Summer European roadtrip ideas

[brawr]

I finish uni exams on the 6th of July, plan to work for a bit to refill the coffers, then feeling the need for an adventure. Vague ideas at the moment are revolving around a European roadtrip with my equally as petrolheaded Brother, over 1 or 2 weeks, probably around September time. I suspect that a lot of you guys have done this, or similar, before, so I wanted to pick your collective brains.

Three-phase thread:

How?
We've got a tent, camping equipment etc. Neither of us is loaded so camping/cheap motels/hostels is probably the order of the day, any recommendations for things to take? How long is long enough? Will we be dead after a week, or will we be struggling to fit stuff in to a fortnight? Is it a good idea to book up all the accommodation before you leave, or just play it by ear and go where the mood takes you? How much would you budget for? (very subjective I know, just after rough ideas from those that have done similar things).

Where?
Always wanted to visit Nurburgring, so that's a definite point of interest, but wondered about other locations... good driving roads, sightseeing, that sort of thing. We're pretty openminded so any good experiences are welcome!
Just had a bit of a play in google maps, I'm pretty tempted by something like this, just off the top of my head: clicky
Doesn't take in to account any stops really, or how long we'll stay at each bit, but that's the sort of route that came to mind.

What?
The important bit
Ideal ride for a long trip around Europe? First thought was old BMW or merc due to milage-eating ability, maybe a bit thirsty though? Budget won't be massive, sub-£1k tops. Ideally not too boring around the 'ring/alpine-style roads.

Suggestions for any and all sections lovingly received, no matter how small. Photo's also encouraged <3

Have some driving roads:

[Fiat Daft]

spa and the nurburgring are a mst if you are a petrol head,3 hours from the ring you also have 2 superb museums,hockenheim, the porsche and mercedes museums, 4 weeks today and i will be there.

[kee]

i'd organise it for when the berg cup racing is on, one day i'll be able to go see it

[mrj]

May 27, 2010 18:55:14 GMT Fiat Daft said:

spa and the nurburgring are a mst if you are a petrol head,3 hours from the ring you also have 2 superb museums,hockenheim, the porsche and mercedes museums, 4 weeks today and I will be there.

if you are around, let me know, of course the Merc and Porsche Museum is a must, but i can offer a small VeeDub collection over here (30kms from Stuttgart) .... ;D

[Camp Davy]

Le mans went in 2003 the atmosphere was great not what i had expected thought i was expecting a toffs day out people were there in allsorts of great cars BBQs loud music
cant remember the exact route but we stopped off in paris for some retail therapy lol
when you get home you will sleep for a week lol

CAR Fiat X1/9 1300 mid engined rwd pocket rocket but very uncomfortable to sleep in lol
not actual car but similar


would highly recommend it tho go for it and have a good trip

ps take some tools and spare bits especially if you get a fiat lol

[suterman]

The wife and I went into Europe last year in our Bedford CF2 camper, we covered 3000 miles in 3 weeks and used 600 litres of petrol.

My only real aim was to get to switzerland a bit and then to my Mum and Dads house in Brittany, our crossing was dover /dunkirk both ways.


In hindsight it was over ambitious in terms of milage. We drove most days which became a bit tiresome.

France is great for driving, Take the A roads, there is little to no traffic in the countrysides the scenery and towns are great and the roads are normally supersmooth, use a european road atlas to navigate toen to town (with sat nav as a backup and to find campsites)

Sothern Germany is worth a look, we headed for lake constance.

[suterman]

[thebaron]

When I finished college in 2005 I spent 4 weeks driving around Europe in a battered 1.3 Corolla.

Went the following route:

Cherbourg to Knokke Heist (Belg Riveria !!)
Knokke Heist to Amsterdam
Amsterdam to Krakow (Awful Drive, stopped off in a place called Erfurt - would not recommend it)
Krakow to Prague (Both great fun if you've never been - but Krakow's better craic!)

We started that part of the Journey as we were meeting and visiting a few people but the roads were not up to much driving/scenery wise so I wouldn't recommend that route unless you are doing the same!

However, the roads started to get much better after that when we went

Prague to Budapest (To hit the Sziget Music Festival - Strongly recommend)
Budapest to Zagreb (Zagreb is useless - avoid if possible)
Zagreb to Split
Split to Dubrovnek (Great road, Dubrovnik is amazing)
Dubrovnik to Ljubliana
Ljubliana to Lake Bled (Really Chilled out spot)
Lake Bled to Milan (Had to back track as the mud slides hit Austria and Germany - Avoid Milan, Rubbish, Rubbish, Dirt)
Milan to Dijon (Over the alps - unreal scenery, if only I had had the power to tackle the inclines)
Dijon - Paris (avoid the motorways and stick to the equally good secondary roads and you will save over €100 in tolls.

Countries I'd recommend most to visit are definitely Croatia and Slovenia.

[thebaron]

Forgot to ans a couple of your other q's,

Didn't pre book anything as you can always find a hostel (or sleep in the car) and you have unlimited freedom

I covered 8000 miles in the 4 weeks and think my overall spend including fuel (split 3 ways though) and accommodation and boozing was about €2000

[suterman]

Looks like the baron has the right idea.

get to learn a bit of language maybe before you go, don't plan too much, goto the local bars/cafes, eat out a bit.

