Holiday in Italy, fly and hire or TVR
Discussion
After some scrimping and saving Mrs P has found us the funds to go to Verona for a week in Sept, of course we would love to go in the Chimaera so we did some calculations and working on approx 22Mpg it turns out that flying and hiring a car when we get there is way cheaper, Is this the point where I have to decide if the car has to go!
Have you worked out the economics of taking the car to Nice by train? I think you have to go to Paris for this but you'd miss out having to drive the dull middle bit in France and could just focus on the coast round to Italy then the lakes to Verona.
http://www.raileurope.co.uk/default.aspx?tabid=156...
http://www.raileurope.co.uk/default.aspx?tabid=156...
We drove down to Garda a couple of weeks ago, in my Fiat Coupe. Took two days each way. Route (approx) was:
Outward day 1 - Sangatte > Dijon, stayed in a little chateau just south of Dijon
Outward day 2 - Dijon > Garda BUT via Turin & Milan (needed to get a shot of the car outside the old Lingotto factory!! see below!)
Return day 1 - Garda > Stelvio > Davos > Alsace, stayed in another little chateau
Return day 2 - Alsace > Sangatte
The Fiat has had a lot of work done on it and is something of a garage queen these days, so it was not without apprehension that we set off, but all was fine. The only part it wasn't happy about was climbing the Italian side of the Stelvio in about 32 degrees of heat - no actual problems but temps were slightly up and pressures slightly down as a result. Was fine once it all settled down again.
I've done a few lengthy road trips in the past. It was a lot of driving, (1800 miles in the end), quite enjoyed it but you have to be prepared, obviously less relaxing than flying down and lying by the pool with a cold one. But then you don't come back with pictures like this:
and my personal favourite!
Outward day 1 - Sangatte > Dijon, stayed in a little chateau just south of Dijon
Outward day 2 - Dijon > Garda BUT via Turin & Milan (needed to get a shot of the car outside the old Lingotto factory!! see below!)
Return day 1 - Garda > Stelvio > Davos > Alsace, stayed in another little chateau
Return day 2 - Alsace > Sangatte
The Fiat has had a lot of work done on it and is something of a garage queen these days, so it was not without apprehension that we set off, but all was fine. The only part it wasn't happy about was climbing the Italian side of the Stelvio in about 32 degrees of heat - no actual problems but temps were slightly up and pressures slightly down as a result. Was fine once it all settled down again.
I've done a few lengthy road trips in the past. It was a lot of driving, (1800 miles in the end), quite enjoyed it but you have to be prepared, obviously less relaxing than flying down and lying by the pool with a cold one. But then you don't come back with pictures like this:
and my personal favourite!
Edited by CAPP0 on Monday 22 July 12:46
Went to Italy in 2009 for the Grand Prix and had a day trip by train to Maranello for the Ferrari museum etc. Just as we were leaving, an English couple came up to us in the car park and asked how we got there - the guy had driven all the way down in his TVR and the battery had died so he was looking for a jump start! Had to get the train back so couldn't stick around, but all the Ferrari workers had obviously just come off shift so I assume he may have asked for help from one of them!
For me it would depend on the duration of the trip and what you want from the holiday.
If it was a longer duration I would say take the car, short duration, fly and hire, likewise if what you want is to see and take in the sights on the way there and back then take the car, if your desire is more about seeing the Italian lakes and mountains of the Garda region then fly and hire.
Very nice roads and views on the west side of Garda and the mountain roads to the north are incredible, my driving experience there has been in a Punto and a Smart Forfour, not exciting cars but still very enjoyable driving there.
If it was a longer duration I would say take the car, short duration, fly and hire, likewise if what you want is to see and take in the sights on the way there and back then take the car, if your desire is more about seeing the Italian lakes and mountains of the Garda region then fly and hire.
Very nice roads and views on the west side of Garda and the mountain roads to the north are incredible, my driving experience there has been in a Punto and a Smart Forfour, not exciting cars but still very enjoyable driving there.
Like most of yo, we have done this trip in the Tiv before and doing a complete circumnavigation of Lake Garda was a brilliant experience, just can't get over the fact that it would be so much more expensive to drive, mind you the cost of petrol has gone up a long way since we last did it not to mention my salary is all we have now as Mrs P can't work anymore. Despite all that we are keeping the Tiv!
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