European Road Trip - Ideas please

[fluffekins]

Hi,

Having done the Scottish Highlands twice and West Country twice (in Caterhams) 2 of my friends and I are planning our road trip for next year, which we've decided will be in Europe.

I'd be very grateful to to hear of ideas for a 5 day or maximum 1 week long trip in June next year. We won't bother going to Le Mans, would prefer to drive rather than watch.

Cars will be an F430, 911 and a Caterham

Thanks in anticipation.

[Plate spinner]

I could / have done that amount of time just on abc around the Nurburgring.

Alps also an obvious one, loads of fun.

Or you could tour the European sports car manufacturers / museums.

[Gad-Westy]

Norway looks fun.

[redback911]

Lucky you!

Maybe checkout the following trips for ideas:

Woke up, and decided to Drive to Spain. https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Woke up, and decided to Drive to Slovenia https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[Leins]

We did the Eifel Rallye this year, not too far a drive from the various ports, close to the Ring, and some nice roads around there too

Further afield, what about straight down the Autobahn to the Black Forest, Austria, Northern Italy? Did that in 2013 and you get a few high speed runs on the way, then some lovely roads when down there too

Edit to add - Eifel Rally 2018 is in July, sorry!

Edited by Leins on Friday 6th October 13:08

[donkmeister]

Depending on your starting point in the UK you can get down to the Loire valley via autoroute somewhere between lunchtime and dinner time on the first day. Lots of pleasant villages and restaurants.
Then down to the south coast: the Millau viaduct route is splendid. You end up way up in the mountains, then heading down again. Stop overnight in Montpellier, lovely city. You're in the heart of the wine-iest wine region in all of France, so on day 3 a trip to a few caves or a chateau to see what's what and buy a load of excellent wine is a must.
Day 4 i reckon head east along the Mediterranean coast. You could stop along the Riviera overnight and try to get back all on the last day, but it would be knackering and barely possible. So i would start heading north again on day 4, along the eastern edge of France or maybe up to NW Italy.
Then day 5 the remainder home.

Take the tunnel to France, not the ferry for a short trip like that. Also time your trip to bypass Paris around 10/11am. Avoid the Peripherique completely if possible!!!

[F355GTS]

Below was our recent Sept trip to the Alps inc tour notes etc and google links for the routes - may give you some ideas


Road Book – September 2017

Participants

Ferrari 599GTB
Ferrari 612 Scaglietti
Ferrari 430 Scuderia
Ferrari 348 Spider
Ferrari 328 GTB
Ferrari California
Ferrari 458 Spider

Tour Notes

Please print/ save this road book and have it with you in case we get split up, we’ll obviously try to stick together at all times

2 way radios will be provided for each car, please turn them off at the end of each day and the battery will last the trip. They are set to channel 6 and will not work if you change the number!

We will endeavour to find petrol stations each evening so cars are full for the following day

All hotel bookings include breakfast and where possible we’re arranging reserved parking

You will need a Swiss Vignette for the Motorways and generally the Hotels will require your Passport or ID at check in

Please be ready to leave at the times shown

Some useful advice from XXXXXX for travelling in Switzerland;

1) On motorways, the limit is 120 km/h but you can safely go up to 140 km/h with at most the risk of a small fine. Beyond 140 the fines go up exponentially.

2) On mountain roads away from towns with limit of 80 km/h, up to 90 km/h is ok, between 90 and 99 the risk is a small fine (60 francs). Beyond 100 the penalties get heavy. Above 110 they'll take your license away. In any case, the rules are more relaxed on high mountain roads (and very little police).

3) In towns and villages, 50 means 50. DO NOT go beyond 52-53, EVER. The fines are horrendous and enforcement is brutal.




Itinerary

Tuesday 5th September – Arrive Rekem, Belgium

Hotel Boomgaard, Boomgaardstraat 2, 3621 Lanaken, Belgium

group dinner at a local restaurant for 7.30pm


Wednesday 6th September – A day of 4 countries

https://goo.gl/maps/T8JB23QPHA62

We leave Rekem, Belgium at 9.30 heading briefly through Holland and into Germany for some hopefully quiet autobahns to flex the cars capabilities, we expect to arrive in Arbon, Switzerland at around 17.00.

We’re staying at
Hotel Brauerei Frohsinn
Romanshornerstrasse 15,
Arbon 9320



Dinner has been booked at the Froshinn

 
Thursday 7th September – The First passes

https://goo.gl/maps/sakrbHUrjfJ2

We’ll leave Arbon at 10.00 asking the local guys to take the lead and take us out towards the Offen and Fluela passes, lot’s of fun driving, coffee stops and photo opportunities! On recommendation lunch will be a the top of the Offen pass, we expect to arrive in Bormio around 16.30 however those who want more driving can take in the Umbrail pass which I understand is fantastic but narrow

We’re staying at
Hotel Baitaclementi
Via Milano 46/a Bormio


Dinner is booked for 19.30 at the Keller Steakhouse
http://www.kellersteakhouse.it/menu/


Friday 8th September – Heading West

https://goo.gl/maps/Kh7roTHUCvK2

A fairly full day and we’ll leave at 9.30 heading towards the western end of the Italian Lakes with stunning roads and scenery all the way. We’ll be crossing the Bernina, Julier and San Bernadino passes with lunch probably on the latter. Eugenio will take over the lead as we pass the top of Lake Maggiore and over to Domodossola before dropping down to Lake Orta, arriving around 17.00

We’re staying at
Hotel Giardinetto
Via Provincale 1
Pettenasco


19.00 Drinks in the bar, Dinner is booked at Pizzeria Berimbao for 19.45, it’s a 15 minute walk up the hill and offers excellent Pizzas and other fare plus they happen to serve Beer in Litre Steins - not that that swayed the choice one bit ☺








Saturday 9th

https://goo.gl/maps/RPUv6TmGveF2

A relaxed morning and we’ll leave at 10.00am, Eugenio will seek out what the local roads have to offer plus a nice lunch stop returning to Lake Orta mid to late afternoon perhaps with a bit of time to relax at the pool or by the lakeside.