In france the municipal (council run) campsites are often more than ok and cheap. there is normally one in most towns/ villages. You may have to wait for someone to turn up to take your money (maybe about 10 am or 5 pm) Get petrol from the supermarkets as it is cheaper than the garages on main roads.


Luxembourg is good too. the north is very green.


The roads in belgium are bad.

[suterman]

[thebaron]

Great pics suterman, Switzerland is damn stunning!

[awattam]

Done this twice now, it's amazing. Keep an eye out for 'Formula 1' motels. A room is something like 30 euros and always clean etc. They're all over france, germany etc. and usually on major routes so ideal when traveling.

Make sure whatever you drive is something reliable that you've owned for a bit (and therefore trust!). Cheaper to do it in something you own already than try and do the little jobs needed to get something new up to standard (been there, done that!).

Austria, Switzerland, Germany are all stunning but it's the little places you find and the people you meet that make the trip memorable. Don't plan anything specific but do a load of research and get info on places you might like to link together on your trip - museums, racetracks, landmarks, amazing roads etc etc. Take a satnav - this is probably the most important thing to pack, it'll find you hotels, fuel, food and will save lots of stressful map reading!

[brawr]

This is A1 stuff guys, thanks! thebaron - your trip sounds ace, I'd not really thought about Eastern Europe, I'll have a look into it, ta. Ace pics and vid suterman, Swiss Alps is definitely on the to-do list. Davy - loving the optimism of going that far in an x19! awattam, ta for the tips, just the job. I'd have the option of using my MR2, but it's just not comfortable long distance (noisy exhaust + wind noise at motorway speeds). I've done a few several hour drives in it and been fine, but not sure if I'd want to spend weeks solid in it! Other options are my brother's Smart (hah!) or Cherokee 4.0 HO. Cherokee might be alright actually, bit juicy and barge-like though.
CF looks rude on the polished slots

[PhoenixCapri]

Well if you do come down Stuttgart way PM me, theres also the Meilenwerk in Böblingen that needs a visit for the lovely collection of cars and onsite micro brewery. You can even stay in the V8 Hotel if you're rich! www.meilenwerk.de/Meilenwerk_Stuttgart_Was_Sie_finden.php

Other than that I tend to find giving yourself an end destination and about twice as many days than you need to get there a nice way to see Europe.

The Black Forest is very nice for a drive, as are the Eifel mountains around the Nurburgring - personally I'd head to Spa, then take the mountain roads down to the Ring, then head further South - have a meseum day around Stuttgart (mebbe Munich for BMW) and then head for Austria then into northen Italy. That way you'll get to see some of the nicest bits of Europe - on the way back go through the Swiss alps and France via Monte or something ;D

[knobstar]

Hotel Formule 1 hotels are a top tip, as previously mentioned. I think they can be had for less than 30 euros in some places and will sleep 3, too.
I'd just pick a country and then get a good map. Pick the most squiggly lines and you're sure to enjoy the best that the country has to offer in terms of its roads and views.

have a good one :-D

PS - to keep it OT the Bath-Porto trip we did to experience said hotels was in this shed:

[VIP]

I have an itinerary plumbed into my SatNav. I created it a year ago, but yet to drive it.

It's a 14 day, 3500 miles trip down through France, around the Riviera, down to Monaco, on to Northern Italy, up through Austria, back through Germany, and home again via France.

It takes in some of the most noted driving roads, including the Stelvio, Mont Venteaux, and the Saalfelden to Bischofshofen road in Austria. It visits the Ferrari, Audi and VW museums, and goes past (over) such sights as the Millau Viaduct and Reims GP track. It also allows a day's play at the Nurburgring.

Let me know if you are interested.

[kv77]

May 27, 2010 18:10:11 GMT brawr said:

Just had a bit of a play in google maps, I'm pretty tempted by something like this, just off the top of my head: clicky
Doesn't take in to account any stops really, or how long we'll stay at each bit, but that's the sort of route that came to mind.

That looks like a curse word to do in only one week.
I've noticed you're crossing belgium too. Make sure you buy a car that has suspension that actually works.

[suterman]

I really noticed that about Belgium, there were roads made of long slabs of concrete with terrible expansion joints, like on the elevated section on the M6 at Birmingham. D-duh d-duh d-duh (and so on)


3000 miles is a lot in 3 weeks never mind two. I mean driving every day (or even most days) becomes tiring pretty quickly imo, You may find you want to stop for more than one night and relax into the actual traveling bit instead of driving flat out from one place to another down a motorway.

I Like to keep a good idea in my head of where I am geographically and enjoy the scenery, navigating with a road map instead of satnav (though satnav is handy). I find with satnavs, I tend to just follow the instructions blindly and end up with no idea where I have been and where I end up.

[Rich606]

May 28, 2010 12:08:26 GMT VIP said:

...and goes past (over) such sights as the Millau Viaduct and Reims GP track. It also allows a day's play at the Nurburgring.

Kind of like what I would like to do. Me and two mates considered doing it a couple of summers ago but nothing really came of it; my idea was to take in Zolder, Spa, Nurburgring, Reims, and any other historic tracks we could work into the route, even as far as Monza. I'd still love to do it someday.

And Millau just looks incredible.