Road trip to Italy

Road trip to Italy

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Pizzaeatingking

Original Poster:

545 posts

78 months

Sunday 6th August 2023
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I’m off to Italy next month for my brother in laws wedding. I’ve got some hotels booked for the return trip (Motorworld/B’Mine car loft) along with time for BMW world, Porsche & Mercedes on the way back.

I’m after some tips/suggestions for the routes between France and Italy and then back out to Germany. Last time we went I just took the route google maps offered, via the gotthard tunnel, it was nice enough but this time I’m in my car and I’d like some more enjoyable roads & scenery perhaps.

I can sit and play on google maps all day but nothing beats real world experience, so I’d appreciate any suggestions!

Cheers

Cayman DP

38 posts

61 months

Sunday 6th August 2023
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We drove down to Tuscany for our wedding anniversary. Highly recommend Route Napoleon (Harry Metcalfe search Harry garage has some great videos on utube)amazing driving and views. We stayed in Grenoble the night before then 6 hours driving through the mountains. At the end you drop into the south of France and we stayed in hotel Boscolo in Nice. You can then follow the coastal motorway into Italy.

Edited by Cayman DP on Sunday 6th August 15:33

Halmyre

11,559 posts

146 months

Sunday 6th August 2023
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St Gotthard Pass instead of the tunnel, definitely.

mr pg

1,986 posts

212 months

Sunday 6th August 2023
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Go via the Andermatt loop in Switzerland, then the new or old Gotthard pass. From there you have a number of options to head south to Italy. Grand st Bernard pass would be my choice.
Col d'Liseran/Mont Cenis is another option.

WosMyName

4,613 posts

86 months

Sunday 6th August 2023
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You will need an Umwelt sticker to enter Munich and Stuttgart . They're available to buy online ,very cheap .

Where in Italy are you going ?

To get back to Munich you might as well use the A22 Autostrada to Austria ,the scenery through the Dolomites is stunning and you can always come off if you want some pass driving .

You also might need a Vignette for Austrian motorways ,can also be bought online or buy the little sticker on the Italian motorway .

mr pg

1,986 posts

212 months

Sunday 6th August 2023
quotequote all
WosMyName said:
You will need an Umwelt sticker to enter Munich and Stuttgart . They're available to buy online ,very cheap .

Where in Italy are you going ?

To get back to Munich you might as well use the A22 Autostrada to Austria ,the scenery through the Dolomites is stunning and you can always come off if you want some pass driving .

You also might need a Vignette for Austrian motorways ,can also be bought online or buy the little sticker on the Italian motorway .
Austrian vignettes are digital now, no sticker any more.

WosMyName

4,613 posts

86 months

Sunday 6th August 2023
quotequote all
mr pg said:
Austrian vignettes are digital now, no sticker any more.
Digital is an option , the sticker is the other option ,I bought 2 x 10 day stickers in June 2023



Pizzaeatingking

Original Poster:

545 posts

78 months

Sunday 6th August 2023
quotequote all
Thanks for the speedy replies! Just what I was after, I’ll get looking at some of those suggestions.

WosMyName said:
You will need an Umwelt sticker to enter Munich and Stuttgart . They're available to buy online ,very cheap .

Where in Italy are you going ?

To get back to Munich you might as well use the A22 Autostrada to Austria ,the scenery through the Dolomites is stunning and you can always come off if you want some pass driving .

You also might need a Vignette for Austrian motorways ,can also be bought online or buy the little sticker on the Italian motorway .
I have an Umwelt, I think my car has spent more time being driven in Germany than the UK over the last 24 months biggrin

Good shout for the Austrian vignette though, I know about the Swiss one but didn’t know about the Austrian one.

I’m heading to Perugia, so fairly central and not too far south.

PetrolHeadInRecovery

151 posts

22 months

Sunday 13th August 2023
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A few random thoughts:
  • Coming down from the UK, take a detour from Dijon to Nyon in Switzerland. Nicer views, not much of a delay and might save a bit on the road tolls.
  • Options for crossing over to Italy from the Geneva region: 1) efficient: Mont Blanc tunnel. 2) small detour: continue from Chamonix to Martigny (over Forclaz pass), take the St. Bernhard tunnel, 3) ideal sightseeing and slowest way to get from Chamonix to Aosta without walking: as #2, but take the St. Bernhard pass
  • If picking #3 above, you might as well add in a detour to Annecy before Chamonix
  • With #1, worth considering the 10 trip card: you start saving from the fourth pass, valid for two years and you can let others use the card.
  • Even locals avoid the Milan Ring road...


WosMyName

4,613 posts

86 months

Sunday 13th August 2023
quotequote all
PetrolHeadInRecovery said:
A few random thoughts:
  • Even locals avoid the Milan Ring road...
I compare it unfavourably to the M25 and you have to pay to use parts of it too .

PetrolHeadInRecovery

151 posts

22 months

Sunday 13th August 2023
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WosMyName said:
PetrolHeadInRecovery said:
A few random thoughts:
  • Even locals avoid the Milan Ring road...
I compare it unfavourably to the M25 and you have to pay to use parts of it too .
Doly noted - haven't driven in the UK (or anywhere where you drive on the left). Probably shouldn't start with M25 if I ever get to the UK! smile

Reminds me: included in the first suggestion is a 15km stretch of road from the top of the Jura to Nyon that seems to claim one or two lives per year. Mostly motorcyclists, kind of a local version of Route Napoleon that "must" be driven/ridden competitively.

Nice enough (but not exceptional) stretch of road, but especially on Saturdays not really enjoyable.

bumblebee

556 posts

234 months

Wednesday 30th August 2023
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A good few years back I did a trip to Mennagio (Lake Como). We went across to the Rhine Valley (Haut Koenigsbourg - Riquewhir), then bypassed Mulhouse and Basel and crossed into Switzerland over the Jura somewhere near Neuchâtel (there wasn’t a border crossing - only realised when the road signs and markings changed 😂). Did a couple of nights in Murren (Lauterbrunnen Valley) then did the Furka pass up to what’s left of the Rhône Glacier and then back down and up and over to Italy via the Grimsel Pass.