Zurich to Calais - Driving time

[mike360]

Google maps says its about 540 Miles , can it be done in around 6 hours departing midnight or is that un realistic

[OdramaSwimLaden]

I used to do Calais to Geneva quite regularly in under 6 hours in the 730d (one tank of death juice and one long-ish stop for munchies, stretch leg and Red Bull). I travelled at night and sat at 95 on cruise control with the occasional squirt (I didn't waste all that money at DMS for nothing!).

So yes; perfectly possible to get to Zurich in 6 hours from calais (at night time!)

ETA....where I went to in Geneva was 513 miles from Calais.

[DJRC]

Where abouts in Zurich are you going? I ask because with the current state of the roads and traffic in Zurich that could add 2 hrs to your journey time by itself. Zurich is currently being dug up.

[RedWhiteMonkey]

mike360 said:

Google maps says its about 540 Miles , can it be done in around 6 hours departing midnight or is that un realistic

Given that's an average speed of 90mph I think you'll find that tricky.

[mike360]

Traveling from Wohlen , 30 mins outside of Zurich I'm told .

There is a Festival on there which finishes around 11:30pm to midnight , I then have a Flight to catch at heathrow 11:15 so need to check I'n around 9am at Heathrow , really just looking for quickest way back to London from Zurich , I can't seem to find any planes running after 9pm around Switzerland , France.

[checkmate91]

You'd have to fking monster it through Germany to make it in the time of which you're thinking.

[DJRC]

mike360 said:

Traveling from Wohlen , 30 mins outside of Zurich I'm told .

There is a Festival on there which finishes around 11:30pm to midnight , I then have a Flight to catch at heathrow 11:15 so need to check I'n around 9am at Heathrow , really just looking for quickest way back to London from Zurich , I can't seem to find any planes running after 9pm around Switzerland , France.

First places out of Zurich Flughafen leave at 7.10am. The Brum flight gets in at 8am UK time, the Heathrow flight should be earlier.

[mike360]

DJRC said:

First places out of Zurich Flughafen leave at 7.10am. The Brum flight gets in at 8am UK time, the Heathrow flight should be earlier.

Yes , there is a BA flight leaving Zurich at 7am and getting in at 7:50 am to LHR . problem is if there are any kind of delays I am screwed . need something ideally getting in at 7.

[XJSJohn]

perfectly feasible i would say, you are north of Zurich and right on the border, so just pick up the E35 and drop in cruise control.

I used to regularly do (south) Munich to Calais at night in 5 hours!

[mike360]

XJSJohn said:

perfectly feasible i would say, you are north of Zurich and right on the border, so just pick up the E35 and drop in cruise control.

I used to regularly do (south) Munich to Calais at night in 5 hours!

Yes I thought it may be do-able however having just seen the flight from zurich that comes into LHR at 07:50 assuming a 1hr 50 minute flight which I guess can be a 1 hr 30 minute flight depending on wind direction ? it will probably be easier to get a flight.

[RedWhiteMonkey]

XJSJohn said:

I used to regularly do (south) Munich to Calais at night in 5 hours!

I know this is Pistonheads and frequented by driving gods but I'm calling bullsh*t on that one. Munich to Calais is around 600 miles, you'd have to average 120mph! The number of unlimited autobahns is quite limited these days and the French police do tolerate excessive speeding.

[dcb]

RedWhiteMonkey said:

I know this is Pistonheads and frequented by driving gods but I'm calling bullsh*t on that one. Munich to Calais is around 600 miles, you'd have to average 120mph! The number of unlimited autobahns is quite limited these days and the French police do tolerate excessive speeding.

+1

It's almost all unlimited from Aachen to Munich, but even
so quite a Jackanory story.

It's still 220 miles, at least 2.5 hours and quite
possibly 3 hours from Calais to Aachen at any even vaguely
legal speed.

Unless you are in the business of averaging more than the legal
maximums, which none of us are.

