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2015 Euro Road Trip - Belgium, Germany, Switzerland & France

G

gedo

Member
Alloa, Central Scotland
After a few weeks of planning I've finished the itinerary for a summer road trip with the Z4 covering Belgium, Germany, Switzerland & France.

Here is the plan:

Day 1 - Wed 24th June
Travel to Hull, overnight ferry crossing to Zeebrugge

Day 2 - Thurs 25th June
Zeebrugge to Baden-Baden
Stay Baden-Baden - http://www.hotel-belle-epoque.de/en/home/

Day 3 - Fri 26th June
Baden-Baden to Freudenstadt - Drive 500 Schwarzwald Hochstrasse / Black Forest / Germany - http://www.ultimatedrives.net/top-10-roads/details.php?route_ID=20007
Travel to Zurich - http://www.b2boutiquehotels.com/index.php/en/

Day 4 - Sat 27th June
Rest day in Zurich

Day 5 - Sun 28th June
Glarus to Burglen : Klausen Pass / Switzerland - http://www.ultimatedrives.net/top-10-roads/details.php?route_ID=9007
Then onto Lucerne - http://www.chateau-guetsch.ch/home

Day 6 - Mon 29th June
Lucerne to Realp - Realp to Gletsch : Furka Pass / Switzerland - http://www.ultimatedrives.net/top-10-roads/details.php?route_ID=4001
Travel to Grindelwald - http://www.hotel-gletschergarten.ch/en/hotel-grindelwald/hotel/

Day 7 - Tues 30th June ** 25th Wedding Anniversary **
Trip to Kliene Scheidegg - Jungfraujoch Railway – Top of Europe - http://www.jungfrau.ch/en/company/railways/jungfrau-railway/portrait/
Back to Grindelwald

Day 8 - Wed 1st July
Grindelwald to Reims
Overnight in Reims - http://www.relaischateaux.com/crayeres

Day 9 - Thurs 2nd July
Visit to Maison Veuve Clicquot
Visit to Circuit de Reims - http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attrac...eims_Gueux-Reims_Marne_Champagne_Ardenne.html
Reims to Bruges
Overnight in Bruges - http://www.pandhotel.com/homee.htm

Day 10 - Fri 3rd July
Morning & Afternoon exploring Bruges
Travel to Zeebrugge, overnight ferry crossing to Hull

Day 11 - Sat 4th July
Home to bonnie Scotland

As well as being our summer holiday we are also celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary on this trip which was a good excuse to push the boat out on some of our accommodation and dining options :)

If anyone has any feedback on this itinerary or any suggestions on places to visit/drive/eat they would be most welcome. If I'm honest I'm a little apprehensive taking a 12 yrs old car on this kind of trip but I'm sure it will be fine...

Any other general road trip advice is also welcome, particularly around packing everything in. My wife has already started stressing !
 
gedo said:
After a few weeks of planning I've finished the itinerary for a summer road trip with the Z4 covering Belgium, Germany, Switzerland & France.
As well as being our summer holiday we are also celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary on this trip which was a good excuse to push the boat out on some of our accommodation and dining options :)
Click to expand...

Last summer our plans were: ferry tickets was bought from Finland to Sweden... :D
We had few places which we wanted to visit, but those failed, because weather was so terrible in mid Germany (we rode with motorcycle).
On our list were also Schwarztwald hochstrasse 500. In evenings we usually decide our next days destination and route. At destination we start to looking accomodation.

This year (we are also celebrating our 25th anniversary) we are going with our zed, which was bought to replace motorcycle as tourer.
And zed also at least doubles luggage space. We both had 20l bags for clothes, which is enough for two weeks :)

This year we'll continue our last years loose plans; From Koblenz to Trier along Mosel, Baden Baden, Freudenstadt, Konstanz, Mainau island, around Bodensee, Romantische Strasse.. but we'll see were we end up..
 
Look good :D

can't really help but I'm heading to Slovakia in July but i plan to drive down to Switzerland and head across to Austria and in to Slovakia. Going to do Furka Pass, Klausen Pass and Hahntennjoch pass from the same website you've linked, which is adding about 1000 miles to my trip :thumbsup:
 
Looks a fabulous trip gedo, and a wonderful way to enjoy your 25th wedding anniversary. Steph and I celebrated our 20th on the forum Skye trip last year.

Can't give any advice as we've never been abroad in our Zed but at the end of this year my wife is taking early retirement and one of the places we (I) wish to visit is that Grindelwald area (I want to see the Eiger).

One thing I will say is that you should have plenty of room in the Zed for packing everything in. The first National we attended we took a 5 person tent, table and two chairs, cooking equipment, food in a freezer bag, sleeping bags, double airbed, clothes for the weekend in one bag, coats hats gloves etc and Zed cleaning materials(!). The problem was I wouldn't want to carry that much weight in the Zed on the runs so best pack as lightly as you can if you intend to enjoy the roads. It will be a compromise but really you'll find you've got loads of room in the boot. (We packed things behind the seats as well).

I'll be very interested to hear how you get on - all the best!

:driving: :thumbsup:
 
Thanks for the feedback so far guys.

paulgs1000: I also want to see the North Face of the Eiger, I'm a bit of a armchair mountaineer and since reading the book 'White Spider' I've wanted to see it in the flesh...Everest & K2 are also on the list but I think the Z4 would struggle on that trip !

From reading some other Euro Road Trip threads I've added a visit to the old race track near Reims on Day 9. We'll be so close it would be rude not to :driving:
The Reims leg of the trip is designed for my other half, who has a soft spot for the bubbly stuff. We hope to visit her favourite champagne house - Maison Veuve Clicquot.

