Ferrari 360 euro road trip this summer

[mailer555]

Hi guys, looking for a bit of advice/experience from anyone.
planning out a 19 day euro road trip in the 360 spider for our 20th wedding anniversary/40th birthdays for this summer, I think I have most of the route/destinations planned but looking for a bit of advice on where to stay, roads to take, or just any experience any of you have on great places to stop along the way.
destinations will be:
Scotland over to Amsterdam
Amsterdam to Baden-Baden, explore Baden-Baden and hit the Porsche museum in Stuttgart
Baden-Baden to Lauterbrunnen, spend a few days exploring this area
Lauterbrunnen to Como taking in Susten and Furka passes.
Como to Monaco, spend a couple of nights in Monaco and one in Cannes
Cannes to Lyon
Lyon to Reims
Reims back to Scotland
I've never put a trip this long together before and just looking for any experience or advice you may have. also never taken the Ferrari this far before, so any help on basic spares to take would be helpful

[johnnyreggae]

Ferrari have a roadside / dealer collection service that used to be free but may now require an inspection at a main dealer - ask either them or HQ in Slough eg https://exeter.ferraridealers.com/en-GB/roadside-a...

Sounds like a good trip - have fun

Roads around Como are very narrow - stayed at Belvedere in Bellagio

French off-motorway fueling can be quite stressful at weekends as some card-operated petrol stations still don't accept non-French credit cards and you won't find a human operator

Stayed here in Baden Baden - central & good enough - I seem to recall we parked on the street: Hotel Der Kleine Prinz

This is a decent Monaco hotel in France with parking Riviera Marriott Hotel La Porte de Monaco

Edited by johnnyreggae on Thursday 26th January 09:20

[MDL111]

When I did a road trip in the 355 I got European cover from AA (I think) just to be on the save side [this is 10+ years ago, so not sure what exists nowadays]

[EmilA]

I'd highly recommend the Mercedes Museum too.They are fairly close together.

[silber]

If you want to maximise time on Swiss passes from Lauterbrunnen, a max-out route could be: Grimselpass, Furkapass, from Andermatt down to Wassen on the country road (ten mins of fun), Sustenpass, back over Grimsel, then right to the Nufenenpass which is excellent and usually much quieter than Furka, and then down towards Italy. Or, a shorter route would be Grimsel, Furka, Gottard. Or, Susten and then Gottard. Whichever route, you'll enjoy it and the sounds ricocheting off the rock-faces will ring for a while!

Mine up the side of Grimsel.

Enjoy.

[silber]

Also, from Baden Baden you have the Black Forest to enjoy, which is usually freer and emptier than the Swiss passes (careful for unmarked police motorbikes). Zooming in on a map, you'll see...

[supersport]

MDL111 said:

When I did a road trip in the 355 I got European cover from AA (I think) just to be on the save side [this is 10+ years ago, so not sure what exists nowadays]

They still do it, I used it last summer but it's quite expensive.

Get with insurance now which is much nicer.

I would also recommend visiting the Mercedes museum, even as Porsche nut I think it's actually better. When we went you could get a discount at Mercedes if you went to the Porsche museum first. We did both in one day, wouldn't do that again, it's too much.

I've never had a problem with off motorway services, usually aim for a Supermarket which always seem to be unmanned.

[mailer555]

silber said:

If you want to maximise time on Swiss passes from Lauterbrunnen, a max-out route could be: Grimselpass, Furkapass, from Andermatt down to Wassen on the country road (ten mins of fun), Sustenpass, back over Grimsel, then right to the Nufenenpass which is excellent and usually much quieter than Furka, and then down towards Italy. Or, a shorter route would be Grimsel, Furka, Gottard. Or, Susten and then Gottard. Whichever route, you'll enjoy it and the sounds ricocheting off the rock-faces will ring for a while!

Mine up the side of Grimsel.

Enjoy.

thanks, I've just looked at your routes on Maps, makes sense. picks look amazing as well!

[blueg33]

Spares and tools that I take with my 360 on road trips

Ferrari tool kit with bulbs and belts
Fuses
Tow rope
Torque wrench
tyre foam
battery for remote fob
small screwdriver to access battery on remote fob


Spares and tools that I have used with my 360 on long road trips
.
.
.
.
.
.

I work on the principle, that if I don't take them I will need something, if I take them I am safe

[DRZ]

We did a similar length trip down through Germany into Austria a few years back now. Purely from a driving perspective, give yourself enough time to rest. That means not having pressure to be at x point by y time in a day in order to make it to z before something irrecoverable happens. Give yourself a day of doing nothing at least once in the trip to absorb anything that goes amiss. Have a plan of what you're going to do if you can't continue your journey in the car for whatever reason. Do you fly home? Hire a car? Get a train? Knowing these things in advance will make things way more enjoyable.

