shite motoring holiday: Italy via alps- advice?

[dieselnutjob]

holiday is booked

 

the steed is a banged up old Peugeot 806 with over 200,000 miles on it. It's got working aircon though

the destination is the Adriatic coast of Italy where I have been offered a free flat

thing is due to a misunderstanding we cross the channel on a Saturday but the flat won't be available until the Monday, so it's a 3 day mad blast across Europe instead of 2 day. I know people that have gotten to Milan in a single night so I don't suppose it'll be too taxing.

 

kids are 7, 10 & 12 and good enough kids. I can spread them out a bit over three rows of seating so that they don't fight (much).

 

The wife is deeply sceptical about such a long drive so it'll be a straight motorway blast stopping every few hours so the kids can have an icecream, or chips, or whatever.

 

My wife has never seen the Alps, or any bit of that side of France / Switzerland and I know that it is spectacularly beautiful. I don't want any vommit inducing twisty stuff, remember this is a knackered people carrier, three kids and a sceptical wife who will probably spend most of the journey reading books. I am not Jeremy Clarkson.

 

So, where is the nicest place to stop in France / Switzerland / Italy for a few hours for a walk in some spectacular scenary? Somewhere not too far from the main motorway drag?

 

Best if we don't come back to the car and find everything nicked as well.

 

BTW if I phuck this up it will be the last ever motoring holiday. I love motoring holidays and I need my wife to love them too. It has to be low low stress and right.

She is a beach addict and really justs wants the shortest time from her own bed at home to the beach. I got lucky with the mix up with the flat as it was her family that messed up

[Pete-M]

Be spectacularly careful leaving stuff in your car in Italy...

 

Other than that, I've only done non-stop runs to and from Italy. One time I must stop and have a look around.

 

Oh, and you know about the Swiss with their road tax sting operation I take it? Imagine it's probably not far off €50 by now.

[dieselnutjob]

Oh, and you know about the Swiss with their road tax sting operation I take it? Imagine it's probably not far off €50 by now.

 

yeah I know

what are you supposed to do though?

[chaseracer]

Don't drive into Switzerland?

Or, do so, but keep off the motorways. The vignette only covers them, unless things have changed since I was there with a terminally-crusty GSA in '06.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

During a similar trip, I stayed a night in the French town of Chambery. I wouldn't class it as 'spectacular', but it is pleasant and easy to get to from the motorway (though I can't remember the exact route I was following).

[Guest]

Still only motorways but it's 75 euros now

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Be spectacularly careful leaving stuff in your car in Italy...

 

You can get away with it in most of the North. However, I have no experience of the beach resorts.

[ashmicro]

Be spectacularly careful leaving stuff in your car in Italy...

 

You can get away with it in most of the North. However, I have no experience of the beach resorts.

 

Largely true, however I was told to leave nothing of value in my leased 156 when I lived in Milan.

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

Be spectacularly careful leaving stuff in your car in Italy...

 

You can get away with it in most of the North. However, I have no experience of the beach resorts.

 

Largely true, however I was told to leave nothing of value in my leased 156 when I lived in Milan.

 

Well, that's standard advice everywhere in the world (well, maybe apart from the DPRK ). But even driving standards are suspiciously good in most of Northern Italy...

[chaseracer]

I remember reading in CAR - back in the day, when it was worth reading - that the 'in' fashion accessory to be carried by the sophisticated 'man about Milan' was his removeable car radio.

 

Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose, or whatever is the Italian equivalent...

[ashmicro]

Fair one. What I meant was that leave nothing of value in the car, even out of sight, in the boot etc. The driving is reasonably good. One of my mates asked me once "Milan, eh? Aren't they all mad drivers?" My reply was "Never mind that, have you been on the M6?!?

[chaseracer]

One of my mates asked me once "Milan, eh? Aren't they all mad drivers?" My reply was "Never mind that, have you been on the M6?!?

Having had the dubious pleasure today of driving into and around Birmingham, I'd say you make a very valid point there!

[dieselnutjob]

once we get there I'll strip the car empty.

any more suggestions of where to stop for a while?

[warren t claim]

Be spectacularly careful leaving stuff in your car in Italy...

 

I think we need to remember that Pete-M is domiciled in 0151 and he thinks that thefts from cars are a big problem in Italy....

[Danblez]

If you have 3 days can I suggest going through Belgium, Germany and Austria instead? All good places to drive through, little in the way of tolls (small vignette fee in Austria) and southern Germany and Austria are every bit as stunning as Switzerland and more reasonably priced for just about everything!

[Rod/b]

I've personally never had any trouble with thefts from the car in Italy, and i've been to some properly shit areas north of Naples. That said, I know people who've had stuff nicked out of the boot of their old Astra, but that's about it.

 

For the Alps, I can heartily recommend driving Stelvio. http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=23032+Bormio+Sondrio,+Italy&daddr=Trafoi,+Localit%C3%A0+Trafoi,+Stilfs,+Italy&hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=46.55886,10.667725&spn=0.603395,1.229095&sll=46.467606,10.378062&sspn=0.151103,0.307274&geocode=FRYKxQIdTlueACn3AV40WwWDRzFQ7GYuAngGBA%3BFUVLxgIdUVKgACFABTN3qFRkhQ&mra=ls&t=h&z=10

 

It's twisty but it's not that mental and I know people who've driven it and some truly shit cars. Yes there are the people who go and drive / ride it for laughs but it's also a standard route for the locals, none of whom drive anything particulalry spectacular. There are lots of places to pull in and take in the view on both sides and there's a big car park on the top with cafes, hot dog stands and restaurants nearby.

