by "TahoeSTi" (tahoesti)
Published 09/13/2017 at 03:30
by "TahoeSTi" (tahoesti)
Published 09/13/2017 at 03:30
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STARS: 1
My wife and I are getting ready to start a European road trip from Paris to Stuttgart to Geneva to Florance. We have a day to drive to each city and a day or two at each. Except for Florance where we are ditching the car and letting others drive us if we need to be driven.
The drive times seem to be reasonable between each city. We are going to try to plan a stop or two each day. Right now we have no stops planned but will be looking for them soon.
I’m posting this now hoping there are some Oppo’s in Europe with recommendations or tips.
This will be my first-time driving extensively in Europe. I’ve done short trips before driving with locals in the car from Germany to France and a bit in Italy. I’ve also been in cars going from country to country when my parents lived in Austria so I know to expect things like pay tolls/taxes at the last stop before going to a new country but I’m not exactly sure what to expect going from country to country.
All that said looking for any tips on driving, going between countries, or stops in between destinations.
Here’s our route subject to change (see image). The destinations are Paris (where we land, be tourist for a day or two then pick up the car), Stuttgart (where we will go to October fest), Geneva (where we are touring the LHC), then to Florance (where we are staying to drink/eat for a bit)...then we’ll take a train to the coast before heading home.
All of this is starts on 9/21.
"My hovercraft is full of eels" (my-hovercraft-is-full-of-eels)
09/13/2017 at 03:47, STARS: 1
Perhaps a little detour before Milan to Lake Como and/or Lugano. I visited the latter a couple of years ago and it’s a beautiful place.
"Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction" (rustholes-are-weight-reduction)
09/13/2017 at 03:58, STARS: 1
If you plan one day to go from Paris to Stuttgart, you should arrive near Strasbourg mid to late afternoon. make the detour, stretch your legs while walking through the streets, have lunch, then continue to Stuttgart.
Worth it.
Or you could go to Wissembourg (also nice to visit, but smaller, and we can grab a beer.
When are you planning on doing this stretch?
"duurtlang" (duurtlang)
09/13/2017 at 04:21, STARS: 2
If you like mountains, take a mountain pass or two when driving through Switzerland. It can be quite breathtaking. And not nearly as boring as a highway.
"mathias" (mathiaseberlen)
09/13/2017 at 06:27, STARS: 2
Sounds like a lovely trip. Do leave the motorways now and then and drive through the mountains/hills for a bit, especially in the Alps.
I guess you know you’ll need a “vignette” to use the Swiss motorways. You should be able to get it at the last service station before the border. Road tolls in France and Italy are paid at booths on exits or before you leave one company’s road network and enter the next. No road tolls in Germany and the A81 is a nice race track on good days.
Stick to speed limits in France, they’ll get you if you overshoot by 5km/h and might even pull you over at the next exit and ask you to pay cash right away. In Germany, stay in the right lane unless you’re actually overtaking, otherwise you’ll get BMWs and Audis flashing their headlights 1m behind you. And 160km/h is not considered fast. In Italy, afaik everyone just does whatever they want on the roads.
One last word of advice from a Stuttgarter: when you’re in Stuttgart, please do not refer to the Cannstatter Volksfest as Octoberfest :-) The latter is in Munich and both cities do not always get along that well. And please don’t wear Lederhosen, everyone does it now but it’s ridiculous, because again, Stuttgart is not Munich and also not in Bavaria (which is the only place anyone should wear them).
Enjoy your trip!
"Clemsie McKenzie" (thestirringcolumn)
09/13/2017 at 06:38, STARS: 0
Damn that sounds like an awesome trip. Looks like you’re gonna drive a few hundred meters off my house too, leaving Paris. If you need any advice (or a beer) for your couple of days in Paris, hit me up!
As it’s already been said, I would check out the Italian lakes, they’re amazing. And I would add to that the Bodensee, as you’re going to drive right by it on your way down Germany. Pretty cool place!
Enjoy your trip!
"duurtlang" (duurtlang)
09/13/2017 at 08:40, STARS: 2
Small addition: stay right unless to pass should be considered a general rule, not merely in Germany but everywhere (in continental Europe)
"TahoeSTi" (tahoesti)
09/13/2017 at 10:16, STARS: 0
Thanks for the advice, glad i now have a legit reason not to wear Lederhosen.
Any advice for Cannstatter Volksfest, we are there for 1 day and would like to get into a tent. From what I know they are first come first server so we have to line up before 11am to get into one.
