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View Full Version : 10 European Countries in 5 days....



Andrew
Tuesday 18th October 2005, 00:17
I'm planning a whistle stop tour of Europe next year - sometime around April/May/Early June.

Going to see if it's possible to do 10 countries in 5 days and still have time to take in some of the sites.

Anyone else fancy it... it could be "VT5 goes to Europe" mini gumball style....

Andrew.

TangoDeltaSierra3
Tuesday 18th October 2005, 22:28
I'm planning a whistle stop tour of Europe next year - sometime around April/May/Early June.

Going to see if it's possible to do 10 countries in 5 days and still have time to take in some of the sites.

Anyone else fancy it... it could be "VT5 goes to Europe" mini gumball style....

Andrew.Already looking at the Ring in April, 4 countrys already in reach on that trip.

Andrew
Tuesday 18th October 2005, 22:30
Already looking at the Ring in April, 4 countrys already in reach on that trip.

Aye I saw that TDS I might push my trip back to July then and see what happens.

S60D5
Tuesday 18th October 2005, 22:37
I've sort of done something similar! England/France/Monaco/Italy/Switzerland/Austria/Germany/Luxemburg/Belgium

It was one hell of a hectic trip,but bloody good fun! I had to complete it in a hire car though, as the T5 suffered a major engine failure! Oops.

Andrew
Tuesday 18th October 2005, 22:38
I've sort of done something similar! England/France/Monaco/Italy/Switzerland/Austria/Germany/Luxemburg/Belgium

It was one hell of a hectic trip,but bloody good fun! I had to complete it in a hire car though, as the T5 suffered a major engine failure! Oops.


How long did it take you ? any useful tips ? etc etc.
Which route did you take ?

S60D5
Tuesday 18th October 2005, 22:43
How long did it take you ? any useful tips ? etc etc.
Which route did you take ?

I did it in around ten days, but we stopped in France, Switzerland and Germany for a few nights a piece rather than a flat out road rally.

Routewise, Calais - Paris - Clermont Ferrand - Montpellier - Monaco - Milan (Milan traffic is HECTIC, use Sat Nav!!) - St Moritz - Zurich and up into Germany, then back vertically via Luxemburg/Belgiam/France. Austria was a quick "in and out" as was Monaco.

I have an awful lot of European driving experience, my parents have a place in France so I go there very often - I've done more miles on the right side of the road compared to the left!!

Quite happy to discuss tips etc, and I'd probably be up for doing it again! We went in February so the snow in Austria and Switzerland made for some fantastic winterscapes, some of which I managed to capture nicely on a borrowed Canon EOS 10D :) :)

Andrew
Tuesday 18th October 2005, 22:50
We went in February so the snow in Austria and Switzerland made for some fantastic winterscapes,

Excellent I fancied going after the thaw primarily cos I want to cross the alps and I understand some of the routes / tunnels etc are closed during heavy snow.

I suspect there will be two drivers just so we can cover the ground we need to.

I'd like to do Monico - grand prix circuit or something silly - lots of photos in famous sites etc.

Think it will be once in a life time jobby.

S60D5
Tuesday 18th October 2005, 22:57
Andrew,

Yes some of the passes are shut, but you can get through. I know the routes! ;) I managed it on summer tyres and a set of snow chains, although it DID get rather hairy at some points! Especially when you're stuck up the side of a pass, the car strapped to a tree to stop it sliding back, trying to put on snow chains with the wheel wells full of compact ice with the temp at minus twenty and the local amature rally club racing past and goodness knows what speeds!

That and sliding sideways down the passes. ABS is ESSENTIAL, without it the car would not have made it out of Switzerland!

If a group of people were up for it I could design a very very nice route suited to the T5's - local knowledge and all that ;)

Also, I did it with me being the only driver... at 20 years old. Was quite proud of my achievement when most people my age haven't been out of their home county! Heh.