Unfortunately the Giardinetto is full on the 9th so we’re staying at their sister hotel 5 minutes up the road, I’m discussing with them to see if they will move our luggage and hopefully allow us a single checkout

We’re staying at
Hotel Approdo
C.so Roma, 80
Pettenasco (NO) Italy


Gala Dinner!
A private launch will collect us from our hotel at 18.45 (pirate code applies – If you fall behind you’re left behind, don’t be late!), and will take us on a short tour of the Lake/ Island delivering us to the Giardinetto where we’ll take Aperitifs at the roof top bar followed by an A la Carte dinner at the Lakeside Terrace restaurant. Sometime later the Launch will return us to our hotel.


Sunday 10th September – Go your Own Way

Time to say goodbye and head our separate ways







 




 

[48k]

I've done a couple of these trips in recent years. Here's one of the routes, which was a 9 day trip:



5 days is not very long - bear in mind it takes a day to blat down to the interesting bit, so that would give you three days of touring. The first year we did it, we overestimated how much mileage was acceptable for a day - doing the twisty stuff doesn't cover many miles but is physically and mentally knackering particularly for the Caterham driver.

[Yipper]

Italian Alps.

[Zed 44]

For 5 days, I would keep the "getting there" time to a minimum. Agree with a previous correspondent that the Black Forest is a good shout. You could easily spend 3 or 4 days there doing loads of great minor roads there. Also the possibility of nipping across to do the Andermatt Loop if you want to take the risk.

[fluffekins]

Thanks guys, looks like it will have to be a week.

[Gary C]

48k said:

I've done a couple of these trips in recent years. Here's one of the routes, which was a 9 day trip:



5 days is not very long - bear in mind it takes a day to blat down to the interesting bit, so that would give you three days of touring. The first year we did it, we overestimated how much mileage was acceptable for a day - doing the twisty stuff doesn't cover many miles but is physically and mentally knackering particularly for the Caterham driver.

Yey, you did the Vosges. Had a very memorable blast in an Evo 5 thought them, amazing. Also Italian Alps are great, just has some scary hairpins when the Tarmac is polished by lorries.

Tunnels around lake como at two in the morning are epic.

[48k]

This was our high level itinerary for that trip:

Day 1: UK to Reims
(old GP circuit)
Day 2: Reims to Stuttgart
(Porsche Museum)
Day 3: Stuttgart to Garmisch Partenkirchen
Day 4: Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Zell am See
Day 5: Zell am See to Cortina d’Ampezzo
Day 6: Cortina d’Ampezzo to St. Anton
Day 7: St Anton to Verbania
Day 8: Verbania to La-Chaux-de-Fonds
Day 9: La-Chaux-de-Fonds to UK. Oof.

[ecsrobin]

I recently did the following in a week:

Dover
Stuttgart
San Valentino
Como
Colmar
Epernay

Avoid Switzerland whilst pretty they don’t like the motorists and live rules.

Personally we found our time in Germany and colmar (occasionally was part of Germany) to be probably the most enjoyable. Our next trip would likely to be to explore the Black Forest and so I would suggest heading there.

[K50 DEL]

I'm doing a similar trip at around the same time on my own in a 360 so will watch this thread (and later create my own) hopefully get some good ideas shared around.

[fluffekins]

K50 DEL said:

I'm doing a similar trip at around the same time on my own in a 360 so will watch this thread (and later create my own) hopefully get some good ideas shared around.

Good idea, hope to cross paths on the trip.

[Zed 44]

K50 DEL said:

I'm doing a similar trip at around the same time on my own in a 360 so will watch this thread (and later create my own) hopefully get some good ideas shared around.

Any reason why you're doing it solo? I always think going in a group is much more fun. At the moment, I'll probably do a Black Forest trip as well as my usual trip to Spain next year.

[48k]

K50 DEL said:

I'm doing a similar trip at around the same time on my own in a 360 so will watch this thread (and later create my own) hopefully get some good ideas shared around.

If it's RHD, having a passenger makes things easier at tolls and when lining up to overtake.

[K50 DEL]

Zed 44 said:

K50 DEL said:

I'm doing a similar trip at around the same time on my own in a 360 so will watch this thread (and later create my own) hopefully get some good ideas shared around.

Any reason why you're doing it solo? I always think going in a group is much more fun. At the moment, I'll probably do a Black Forest trip as well as my usual trip to Spain next year.

Sadly i don't know anyone else who would be interested in such a trip, thankfully I'm LHD so that'll make things easier at tolls (though i plan on getting the relevant tags anyway)

[Robertj21a]

Zed 44 said:

For 5 days, I would keep the "getting there" time to a minimum. Agree with a previous correspondent that the Black Forest is a good shout. You could easily spend 3 or 4 days there doing loads of great minor roads there. Also the possibility of nipping across to do the Andermatt Loop if you want to take the risk.

+1 another vote for Black Forest.