European Roadtrip + Stelvio pass (very photo heavy)
Discussion
I've received a few messages with questions about the hotels and driving time ect, so might as well post this up in here too :
We did 2 nights in most and that really helped. For example the drive from Stuttgart to Calais is about 7 hours, but to reims is only 3 and a bit hour, stopped there for 2 nights and it was just so much more relaxing.
I posted this in a few places and several people have asked about the route, hotels and travel time, so I thought I might as well add that.
We had 9 hotels in total and stayed for 2 nights in most, and 1 or 3 nights in a few others, that way we didn't spend too much time in the car and you can have a few drinks on arrival in the afternoon as you're not driving the next day.
Most hotels have a checkout of 11:00, but we were often up earlier, had breakfast and then left around 10:00 ish. That way even with the longer drives we'd get to the next hotel around check in time (15:00 in most places) so you'd still have half that day, plus the next day before you have to drive again.
Our first hotel was the "Holiday Inn Express - Folkestone Channel Tunnel", and even though we're only 1.5 hour away from the tunnel, I didn't fancy the Dartford crossing and M25 in the morning so this was a good option. It's cheap and cheerful, has a bar and a few shops nearby. And It means you can take the early train in the morning as the hotel is a 6 minute drive from the tunnel check in booths.
This is what we did on our driving days :
1) Calais to Luxembourg. 260 miles - 3:55 hours, then 2 nights in the "City Hotel".
2) Luxembourg to Baden Baden. 153 mile - 2:55 hour. 2 nights here in "Hotel Merkur".
3) Drive the B500 route to Brienz (Switzerland). 127 mile - 3:20 hour. 1 night in the stunning "Hotel Brienzersee".
4) This was our Alpine driving day. First Brienz Hotel to Grimsel pass. 40 miles – 50 min.
Grimsel + Furka pass to Hospental. 20 mile – 40 min.
Gotthard Pass Tremola (old) to Airolo. 15 miles – 35 min
Nufenen Pass – Airolo back to Gletch, via Ulrichen. 29 miles – 50 min.
Furka pass 2nd time (Gletch to Andermatt Lunch stop, Alp Hitta) 23 mile – 45 min.
Gotthard pass (new) to Airolo BP. 20 mile – 36 min.
Stop for drinks, and then Airolo to Bellagio (Lake como). 91 mile - 2:20 hour. Stayed in a AirBnB called "Angelina’s house with lake view" for 3 nights.
5) Bellagio to Sirmione (Lake Garda). 90 mile - 1:50 hour. 2 nights in Hotel Saviola.
6) Sirmione to Bormio. 86 mile - 1:45 hour. 2 nights in the stunning "QC Terme Grand Hotel Bagni Nuovi" hotel.
7) The Stelvio pass, Bormio to Trafoi. 20 mile - 0:55 min, and back up to Santa Maria via Umbrail pass. 19 mile - 0:54 min
Santia Maria to Stuttgart. 236 mile - 4:20 hour. Our longest drive. 2 nights in Hotel Royal.
8) Stuttgart to Reims. 300 mile - 4:00 hour. 2 nights in "Best Western Premier Hotel de la Paix".
9) Reims to Eurotunnel Calais. 172 mile - 2:10 hour
So by having a few hotels along the route and staying for 2 nights it really breaks up the journey and it doesn't feel like you're constantly travelling at all.
All the route were planning just using google maps and Satnav (Tom Tom) apart from the B500, as the Sat nav will try and send you along the main road which is boring, so you just pick a few towns along the B500 and add them to your itinerary. I added 'mummelsee', 'Bad Peterstal Griesbach', 'Schonwald in Schwarzwald', 'Schluchsee' and 'Hochenschwand' and that keeps you on the B500 for the entire route.
When planning the Alpine passes on google maps you might have to change the date sometimes, as when I was planning back in May it wouldn't let me create a route as some of them were still closed due to the snow, so you just change the date to 'travel at' and then it works.
There's a few I haven't done like the St. Bernards and Susten pass, so will look at adding those in next time.
