Summer Road Trip - Suggestions Please!

A

AJZ4London

Member
Hello All

I am planning a summer European road-trip extravaganza with the girlfriend and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions as to amazing alpine roads? I will be going to near Toulouse for a few days (family)(although I am NOT French...), then Annecy and driving back up to Calais.

Cannot wait for the summer...you look a bit silly driving round with the top down when it is 0 degrees...but who cares? Only had her a month and the novelty does not seem to be wearing off.
 
Annecy is where you should start.Go south from there towards GAP, I can name a load of amazing col's, as many miles on the N85 Route Napoleon towards Nice as you can, then turn round, go back up the N85 and go home. Simply the best driving roads anywhere.
 
I'm planning a trip too, at the moment the thinking is Hull-Zeebrugge ferry, then a night in Strasbourg and a night in Luxembourg, then down towards chamonix for a day or 2 through mont blanc tunnel, head east in northern italy then up the San Bernardino Pass into Switzerland, north east to davos then umbrail and stelvio passes to stelvio before spending a few days at lake Como. Then spend a few days heading back up through france. A mate of mine did Zeebrugge-Strasbourg, through switzerland and I think Austria to the Czeck republic and then back up to the Zeebrugge via the nurburgring a couple of summers ago and said it was mint. If you've got enough time I'd say try and get down to Slovenia and lake bled and Llubliana as its amazing and the roads are stunning, even from a coach!!!
 
Drive from Toulouse to Cannes and then take the N85 from Cannes all the way to Grenoble. After that, you'll probably want to just get on the motorway to Annecy. :wink:
 
Gossglockner Hochalpenstrassen in Austria: http://www.grossglockner.at/en/

Nuff said - truly amazing road in a stunning national park. Saw the Audi R8 being tested there being followed about about 10 RS6's!! Looks as though many many car companies do their testing there and the road itself is pot-hole less, unlike Stelvio Pass!
 
Did this run a couple of years ago and the second half is brilliant. Good roads and spectacular scenery. Plus you end at Millau bridge which has to be seen.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=toulouse&daddr=43.899871,2.815247+to:Millau,+Aveyron,+Midi-Pyr%C3%A9n%C3%A9es,+France&hl=en&geocode=&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=10&via=1&sll=43.91867,2.793274&sspn=0.628147,1.235962&ie=UTF8&ll=43.874138,2.384033&spn=1.257221,2.471924&z=9 (Toulouse to Millau)
 
I'd been looking at doing a trip myself in June this year. Had this in my mind for about 18 months - 8 days either on my own or with a mate (mrs isn't bothered about going).

But due to changes at work, I can't do this now - and am totally gutted - especially as the same time next year I probably will have changed cars.

Interested to keep an eye on this thread myself though. Just in case.
 
I too am planning a european trip this summer, unfortunately I'm taking our VW Transporter (ghetto camper!) with my MTBs though. At least it's a 130bhp TDI version with a decent bit of poke, but I can see my longing for my Z4 a lot of the time when the sun's out :(

We're starting off in Calais - Paris - Alps area - north into Germany and the Black Forest area - Nurburgring :) - Spa - Zeebrugge and home. No idea on roads yet but will be watching this thread for ideas. I'm also aiming to take in the Porsche museum in Stuttgart after seeing it in last month's evo magaine. Possibly the BMW museum too if we end up near Munich...
 
I think Im going to be driving down to Murcia, Spain this summer. Few family are hiring a couple of villas down there in August. Ive been a passenger on a road trip with family all the way down to Sicily (got family there) and it was awesome. My favourite bit was going along the southern coast of france and driving to Monte Carlo. It has to be done.
 
Thanks for the great ideas guys.

I have driven to the toe of Italy (Calabria) twice. Once in the rentals RX300 and then in my old 118. AVOID driving south of Naples as the roads are truly awful and dangerous. They really have no idea how to drive, contraflows appear from no where and accidents take hours to be cleared.

Best road I have EVER driven on happened by mistake, and I am not sure where it is...I was aiming for one of the tunnels through the Alps but they were closed due to Tour de France and a fire. It was a bitch to begin with as all the lorries were climbing the mountain, not easy to pass in a 118. However, at the top there were the most beautiful views of the mountain lakes (or cirques for those who love geography), the road then bends down, some amazing fast turns! Then you pass a Swiss town which is around a mountain lake, drove past there just as the sun was going down. ABSOLUTELY STUNNING. Then through to Italy. Anyone have any ideas where this might be? Road begins next to one of the tunnels.

Getting more and more excited...
 
Road Trip, great pics, I have done many of these roads on a bike over the past 5 years, always wanted to go back with the car. Annecy is a must do if you're going to the Alps, it's a magical place and the ladies love it. I just wish I'd got more pics, but this is hard when your riding flat out on a bike and the camera is tucked away in the luggage, it's such a faff to stop, get all your gloves and helmet off then take the piccy, then put it all back on again. Jumping out of a car is sooo much easier lol........ :rofl:
 
Ive just sorted out my summer holiday.

A villa for 10 days near to Murcia (southern spain). Oh.....but the holidays taking 3 weeks :D :D

Can't wait. Only definates are the Ardeche because I really fancy doing something active while away and Ive heard its brilliant. Barcelona will be getting a visit as it just happens to be on route. Seriously hoping to go Monte Carlo again as I can't get enough of the place. Any other must see places?
 
If I can get get a bike rack, then I am going to drive to France/Switzerland to do the Pass' Portes du Soleil MTB ride, hopefully find some nice roads there
 
mattb said:
If I can get get a bike rack, then I am going to drive to France/Switzerland to do the Pass' Portes du Soleil MTB ride, hopefully find some nice roads there
Click to expand...

I did it in 2007, flew into Geneve and hired the bikes.

See here http://www.s2ki.com:80/forums/index.php?showtopic=503926
 
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