My McLaren let me down in France last year and I ended up hiring a car to complete the important bits of my trip. It wasn't quite as fun but I got to see the things I wanted to see and I didn't let the breakdown spoil the overall feeling of the trip. Plus I got to hoof it back from Geneva at a later date which was very enjoyable

[Bispal]

mailer555 said:

Hi guys, looking for a bit of advice/experience from anyone.
planning out a 19 day euro road trip in the 360 spider for our 20th wedding anniversary/40th birthdays for this summer, I think I have most of the route/destinations planned but looking for a bit of advice on where to stay, roads to take, or just any experience any of you have on great places to stop along the way.
destinations will be:
Scotland over to Amsterdam
Amsterdam to Baden-Baden, explore Baden-Baden and hit the Porsche museum in Stuttgart
Baden-Baden to Lauterbrunnen, spend a few days exploring this area
Lauterbrunnen to Como taking in Susten and Furka passes.
Como to Monaco, spend a couple of nights in Monaco and one in Cannes
Cannes to Lyon
Lyon to Reims
Reims back to Scotland
I've never put a trip this long together before and just looking for any experience or advice you may have. also never taken the Ferrari this far before, so any help on basic spares to take would be helpful

Sounds amazing, I have done all those destinations in road trips over the past 10 years. Some great roads.

Baden-Baden is a great place. make sure you spend a day in the public thermal baths (not the naked one)

We go to the Lauterbrunnen area almost yearly. We stay in Interlaken as a base and take the train to Grindlewald or Lauterbrunnen. We have parked McLaren's and Porsches in the train car park and its only about 5 euros a day. You will need a train pass anyway to viist all the amazing places, Männlichen, Wengen, Eiger, First, Trümmelbachfälle, Schynige Platte. Harder Kulm, Aareschlucht I could go on. And then there is the best road loop of passes, Grimsel, Furka and Susten. You can visit the Rhone glacier and take pics outside the famous abandoned hotel. Youwill need at least a week in this area, i think its one of the best destinations in the world.

Como is ok, nice views of the lake but I would only stop a day and spend more time in Grindlewald area. We have stayed in Como for 10 days and best things to see are Villa del Balbianello (you will recognise from star wars) Try and blag your way into Villa d'Este, i think its patrons only now but the 'we are on honeymoon' trick for a coffee usually works. Was (probably still is) one of the most exclusive hotels in the world)

The route from Como to Monaco isn't that great, you are too far away from Route Napoloen and route des grandes alpes. We almost always stay in Antibes instead of Monaco, much nicer. You can park for free / peanuts in Monaco after 7pm and all supercar friendly or get the train from Antibes. Antibes has great beach clubs and only 20 euros a day, ROYAL BEACH - plage privée de l'hôtel Royal Antibes or Juanita beacj in Juan les pins, park at Parking Courbet.

If you are going to to Lyon you MUST go to Mont Ventoux & Ardeche Gorge and stay overnight at Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, its one of the most stunning, beautiful places in the world.

Stay in Troyes, not Reims, its much nicer, hotel de la poste has a good supercar friendly car park. And from Dijon take the D996 to Troyes, one of the best hidden gem roads in the world. We always take it instead of the autoroute.

Car tips. Take a puncture repair plugging kit and foot pump, stop and go delux one is best. Make sure you buy a toll road pass / blpper. Google Bip & Go and never stop in France at a toll booth. A bit of oil as its expensive in the mountains. And get break down insurance, You will be quoted around £300 as car is older. However we usually get it a lot cheaper through our insurance company. just call your insurance company and add it on. I can tell you now (after extensive research) Admiral uses the AA. We paid £18 for Admiral and AA quote was £280 and we are members. I asked some tricky questions and Admiral put me through to their provider direct, the AA. Re gas your aircon.

In 10 years in Europe in supercars never had an issue, you will have a great time. I don't have a Ferrari, just McLaren, but hope that's useful.

[blueg33]

You get worldwide recovery free with any Ferrari, even an old one. You need the MyFerrari app and register your Vin and proof of ownership

Having said that - as I expect Ferrari would recover the car to a dealer who will charge £2000 to replace a fuse, I also use Greenflag. Buy it through a comparison site not direct from Greenflag and its pretty good value.

Edited by blueg33 on Thursday 26th January 15:49

[willy wombat]

Only thing I would add to the above is that if you turn up at the Villa d’ Este in a Ferrari (reasonably well dressed) I’m pretty sure you won’t have a problem. They try to pretend that they’re not impressed by Ferraris but they’re Italian and they can’t help themselves. I’ve stayed there a few times and it is a bit special.

[supersport]

If around Reims, try Chateau Etoges, just south of Reims. Very nice and lovely. Great food and very quiet.

I and another 430 owner on here have stayed independently

[Kyodo]

Here's a full write up of a similar trip in a 360 from a few years ago, from planning to the route. It includes several of the places you mention.

http://ferrari360modena.co.uk

Edited by Kyodo on Friday 27th January 10:28

[saveloy]

silber said:

Also, from Baden Baden you have the Black Forest to enjoy, which is usually freer and emptier than the Swiss passes (careful for unmarked police motorbikes). Zooming in on a map, you'll see...

Please note that the B500 to Baden Baden is now ruined; speed cameras (including mobile units), plus a 50mph speed limit.

