Advice on Euro road trip

[Mick Dempsey]

Probably a wise choice, as far as France is concerned most decent campsites/resorts are booked in the spring, they're very organised about that sort of thing.

We'll see you next year!

[Steve Bullman]

So just been flicking back through this thread as we are looking at doing it this August. Any more advice would be great. Currently looking at routes to go on, the choice is endless really

[Steve Bullman]

Been seeing a bit of Italy recently, this place was amazing, it's called Cinque Terre and is made up of 5 towns accessibly by train

 

 

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[difflock]

For pristine nature try Sloviania

[Saw-sick Steve]

So just been flicking back through this thread as we are looking at doing it this August. Any more advice would be great. Currently looking at routes to go on, the choice is endless really

Depends on how long you're going for, what you want to do, your budget, and also how old and fit your kids are, but as a general rule in this day and age I'd head east. As mentioned above, Slovenia has some fantastic scenery -Triglav national park is a must - but so are the Carpathian mountains in Romania, Tatras in Poland/Slovakia, and the Bialowieza forest in Poland.

Scores highly for cities as well, Budapest, Prague, Bratislava, Krakow, to name just a few, but IMO, you really get to experience a country's true character out in the sticks,

If you end up in the West, Spain is vast and also has some stunning scenery like the Picos. and is relatively cheap - as is Portugal. Hoping to do some more travelling now the kids are independent, before I get too old and infirm. Whatever you do and wherever you end up, you're sure to have the trip of a lifetime and give your kids an unforgettable experience they'll never get elsewhere.

[Steve Bullman]

Depends on how long you're going for, what you want to do, your budget, and also how old and fit your kids are, but as a general rule in this day and age I'd head east. As mentioned above, Slovenia has some fantastic scenery -Triglav national park is a must - but so are the Carpathian mountains in Romania, Tatras in Poland/Slovakia, and the Bialowieza forest in Poland.

Scores highly for cities as well, Budapest, Prague, Bratislava, Krakow, to name just a few, but IMO, you really get to experience a country's true character out in the sticks,

If you end up in the West, Spain is vast and also has some stunning scenery like the Picos. and is relatively cheap - as is Portugal. Hoping to do some more travelling now the kids are independent, before I get too old and infirm. Whatever you do and wherever you end up, you're sure to have the trip of a lifetime and give your kids an unforgettable experience they'll never get elsewhere.

 

well i'm looking between 2-3 weeks really. Budget has its limits! Was thinking about taking a tent and camping a few nights here and there to keep costs down....but I do like the comfort of my own bathroom here and there so hotels will feature. Theres some cheap places to be had on airbnb

 

Kids are 14 and 10, reasonably fit, but will be dragged around regardless. Keeping in mind they should get plenty of rest in the car. I'm thinking as a rule I would like to drive around 200 miles per day, unless I plan to stop at any location for 2 nights in which case i can push it to 400 miles a day.

[Saw-sick Steve]

well i'm looking between 2-3 weeks really. Budget has its limits! Was thinking about taking a tent and camping a few nights here and there to keep costs down....but I do like the comfort of my own bathroom here and there so hotels will feature. Theres some cheap places to be had on airbnb

 

Kids are 14 and 10, reasonably fit, but will be dragged around regardless. Keeping in mind they should get plenty of rest in the car. I'm thinking as a rule I would like to drive around 200 miles per day, unless I plan to stop at any location for 2 nights in which case i can push it to 400 miles a day.

Camp sites as a rule tend to be cheaper than here and usually well equipped, and certainly in more rural areas you may find that you can camp for free, meaning you can utilise designated camping sites when you feel the need to use a shower and other facilities. Regards distance, i'd strongly advise against trying to undertake too much along the lines of the stereotypical Yank tourist - you know, ''if it's Wednesday, it must be Belgium''. Don't spend all your time driving, kids will get bored and they won't remember much if it's experienced from the window of a passing car. If your camping,you could take the family and do some of the easier hiking trails with overnight camping stops - my kids loved that when they were of similar age.

Where ever you go, do some research on the area first, 'Lonely Planet' used to be pretty good for basic info on local customs and potential pitfalls such as pickpockets, diseases, scams, etc.. but I'd imagine that's all on line now. I remember having a slight issue with packs of feral dogs in Spain hanging around our campsite, and somehow becoming convinced one was rabid! Can personally recommend Slovakia, but generally the vast majority of people are fine, very friendly, especially outside the big cities. I've experienced more warmth and friendship from people who hadn't two brass farthings to rub together than I ever have from rich city types, and many's the time I've knocked on the door of some remote rural farmhouse requesting to camp in a field, only to be invited in for a meal and to meet the family - and wake up next morning with a colossal hangover after imbibing some local spirit.

[Haironyourchest]

If your itinerary takes to to Sweden (I know it doesn't but just for kicks) stock up on cheap spirits in Germany and swap for Aspen!

[djbobbins]

Steve, we did the Black Forest a couple of years ago and I would highly recommend it for a few days. We stayed in a place called Todtnau, which is about 20 miles south of Freiburg if I remember correctly. There are camping grounds etc and it is not too far from the border into France and Switzerland (Basle, nice city, has a zoo, bloody expensive though!).

 

In Todtnau area itself there is great scenery but brilliant thing (in my opinion) is a gravity rollercoaster, which descends about 500m in altitude down the mountainside. There are a couple of Freibads (open air swimming pools) and a smallish theme park, barefoot walk etc. If you want an idea of the scenery, think along the lines of "Where Eagles Dare", albeit without the spectacular mountaintop Schloss.

 

If funds are not brilliant and you want a holiday with plenty to do, I'd recommend it - when we we we stayed in an apartment owned by an old German Doris who must have been about 90 if she was a day. Anyway, when we got there she made us fill in these little cardboard forms and pay the 'tourist tax' which I cynically thought was a bit of a get on, about €2.30 per adult per night I think it was - so something like €26 for us for six nights. Turns out included in the tourist tax is all public transport all the time you are there (which included the train into Basle), entrance to the open air swimming pool, entrance to the theme park, once up the ski lift and back down on the gravity coaster and a range of other stuff that we didn't have time to do before we moved on to our next accommodation in Munich.

 

Will see if I can find a link to the tourist card now for latest prices and what is included...

[spudulike]

The motorway down through Croatia is stunning - empty apart from a few mad Germans and you can turn off back on to the coast road and towns by the interlinking roads.

 

There are loads of islands, Hvar is worth a visit on the ferry. Dubrovnik is well worth a visit and there are plenty of campsites if you like that sort of thing.

 

Croatian Motorways