Italy and France had a few toll roads, which were cheap and quite and made for a very relaxing drive. You just rock up at the booth, take a ticket, and at the end booth you pay eithe with cash or card. You can get a prepaid transponder thing but we didn't bother with that.
For Switzerland you need a vignette to use a lot of the roads, you can buy them online (around the € 40, mark) or at the border or any petrol station near a border. We bought ours from a Petrol station in Germany on the way there.
I spend quite a bit of time researching the hotels as well, as we wanted secure parking, breakfast, and to be near all the sights and attractions etc, and we were pleased with all of the hotels. I put the description (of booking.com or their own website) in a document, and this is what it says about all the hotels :
This situation means it is convenient for the free trams & busses to the city centre as
public transport is free in Luxembourg.
Daily hearty breakfast buffets are provided in Merkur’s Mediterranean-style restaurant, and the Sterntaler restaurant offers dishes from the Baden region and international dishes.
Situated right above Lake Brienz, the Hotel offers superb views from the rooms and from the lakeside terrace, the Brienzersee hotel is only a 5-minute drive away from the centre of Interlaken.
At the reception you will get the Visitors Card Interlaken entitling to free use of public transportation within Interlaken and its surroundings.
The Saviola's private beach is equipped with sunbeds and parasols. You can take drinks out in the garden. Hotel Saviola also has a private dock.
It offers over 30 wellness services across the 11,000-square metre wellness area, including outdoor baths, hot tubs, saunas and Turkish bath.
This luxury 5-star hotel is a prime example of Art-Nouveau architecture.
The wellness facilities are both indoors and outdoors, and can be reached directly from your room.
The rooms have a panoramic view of the valley or mountains. All offer free WiFi. Some suites are set in an annex, and include private parking.
The bright rooms at Hotel Royal are decorated in neutral colours, and come with a TV and a bottle of mineral water. A hairdryer and Aloe vera toiletries are provided in the en suite bathroom.
After relaxing on the sun terrace or working out in the fitness centre, guests can eat in the onsite restaurant. A continental breakfast is served daily at the property. As well as being eco-friendly, the hotel also has a bar with a private terrace.
Any more questions feel free to ask
We did 2 nights in most and that really helped. For example the drive from Stuttgart to Calais is about 7 hours, but to reims is only 3 and a bit hour, stopped there for 2 nights and it was just so much more relaxing.
I posted this in a few places and several people have asked about the route, hotels and travel time, so I thought I might as well add that.
We had 9 hotels in total and stayed for 2 nights in most, and 1 or 3 nights in a few others, that way we didn't spend too much time in the car and you can have a few drinks on arrival in the afternoon as you're not driving the next day.
Most hotels have a checkout of 11:00, but we were often up earlier, had breakfast and then left around 10:00 ish. That way even with the longer drives we'd get to the next hotel around check in time (15:00 in most places) so you'd still have half that day, plus the next day before you have to drive again.
Our first hotel was the "Holiday Inn Express - Folkestone Channel Tunnel", and even though we're only 1.5 hour away from the tunnel, I didn't fancy the Dartford crossing and M25 in the morning so this was a good option. It's cheap and cheerful, has a bar and a few shops nearby. And It means you can take the early train in the morning as the hotel is a 6 minute drive from the tunnel check in booths.
This is what we did on our driving days :
1) Calais to Luxembourg. 260 miles - 3:55 hours, then 2 nights in the "City Hotel".
2) Luxembourg to Baden Baden. 153 mile - 2:55 hour. 2 nights here in "Hotel Merkur".
3) Drive the B500 route to Brienz (Switzerland). 127 mile - 3:20 hour. 1 night in the stunning "Hotel Brienzersee".
4) This was our Alpine driving day. First Brienz Hotel to Grimsel pass. 40 miles – 50 min.
Grimsel + Furka pass to Hospental. 20 mile – 40 min.