Kyri

[browngt3]

A timely thread. I'm planning to take my 308 to its birthplace end of June including the Le Mans Classic on the way back. Wanted to do the Le Mans race but unfortunately all the tickets sold out.

I've heard you can do a few laps of Monza on a pay as you go basis. Anyone had any experience of this?

[mailer555]

Bispal said:

Sounds amazing, I have done all those destinations in road trips over the past 10 years. Some great roads.

Baden-Baden is a great place. make sure you spend a day in the public thermal baths (not the naked one)

We go to the Lauterbrunnen area almost yearly. We stay in Interlaken as a base and take the train to Grindlewald or Lauterbrunnen. We have parked McLaren's and Porsches in the train car park and its only about 5 euros a day. You will need a train pass anyway to viist all the amazing places, Männlichen, Wengen, Eiger, First, Trümmelbachfälle, Schynige Platte. Harder Kulm, Aareschlucht I could go on. And then there is the best road loop of passes, Grimsel, Furka and Susten. You can visit the Rhone glacier and take pics outside the famous abandoned hotel. Youwill need at least a week in this area, i think its one of the best destinations in the world.

Como is ok, nice views of the lake but I would only stop a day and spend more time in Grindlewald area. We have stayed in Como for 10 days and best things to see are Villa del Balbianello (you will recognise from star wars) Try and blag your way into Villa d'Este, i think its patrons only now but the 'we are on honeymoon' trick for a coffee usually works. Was (probably still is) one of the most exclusive hotels in the world)

The route from Como to Monaco isn't that great, you are too far away from Route Napoloen and route des grandes alpes. We almost always stay in Antibes instead of Monaco, much nicer. You can park for free / peanuts in Monaco after 7pm and all supercar friendly or get the train from Antibes. Antibes has great beach clubs and only 20 euros a day, ROYAL BEACH - plage privée de l'hôtel Royal Antibes or Juanita beacj in Juan les pins, park at Parking Courbet.

If you are going to to Lyon you MUST go to Mont Ventoux & Ardeche Gorge and stay overnight at Vallon-Pont-d'Arc, its one of the most stunning, beautiful places in the world.

Stay in Troyes, not Reims, its much nicer, hotel de la poste has a good supercar friendly car park. And from Dijon take the D996 to Troyes, one of the best hidden gem roads in the world. We always take it instead of the autoroute.

Car tips. Take a puncture repair plugging kit and foot pump, stop and go delux one is best. Make sure you buy a toll road pass / blpper. Google Bip & Go and never stop in France at a toll booth. A bit of oil as its expensive in the mountains. And get break down insurance, You will be quoted around £300 as car is older. However we usually get it a lot cheaper through our insurance company. just call your insurance company and add it on. I can tell you now (after extensive research) Admiral uses the AA. We paid £18 for Admiral and AA quote was £280 and we are members. I asked some tricky questions and Admiral put me through to their provider direct, the AA. Re gas your aircon.

In 10 years in Europe in supercars never had an issue, you will have a great time. I don't have a Ferrari, just McLaren, but hope that's useful.


Brilliant Bispal,
that's some great adivece, thank you. I've also been to Vallon-pon d'Arc a few times in the past, its stunning. I've spent the weekend tweeking the route.

[Bispal]

mailer555 said:

Bispal said:

Brilliant Bispal,
that's some great adivece, thank you. I've also been to Vallon-pon d'Arc a few times in the past, its stunning. I've spent the weekend tweeking the route.

I look forward to reading about your route one its fully decided post it up

[M1KEY]

Good advice above.

Presume you're getting the ferry from Newcastle/Hull to Amsterdam? If you're getting the tunnel back ask to be put in a wider/truck carriage as otherwise the standard ones can be quite tight for wide cars.

Loads of good passes around the Andermatt/St Mortiz area - I'd rate the Susten & Grimsel over the Furka (the one side of which is pretty tight). Also got the San Gotthard and San Bernardino near by too.

If you've got time, the train from Interlaken up the Jungfrau mountain is pretty cool.

When heading from the Italian lakes to the Riviera, a pretty decent option is the Col de Tende (check it's open was was closed due to flood damage), then take the D2204 from La Giandola down to Sospel. The Col de Turini is also in this area but it's quite tight/twisty.

I'd 2nd staying in Antibes instead of Cannes. We've stayed in Cannes a couple of times but traffic can be a pain and IMO Antibes is nicer.

Heading back north to Lyon, Route Napoleon is a no brainer. IMO the best part is Grasse to Digne. Last year I then turned off and took the D900 up to Gap which was good and very quiet.

You're probably aware but the French & Swiss police aren't mad about speeding and the fines can be pretty chunky so pick your moments. I've always found the mountain roads to be fine for some enthusiastic driving, I just tend easy on the motorways.

If you're bothered about secure parking at hotels, it's worth double checking what access is like (e.g. ramp approach angles with underground car parks). Last year I'd booked a hotel with an underground car park but even my Quadrifoglio couldn't get in.

Enjoy!