Off Topic Holiday routes

[306maxi]

Someone suggested we start a thread so I thought I would

Here's the drive we did last summer which was done IIRC over 12 days from North Wales down to Turin and back

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=calais&daddr=chamonix+to:turin+to:chamonix+to:Bourg-en-Bresse,+France+to:freiburg+to:strasbourg+to:saarbrucken+to:luxembourg+to:reims+to:Calais,+France&hl=en&sll=48.010775,4.897105&sspn=7.15957,16.907959&geocode=FXp0CQMdflwcAClj4_HXdT_cRzH0edKM4Nm-rA%3BFXG9vAIdudFoACnnLv4tBkyJRzGAo7rkKqsIBA%3BFeK4rwId20l1ACnfXO3DDG2IRzHglDxHfeYFBA%3BFXG9vAIdudFoACnnLv4tBkyJRzGAo7rkKqsIBA%3BFab_wAIdrqNPACkRk2gVLVLzRzH7ivM1l9bhwg%3BFQJh3AIdx9Z3ACll1gtWJhuRRzGwV9-lt2sfBA%3BFexR5QIdKjl2ACnBshheSciWRzEfJOcYMUgalw%3BFaND7wId4rlqACnrwALjUrGVRzGAa9sQ1dQiBA%3BFeke-AIdr4ddAClHISHKuUWVRzHvktMC9mDbZA%3BFVmf7wId0IQ9ACkJO1NKM3TpRzHARTuauV8KBA%3BFXp0CQMdflwcAClj4_HXdT_cRzH0edKM4Nm-rA&mra=ls&t=h&z=7

Drove down to Kent after work on a Wednesday afternoon, had 3 hours kip down there, drove to Dover, took an early morning ferry over to Calais. Drove to Chamonix (lovely ski resort looking up at Mont Blanc ) that day which is 554 miles. Spent a few days there, then drove down to Turin through the Mont Blanc tunnel and spent a day there and drove back to Chamonix and spent another day there. Then drove up to Freiburg which was a quaint little town just next to the black forest in Germany, had a lovely drive through the black forest and then went to Strasbourg and spent a couple of days in what must surely have been the most boring place we'd been to on our trip. Drove to Reims which was a lovely place and felt coastal despite being quite a way from the coast. Went through Luxembourg on the way to Reims just because we could Then of course back to Calais.

Only picture I have to hand right at the moment which was taken in Turin

Highlights of the trip for me would be the fun of driving on the wrong side of the road with the wife in our RHD car
The scenery from just the other side of Geneva heading to Chamonix is fan****ingtastic.
Drive through the Mont Blanc tunnel was pretty special and the run down from the Alps to Turin is fun and the downhill gradient means you can get some speed up
Turin was really fantastic for me as a fan of 70's Fiat's as the manufacturing plants just seem to sit there just like they did back 30-40 years ago. We were there on a Saturday or Sunday I think and there were markets going on and I was seeing 70's and 80's Fiat vans which I never knew existed
Drive back up to Mont Blanc was nice as you could see more of the scenery as you were heading towards it rather than going away.
Freiburg was a really nice quiet pretty little town and if the whole of Germany is like that then I'll be going back a few times!
Had a fantastic drive through the Black Forest, couldn't honestly tell you where we went and on what roads but it was a real blast.

All up I think it was 2500+ miles and I know some people wouldn't dream of doing that in a 1.2 but as soon as we got onto the continent we never felt intimidated when we went to overtake as you would if you were in the UK, people over there know how to drive and the 1.2 is happy to cruise along at 85-90mph all day long although it will use a little oil so be sure to have some with you

Now of course any routes you suggest don't have to have been done in the 500 of course if you can map out the route roughly on Google maps that would be fantastic The route I've mapped out is very roughly the drive that I did. During the trip we had everything from torrential rain to baking sunshine and the 500 was surefooted and always delivered what was asked of it. Carried two adults and enough clothes and stuff for 12 days away

Quite fancy going up to Scandinavia this summer and do a bit of travel through Norway and Sweden and perhaps to Finland to visit some friends Or if that's not doable, I quite fancy going back down to Chamonix and perhaps going down through Italy and heading towards Neuschwanstein castle perhaps up the Stelvio pass but it's a long way to drive. If anyone is interested I'll try to dig some photos out of my trip.

 

[RUI]

I stayed in the lingotto in turin last time I was there. I took the same route in my old Alfa but we went down to florence.
I drove it back in one go only stopping for petrol. 1000 miles in a day.

 

[arorat]

Quite fancy going up to Scandinavia this summer and do a bit of travel through Norway and Sweden and perhaps to Finland to visit some friends Or if that's not doable, I quite fancy going back down to Chamonix and perhaps going down through Italy and heading towards Neuschwanstein castle perhaps up the Stelvio pass but it's a long way to drive. If anyone is interested I'll try to dig some photos out of my trip.