Gotthard Pass Tremola (old) to Airolo. 15 miles – 35 min
Nufenen Pass – Airolo back to Gletch, via Ulrichen. 29 miles – 50 min.
Furka pass 2nd time (Gletch to Andermatt Lunch stop, Alp Hitta) 23 mile – 45 min.
Gotthard pass (new) to Airolo BP. 20 mile – 36 min.
Stop for drinks, and then Airolo to Bellagio (Lake como). 91 mile - 2:20 hour. Stayed in a AirBnB called "Angelina’s house with lake view" for 3 nights.
5) Bellagio to Sirmione (Lake Garda). 90 mile - 1:50 hour. 2 nights in Hotel Saviola.
6) Sirmione to Bormio. 86 mile - 1:45 hour. 2 nights in the stunning "QC Terme Grand Hotel Bagni Nuovi" hotel.
7) The Stelvio pass, Bormio to Trafoi. 20 mile - 0:55 min, and back up to Santa Maria via Umbrail pass. 19 mile - 0:54 min
Santia Maria to Stuttgart. 236 mile - 4:20 hour. Our longest drive. 2 nights in Hotel Royal.
8) Stuttgart to Reims. 300 mile - 4:00 hour. 2 nights in "Best Western Premier Hotel de la Paix".
9) Reims to Eurotunnel Calais. 172 mile - 2:10 hour
So by having a few hotels along the route and staying for 2 nights it really breaks up the journey and it doesn't feel like you're constantly travelling at all.
All the route were planning just using google maps and Satnav (Tom Tom) apart from the B500, as the Sat nav will try and send you along the main road which is boring, so you just pick a few towns along the B500 and add them to your itinerary. I added 'mummelsee', 'Bad Peterstal Griesbach', 'Schonwald in Schwarzwald', 'Schluchsee' and 'Hochenschwand' and that keeps you on the B500 for the entire route.
When planning the Alpine passes on google maps you might have to change the date sometimes, as when I was planning back in May it wouldn't let me create a route as some of them were still closed due to the snow, so you just change the date to 'travel at' and then it works.
There's a few I haven't done like the St. Bernards and Susten pass, so will look at adding those in next time.
Italy and France had a few toll roads, which were cheap and quite and made for a very relaxing drive. You just rock up at the booth, take a ticket, and at the end booth you pay eithe with cash or card. You can get a prepaid transponder thing but we didn't bother with that.
For Switzerland you need a vignette to use a lot of the roads, you can buy them online (around the € 40, mark) or at the border or any petrol station near a border. We bought ours from a Petrol station in Germany on the way there.
I spend quite a bit of time researching the hotels as well, as we wanted secure parking, breakfast, and to be near all the sights and attractions etc, and we were pleased with all of the hotels. I put the description (of booking.com or their own website) in a document, and this is what it says about all the hotels :
- Holiday Inn Express - Folkestone Channel Tunnel
- City Hotel – Luxembourg
This situation means it is convenient for the free trams & busses to the city centre as
public transport is free in Luxembourg.
- Hotel Merkur - Baden Baden (Germany)
Daily hearty breakfast buffets are provided in Merkur’s Mediterranean-style restaurant, and the Sterntaler restaurant offers dishes from the Baden region and international dishes.
- Hotel Brienzersee – Ringgenberg (Switzerland)
Situated right above Lake Brienz, the Hotel offers superb views from the rooms and from the lakeside terrace, the Brienzersee hotel is only a 5-minute drive away from the centre of Interlaken.
At the reception you will get the Visitors Card Interlaken entitling to free use of public transportation within Interlaken and its surroundings.
- Angelina’s house with lake view – Bellagio, lake Como (Italy)
- Hotel Saviola – Sirmione, lake Garda (Italy)
The Saviola's private beach is equipped with sunbeds and parasols. You can take drinks out in the garden. Hotel Saviola also has a private dock.
- QC Terme Grand Hotel Bagni Nuovi – Bormio (Italy)
It offers over 30 wellness services across the 11,000-square metre wellness area, including outdoor baths, hot tubs, saunas and Turkish bath.
