Is 4 days enough for an Alpine Hoon?
Discussion
I have about 4 days free in the summer, more accurately 4 nights. Is it possible to get from Surrey to the Alpes, drive around on some passes and then come home?
I know I won’t have time to do much, but if I can get a full day of passes, that would be awesome. Have done research and from various holidays to France, Switzerland and Austria - sitting helpless in a taxi driving around on the most awesome roads I have seen while heading to a kid orientated hotel - Austria would be my pick but I know this is likely too far.
Advice appreciated and sorry for a slightly repetitive topic, most road trips on here are 10 days plus, not something I can do unfortunately
I know I won’t have time to do much, but if I can get a full day of passes, that would be awesome. Have done research and from various holidays to France, Switzerland and Austria - sitting helpless in a taxi driving around on the most awesome roads I have seen while heading to a kid orientated hotel - Austria would be my pick but I know this is likely too far.
Advice appreciated and sorry for a slightly repetitive topic, most road trips on here are 10 days plus, not something I can do unfortunately
Depends on your appetite for long autoroute stretches. Also helps if you can cross the channel the night before and drive for a few hours through France.
Looking at my route history from last year I set off from Calais at about 11:00 (CET) and made it to Innertkirchen by about 19:30 (CET). It was about two weeks after the solstice and there was enough light for a good blast on one side of the Susten. The plan was to set off from Calais at 09:00 (CET) and be there much earlier but unfortunately a very frustrating Eurotunnel delay set things back by two hours.
It's best to bear in mind that this only worked because the drive through France was absolutely fine. 150km/h whenever it was safe to do so (most of the time). It was a Thursday, on the autoroutes, and the weather was perfectly clear. Some traffic, weather, other disruption, etc... would easily throw you off course. Crossing the channel the night before and making it to, say, Reims, for the night, gives you bit more flexibility and if all goes well you could be on the Andermatt loop by mid-afternoon on your 'first' day.
The drive back always seems like more of a slog though. Less exciting I suppose. Setting off from somewhere in Switzerland (towards the French border) at 7am on your last day would put you back in Calais for around mid-late afternoon. You probably want a flexible booking (or take a little risk and book on the day when you are more sure of your timings).
That would give you two days in the mountains. You could have a destination for the end of your second day which is further south and then drive back towards France on your third day to set you up for driving back north on the last day.
Looking at my route history from last year I set off from Calais at about 11:00 (CET) and made it to Innertkirchen by about 19:30 (CET). It was about two weeks after the solstice and there was enough light for a good blast on one side of the Susten. The plan was to set off from Calais at 09:00 (CET) and be there much earlier but unfortunately a very frustrating Eurotunnel delay set things back by two hours.
It's best to bear in mind that this only worked because the drive through France was absolutely fine. 150km/h whenever it was safe to do so (most of the time). It was a Thursday, on the autoroutes, and the weather was perfectly clear. Some traffic, weather, other disruption, etc... would easily throw you off course. Crossing the channel the night before and making it to, say, Reims, for the night, gives you bit more flexibility and if all goes well you could be on the Andermatt loop by mid-afternoon on your 'first' day.
The drive back always seems like more of a slog though. Less exciting I suppose. Setting off from somewhere in Switzerland (towards the French border) at 7am on your last day would put you back in Calais for around mid-late afternoon. You probably want a flexible booking (or take a little risk and book on the day when you are more sure of your timings).
That would give you two days in the mountains. You could have a destination for the end of your second day which is further south and then drive back towards France on your third day to set you up for driving back north on the last day.
Waste of time. You'll spend 2 of the 4 days on tediously straight or crowded motorways going in a straight line, there and back.
Best bet is to fly to somewhere like Munich or Milan or Nice , rent a convertible (to see the views and hear the noise), from Sixt or whatever, and spend 4 full days hoofing it round the Italian and Austrian switchbacks and tunnels.
Avoid Switzerland -- the scenery is overrated and you could end up in jail for even slight speeding.
Another option is to get a third-party driver to trailer your R8 to the Alps, and fly in a day later and meet your car there. Costs about £1-4k to trailer it there and back.
Best bet is to fly to somewhere like Munich or Milan or Nice , rent a convertible (to see the views and hear the noise), from Sixt or whatever, and spend 4 full days hoofing it round the Italian and Austrian switchbacks and tunnels.
Avoid Switzerland -- the scenery is overrated and you could end up in jail for even slight speeding.
Another option is to get a third-party driver to trailer your R8 to the Alps, and fly in a day later and meet your car there. Costs about £1-4k to trailer it there and back.
Yes 4 days isn't really enough, but if I had any of those cars I'd want to be driving it, not renting something. Have been to Switzerland for the last 3 summers in our Cayman and have lived to tell the tale. Great roads, scenery, just be respectful where necessary, and keep your eyes peeled. Spent more time in Italy last year, and have never seen so many speed cameras, not that the locals seemed to care!
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