The route is fantastic covering some great roads. would love to see some pics. I would do the Norway side this time as you have done Chamonix side already.

 

[loveshandbags]

The route is fantastic covering some great roads. would love to see some pics. I would do the Norway side this time as you have done Chamonix side already.

My idea of going to Europe is....

getting a blast down the autobahn (did it in a hired 320D - no fun in the diesel)
do the Nuburgring (with a faster car )
travel across the alps taking in a bit of switzerland / Austria knowing where 'the best driving roads are'
getting lost
dropping down to Lake Garda
drinking plenty of wine
getting lost
getting back in one piece with the OH and the car intact

https://www.fiatforum.com/abarth-500/269726-what-you-guys-doing-easter.html?p=2758495

 

[TwinAir Newbie]

I have pootled round parts of Europe but my main holiday routes were from when I lived in the US.

The Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) takes some beating with the bits between LA and San Francisco being the best known. I also loved places like Yosemite National Park for breathtaking scenery.

I adored the wide open spaces of West Texas with Big Bend being one of my favourites, but I'll let you into a 'secret'. For fantastic scenery, great driving roads with few people around, lovely little towns with German sounding names, check out the Texas Hill Country. It's like a super-sized Cotswolds and Lake District, about the size of Southern England, rolled into one.

http://www.traveltex.com/

Here's some more ideas for Texas driving tours;

http://www.traveltex.com/plan-your-trip/driving-tours

Just found this- that's the Rio Grande in the background, which is the Texan border with Mexico;

Here's a typical view of Highway 1;

 

[loveshandbags]

The Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) takes some beating with the bits between LA and San Francisco being the best known. I also loved places like Yosemite National Park for breathtaking scenery.
I adored the wide open spaces of West Texas with Big Bend being one of my favourites, but I'll let you into a 'secret'. For fantastic scenery, great driving roads with few people around, lovely little towns with German sounding names, check out the Texas Hill Country. It's like a super-sized Cotswolds and Lake District, about the size of Southern England, rolled into one.

Super looking scenery TwinAir Newbie .
Are there any sleeping policemen in the bushes ? My sister when she was in Australia (and she drives very slow) got 2 'speeding' tickets in the 'Outback' - she was doing about 5mph over the speed limit and there was literally nobody within a 50 mile radius except kangaroos. We still remind her of it today.

 

[TwinAir Newbie]

Rural Texas is not a good place to speed. Local police forces are self funding and get much of their revenue from nabbing unsuspecting motorists in the middle of nowhere at all times of the day or night.

The funny thing about there is that 10% (I think) of road funding has to go on FM (farm to market) back roads, s you can find yourself driving along crappy city and suburban roads, but hit the County Line and there in front of you is gorgeous new tarmac that is used by far fewer vehicles.

 

[loveshandbags]

Rural Texas is not a good place to speed. Local police forces are self funding and get much of their revenue from nabbing unsuspecting motorists in the middle of nowhere at all times of the day or night.

The funny thing about there is that 10% (I think) of road funding has to go on FM (farm to market) back roads, s you can find yourself driving along crappy city and suburban roads, but hit the County Line and there in front of you is gorgeous new tarmac that is used by far fewer vehicles.

My late mum was one of those unsuspecting motorists in the US. That had a habit on nabbing tourists or at least they did in some middle state in the US (I forgot which one it was). They had pulled about 4 cars over at the same time - they were 'in a convoy' doing again 5mph over the speed limit. I remember there were some complaints about tourist's cars being recognisable so they did something so no one would know you were in a hired car. It is one country that I would not consider 'touring' in - it would cost me too much $$$$.

 

[arorat]

Just came back from a 4 day trip to Estonia, as you land in Riga it was like entering a WWII movie - love it. Long & straight roads through the forests which were empty.

Guys trip.. clay pigeon shooting, boar bbq, paint balling, night out to an Irish pub !! rally in old golf mk1 I think, log fires and Vodka.

and not a single 500 in sight

 

[loveshandbags]

Just came back from a 4 day trip to Estonia, as you land in Riga it was like entering a WWII movie - love it. Long & straight roads through the forests which were empty.

Guys trip.. clay pigeon shooting, boar bbq, paint balling, night out to an Irish pub !! rally in old golf mk1 I think, log fires and Vodka.

and not a single 500 in sight

Did they serve the 'black stuff' and did you get to rally that Mk1 through the forest ?

 

[ahmett]

Continental Europe is the best place to speed. I saw one police officer when I drove across the whole of France and one Police Car in the whole of Italy. You'd have to be doing over 250 kmh to be noticed or stopped on the motorway! Watch out for Switzerland though!