The Flying Banana
Tuesday 18th October 2005, 23:11
Hey Andrew, is this not a bit extreme just to win the the photo of T5 at a famous landmark !!!! LOL

ceefaz
Tuesday 18th October 2005, 23:16
Andrew,

Especially when you're stuck up the side of a pass, the car strapped to a tree to stop it sliding back, trying to put on snow chains with the wheel wells full of compact ice with the temp at minus twenty and the local amature rally club racing past and goodness knows what speeds!



Sounds like fun :cool:

S60D5
Tuesday 18th October 2005, 23:17
Hey Andrew, is this not a bit extreme just to win the the photo of T5 at a famous landmark !!!! LOL

A group shot of the cars on the front @ Monaco would look impressive!

Andrew
Tuesday 18th October 2005, 23:19
Thanks.... I think I'll stick to summer :)

My initial thoughts are:

UK -> Netherlands (ferry) -> Germany -> Austria -> Switzerland -> Italy -> Monaco -> Luxembourg -> Belgium -> France -> UK

Andrew
Tuesday 18th October 2005, 23:20
Hey Andrew, is this not a bit extreme just to win the the photo of T5 at a famous landmark !!!! LOL

LOL sadly I think the xmas deadline would have passed by then...

weasel
Tuesday 18th October 2005, 23:26
top tip for driving in france - see if you can find a tgv station (on the a1), wait for one to stop and then see how far you can keep with it before it leaves you for dead! :eek

S60D5
Tuesday 18th October 2005, 23:26
Thanks.... I think I'll stick to summer :)

My initial thoughts are:

UK -> Netherlands (ferry) -> Germany -> Austria -> Switzerland -> Italy -> Monaco -> Luxembourg -> Belgium -> France -> UK

Pah. Lack of adventure! A winter expedition would give the AWD boys a chance to show what they're made of! Lol, I take it yours isn't the AWD!

That route is a reverse of what I did, almost.. so the same route would apply. You'd get some fantastic scenery that way in Switzerland and Italy!

Nothing quite like doing it in winter tho, returning to the hotel to sit in a comfortable armchair beside an open roaring log fire, drinking a glass of wine, smoking a Villiger whilst the temperature outside dips below minus twenty!

S60D5
Tuesday 18th October 2005, 23:27
top tip for driving in france - see if you can find a tgv station (on the a1), wait for one to stop and then see how far you can keep with it before it leaves you for dead! :eek

They travel around 145mph between Paris and Calais !!!!

Ahem.

The French police are also very cordial when they stop you for speeding :slap:

BlackBeast
Tuesday 18th October 2005, 23:35
Do not speed in Switzerland! If they catch you its a very hefty fine and i think a cheap night at the local slammer!?!

S60D5
Tuesday 18th October 2005, 23:41
BlackBeast is correct!

However, whilst I was there I could not speed. I could not go above 20mph without sliding all over the shop.. and of course if you go on the motorway network you need to get a Vignette from a petrol station at around 40 Euro, like this one..

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a350/volvoturbo5/DSCF0317.jpg

Above tax disk! Ignore my parking notice - bloody University traffic wardens!

weasel
Tuesday 18th October 2005, 23:41
'Do not speed in Switzerland! If they catch you its a very hefty fine and i think a cheap night at the local slammer!?!'
you always try the old tenner in the driving licence ploy....

Andrew
Wednesday 19th October 2005, 00:14
Thanks for all of the advice guys.... keep it coming... I've probably done no more than 2 weeks driving on the continent before and never driven in many of the countries on my top 10 so all advice about routes, police, places to stay, things to see etc are welcome.....

If others want to join me I'm happy for them too but I'll be going either way.

BlackBeast
Wednesday 19th October 2005, 00:20
When in Italy, Milan to be precise try to keep off the Autostrada during rush hour, otherwise its a pleasant drive, especially if you head to lake Como, its where i spent last years new years party in an apartment watching the huge fireworks display over the lake. Picture-esque to say the least.

