Driving to Italy

[TheLurker]

My mate has invited me to spend a week at hi parents villa (very nice too!) in Italy at the end of October. I could get a flight down, or I could do something I have always wanted to do, and drive. I'm especially keen to be able to have a play in the Alps. I plan to do the journey in two days with a stop off in between.

Do any PHers have any advice or tips on routes, places to stay and what the tolls are like?

Any help gratefully received!

[davepoth]

www.viamichelin.com

Is very handy as it will tell you the exact cost of the tolls.

[kiteless]

We've done Shropshire to Verona in two days, but it was the speedy version not the interesting one.

We did:

Calais - Reims - Saverne (overnight) - Strasbourg - Basel - Lugano - Milan then A4 to Verona.

[ewenm]

I stopped for a night in Colmar on the way down to the Dolomites a few years ago. Down through the Alps from there. The ViaMichelin website is excellent for route planning and tolls etc. If using Swiss motorways you need to buy a vignette beforehand.

[g3org3y]

Drove in Italy last year and found it an 'interesting' experience.

Motorways are completely reasonable, no FLMs. Iirc there is a minimum speed limit on each lane. The route from Nice to Aulla that we took on the elevated motorway was brilliant. Plenty of tunnels for full throttle blats, some stunning views. Recommended.

Off the motorway, it's a bit more variable. Red lights can be optional and there is a fair amount of dodgy overtaking.

From Aulla we did a day trip to Pisa (not recommended) and then drove up to the Italian Lakes (Lake Como). Again, epic roads with some lovely views. From there we drove to Annecy (France) via the Petit St Bernard. Super fun twisty roads and brilliant views (Annecy is a delight and worth visiting regardless imo).

[Fatman2]

I've just done this and can highly recommend it. I visited northern Italy (Garda) and stopped off at Strasbourg, which is a decent half way point. On the way we went through France, Belgium, Germany and back into France. Strasbourg is lovely and great for a bit of sightseeing.

For driving though the best part was going through Switzerland. The Vignette is a bit pricey (roughly 40 euros if paid at the border) but was the best 40 euros I spent as the drive was worth it alone. The backdrop/views are simply stunning.

We took an alternative route back, past Geneva via the Mont Blanc Tunnel and that was an experience too. 40 euros to get through the tunnel is a rip off but the glacier on the other side was breathtaking so well worth a stop/few snaps if you go that way.

We travelled up on the east side of France and stopped twice (Dijon and Lille) but have stopped off at Nancy before too, which is another stunning location if you fancy a wander about. It's all doable in two days with one stop but is a bit of a mission - hence the two stops on the way back.

Tolls in all were about 200 euros but you can easily halve that if you pick your routes (we went for speed as opposed to scenery).

Anyway, whatever you decide to do I hope you have a decent trip!