"TahoeSTi" (tahoesti)
09/13/2017 at 10:18, STARS: 0
I love mountains, most the reason I live where I do. Any roads you recommend on our route? we may also take a more southern route from Geneva to Florence.
"TahoeSTi" (tahoesti)
09/13/2017 at 10:20, STARS: 0
We leave Pairs on 9/23 and hope to get to Stuttgart that evening. I’d love to stop for a beer, checking out different towns is half the reason we choose to drive not fly or take trains.
"TahoeSTi" (tahoesti)
09/13/2017 at 10:21, STARS: 0
We fly out of Milan, and Lake Como is on my short list, need to see if we can find a quick pit stop around there.
"Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction" (rustholes-are-weight-reduction)
09/13/2017 at 10:36, STARS: 1
That’s the day I’m coming home from New York :), I’ll be at my place around early afternoon, so I’d be happy to show you around town and have a drink. There’s a lot of little things along the roads.
As Duurtlang said, the Alpine roads are breathtaking. We had a blast during the Europpomeet Alpine tour, even the ones with slower cars :)
"TahoeSTi" (tahoesti)
09/13/2017 at 10:36, STARS: 1
I’m sure we’ll be wandering around like lost tourists in Paris. It’s my first time in Paris so I’ll have to do a few touristy things. I believe we are staying in the 11th district.
What are the local beers there? I know Sasoins are kinda French and I’m sure we’ll be drinking wine, but usually, we seek out breweries.
Do they have Uber in Paris or some other App Ride service, I find it’s always easier to just be able to set my destination on my phone then try to tell a cab driver.....but we all survived before apps.
"Clemsie McKenzie" (thestirringcolumn)
09/13/2017 at 11:01, STARS: 1
Yes there’s Uber, and I wouldn’t recommend Parisian cabs that much. You’d be lucky if they’d speak English, for starters. I would recommend public transport though, it’s everywhere and it’s pretty efficient and cheap. You can download the SNCF app to look the lines and stuff, it helps. And Paris isn’t a big city either, so most touristy stuff can be done on foot or a 1-2 metro station jump. The 11th is a cool district too, I live not far from there, in Nogent sur Marne.
As for beers, I’m afraid you’ll get better luck in Germany! In most bars you’ll get a selection of run of the mill beers (Kronenburg, Heineken, Grimbergen, that kind of stuff), nothing fancy. Except if you go to more hipster-y beer places, I suppose. But I don’t know much about those.
"TahoeSTi" (tahoesti)
09/13/2017 at 11:39, STARS: 0
Excellent I’ll get the SNCF app, I imagine will be mostly walking but it’s good to know we can just use Uber if we get lost too far from where we want to be.
I was planning on doing most my beer drinking in Germany, I’ll stick to wine in France and Italy.
"Out, but with a W - has found the answer" (belg)
09/13/2017 at 11:48, STARS: 2
If you’re looking for some fun roads:
Leg 1: Cross through the Vosges mountains and follow the B500 north through the Schwarzwald.
Leg 2: If you’re prepared to spend a lot of time behind the wheel, you can go crazy and do the Susten, Grimsel, Furka, Gotthard and Nufenen passes before heading west to Geneva.
Alternatively, you can visit the Rhine Falls in Schaffhausen and head through the Jura mountains afterwards. I can suggest Morteau - D437 - N5 - D1005 - Gex. On the descent to Gex, there’s a great viewpoint over Lac Léman and Geneva.
Leg 3: Ideally, I’d follow the Route des Grand Alpes south and cross into Italy at Mont Cenis, but that’ll add multiple hours (you’ll need another day tbh) to your driving time. At the very least avoid the tunnel in Chamonix by taking the southern route over the Col du Petit St-Bernard, or the northern one over the Grand St-Bernard.
Have fun!
"TahoeSTi" (tahoesti)
09/13/2017 at 11:58, STARS: 0
Thank you, I’ll plug a few of these routes into google maps later. We have a full day for each leg, so we may be able to get a few fun roads in.
I had an Audi TT rented but the KM Restrictions were going to kill any fun I could have with it.
"Clemsie McKenzie" (thestirringcolumn)
09/13/2017 at 12:47, STARS: 1
Yeah, Paris is only 6 miles across, so really all cool stuff is within reach. That said weather can be a bit crap that time of year.
"TahoeSTi" (tahoesti)
09/13/2017 at 12:55, STARS: 0
Good point, I need to check the weather before I pack.
"Audistein" (Audistein)
09/13/2017 at 18:55, STARS: 0
I can give some insight into driving in Europe in general versus driving in the US.