We've weekend camped in our Z3 and I remember it being a bit of a challenge space wise but I think the Z4 boot is a bit more accommodating.

jaq03: your route seems to cross ours to some extent, when are you planning on going ?
 
Sounds a great trip. We've done quite a bit of it ourselves and had a great time. Sounds like a great way to spend an anniversary.

Should be ok for space if you pack carefully. We did the trip with 2 teenage girls and 2 Z4's including tents, sleeping bags stove etc.

I really enjoyed the run down from Baden Baden, but some of the Swiss passes are hard to beat. The Furka pass was my favourite, would love to drive that one again. The Reims grandstand is good for a photo but not much there really.

Can't remember if you need a Swiss tax disc for all roads or just motorways but worth checking.

Last thing I can think is I hope you are not running run flats. My shoulders ached from all the tramlining on the Swiss roads

Have a fabulous time
 
I do recommend couple of places which are worth visit if you have time.

Sinsheim, technik museum.
Stuttgart, Porsche museum.
Munchen area: BMW Welt, Munchen Zoo, Dachau, Schloss neuschwanstein, Kehlsteinhaus

Rheinland area: Rudesheim am Rhein (small vine village and great vines for tasting)
Bernkastel-Kues (take a mosel ship cruise.. it is great, also vine museum where you can taste over 200 different vines for fixed price)

Italy :
Stelvio pass
Passo gavia
Hot natural baths in Molina.. i can tell more how to find those if you are interested.. there is not any tourists because so few know about those.. :P
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/69826187


We have done quite a few roadtrips in Germany / Austria / Italy... Always too much driving and less relaxing. So i recommend do not drive too much / day. Take longer holiday and make longer trip if possible. There is so much to see...Personally i dont like to make that strict schedule.

Jared: We have roads like swiss here.. because of bad worn roads (stud wear, grooving)... RWD cars usually tramlining if all stars are not in correct positions..
 
Can't remember if you need a Swiss tax disc for all roads or just motorways but worth checking.

Just for the motorways :thumbsup:
 
I've not looked closely at our route through Switzerland (other than the Passes we'll be on) so unsure whether I'll need the motorway tax sticker.
I suppose it's a case of better safe than sorry as it's only around £25.

What are people views on the lack of spare wheel ? It's trips like this that get me worried about not having a spare. I normally swap over the BMW kit from my M135 when I use the Z4 but I really need a dedicated Z4 kit I can leave in the car. Thoughts ?
 
The slime kit seems the most popular with forum members. Contains the slime sealant, which I believe can be washed out of the tyre quite easily if used, and an electric inflation pump. Approximate cost £28, but may be wise to purchase a 2nd can of sealant for such a long trip, just in case. if you're really concerned, there are one or two old posts where members have sourced a thinner wheel and tyre to use as a space saver type spare (I think a Volvo wheel fits-not sure which model). This would take up lots of valuable boot space however and I would also think the car insurers should be consulted.
 
Sounds a great trip .we bin doing euro trip for the last 4 yrs with other zedders.However last yr we were on our own so coz I dont trust these kits when yr up the furkapass.i took a spare wheel .off a 3 series bm.still had room int boot for mi guiness and cases.
Worth considering.
Moz
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AlienZed said:
Sounds a great trip .we bin doing euro trip for the last 4 yrs with other zedders.However last yr we were on our own so coz I dont trust these kits when yr up the furkapass.i took a spare wheel .off a 3 series bm.still had room int boot for mi guiness and cases.
Worth considering.
Moz
Click to expand...

Wow, that is impressive packing !! I bought a new spare for our Z3 before we sold it. Went to a mate so it's maybe an option to borrow for a few days just to be on the safe side.

I'll also look into the slime kit option. I've only used a sealant once and it was on a motorbike rear tyre. Was a disaster and I always swore never to use again but I've been blessed (or cursed) with 2 cars and not a spare wheel between them !
 
Ps off again this year with Billz off this forum. Takin in sustenpass. Furka pass . grimsell pass.etc then down to Briancon to pyrenees east to west an then down to southern spain for a weeks chillin.
Roll on 9th july
Moz
 
AlienZed said:
Ps off again this year with Billz off this forum. Takin in sustenpass. Furka pass . grimsell pass.etc then down to Briancon to pyrenees east to west an then down to southern spain for a weeks chillin.
Roll on 9th july
Moz
Click to expand...

Sounds good... We'll have missed you by a couple of days. Fingers crossed for good weather 8)
 
gedo said:
If anyone has any feedback on this itinerary or any suggestions on places to visit/drive/eat they would be most welcome.

Any other general road trip advice is also welcome, particularly around packing everything in. My wife has already started stressing !
Click to expand...

On the Schwarzwald leg , try and get to Mulhouse (Fr) and spend a day at the Schlumpf collection (Bugatti) we'll be going again this year.

Packing:- We do a three week trip every year and like to get it all into a couple of cases . If you are flitting between hotels we've always found it easier that way.
There are Tripp suitcases that fit the E85/89 perfectly - two fit in side by side so no need to by fitted luggage.

Duration:- it's been said earlier on here, try and string the holiday out another week. There's more out there than just driving.
 
ronk said:
What made you choose Hull to sail from gedo?
The Tyne crossing is 130mile closer to you :?
Click to expand...

Old habit I guess, I've always sailed from Hull on previous trips apart from a couple of trips from Rosyth (only 18 miles from me) before they cancelled the service.
 
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