This luxury 5-star hotel is a prime example of Art-Nouveau architecture.
The wellness facilities are both indoors and outdoors, and can be reached directly from your room.
The rooms have a panoramic view of the valley or mountains. All offer free WiFi. Some suites are set in an annex, and include private parking.
- Hotel Royal – Stuttgart (Germany)
The bright rooms at Hotel Royal are decorated in neutral colours, and come with a TV and a bottle of mineral water. A hairdryer and Aloe vera toiletries are provided in the en suite bathroom.
- Best Western Premier Hotel de la Paix – Reims (France)
After relaxing on the sun terrace or working out in the fitness centre, guests can eat in the onsite restaurant. A continental breakfast is served daily at the property. As well as being eco-friendly, the hotel also has a bar with a private terrace.
Any more questions feel free to ask
Sounds like a great trip - some good tips for the future.
We visited Lake Como on a road-trip in 2018 and stayed in Como itself. Such a beautiful area and with the ferries to explore towns around the lake and easy train journey into Milan and also Monza for the Grand Prix, the car didn’t move whilst we were there.
To the OP - did you consider the overnight ferry from Harwich to Hook of Holland? We’ve done that about half dozen times despite being a bit closer to Folkestone than to Harwich.
We visited Lake Como on a road-trip in 2018 and stayed in Como itself. Such a beautiful area and with the ferries to explore towns around the lake and easy train journey into Milan and also Monza for the Grand Prix, the car didn’t move whilst we were there.
To the OP - did you consider the overnight ferry from Harwich to Hook of Holland? We’ve done that about half dozen times despite being a bit closer to Folkestone than to Harwich.
pjv997 said:
To the OP - did you consider the overnight ferry from Harwich to Hook of Holland? We’ve done that about half dozen times despite being a bit closer to Folkestone than to Harwich.
I did, but it didn't work for us as my wife was still working until Friday afternoon on the day we headed to Folkstone, so it would have been a rush going for the nightboat to Hoek. Also the route through Holland would take me through/past my hometown and it would feel 'weird' not stopping to see friends & family I haven't seen for a year so we decided to go via Calais, and we're taking the boat to Hoek van Holland next month to go see them instead
Wow, looks like and amazing trip with some absolutely stunning scenery and great pictures. I was planning on doing a bit of a road trip myself from Amsterdam to Menaggio next week. The plan was to hire a Z4 M40i through Sixt, however they couldn't guarantee the model and also require a deposit of €3k which I'd be worrying about getting back after reading some of the reviews on Google of customers being charged for anything that Sixt can try and think up. I'm am jealous though now that I want be doing this. Flying to Naples instead now, few nights there and then Florence or Bologna and then to Milan/Como, all on the train and doing two weeks instead of one now also, which would have also double the car hire price. Talking of which, the price of car hire has shot up, I hired a 3 series a couple of years ago for just over a week and for the same period now, it is more than double the cost.
NSNO said:
Wow, looks like and amazing trip with some absolutely stunning scenery and great pictures. I was planning on doing a bit of a road trip myself from Amsterdam to Menaggio next week. The plan was to hire a Z4 M40i through Sixt, however they couldn't guarantee the model and also require a deposit of €3k which I'd be worrying about getting back after reading some of the reviews on Google of customers being charged for anything that Sixt can try and think up. I'm am jealous though now that I want be doing this. Flying to Naples instead now, few nights there and then Florence or Bologna and then to Milan/Como, all on the train and doing two weeks instead of one now also, which would have also double the car hire price. Talking of which, the price of car hire has shot up, I hired a 3 series a couple of years ago for just over a week and for the same period now, it is more than double the cost.
Almost better value to just buy a little well looked after Z3 number over here and just that instead of paying a fortune on rental cars that you then can't abuse/thrash around the roads...thebullettrain said:
Amazing. I’m doing Turin to London soon. Any suggestions for the route back?
