European road trips 2019

European road trips 2019

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Zed 44

Original Poster:

1,242 posts

155 months

Monday 3rd December 2018
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I'm looking for ideas for somewhere different and interesting in Europe. I've done most places but am still open to suggestions. Places I would prefer to avoid are Switzerland, Scsndanavia and France. I have been to the Pyrenees 5 times now which are great but would prefer something a little different. Perhaps elsewhere in Spain.

vonhosen

40,198 posts

216 months

Monday 3rd December 2018
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Picos & Northern Portugal, or Ronda/Cordoba area of Southern Spain.

davebem

746 posts

176 months

Monday 3rd December 2018
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Nordics, then get car ferry to Iceland.

martisracing

211 posts

188 months

Wednesday 5th December 2018
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A few suggestions that I have done are that are out of the norm.

Sicily catching the 24 hour night ferry from Genoa. I have did that one in my 458 Spider Easter 2017. I am doing that one again next Easter taking my 992 Carrera S this time. I am adding an extra twist this time by adding a trip over to Malta as well for 3 days as there is a high speed ferry from Sicily to Malta that takes just over a hour

A regular summer trip for us is Corsica, You catch the ferry from Nice or Savona. From Corsica you can catch another ferry (around 45 minutes to Sardinia)
I have done the Corsica trip many times over the years in a real range of cars from a Lotus Elise (the best fun once on the island by miles), a LP560, a Ferrari 430 Spider, and my 458 Spider. I even took the Speciale I have once.

Ferries are a good way of getting around the Med and cutting out the long drives. They are also fairly cheap. For example the Sicily ferry including a Presidential Suite (a mega cabin with Bedroom, seating area, balcony with sun loungers and bathroom complete with Jacuzzi bath) is just over £500 return.

Although Corsica is actually French the Corsicans see them selves separate from France, The culture is more Italian than French I find.

One mega trip I did back in 80's was down to Greece in a Lotus Esprit S3, and yes it was 100% reliable for the whole trip.

Zed 44

Original Poster:

1,242 posts

155 months

Wednesday 5th December 2018
quotequote all
martisracing said:
A few suggestions that I have done are that are out of the norm.

Sicily catching the 24 hour night ferry from Genoa. I have did that one in my 458 Spider Easter 2017. I am doing that one again next Easter taking my 992 Carrera S this time. I am adding an extra twist this time by adding a trip over to Malta as well for 3 days as there is a high speed ferry from Sicily to Malta that takes just over a hour

A regular summer trip for us is Corsica, You catch the ferry from Nice or Savona. From Corsica you can catch another ferry (around 45 minutes to Sardinia)
I have done the Corsica trip many times over the years in a real range of cars from a Lotus Elise (the best fun once on the island by miles), a LP560, a Ferrari 430 Spider, and my 458 Spider. I even took the Speciale I have once.

Ferries are a good way of getting around the Med and cutting out the long drives. They are also fairly cheap. For example the Sicily ferry including a Presidential Suite (a mega cabin with Bedroom, seating area, balcony with sun loungers and bathroom complete with Jacuzzi bath) is just over £500 return.

Although Corsica is actually French the Corsicans see them selves separate from France, The culture is more Italian than French I find.

One mega trip I did back in 80's was down to Greece in a Lotus Esprit S3, and yes it was 100% reliable for the whole trip.
Hey, great suggestions there. Could have to find someone else to go with as the wife does not do ferries. Also, would you happen to know if Macron's new ridiculous speed limit of 47mph applies in Corsica? Perhaps you can't go faster than 47 on most of the roads anyway.

CarbonXKR

1,275 posts

221 months

Wednesday 5th December 2018
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Corsica sounds interesting..... what about the Balearics?

Zed 44

Original Poster:

1,242 posts

155 months

Wednesday 5th December 2018
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Of course I small problem in getting to, what appears to be, tantalizing islands is - France. I did look at motorail as a option to driving in France. But you have to go to Paris first. Then someone else loads your car; you take a separate train and someone else unloads it in Nice. Not good.

martisracing

211 posts

188 months

Thursday 6th December 2018
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As with all low speed limits cannot be Policed everywhere in France. On RN's they are an issue on very quiet rural roads not such an issue. Some rural roads in France you are the only car and can see for miles. Just be careful going through the villages. Remember speeding is a business to the enforcers. They want max foot fall to generate max income so very quiet roads or where 99% of people cannot physically break the limit is not of interest.
As already commented very difficult to break speed limits on the smaller roads in Corsica due to being narrow and very twisty.
In Sardinia and Sicily I have been stopped for spot checks but is really to look at the car. I have also had Police giving me the thumbs up and gestured to floor it when in a Ferrari or Lambo biggrin


blueg33

35,578 posts

223 months

Thursday 6th December 2018
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Picos Europas in Spain are great.

Last year our road trip was Santander, through the Picos, looping back to the coast, along the coast, cutting down into the northwest corner of Portugal, through a National Park in Portugal back into Spain, blasting across the plains, back to the Picos, into the mountainous adjoining National Park, onto Bilbao (for the Guggemnheim) and back to Santander.

For 2019 we are going:

St Malo to Angouleme for the circuit des Remparts event
cutting south east through the Dordogne towards Carcasone
zigzagging across the Pyreenees and back to Santander