Aachen to Munich is 400 miles, so about 4 - 5 hours looks
about the fastest the fastest Porsche driver could do it in.

So at least 6.5 hours as the outer limits of possibility,
and eight hours to be credible.

Of course, this counts no time for petrol, food, toilet
breaks or rest.

[davepoth]

Also depends on the car. You'll need some sort of big engined brute to be able to do it without having to stop three times for fuel.

[Steve in Stoke]

RedWhiteMonkey said:

I know this is Pistonheads and frequented by driving gods but I'm calling bullsh*t on that one. Munich to Calais is around 600 miles, you'd have to average 120mph! The number of unlimited autobahns is quite limited these days and the French police do tolerate excessive speeding.

I did that journey last year in the TVR in smidge under 6 hours with 2 fuel stops - via Reims, Strasbourg, Stuttgart. In a big diesel bahn-stormer, I'd say 5 is do-able, but ballsy.

[zaphod42]

I have done Martigny to Cambridge in 9hrs Inc the Chunnel, waiting time, fuel,etc but not much contingency time.

[dcb]

Steve in Stoke said:

I did that journey last year in the TVR in smidge under 6 hours with 2 fuel stops - via Reims, Strasbourg, Stuttgart. In a big diesel bahn-stormer, I'd say 5 is do-able, but ballsy.

390 miles Calais to Strasbourg, 230 miles Strasbourg
to Munich.

Let's say you averaged a bit more than the legal
maximum in France and you did that bit in 4.5 hours.

That implies you averaged more than 150 mph
for the 2nd part. Quite fantastic.

Either that, or you averaged over 100 mph for hundreds of miles
in a country with a 80 mph limit. Naughty.
Here's my latest list of French speeding fines,
for your future reference.

http://english.controleradar.org/speeding-fines.ph...

Anyway, everyone I know whose driven a TVR at over 120 mph
says they are mostly rubbish at high speeds. They wander all over
the road and rattle like the world's going to end, apparently.

One of the joys of a hand build English sports car
I guess.

[r129sl]

Perfectly do-able. But you'll need something with a big tank and a high top gear. You'll be unlucky to get nicked in France during the night; and if you slow down to 95 for corners, slip roads and autoroute aires, you'll definitely be OK. A co-driver would be useful, just in case, though; as would 750euros in cash. It doesn't make much sense to cruise in excess of 100mph anyway, because fuel consumption becomes an issue: a second fuel stop will slow you down more than anything.

I'd be more worried about Channel crossings and M25 traffic.

I'd be most worried about falling asleep at the wheel. Night driving is fun until about 2.30am, then it just becomes utterly exhausting. I once drove solo from Bruges to Stuttgart to Northumberland and I had to take a break after 22 hours.

[Steve in Stoke]

dcb said:

Anyway, everyone I know whose driven a TVR at over 120 mph
says they are mostly rubbish at high speeds. They wander all over
the road and rattle like the world's going to end, apparently.

One of the joys of a hand build English sports car
I guess.

They are fine up to 140ish, but depends on the suspension set-up and in the case of the Chim/Griffs, a front splitter keeps the front end in check.

[XJSJohn]

Steve in Stoke said:

RedWhiteMonkey said:

I know this is Pistonheads and frequented by driving gods but I'm calling bullsh*t on that one. Munich to Calais is around 600 miles, you'd have to average 120mph! The number of unlimited autobahns is quite limited these days and the French police do tolerate excessive speeding.

I did that journey last year in the TVR in smidge under 6 hours with 2 fuel stops - via Reims, Strasbourg, Stuttgart. In a big diesel bahn-stormer, I'd say 5 is do-able, but ballsy.

this is the route i used to use, and was using a 300E. Ok may have been 5 1/2 hours.

French plod were much more laid back 10 - 15 years ago.

[WelshBoyo]

Ummmm you already asked this before? Zurich to Calais - Driving time

Did you not like the answers or something?