 

[306maxi]

Continental Europe is the best place to speed. I saw one police officer when I drove across the whole of France and one Police Car in the whole of Italy. You'd have to be doing over 250 kmh to be noticed or stopped on the motorway! Watch out for Switzerland though!

Yeah, we saw hardly any police in France, I think the only people who get caught are the ones doing silly/stupid stuff

 

[Janep1]

I drove from Alice Springs in the middle of Australia to Darwin in the far north. It's about 1000 miles.

There's just one straight road north, and instead of just waving at people driving the same car as you, you wave to everyone as there are so few cars. We counted them one day and saw 40 cars going in the other direction in 7 hours of driving!

This a typical view of the road


And a very welcome road sign


There's a lot of driving through the same countryside and then all of a sudden you hit the tropics and everything is lush. Instead of cold beer signs you get 'beware of crocodile' signs!

We took it quite leisurely stopping off at every town (said very loosely) on the way up for a look-see. From Alien landing sites to famous tree stumps, the outback has it all.

 

[306maxi]

I have to say as an Australian, driving in Australia is monumentally boring, but then again you always go for what you haven't grown up with

 

[Janep1]

I'd have to agree, but didn't want to offend!

It comes to something when you get excited about a knackered old tree stump that an explorer carved his initials in 100 years ago.

That said I love Australia and would go back any day!

 

[306maxi]

I'd have to agree, but didn't want to offend!

It comes to something when you get excited about a knackered old tree stump that an explorer carved his initials in 100 years ago.

That said I love Australia and would go back any day!

I like Perth (my hometown) but much prefer the UK. It says a lot about a country when the oldest things there aside from cave paintings and so on are only 200 years old. In the UK, something which is 200 years old isn't considered mega old but in Australia it is.

 

[Janep1]

Yeah, when I lived there, my Australian friends were gobsmacked that my parents lived in a 300 year old house and it had a roof and everything!

 

[arorat]

Did they serve the 'black stuff' and did you get to rally that Mk1 through the forest ?

It was waiter service so didn't get to the bar, after spotting Pauliner it bought back memories of Oktoberfest so that was the drink. A local suggested the black stuff but they meant black pudding.

Rally was on a semi tarmac/dirt track, spun the car in practice but overall came 2nd in a team of 10.

 

[arorat]

Someone suggested we start a thread so I thought I would

Here's the drive we did last summer which was done IIRC over 12 days from North Wales down to Turin and back

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr...flwcAClj4_HXdT_cRzH0edKM4Nm-rA&mra=ls&t=h&z=7

Drove down to Kent after work on a Wednesday afternoon, had 3 hours kip down there, drove to Dover, took an early morning ferry over to Calais. Drove to Chamonix (lovely ski resort looking up at Mont Blanc ) that day which is 554 miles. Spent a few days there, then drove down to Turin through the Mont Blanc tunnel and spent a day there and drove back to Chamonix and spent another day there. Then drove up to Freiburg which was a quaint little town just next to the black forest in Germany, had a lovely drive through the black forest and then went to Strasbourg and spent a couple of days in what must surely have been the most boring place we'd been to on our trip. Drove to Reims which was a lovely place and felt coastal despite being quite a way from the coast. Went through Luxembourg on the way to Reims just because we could Then of course back to Calais.

With insparation from Maxi's post I need some more help...

Kids (not kids anymore) are doing their own thing now, I have dropped plans for Spain and was thinking Jasper/Banff which is a bit last minute and may happen next year now.

We have 7 days on hand options are; Austrian Tirol via Gatwick for a bit of hiking or jump in the 500 and head into Europe as far as Switzerland or Italy with a few days of hiking.

If car, what route from Surbiton via Calais with at least one stop overnight in France before hitting mountains the next day. What do you think ?

oh here is a pic of last trip to rockies, love the place.

 

[306maxi]

With insparation from Maxi's post I need some more help...

Kids (not kids anymore) are doing their own thing now, I have dropped plans for Spain and was thinking Jasper/Banff which is a bit last minute and may happen next year now.

We have 7 days on hand options are; Austrian Tirol via Gatwick for a bit of hiking or jump in the 500 and head into Europe as far as Switzerland or Italy with a few days of hiking.

If car, what route from Surbiton via Calais with at least one stop overnight in France before hitting mountains the next day. What do you think ?

oh here is a pic of last trip to rockies, love the place.

View attachment 92745

Well being that close to Dover and you really could make it to the mountains in a day if you wanted. The only reason we were tired from driving to Chamonix in a day was because we'd only had 2 hours sleep the night before and we'd driven down to Kent from North Wales. Still a bit of a drive but means you'd have an extra day down there