I'm afraid I haven't. But when I done my trip I just used the search options on the forum with the names of the places I wanted to go to and found quite a few topics from people having either done it or asking questions about it, which really helped.
What an awesome trip. The missus and I have just been in talks about a eurotrip next year, your excellent write up/ information will be a great help, so thank you.
I've done one in the past with a group of friends but mostly passenger, we got in all the passes listed and i'd love to go back and do them myself. We are north england so may get the ferry over from Newcastle or Hull and drop into spa/ the nurburgring for a nights stay before picking up the black forest route down.
Being avid MTB'ers it sounds like we will pick up a couple of bike parks too and will have roughly half the time available that you did so we may have to condense sections and half the stays in most instances but definitely helps having something to go off!
I've done one in the past with a group of friends but mostly passenger, we got in all the passes listed and i'd love to go back and do them myself. We are north england so may get the ferry over from Newcastle or Hull and drop into spa/ the nurburgring for a nights stay before picking up the black forest route down.
Being avid MTB'ers it sounds like we will pick up a couple of bike parks too and will have roughly half the time available that you did so we may have to condense sections and half the stays in most instances but definitely helps having something to go off!
Medic-one said:
I've received a few messages with questions about the hotels and driving time ect, so might as well post this up in here too :
We did 2 nights in most and that really helped. For example the drive from Stuttgart to Calais is about 7 hours, but to reims is only 3 and a bit hour, stopped there for 2 nights and it was just so much more relaxing.
I posted this in a few places and several people have asked about the route, hotels and travel time, so I thought I might as well add that.
We had 9 hotels in total and stayed for 2 nights in most, and 1 or 3 nights in a few others, that way we didn't spend too much time in the car and you can have a few drinks on arrival in the afternoon as you're not driving the next day.
Most hotels have a checkout of 11:00, but we were often up earlier, had breakfast and then left around 10:00 ish. That way even with the longer drives we'd get to the next hotel around check in time (15:00 in most places) so you'd still have half that day, plus the next day before you have to drive again.
Our first hotel was the "Holiday Inn Express - Folkestone Channel Tunnel", and even though we're only 1.5 hour away from the tunnel, I didn't fancy the Dartford crossing and M25 in the morning so this was a good option. It's cheap and cheerful, has a bar and a few shops nearby. And It means you can take the early train in the morning as the hotel is a 6 minute drive from the tunnel check in booths.
This is what we did on our driving days :
1) Calais to Luxembourg. 260 miles - 3:55 hours, then 2 nights in the "City Hotel".
2) Luxembourg to Baden Baden. 153 mile - 2:55 hour. 2 nights here in "Hotel Merkur".
3) Drive the B500 route to Brienz (Switzerland). 127 mile - 3:20 hour. 1 night in the stunning "Hotel Brienzersee".
4) This was our Alpine driving day. First Brienz Hotel to Grimsel pass. 40 miles – 50 min.
Grimsel + Furka pass to Hospental. 20 mile – 40 min.
Gotthard Pass Tremola (old) to Airolo. 15 miles – 35 min
Nufenen Pass – Airolo back to Gletch, via Ulrichen. 29 miles – 50 min.
Furka pass 2nd time (Gletch to Andermatt Lunch stop, Alp Hitta) 23 mile – 45 min.
Gotthard pass (new) to Airolo BP. 20 mile – 36 min.
Stop for drinks, and then Airolo to Bellagio (Lake como). 91 mile - 2:20 hour. Stayed in a AirBnB called "Angelina’s house with lake view" for 3 nights.
5) Bellagio to Sirmione (Lake Garda). 90 mile - 1:50 hour. 2 nights in Hotel Saviola.
6) Sirmione to Bormio. 86 mile - 1:45 hour. 2 nights in the stunning "QC Terme Grand Hotel Bagni Nuovi" hotel.
7) The Stelvio pass, Bormio to Trafoi. 20 mile - 0:55 min, and back up to Santa Maria via Umbrail pass. 19 mile - 0:54 min
Santia Maria to Stuttgart. 236 mile - 4:20 hour. Our longest drive. 2 nights in Hotel Royal.
