arrive in Annecy it’s raining and the car’s back end is sliding about on road white lines. Turns out there is no tread left! Stay at Palais de L’Isle.
Day 8: Annecy. A second day in Annecy to have some new rear tyres fitted (only fitted a few weeks before the trip!) and go Canyoning (great fun and a nice day off driving).
Day 9: Reims. Manage to find some nice roads (D396 & D996) but mostly motorway to get home as quickly as possible. Very nice stay at La Grange Champenoise and excellent meal at the local ‘Le Jardin’. Both highly recommended for a memorable night on the way home from the Alps.
Day 10: London. Just motorways home…
Edited by dgowenlock on Wednesday 16th January 22:36
Edited by dgowenlock on Wednesday 16th January 22:37
Thumbs up and an amazing read. was surprised to read about your troubles at the border with no plate, I had an ''issue'' years ago when I think OEM+ was the way forward and rolled into town wearing no plate and not a single problem! Luck of draw I guess!
I loved the pictures of the hairpins winding up the mountainside! They make me want to trace a route like yours and have an awesome road drive!!!
Thanks for sharing
I loved the pictures of the hairpins winding up the mountainside! They make me want to trace a route like yours and have an awesome road drive!!!
Thanks for sharing
Looks like you had a great trip.
I did a very similar route in my VX220 last year, but in the opposite direction. I even managed to loose my front number plate too. Sounds like I was lucky to loose it in Switzerland and not before
There's a sticky at the top of the page for adding a link to your road trip write up, worth doing to help anyone researching their first/next road trip
I did a very similar route in my VX220 last year, but in the opposite direction. I even managed to loose my front number plate too. Sounds like I was lucky to loose it in Switzerland and not before
There's a sticky at the top of the page for adding a link to your road trip write up, worth doing to help anyone researching their first/next road trip
Great report. And fore sure the perfect car for such a blast.
When I read write-ups like these I alway think how spoilt I am to have the Alps as my backgarden, so to speak. (I live on the swiss side of Lake Constanze).
Not sure if it looks only like this on the map, but it seems you went all the way from Thusis to Bellinzona and even further on up the Autobahn A13. Meanwhile all the way right next to it is the absolute lovely twisty main road, going the same way. Even when the San Bernardino Pass road itself is closed you can join the Autobahn trough the Tunnel in Hinterrhein and afterwards you can change immediately back onto the mentioned main road before the town of San Bernardino. It's one of my absolute favourites.
When I read write-ups like these I alway think how spoilt I am to have the Alps as my backgarden, so to speak. (I live on the swiss side of Lake Constanze).
Not sure if it looks only like this on the map, but it seems you went all the way from Thusis to Bellinzona and even further on up the Autobahn A13. Meanwhile all the way right next to it is the absolute lovely twisty main road, going the same way. Even when the San Bernardino Pass road itself is closed you can join the Autobahn trough the Tunnel in Hinterrhein and afterwards you can change immediately back onto the mentioned main road before the town of San Bernardino. It's one of my absolute favourites.
lipadier said:
Not sure if it looks only like this on the map, but it seems you went all the way from Thusis to Bellinzona and even further on up the Autobahn A13. Meanwhile all the way right next to it is the absolute lovely twisty main road, going the same way. Even when the San Bernardino Pass road itself is closed you can join the Autobahn trough the Tunnel in Hinterrhein and afterwards you can change immediately back onto the mentioned main road before the town of San Bernardino. It's one of my absolute favourites.
It's the map, but thanks for noting. Google maps only allows a limited number of pins per map so it is hard to force it to the real route not the quickest. It would be a real shame to drive pass that Gassing Station | Roads | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff