Poss Europe Trip in August (1 Viewer)

Jan 31, 2016
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Is the too much to try to do in 12 days
Route is avoiding tolls rolls to cut cost down needs fine tuning when establish stop overs
Planning 1 day in each Geneva, Lake Garda, Canevaworld & Gardaland
I believe it should be more than doable as ive seen lots of peeps go to Lake Garda and back in 2 weeks. Both wife and I want to take kids ot Geneva also, I took wife there 2 years ago and we said we'd take kids back.

Route below from Calais however we will be travelling down from Yorkshire and back, hence 12 days not 14 as need to take 1 day to Calais and 1 day back from Calais home into account.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/dir/C...2!1d1.858686!2d50.95129!2m1!2b1!3e0!4e1?hl=en
 
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Oct 5, 2012
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Took me 12 days to get across just France on the N roads.......:(
 

Mikey RV

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Sorry but I really don't see the point in trying to cram everything into two weeks. Just do less but with more time, so much more enjoyable, and you will feel so much better for it. The idea of a holiday is to relax. Happy travels what ever way you decide to do it. (y)

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Jagtazman
Jan 31, 2016
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Sorry but I really don't see the point in trying to cram everything into two weeks. Just do less but with more time, so much more enjoyable, and you will feel so much better for it. The idea of a holiday is to relax. Happy travels what ever way you decide to do it. (y)
Ignore the stops on the route that just my route planning I aint decided on stopvers yet
I dont feel I am trying to cram too much in as Ive only planned 2 cities and 2 theme parks which is 4days excluding driving out of 2 weeks
 

TerryL

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Yes that's okay for you but how do the kids feel about being cooped up in the van for 8 days, even with the promise of "goodies"?

We've learned from experience - too much tarmac. But it's your decision.
 
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Jagtazman
Jan 31, 2016
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Yes that's okay for you but how do the kids feel about being cooped up in the van for 8 days, even with the promise of "goodies"?

We've learned from experience - too much tarmac. But it's your decision.
Don't worry we ain't driving for 8 days and my kids are teenagers prob drive there from calaos with one stopover and back the same

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Gazza333

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Very doable but I'm sure the three month away retirees will roll off their sun loungers Needs must for those of us that have to fit holidays around work. Last year I did 11 days and went to Spain and back. Great trip ( I do enjoy driving though )

If I had 3 months I'd have taken 3 months but I had 11 days lol. Just do it and enjoy . Beauty of motorhome you can change your mind on route . I did, for the 11 days I'd planned Normandy and Brittany
 

magicsurfbus

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Don't worry we ain't driving for 8 days and my kids are teenagers prob drive there from calaos with one stopover and back the same

I hope more than two of you can drive then. Two of us can and we're happy to go up to 400 miles in a day, but we'd assume 4 days for that trip: Yorks - Calais, Calais - Metz, Metz - Munich, Munich - Garda via the Brenner Pass, all spent travelling apart from maybe the late afternoon of day 4.

We have travelled these routes at various times recently, so we know. Good luck if you're happy to exceed 8 hours MH driving a day. For starters traffic volumes on German autobahns are just like on our motorways - they're not all quick. Belgium and Luxembourg are similar. Only French toll roads are noticeably quicker.

A day for Gardaland is realistic - it's on a similar scale to Alton Towers and will be busy in August. Canevaworld isn't of the same quality to be honest, but the studio tour isn't bad and the aqaupark is a lot of fun - you might fit those in on one day. There's an eat all you can rock-themed diner outside the entrance which is quite interesting. The campsite round the corner is worth considering too for its convenience - called Camping Amici di Lazise. There are free shuttle buses to Gardaland.

A day isn't enough to see what Lake Garda has to offer - it's huge. Admittedly the various lakeside towns all begin to look alike after a few trips but first time out it's got to be worth two days minumum. Useful finding out which towns have a market on which day as that can add some interest. Personally I'd say forget Geneva and make the most of Garda.

Also, your route needs to go down the SE side of Garda to be close to the theme parks. The route you've chosen back over the Alps from Garda to Geneva would be heavy going too, even if they're good roads.

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MattR

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Yes, @Jagtazman, your route is doable. I would suggest leaving including a few hours drive on the continent in your travel time to and from Yorkshire. Leave Halifax 9am, arrive S Coast around 3pm. Cross to France & drive for a couple of hours, arriving in Charleroi, Belgium in time for supper. Alternatively, leave Halifax the night before your crossing and stay somewhere closer to the crossing point.

Day 1: Halifax, S Coast England, Charleroi, Belgium
Day 2: Charleroi, Belgium Nancy, France (3 hours)
Day 3: Nancy to Geneva (5-6 hrs)
Day 4: Geneva
Day 5: Geneva to Masera (5-6 hrs)
Day 6: Spare day!
Day 7: Masera to Lake Garda (4-5 hrs)
Day 8: Lake Garda Gardaland
Day 9: Lake Garda
Day 10: Lake Garda: Canevaworld
Day 11: Lake Garda to Kempten (6-7 hours) (I've no idea what Kempten is like but it is an example.
Day 12: Kempten to Luxembourg (approx 6-7 hours)
Day 13: Luxembourg to Calais (4 hrs)
Day 14: Calais to Halifax

It will be a lot of time travelling and others will say that it is too much but if you are limited to 2 weeks, I would still say that it is worth doing.

I've included a spare day on day 6. The Alps are lovely so it could be used for that area but you might consider using it on the way back if the weather is looking good in Luxembourg so that you have a bit of a rest on the way back.
 
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Minxy

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If you want to do it you will regardless of what we say but it doesn't sound like much of a holiday ... why not make up a proper itinerary with realistic timings on and then let your other half and kids tell you what THEY think ... I doubt they appreciate just how much travelling will be necessary for IMV very little gain.
 
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I used to do 5 drops in Italy, down to Greece, load and back to St Helens in 10 days and that was with pretty much 2 days of sailing on the Adriatic.
It's definitely do able but nowadays I'd want 3 weeks for what you're doing.

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deleted-member02

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You could substitute Lake Garda with Lake Annecy instead.
Close to Geneva and Chamonix with far less driving...
 

Chris

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Personally I would avoid Lake Garda in the last two weeks of August.

It's packed in the first two weeks but goes to a whole new level after that. I think it must be the main Italian holidays or something.

The traffic will be horrendous
 
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Jagtazman
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We are planning first 2 not a lot of can do atm boys kids still at school and wife works at a school

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MattR

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If cost is an issue, I would stick to France as @Chris suggested and visit Geneva on the one road that doesn't require a vignette otherwise you'll be paying 40 Euros for the privilege of driving in Switzerland for a few days. If your family have just broken up from school, you might enjoy the holiday more if you had more rest days and explored the French Alps rather than going around the whole mountain range.
 
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Jagtazman
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If cost is an issue, I would stick to France as @Chris suggested and visit Geneva on the one road that doesn't require a vignette otherwise you'll be paying 40 Euros for the privilege of driving in Switzerland for a few days. If your family have just broken up from school, you might enjoy the holiday more if you had more rest days and explored the French Alps rather than going around the whole mountain range.
Cost aint that much of an issue Id just prefer to drive longer than pay tolls with 2 teenagers in tow it aint cheap and if we can make savings on tolls it pays for a park for the day :)
Horses for courses so to say. I hate paying for parking like wild camping but will also use campsites.
As everyone is aware a motorhoming holiday can be as cheap or as expensive as you make it is how and where you spend that makes the difference.
When i finalise the route will look more into the vignette however we are 3850kg so cannot just get a normal ticket.

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Langtoftlad

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I am confused.

It appears you already have the answer to your original question so I wonder why it was asked...

JJ :cool:
This - you appear to be trying to convince us that this is doable, why?
The majority view seems to be;
Yes you can do it, but it would be more enjoyable if you took longer or didn't go as far.
Does it have to be Lake Garda?
 

suavecarve

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Personally I would avoid Lake Garda in the last two weeks of August.

It's packed in the first two weeks but goes to a whole new level after that. I think it must be the main Italian holidays or something.

The traffic will be horrendous


I couldnt agree more with this post. I did it last year and spent so much time in queues i paid for the autoroutes just to get me back into France. Italy is not good in August.

As for the travelling and distance, I think this is very doable (admittedly i dont have the Yorkshire to Dover journey) I finish a 12 hour night shift and 2 hours to Calais and still make Strasbourg on the first day with a couple of naps here and there and a 2nd driver so you should be at Garda on your 2nd day if you dont mind taking a hit on the driving. Not everybody gets 3 months off and sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

I would be tempted to change your route and pay the vignette for Switzerland. It could save you loads of time for 40 swiss francs but i would stay on the rotten free belgian roads getting down there.