8) Stuttgart to Reims. 300 mile - 4:00 hour. 2 nights in "Best Western Premier Hotel de la Paix".
9) Reims to Eurotunnel Calais. 172 mile - 2:10 hour
So by having a few hotels along the route and staying for 2 nights it really breaks up the journey and it doesn't feel like you're constantly travelling at all.
All the route were planning just using google maps and Satnav (Tom Tom) apart from the B500, as the Sat nav will try and send you along the main road which is boring, so you just pick a few towns along the B500 and add them to your itinerary. I added 'mummelsee', 'Bad Peterstal Griesbach', 'Schonwald in Schwarzwald', 'Schluchsee' and 'Hochenschwand' and that keeps you on the B500 for the entire route.
When planning the Alpine passes on google maps you might have to change the date sometimes, as when I was planning back in May it wouldn't let me create a route as some of them were still closed due to the snow, so you just change the date to 'travel at' and then it works.
There's a few I haven't done like the St. Bernards and Susten pass, so will look at adding those in next time.
Italy and France had a few toll roads, which were cheap and quite and made for a very relaxing drive. You just rock up at the booth, take a ticket, and at the end booth you pay eithe with cash or card. You can get a prepaid transponder thing but we didn't bother with that.
For Switzerland you need a vignette to use a lot of the roads, you can buy them online (around the € 40, mark) or at the border or any petrol station near a border. We bought ours from a Petrol station in Germany on the way there.
I spend quite a bit of time researching the hotels as well, as we wanted secure parking, breakfast, and to be near all the sights and attractions etc, and we were pleased with all of the hotels. I put the description (of booking.com or their own website) in a document, and this is what it says about all the hotels :
This situation means it is convenient for the free trams & busses to the city centre as
public transport is free in Luxembourg.
Daily hearty breakfast buffets are provided in Merkur’s Mediterranean-style restaurant, and the Sterntaler restaurant offers dishes from the Baden region and international dishes.
Situated right above Lake Brienz, the Hotel offers superb views from the rooms and from the lakeside terrace, the Brienzersee hotel is only a 5-minute drive away from the centre of Interlaken.
At the reception you will get the Visitors Card Interlaken entitling to free use of public transportation within Interlaken and its surroundings.
The Saviola's private beach is equipped with sunbeds and parasols. You can take drinks out in the garden. Hotel Saviola also has a private dock.
It offers over 30 wellness services across the 11,000-square metre wellness area, including outdoor baths, hot tubs, saunas and Turkish bath.
This luxury 5-star hotel is a prime example of Art-Nouveau architecture.
The wellness facilities are both indoors and outdoors, and can be reached directly from your room.
The rooms have a panoramic view of the valley or mountains. All offer free WiFi. Some suites are set in an annex, and include private parking.
The bright rooms at Hotel Royal are decorated in neutral colours, and come with a TV and a bottle of mineral water. A hairdryer and Aloe vera toiletries are provided in the en suite bathroom.
After relaxing on the sun terrace or working out in the fitness centre, guests can eat in the onsite restaurant. A continental breakfast is served daily at the property. As well as being eco-friendly, the hotel also has a bar with a private terrace.
Any more questions feel free to ask
hi medic-one this is a great write up thanks for taking the time!We did 2 nights in most and that really helped. For example the drive from Stuttgart to Calais is about 7 hours, but to reims is only 3 and a bit hour, stopped there for 2 nights and it was just so much more relaxing.
I posted this in a few places and several people have asked about the route, hotels and travel time, so I thought I might as well add that.
We had 9 hotels in total and stayed for 2 nights in most, and 1 or 3 nights in a few others, that way we didn't spend too much time in the car and you can have a few drinks on arrival in the afternoon as you're not driving the next day.
Most hotels have a checkout of 11:00, but we were often up earlier, had breakfast and then left around 10:00 ish. That way even with the longer drives we'd get to the next hotel around check in time (15:00 in most places) so you'd still have half that day, plus the next day before you have to drive again.