S60D5
Wednesday 19th October 2005, 11:26
When in Italy, Milan to be precise try to keep off the Autostrada during rush hour, otherwise its a pleasant drive, e

Whats wrong with it during rush hour? You just need to show a bit of defensive driving ability!! Heh. They do have a habit of closing it when it snows just a teeny bit though.

BlackBeast
Wednesday 19th October 2005, 12:54
Whats wrong with it during rush hour?

Didnt mean it like that, i meant that you can be stuck in traffic for at least an hour, if i was on holiday i would try to avoid it as best i can, plus coming from Wales the only ques we have is with the sheep trying to cross the road lol so are not used to just a normal traffic jam. :haha:

Andrew
Wednesday 19th October 2005, 13:01
These are the main cities I'm considering at the moment - still investigating the best route etc.

Den Haag / Rotterdam / Amsterdam - Holland
Oostende / Brussels
Frankfurt - Germany
Innsbruck - Austria
Verona - Italy
Toulon - France
Geneva - Switzerland
Luxembourg - Luxembourg

TangoDeltaSierra3
Wednesday 19th October 2005, 17:09
These are the main cities I'm considering at the moment - still investigating the best route etc.

Den Haag / Rotterdam / Amsterdam - Holland
Oostende / Brussels
Frankfurt - Germany
Innsbruck - Austria
Verona - Italy
Toulon - France
Geneva - Switzerland
Luxembourg - LuxembourgWhen we go to the Ring you can take in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Arnhem, Venlo, Dusseldorf, Cologne,Maastricht, Eindhoven, Spa(BelgiumF1), Luxembourg, Koblenz, Aachen, the world is yer oyster don't they say.

Andrew
Tuesday 1st November 2005, 23:38
I've started planning for the trip and I was going to try and aim for the capital city in each country but as I want to limit my drive time to about 4 hours a day it's simply not possible.

Anyway I'm planning some other cities to make it possible to stick to the 4 hours of driving a day so that we can spend some time in the cities themselves.

Anyway one useful tool I've found is this - very handy for planning etc...
http://www28.mappy.com/?lang=en

Will let you know more about my plans shortly.

Engineer
Tuesday 1st November 2005, 23:44
Be carefull map is not 100% accurate and can lead you up the garden path sometimes, used it this year in France and Spain T junctions are roundabouts etc. what you dont need after 4 hours plus driving.

S60D5
Tuesday 1st November 2005, 23:45
4 Hours a day? Lightweight!

I've just planned my next Europe trip - currently:-

Brighton - Strasbourg - Zurich - Innsbruck - Salzburg - Prague - Nurburgring - Gothenburg - Oslo - Newcastle - Brighton

Andrew
Wednesday 2nd November 2005, 00:01
4 Hours a day? Lightweight!

I've just planned my next Europe trip - currently:-

Brighton - Strasbourg - Zurich - Innsbruck - Salzburg - Prague - Nurburgring - Gothenburg - Oslo - Newcastle - Brighton

How long have you given yourself ?

4hrs is enough given there's 2 cities each in a different country to see.

S60D5
Wednesday 2nd November 2005, 00:24
How long have you given yourself ?



Strasbourg (area) - 2 Nights
Zurich (area) - 1 Night
Innsbruck - Pass Thru
Salzburg (city) - 2 Nights
Prauge (city) - 2 Nights
Nurburgring - 1 Night
<Somewhere in Denmark> (stopover) - 1 Night
Gothenburg (city) - 2 Nights
Oslo (city) - 2 Nights
Ferry (er.. sea!) - 1 Night

As a rough guide. Nothing firmly planned yet!

Andrew
Wednesday 2nd November 2005, 00:26
Strasbourg (area) - 2 Nights
Zurich (area) - 1 Night
Innsbruck - Pass Thru
Salzburg (city) - 2 Nights
Prauge (city) - 2 Nights
Nurburgring - 1 Night
<Somewhere in Denmark> (stopover) - 1 Night
Gothenburg (city) - 2 Nights
Oslo (city) - 2 Nights
Ferry (er.. sea!) - 1 Night

As a rough guide. Nothing firmly planned yet!

