Experienced Eurotrippers lend me your knowledge

[hackett]

Hi chaps. I know this is asked all the time and sometimes i feel like saying "do your bloody research" however i now need to ask the question.

In July next year me and 4 mates are doing the usual Euro "Ring" My question is this....

We plan to stop off in monaco for a few days and i was wondering how many days i should leave to get home. (that will then decide how long we stay in Monaco) The route home is over Stelvio, Austria, Nurburgring, then home for tea and medals.

My plan is a night at one of the italian lakes near Stelvio (can't remember name and im at work so restricted internet access) Then on up to the ring and spend a night there before heading for Le Havre. Is it reasonable to allow only 2 nights 3 days (last day being travel home day) to get back or is it more reasonable to allow a day in Austria. I'm going on Mileage and what i can find on here and Google, Any experience would be great.

Thanks again

[palexile]

hackett said:

The route home is over Stelvio, Austria, Nurburgring, then home for tea and medals.

My plan is a night at one of the italian lakes near Stelvio (can't remember name and im at work so restricted internet access) Then on up to the ring and spend a night there before heading for Le Havre. Is it reasonable to allow only 2 nights 3 days (last day being travel home day) to get back or is it more reasonable to allow a day in Austria.

Course it's not reasonable. Good to allow 2 full days at the Nurburgring, as it is loads of fun and inevitably you spend a lot of time frigging around with the break-pads/tyres/buying petrol, waiting for oil pressure, drinking beer, negotiating with tow truck drivers in broken German, finding a pub or restaurant in Eifel that has not closed etc. Plus you don't want to be too knackered when you get to the Nurburgring. So really you want to get there the night before, get the tent up at the nearby campsite, etc. etc. etc. Spare break pads and good tyres are a must. Automatic gearbox useless.

There is no way you can do all that without allowing for two full days *in* Nurburg. Otherwise it won't be fun. If you can't allow for 2 days there you might as well cut out other bits of the trip.

The trip from Monaco over the Swiss and Italian Alps has some of the best driving in the world. You can't go far wrong by just getting a high-detail road map and going over every pass in a big wiggly loop. Nevertheless it is slow driving and *will not be fun* if you are in a hurry and have to stick to the motorways. So allow several days for this. Again, this is all very hard tyres and breaks.

Assuming nothing goes wrong you should allow a full day's driving from the Austrian Alps to Nurburg in Eifel. When you get out of the Pension (B&B) in the morning, hung over, it is going to be lunch time before you have really got on the road. Maybe you will get there as it is getting dark.

I assume you are taking at least 2 cars, or 4. If you write off one of the cars at least can pile in another other one and get home heroically. 4 guys in one car together for that long are going to end up killing each other. My experience is that you have to be very picky about who you bring, or blood really will be spilt. Anyone who can get annoying after a night at the pub should be dropped.

Really, I would just allow lots of slack time and assume that what you do last is the thing you don't mind skipping.

[F308 MAN]

hello ben,

the most important factor, is how long you all have a "pink pass" for.

if you can post how many days you are away for, that would help.

d

[hackett]

Hi guys the plan is 10 days port to port but this isn't set in stone. There are 4 cars going 4 lads plus wives and g/fs. One guy rang me last night to say his other half is getting cold feet and as far as i'm concerned anyone who isn't 100% shouldn't come.

As for getting on i'm hoping that being in seperate cars should ensure we get on ok. After what palexile has posted i'm beginning to wonder if maybe we should leave out the "ring" and stay more down in the south but i do want to see stelvio and being that close to germany it would be a shame not to see it.

Thanks for advice guys much appreciated i may go round my friends house and discuss alternative routes and maybe leave nurburg for 2009 lol.

ps F308 man, how'd you know my name? lol

[F308 MAN]

hackett said:

ps F308 man, how'd you know my name? lol

it was a random guess, that's all ... don't s'pose i was right ? ... was i ?

d

ps .... what does palexile mean ?
pps .... don't take the wives/girlfriends .... you'll be sorry

[nobrakes]

Keep a goodly amount of Euro cash in the glove compartment to cope with instant on the spot speeding fines.

[hackett]

palexile is the dude who posted above, any way yeah my name is Ben but thats way to coincidental for you to have guessed it.......im worried now lol

Dont really have a choice on the wives g/f's thing she wants a holiday and i want to do this and i cant afford both so she's coming with me.

Already planned the extra euros for fines etc. The plan is to alternate who is at the back of the convoy so a different person picks up the fine each time.

[F308 MAN]

O/night ferry, plymouth > santander and a night in san sebastian or biarritz.
Two days thro pyrenees and into barcelona.
Up to millau bridge, gorges du tarn, then sleepies at a chateau c/w vineyard.
Back down to coast.
Inland to castellane & route de napoleon (say hello to pauline for me !)
Stay at the metropole in monaco.
Over to portofino on italian riviera via coastal tunnels/viaducts ... stay at hotel splendido.
North to stelvio, austria and across to le havre (stay at le cheval blanc in honfleur across the estuary (and normandy bridge).

Why le havre ?
Head north to reims and the old gp circuit, then calais/boulogne/tunnel ?
..... or alternatively, put the cars on the train at nice and enjoy a hangover in calais 11 hours later.

if you fancy the above and would like a route map, hotel details, restaurants etc, £5 to cancer research, and it's yours.

d

[hackett]

Thanks for all that matey, the reason le havre is the choice is my parents live in the Dordogne so would be nice to say hello and stay the night. Also Santander ferry is really expensive.

I did look into Reims (sp?) but from what i read its just thos pit lanes and however much i would like to see it, it would be a fair way off the route to see it and i dont think the other group members would be convinced.

I am seriously considering binning the nurburg stretch and spending more time in italy? southern france etc.

[F308 MAN]

hackett said:

... I am seriously considering binning the nurburg stretch and spending more time in italy? southern france etc.

wise move ... especially with taking "those indoors"

nurburgring is worth a specific 2/3/4 day trip, boys only.

don't overdo the daily mileage ... if you use www.viamichelin.co.uk for your planning/routes, the estimated journey times listed are not a million miles away from accurate.
you won't be leaving the hotel much before 10am and you really need to be relaxing with a beer by about 4 or 5 pm .... the girls will want to stop for lunch/shops/apply make-up etc so you really need to be organising based on timings rather than mileage ... ie on a twisty mountain road, an "as the crow flies" journey will take you five times longer than autoroutes/motorways.

we generally have two hard driving days, to one easy day, and probably two days off altogether within the ten.

hope this helps.

d

[minimoog]

hackett said:

any way yeah my name is Ben but thats way to coincidental for you to have guessed it.......im worried now lol

[hackett]

Cool mate thanks for that, i've used the french equivelant of that site never realised there was an english speaking one as well.

I think what you've said about the millau bridge route and all round that part will be included. I'm oing to spend some time on Google earth tonight and look for a route.

May post a pic up of it when i'm done.

[VTECMatt]

You can do Calais to Monaco in 11 hours via Route Napolean we did this in June. I think you are best off for getting about the Milau Bridge it is a fair distance away and the driving will get tiring to see what is just a bridge and the drive down will be torture.

1 Day travel to M/C
2 Days Monaco/South Coast
1 Day Lake Como
2 Days in the Alps
1 Day travel to Nurburg
2 Days at The Ring
1 Day to travel Home

Remember to do stuff for the girls being a passenger and going over loads of passes does get boring.

Have fun I am planning my 2nd trip next July first week.

Edited by VTECMatt on Saturday 20th October 20:02