 

There's a town on the Italian side called Bormio which is great; very old school and the drive to it is very picturesque. There's a big town square as you'd expect in an Italian town, with lots of great bars and restaurants. This is where we discovered CHIP PIZZA - a pizza, with chips on. Magic.

 

It's a beautiful bit of the world.

[Justin Case]

Can I suggest heading for Dijon or Beaune, then going via Macon through Annecy and Chamonix for spectacular scenery; then there is a tunnel to take you under Mont Blanc into Northern Italy, if none of you mind long tunnels. I've only been that way by coach, so I don't know what the position is about tolls, etc, but Annecy is well worth spending a bit of time in and Chamonix is literally in the shadow of Mont Blanc

[Rod/b]

Oh, I nearly forgot. I've never bought a m/way Vignette new. Ebay is your friend: http://shop.ebay.co.uk/i.html?_from=R40 ... Categories

[dieselnutjob]

An Italian friend suggested stopping in Courmayeur which is the town on the Italian side of the Mont Blanc tunnel. This also has the advantage of Switzerland=Avoid.

[dollywobbler]

I really like Switzerland. Went in the 2CV, so didn't bother touching any of the autoroutes. It is expensive though. Lunch especially so. Overall, I think I prefer the grubbiness of France.

[dieselnutjob]

years ago when I had time to spare I did actually drive through switzerland from Italy to France without going on the motorway. Frankly it was a pain in the arse as the traffic was bad and the speed limits were very low. At one point I got stuck in a huge queue of cars behind a tractor. No one would overtake the tractor because there were double white lines in the middle of the road

[HBR]

We went on a banger rally in 09 down through Frnace & stopped in Annecy, then over the Little St Bernard's pass into Italy & on to San Remo. The run down through france until close to Annecy was on motorways, boring & expensive but after that great, village not far off the top of the pass was great to stop at & have a coffee & wander about, fantasic views. If you're not great with heights then the mountain passes may not be for you, on the French side there was nothing to stop you going off the edge of the road, & the road itself was fairly narrow to be meeting a big vehicle coming the other way, very twisty (as were all the other passes because that's how they work!) so if that's a no-no then I'd be looking at other routes.

[andrew e]

What my mate Rod sez, but if you buy at the border wind the window down only a crack - tight enough to be given a vignette, but not enough for a swiss arm to stick it to your screen

 

If your hoteling on route, stop in France or switzerland because your booking will still exist - Italians have selective memory if you turn up to a full hotel - I use Etaps, campinelles, Novotels, Kyraid.

 

Stop wise Bormio is great, lovely for a stroll round too. Besacon on the French/Swiss border is pretty, Arras is nice for an overnight though the market means you need to shift your car early. Norfolk line is stupidly cheap at the moment (£54 return in August booked yesterday!) too. Alternatively there is a cheap IBIS next to Nice station, you could one hit it (its hard with the kids but I sedona'd it once) and then coastal road all the way to destination, very pleasant.

 

But my advice on taking kids is set off late morning, don't have shite wedged rounded them so they can hardly move, and google locations of McD/Le Quick (French kinda McD). Shite food but kid friendly and quick. A crate of 18 bottled water picked up in the first supermarche you find is worth its weight in gold. If anyone on board is sniffy about toilets, avoid the aires or toll stops. Take your own andrex too! Clean car glass, and a crib sheet of local things to spot (google it) on route works well, churches whatever. An old camera is a good occupier too. I tend to offer a 5 euro note when they start killing each over, and then give them half hour before stopping to practice how they might ask to buy what ever they are getting. Of course the nice lady will allways smile back after "Jem apple 'Kinda Egg"

 

Of couse coloured "Twingo" spotting is allways popular

[Cheggers]

Thanks for all the tips folks, as we're doing the home - Venice in 3 days thing this August. Anyone know the quickest Northern Italy-Calais route for the blast home??

[dieselnutjob]

wow some good tips thanks

i did the St Bernard pass years ago, over the top not through the tunnel. It was fantastic

[Rocket88]

can recommend the Ibis chain of hotels in France, bit like Travelodge, but reasobale and very clean, and pre bookable on line.

[dieselnutjob]

In the past I used to use Premiere Classe

are they still the cheapest ones where you get your own loo?

from what I remember Formule1 were the cheapest but you have to use a loo in the corridor. It would be fine by me but I think the missus would complain

[scooters]

Thanks for all the tips folks, as we're doing the home - Venice in 3 days thing this August. Anyone know the quickest Northern Italy-Calais route for the blast home??

 

Northern Italy to calais.. provided you are not in padua/trieste etc ie...far ease then blat into France VIA a tunnel and head grenoble/Lyon then all the way to calais...col de lisaron is an option..

 

If east then take the auto route through the tyrol into austria follow signs to stuttgart then head north west crossing at metz/cologne then its a quick jaunty up to calais. The benefit of this route is free autoroutes whereas unless you slogging up the routes national you'll be looking at the Sharp end of 150 quid in French tolls

[dieselnutjob]

Sharp end of 150 quid in French tolls

 

oh damn. last time I did it it was about 50.

so thats 150 each way?

[andrew e]

I *think* the RAC online map checker gives you toll booth prices, but it might be one of the others - have a google.