In Europe, especially in France and Italy, doing long distances isn’t the carefree, easy experience of driving on the freeway in the US. When I’m in the states, I can set the cruise control to 75 or 80, sit in the left lane or second to left lane, and do 5 hours in one sitting.
Europe is not like that. The speed limits are constantly changing due to proximity to more populated areas or construction zones and due to enforcement techniques like speed cameras you actually have to follow them. This means that you always have to be looking out for the speed limit signs.
Also when on the freeway in Europe you’re always changing lanes. Passing on the right generally isn’t allowed and not going in the left lane unless passing is always either a written or unwritten rule. This means that you often have to change lanes to pass people going slowly or to let some speeding local commuters past who may or may not know where the speed cameras are.
I’ll still drive for hours at a time when I’m in Europe (or usually in my case the UK) but I tend to find I don’t have quite the longevity I do in the US. Stopping and taking a break is sometimes not just nice but necessary. And I’m not renting super crappy hatchbacks to drive either (last couple times I had an E-Class and before that a Volvo V60).
People also drive a lot closer in Europe, especially in the cities. In Italy, if you leave too much of a gap in front of you in traffic someone will definitely cut you off. Sometimes traffic moves pretty quickly while at very close proximity. Busses and trucks have no qualms about tailgating. It’s a bit like driving in Boston or New York but even crazier.
I don’t mean to scare you or anything, but just be prepared. While some very, very lazy American drivers may struggle with it, any car enthusiast who is used to fine pedal and steering wheel control will be more than fine.
Also more likely than not you probably won’t even run into the worst traffic while on a vacation schedule.
"TahoeSTi" (tahoesti)
09/13/2017 at 21:57, STARS: 0
yeah I know what to expect and honest prefer changing lanes and going through towns. I do worry about speed traps but I can deal with them.
We’ll be planing to take some back roads, and stopping to see the sights so I’ll be in a different drive mode than normal, usually I prefer to go from A-B as fast as possible with no stops....road trips in the TDI are fun 600miles at a clip with out stoping. But this is a vacation so I’ll be a bit more relaxed....I think.
"mathias" (mathiaseberlen)
09/14/2017 at 08:26, STARS: 1
It’s been ages since I last went, but if you want to get into a tent, yes, do try to be early.
You basically have two options: go for lunch, which is also nice, and enjoy some ridiculous amounts of unsaturated fats and 1l of Beer at noon. It’ll be a more calm and family-friendly atmosphere. Or be there for the evening and get wasted. Don’t try to stay sober, you’ll regret it and will remember things you can’t unsee afterwards. And tip the waitresses, otherwise you’ll wait for ages for the next beer. Round up to the next euro and add another, so for 10,30 for a Mass (1l glass of beer), give them 12.
You’ll be there on the 24th, so Sunday, right? Definitely not as busy as a Friday or Saturday night. If you want to get the full crazy tent action, go on Saturday evening when you arrive, but you’ll struggle to get in, especially since it’s the first Saturday of the Fest.
The Volksfest opens at 11am I think, so no need to be there earlier. It also closes at 11pm. Maybe try to pop by the tents at 5pm and check out if there’s already a line?
And since this is a car site: the Mercedes Museum is right next door to the Volksfest and definitely worth a visit, but I guess that’s already on your list :-)
"Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction" (rustholes-are-weight-reduction)
09/22/2017 at 12:49, STARS: 0
Still wanna go get a beer? I’m on my way back to France now
"TahoeSTi" (tahoesti)
10/02/2017 at 05:53, STARS: 0
Just saw your message, we ended up driving through a bit ealier than expected so we could make it to Cannaster Volkfest earlier Saturday. It was a blast. Sorry we didn’t get to meet up but your tips were very helpful, thanks.
A few pics from our stay in Stuttgart,we are in Cinque terre now.
"Rustholes-Are-Weight-Reduction" (rustholes-are-weight-reduction)
10/02/2017 at 07:56, STARS: 0
No problem, I was tired from the return trip anyway.
How’s your trip so far?
Cannstatter Volksfest seem great, I’ll have to go sometime
"TahoeSTi" (tahoesti)
10/04/2017 at 17:10, STARS: 0
The trip was great, waiting to see how many speeding tickets I got.....I know of at least one in Stuttgart, I was going a bit quick in a tunnel and saw a nice flash. So I know I have at least one for 10km over.
I’d say it was honestly a pleasure to drive through Europe, people actually pay attention when they drive....it was amazing, they get out of your way and seem to be more polite then the drivers I’m used to on the west coast.
Just got back home today, I’ll have to post some photos on the main Oppo Page soon.