Italy road trip sorted!

[Dandock]

Nice trip. Living in Essex I have used the Harwich Hook of Holland overnight ferry for my road trip to italy. You can get to baden baden from there in 6 hours and saves you having to overnight in belgium.

Living close to Harwich I can vouch for that option - used it last year to visit Stuttgart and will probably do the same this year.

An interesting suggestion and certainly useful for those of you who live that way on - no real advantage for us, though, in fact probably a more difficult UK leg and still an overnight. And as Mrs D hates sailing it's a definite no go area!

Another option we considered was an earlier shuttle, an overnight, as suggested by someone last year, at the Calais end and then a prompt start south eastwards the following morning.

[Dandock]

Little memory from last years chance meeting with a PCGB trip.

[Salty]

Thanks for posting details of your trip. I haven’t had time to read all the thread just yet but will do so as I’m interested in doing a road trip to Italy. Me and the better half had a Great European road trip last year in my Boxster. As we live in Newcastle we took the ferry across and then drive through Netherlands,Germany,Austria,Switzerland and France.
We really fancy a trip to Italy so will google map your trip and are interested in any tips such as places to visit,nice comfortable hotels etc. We usually book via booking.com so that we can cancel if we find anything better on the way or there are unexpected delays.

[Dandock]

Thanks for posting details of your trip. I haven’t had time to read all the thread just yet but will do so as I’m interested in doing a road trip to Italy. Me and the better half had a Great European road trip last year in my Boxster. As we live in Newcastle we took the ferry across and then drive through Netherlands,Germany,Austria,Switzerland and France.
We really fancy a trip to Italy so will google map your trip and are interested in any tips such as places to visit,nice comfortable hotels etc. We usually book via booking.com so that we can cancel if we find anything better on the way or there are unexpected delays.

No problem, Salty, I’ll get the hotel list together and post it ASAP.
As all knowledge is useful perhaps could you perhaps also precise your experience from last year.

[Nuclear Nick]

If it's of any use to others planning a visit this was our trip last year:

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=5315&hilit=tuscany ... p&start=10

[Dandock]

As promised our hotel list - all except the one in Namur via Booking.com so with full flexibility - in case of major plan changes or better suggestions or discoveries.

The criteria for all being suitable on-site parking (some sadly chargeable!) and a restaurant if we can't be assed going out again! But all except the Eggentaler either in, or a short walk from, the town centre.

Namur. The unlikely named Royal Snail Hotel
Baden-Baden. Hotel Magnetberg
Bolzano. Hotel Eggentaler, Cardano

Bardarlino. San Pietro (recommended by Guy)
Uberlingen. Bad Hotel (sounds promising!)
Heidelberg. Boutique Hotel Heidelberg Suites
Ghent. NH Ghent Belfort

[Salty]

Thanks for posting details of your trip. I haven’t had time to read all the thread just yet but will do so as I’m interested in doing a road trip to Italy. Me and the better half had a Great European road trip last year in my Boxster. As we live in Newcastle we took the ferry across and then drive through Netherlands,Germany,Austria,Switzerland and France.
We really fancy a trip to Italy so will google map your trip and are interested in any tips such as places to visit,nice comfortable hotels etc. We usually book via booking.com so that we can cancel if we find anything better on the way or there are unexpected delays.

No problem, Salty, I’ll get the hotel list together and post it ASAP.
As all knowledge is useful perhaps could you perhaps also precise your experience from last year.

My trip from last year was:
DFDS Ferry Newcastle to Imjuden
Imjuden to Bonn
Bonn to Wurzburg
Wurzburg to Rothenberg ob de Tauber via The Romantic Road (some of the time)
Rothenburg to Oberammergau
Oberammergau to St Wolfgang
St Wolfgang to Zell am See
Zell am See to Innsbruck
Innsbruck to Wiesen
Wiesen to Zurich
Zurich to Colmar
Colmar to Trier via Mosel wine route
Trier to Boppard
Boppard to Eindhoven
Eindhoven to Imjuden
I think the passes we did were Fluela,Grossglockner and Stelvio.
We weren’t too impressed by the Romantic road and Mosel valley was better.
Favourite places/hotels visited were Bonn,Rotheburg ob de Tauber,Oberammergau,St Wolfgang,Innsbruck,Zurich (very expensive )

[Bigboyrolo]

We use booking.com to find and book 1 or 2 nights stays for flexibilty, but usually book longer stays direct with the hotel, usually same bookng terms and sometimes an unexpected benefit, hoteliers dn't like booking.com.
Via Michelin, www.viamchelin.co.uk, is an excellent route planner, includes toll costs, route options and much more.
We now avoid city centre stopovers, having once booked in Metz, never again.
East of Grenoble towards Turin is a great area to drive through, close to many Tour de France mountain climbs, all fabulous, well worth seeking out.
That route, between France & Italy, via Briancon also avoids Switerland €40 for a carnet, and both the Mont Blanc and Frejus tunnels at €40 each way.
Happy planning.

[Hawkeye]

We use booking.com to find and book 1 or 2 nights stays for flexibilty, but usually book longer stays direct with the hotel, usually same bookng terms and sometimes an unexpected benefit, hoteliers dn't like booking.com.
Via Michelin, www.viamchelin.co.uk, is an excellent route planner, includes toll costs, route options and much more.
We now avoid city centre stopovers, having once booked in Metz, never again.
East of Grenoble towards Turin is a great area to drive through, close to many Tour de France mountain climbs, all fabulous, well worth seeking out.
That route, between France & Italy, via Briancon also avoids Switerland €40 for a carnet, and both the Mont Blanc and Frejus tunnels at €40 each way.
Happy planning.

We came back through Metz on our trip in May. Horses for courses, but I thought it was a great city. Really nice to explore and shop for half a day. I would take my wife there for a long weekend if there were any decent quick flight options, but a bit clunky for a short trip.




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[Dandock]

We use booking.com to find and book 1 or 2 nights stays for flexibilty, but usually book longer stays direct with the hotel, usually same bookng terms and sometimes an unexpected benefit, hoteliers dn't like booking.com.
Via Michelin, www.viamchelin.co.uk, is an excellent route planner, includes toll costs, route options and much more.
We now avoid city centre stopovers, having once booked in Metz, never again.
East of Grenoble towards Turin is a great area to drive through, close to many Tour de France mountain climbs, all fabulous, well worth seeking out.
That route, between France & Italy, via Briancon also avoids Switerland €40 for a carnet, and both the Mont Blanc and Frejus tunnels at €40 each way.
Happy planning.

We came back through Metz on our trip in May. Horses for courses, but I thought it was a great city. Really nice to explore and shop for half a day. I would take my wife there for a long weekend if there were any decent quick flight options, but a bit clunky for a short trip.

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Different times, different experiences, different people. This is what makes exercises like this so interesting; and so difficult to determine what is best. As you say, Hawkeye, horses for courses.