Juras and Alps and staying away from Italy and Switzerland for a fortnight would be my preferred choice for August unless it is specifically Garda you have to go and see. Try googling "Cascades du Herrison" CLairveaux les lacs" "Lac de Vouglans" "Annecy" "Nantua" "Lac d'Ilay" "Dole" "lac de Vesoul" (Western end) "mesnil st pere" for some very pretty lakes with stopovers which shortens your journey significantly and can still include Geneva

Bon Voyage
 

MattR

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Cost aint that much of an issue Id just prefer to drive longer than pay tolls with 2 teenagers in tow it aint cheap and if we can make savings on tolls it pays for a park for the day :)
Horses for courses so to say. I hate paying for parking like wild camping but will also use campsites.
As everyone is aware a motorhoming holiday can be as cheap or as expensive as you make it is how and where you spend that makes the difference.
When i finalise the route will look more into the vignette however we are 3850kg so cannot just get a normal ticket.

Another perspective; we sometimes use the N roads rather than the toll roads but sometimes find that the money saved is eaten up by spending hours longer on the journey and that time can't be recovered. Is it better to spend 8 hours driving in one day and arrive weary or 5 hours and be fresher? I've also found that the toll savings are reduced by the extra fuel consumption of driving on smaller roads where there is greater need for braking and accelerating and more occasions where we are travelling over meal times and end up paying for meals out when we could have arrived 2 hours earlier and be settling down to a meal cooked in our van.

If I am feeling organised, I look at the toll prices for different stages of the journey; some sections are very cheap on tolls and others seem to charge a great deal. That tends to influence what roads we take if we have time and inclination.

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Jagtazman
Jan 31, 2016
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Thanks for all the feedback whether good and bad nice to see different views. We are set on geneva as we promised the kids w'ed take them there. As for lake garda heard so much about it an only a days drive away with lots to do.
I am used to driving so that ain't a problem will look into different routes Inc and excluding tools.
Only thing I would say it not everyone is retired and can take longer to travel. We only have a few years left with kids and we want to try to do as much as we can In next few years. If that means alot of driving so once there we can relax rather than taking time getting somewhere so be it.
I suppose my original post was not worded as good as it should have been but we ain't all perfect
Anyone know of a good site that displays all tolls costs?
 

MattR

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Thanks for all the feedback whether good and bad nice to see different views. We are set on geneva as we promised the kids w'ed take them there. As for lake garda heard so much about it an only a days drive away with lots to do.
I am used to driving so that ain't a problem will look into different routes Inc and excluding tools.
Only thing I would say it not everyone is retired and can take longer to travel. We only have a few years left with kids and we want to try to do as much as we can In next few years. If that means alot of driving so once there we can relax rather than taking time getting somewhere so be it.
I suppose my original post was not worded as good as it should have been but we ain't all perfect
Anyone know of a good site that displays all tolls costs?


Please don't take the comments as criticism; they are ideas and thoughts. I agree that not everyone has lots of time travel and sometimes it is better to travel longer and see / do more things but sometimes the opposite is true.

Toll costs can be found here: https://www.viamichelin.co.uk/ but you need to add the extra 50% or so for motorhomes.
 

suavecarve

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When i finalise the route will look more into the vignette however we are 3850kg so cannot just get a normal ticket.

I m not sure they will notice. If you were to buy one at a garage they just visibly check it (if they have staff on the checkpoints)

I think the fine is only like £160 !
 

MattR

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50% for cost of fuel or tolls or both? I assume both

I tend to add 50% for tolls and set the vehicle type to luxury, which, I guess gives the same kind of MPG as our MH. The fuel consumption is an indicator though; Calais to Geneva costs approx 200€ on toll roads. 54€ for toll fees, 40 € for the vignetter and 100€ on fuel.:

Distance: 755 km including 645 km on motorways
Time: 07h55 including 05h32 on motorways
07h58 including 3 mn traffic impact for departure at 11h16
Costs: 193.77 € including Toll 54.50 €, Consumption 101.96 €, Road tax 37.31 €

The alternative route takes 2.5 hours more and saves 30€:

Distance: 902 km including 737 km on motorways
Time: 10h32 including 07h25 on motorways
No traffic impact for departure at 11h21
Costs: 163.52 € including Consumption 126.21 €, Road tax 37.31 €

In reality, I would rather pay 30€ extra to whisk through this area of France and do the journey in one long day than take two days to do it, particularly if the weather isn't very good. If the weather is good for the journey, I would be looking at the weather at my destination; I've had a couple of occasions when we have taken the slower route to get somewhere, travelling in glorious weather only to arrive as the weather changed for the worse.

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