Our first hotel was the "Holiday Inn Express - Folkestone Channel Tunnel", and even though we're only 1.5 hour away from the tunnel, I didn't fancy the Dartford crossing and M25 in the morning so this was a good option. It's cheap and cheerful, has a bar and a few shops nearby. And It means you can take the early train in the morning as the hotel is a 6 minute drive from the tunnel check in booths.
This is what we did on our driving days :
1) Calais to Luxembourg. 260 miles - 3:55 hours, then 2 nights in the "City Hotel".
2) Luxembourg to Baden Baden. 153 mile - 2:55 hour. 2 nights here in "Hotel Merkur".
3) Drive the B500 route to Brienz (Switzerland). 127 mile - 3:20 hour. 1 night in the stunning "Hotel Brienzersee".
4) This was our Alpine driving day. First Brienz Hotel to Grimsel pass. 40 miles – 50 min.
Grimsel + Furka pass to Hospental. 20 mile – 40 min.
Gotthard Pass Tremola (old) to Airolo. 15 miles – 35 min
Nufenen Pass – Airolo back to Gletch, via Ulrichen. 29 miles – 50 min.
Furka pass 2nd time (Gletch to Andermatt Lunch stop, Alp Hitta) 23 mile – 45 min.
Gotthard pass (new) to Airolo BP. 20 mile – 36 min.
Stop for drinks, and then Airolo to Bellagio (Lake como). 91 mile - 2:20 hour. Stayed in a AirBnB called "Angelina’s house with lake view" for 3 nights.
5) Bellagio to Sirmione (Lake Garda). 90 mile - 1:50 hour. 2 nights in Hotel Saviola.
6) Sirmione to Bormio. 86 mile - 1:45 hour. 2 nights in the stunning "QC Terme Grand Hotel Bagni Nuovi" hotel.
7) The Stelvio pass, Bormio to Trafoi. 20 mile - 0:55 min, and back up to Santa Maria via Umbrail pass. 19 mile - 0:54 min
Santia Maria to Stuttgart. 236 mile - 4:20 hour. Our longest drive. 2 nights in Hotel Royal.
8) Stuttgart to Reims. 300 mile - 4:00 hour. 2 nights in "Best Western Premier Hotel de la Paix".
9) Reims to Eurotunnel Calais. 172 mile - 2:10 hour
So by having a few hotels along the route and staying for 2 nights it really breaks up the journey and it doesn't feel like you're constantly travelling at all.
All the route were planning just using google maps and Satnav (Tom Tom) apart from the B500, as the Sat nav will try and send you along the main road which is boring, so you just pick a few towns along the B500 and add them to your itinerary. I added 'mummelsee', 'Bad Peterstal Griesbach', 'Schonwald in Schwarzwald', 'Schluchsee' and 'Hochenschwand' and that keeps you on the B500 for the entire route.
When planning the Alpine passes on google maps you might have to change the date sometimes, as when I was planning back in May it wouldn't let me create a route as some of them were still closed due to the snow, so you just change the date to 'travel at' and then it works.
There's a few I haven't done like the St. Bernards and Susten pass, so will look at adding those in next time.
Italy and France had a few toll roads, which were cheap and quite and made for a very relaxing drive. You just rock up at the booth, take a ticket, and at the end booth you pay eithe with cash or card. You can get a prepaid transponder thing but we didn't bother with that.
For Switzerland you need a vignette to use a lot of the roads, you can buy them online (around the € 40, mark) or at the border or any petrol station near a border. We bought ours from a Petrol station in Germany on the way there.
I spend quite a bit of time researching the hotels as well, as we wanted secure parking, breakfast, and to be near all the sights and attractions etc, and we were pleased with all of the hotels. I put the description (of booking.com or their own website) in a document, and this is what it says about all the hotels :
- Holiday Inn Express - Folkestone Channel Tunnel
- City Hotel – Luxembourg
This situation means it is convenient for the free trams & busses to the city centre as
public transport is free in Luxembourg.
