7 Day Road Trip France and Italy

[mikearwas]

Hi all,

I'm starting to plan a road trip for the summer with some friends and would appreciate some guidance on routes/stopping points etc.

Current intention is to get to St Tropez, stay there for a night and then head towards Monaco, up into the mountains and then through into Italy.

I don't have a very good idea of timings and would be very appreciative of any route suggestions you may have given the time restraints we have for the trip.

Thanks in advance.

[g3org3y]

The wife and I did a Euro trip very much along the route that you are planning (down through France to Monaco and through Italy into the Alps) though our trip was 14 days in total.

Here's the route we took:



Highlights for me were the Italian Lakes and the town of Annecy, both very much recommended if you get the opportunity. As a car enthusiast, a quick stop off in Reims for the obligatory photos at the old racing grandstands is also something to consider.

Write up of the trip here.

Hope that is of help.

[mikearwas]

g3org3y said:

The wife and I did a Euro trip very much along the route that you are planning (down through France to Monaco and through Italy into the Alps) though our trip was 14 days in total.

Here's the route we took:



Highlights for me were the Italian Lakes and the town of Annecy, both very much recommended if you get the opportunity. As a car enthusiast, a quick stop off in Reims for the obligatory photos at the old racing grandstands is also something to consider.

Write up of the trip here.

Hope that is of help.

Thanks very much that's very helpful. We might need to modify to fit within 7 days but we're thinking about taking out the French Riviera element and sticking with the Alps and potentially the Italian lakes.

[TEKNOPUG]

mikearwas said:

Thanks very much that's very helpful. We might need to modify to fit within 7 days but we're thinking about taking out the French Riviera element and sticking with the Alps and potentially the Italian lakes.

It's a LOT of miles to cover in 7 days. 300+ miles a day. 5+ hours driving each day.

[PositronicRay]

Time St Tropez carefully, traffic can be awful. After spending 1.5hrs and moving a couple of KM I gave up and went somewhere else.

Nice is nice. and a drive on the corniches, as are St Jean Cap Ferrat, Beaulieu-sur-mer Menton etc. For me give Cannes & Monaco a miss, life's too short.

7 days isn't really long enough, you need time out of your car to enjoy and appreciate some of these places.

[chopper602]

You can head down through France to Geneva, then take the road via the Mt. Blanc tunnel to Italy and the Lakes, then head north into Switzerland and then Germany (for the Autobahns naturally!). Then either stay in Germany and head north (free roads) or take a compass point back towards your channel crossing of choice and go through France / Belgium. Plan a fuel stop in Luxembourg!

[fatboy b]

TEKNOPUG said:

mikearwas said:

Thanks very much that's very helpful. We might need to modify to fit within 7 days but we're thinking about taking out the French Riviera element and sticking with the Alps and potentially the Italian lakes.

It's a LOT of miles to cover in 7 days. 300+ miles a day. 5+ hours driving each day.

Agreed - I like driving, but that is a haul! I like to get somewhere and relax for a couple of days at least an absorb the scenery/food/culture a bit.