And your calling me a light weight for doing 10 countries in less than half the time :P

S60D5
Wednesday 2nd November 2005, 00:30
And your calling me a light weight for doing 10 countries in less than half the time :P

Lol. Behave!

I just figured if I'm going to be going to places such as Salzburg, Prague, Gothenburg & Oslo I might as well stop for a bit and see the sights!!!!

Going to be doing more than 4 hours driving between stops, though! :troutslap

Andrew
Wednesday 2nd November 2005, 16:39
Lol. Behave!

I just figured if I'm going to be going to places such as Salzburg, Prague, Gothenburg & Oslo I might as well stop for a bit and see the sights!!!!

Going to be doing more than 4 hours driving between stops, though! :troutslap

Well if your doing more than 4 hours make sure you take plenty of brakes and get lots of pics of your trip... good luck!

S60D5
Wednesday 2nd November 2005, 21:27
Well if your doing more than 4 hours make sure you take plenty of brakes

Why? I thought one set of discs and pads would be fine for 3,000 miles? ;)

Andrew
Wednesday 2nd November 2005, 21:46
Why? I thought one set of discs and pads would be fine for 3,000 miles? ;)

*groan* not if your crossing the alps :)

S60D5
Thursday 3rd November 2005, 01:24
*groan* not if your crossing the alps :)

:troutslap

Andrew
Thursday 3rd November 2005, 09:17
Wow just trying to work out a schedule

It's going to be bloody hard trying to make 10 countries in 5 days whilst sticking to about 4/5 hours of driving a day. Primarily because Germany is so bloody big. At the moment I can't do it - so something may have to give...

Andrew.

S60D5
Thursday 3rd November 2005, 12:42
Wow just trying to work out a schedule

It's going to be bloody hard trying to make 10 countries in 5 days whilst sticking to about 4/5 hours of driving a day. Primarily because Germany is so bloody big. At the moment I can't do it - so something may have to give...

Andrew.

Drive faster? You can cover ground in germany at 150mph remember! And you'll still be overtaken by the big V8 German beasts!! It really is an odd feeling to be travelling at 135mph and be overtaken as if you were standing still!!

Andrew
Thursday 3rd November 2005, 12:51
Drive faster? You can cover ground in germany at 150mph remember! And you'll still be overtaken by the big V8 German beasts!! It really is an odd feeling to be travelling at 135mph and be overtaken as if you were standing still!!

I was led to believe thoug hthat in January all the autobahns will have speed limits put on them....

S60D5
Thursday 3rd November 2005, 16:06
I was led to believe thoug hthat in January all the autobahns will have speed limits put on them....

Do they? I don't know - I've only been in February, March and September!

Andrew
Thursday 3rd November 2005, 16:14
Do they? I don't know - I've only been in February, March and September!

:P

Very funny. I meant from January the new law comes in... I was a bit sceptical of it though....

S60D5
Thursday 3rd November 2005, 16:37
I've yet to hear of it - I'll speak to one of the German girls on my course about it tomorrow - I'm sure they'd know!

Andrew
Thursday 3rd November 2005, 18:33
I've yet to hear of it - I'll speak to one of the German girls on my course about it tomorrow - I'm sure they'd know!

I'll try and dig out the link.

TangoDeltaSierra3
Friday 4th November 2005, 03:41
I've yet to hear of it - I'll speak to one of the German girls on my course about it tomorrow - I'm sure they'd know!Yeah like English women know all UK boring car & driving crap!

S60D5
Friday 4th November 2005, 11:58
Yeah like English women know all UK boring car & driving crap!

Possibly, possibly not. Still, her Dad is only a phone call away and he's a regional manager for BMW, pretty sure he'd know!