- Hotel Merkur - Baden Baden (Germany)
Daily hearty breakfast buffets are provided in Merkur’s Mediterranean-style restaurant, and the Sterntaler restaurant offers dishes from the Baden region and international dishes.
- Hotel Brienzersee – Ringgenberg (Switzerland)
Situated right above Lake Brienz, the Hotel offers superb views from the rooms and from the lakeside terrace, the Brienzersee hotel is only a 5-minute drive away from the centre of Interlaken.
At the reception you will get the Visitors Card Interlaken entitling to free use of public transportation within Interlaken and its surroundings.
- Angelina’s house with lake view – Bellagio, lake Como (Italy)
- Hotel Saviola – Sirmione, lake Garda (Italy)
The Saviola's private beach is equipped with sunbeds and parasols. You can take drinks out in the garden. Hotel Saviola also has a private dock.
- QC Terme Grand Hotel Bagni Nuovi – Bormio (Italy)
It offers over 30 wellness services across the 11,000-square metre wellness area, including outdoor baths, hot tubs, saunas and Turkish bath.
This luxury 5-star hotel is a prime example of Art-Nouveau architecture.
The wellness facilities are both indoors and outdoors, and can be reached directly from your room.
The rooms have a panoramic view of the valley or mountains. All offer free WiFi. Some suites are set in an annex, and include private parking.
- Hotel Royal – Stuttgart (Germany)
The bright rooms at Hotel Royal are decorated in neutral colours, and come with a TV and a bottle of mineral water. A hairdryer and Aloe vera toiletries are provided in the en suite bathroom.
- Best Western Premier Hotel de la Paix – Reims (France)
After relaxing on the sun terrace or working out in the fitness centre, guests can eat in the onsite restaurant. A continental breakfast is served daily at the property. As well as being eco-friendly, the hotel also has a bar with a private terrace.
Any more questions feel free to ask
planning a trip this summer, although much shorter than yours..
day 1 calais to dijon
day 2 dijon to lake brienz
day 3 and 4 exploring alps/passes - mainly the andermatt loop -susten/grimsel/furka. +-nufenan.
day 5 and 6 head back to uk.
couple of questions using your experience if you didn't mind.
1. taking a f430 so was a bit worried about getting stuck on any narrow roads/passes as i know it would stress me out no end. are there any passes you would avoid?
2. the hotel you stayed in near lake brienz -hotel brienzersee. the parking there - did it look fairly secure?
3. is crime an issue? do i need to get some locking wheel nuts (ferraris rarely have them) - i don't want to wake up to find the car on bricks! am i worrying too much?
4. could i get further than dijon on day 1 from calais? dont want to tire myself out but similarly want to get to the alps as fast as i can.
5. will i get bored on the passes for 2 days?
many thanks
alan
The Furka is the narrowest (in places) on the loop and could be avoided as you're planning the Nufenen (great road).i think a day is enough personally on the loop. You could try the Klausen pass from Brienz area instead, and also the old (Tremola) and new St Gotthard passes (avoid the tunnel).
If hotels have secure parking you should be fine for security.
When are you intending going?
If hotels have secure parking you should be fine for security.
When are you intending going?
mr pg said:
The Furka is the narrowest (in places) on the loop and could be avoided as you're planning the Nufenen (great road).i think a day is enough personally on the loop. You could try the Klausen pass from Brienz area instead, and also the old (Tremola) and new St Gotthard passes (avoid the tunnel).
If hotels have secure parking you should be fine for security.
When are you intending going?
thanks mr pg for your advice, think i might leave off the furka in that case. going end of august hopefully. if 1 day is enough for passes we will have a day on foot exploring and chilling before driving back. another thought i had:If hotels have secure parking you should be fine for security.
When are you intending going?
day 1 calais to baden baden
day 2 b500 down to andermatt or lake brienz
day 3 & 4 exploring alps and grimsel/susten/nufenan passes
day 4 & 5 back to uk
that way i get black forest in too?
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