Help with route and sites from UK to Italy
Hi
I am planning to drive my Adria 4 Twin motorhome to Naples, Italy from the UK this July with my two children.
Can anyone who has done this suggest a good route that includes some nice stops and campsites?
Thanks
Nick
Comments
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The route depends on which ferry port you are starting from and you don't say, but ViaMichelin will give you an obvious straight line route through Switzerland, the mileage and a figure for toll costs - unless you are trying to avoid them.
Stopovers are best simply chosen from a site guide (this Club publishes them) or an Aires guide if you prefer that sort of informal stopover, but how far you go every day will depend on the children's stamina and your patience. When we had children with us we always found it best not to decide or book overnights in advance, but to have three or four possibilities in mind and decide on the day when we saw how things were going. Or do you want everything cut and dried in advance?
Good luck.
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Nick, as eurotraveller says more info needed. Also, how long are you going for? As a starter; from Dover, I would go via Belgium - Germany - Austria; not quite the direct route but toll free until Italy (if going Fern and Reisch Pass into Italy. It's a long way to Naples and you will be travelling in peak season so you need to take this into account eg stopping overnight en route you should not leave it too late and children need to get out and stretch their legs at regular intervals (+ the 'ARE WE THERE YET? question
). Stops en route might be dictated by driving time/traffic etc but there are some nice ones on the route I mentioned, we look where we are at about 2 pm to see where we want to spend the night and in July I would phone ahead to check availability.1 -
Thanks for all your feedback thus far. To add a little more information, my destination will now not be Napoli, but Biccari in Puglia because that is where my inlaws live.
I was thinking of leaving the UK on the Eurotunnel and then heading down on the route via Strasbourg > Basel > Lugano > Milan > Bologna and then down the East Coast of Italy.
I have attached a screenshot of the preferred route, but would welcome any advice on this.
Good advice about having a few options for stopovers en route. If anyone can recommend some good family-friendly campsites that would be superb.
Thanks in advance
Nick
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Nick , Your proposed route is direct, so lowest on fuel consumption, but high on tolls and the cost of a Swiss vignette. A route across Belgium and Germany to the Brenner Pass, which your screen shot does not show, is further and will use more fuel, but will be lower in toll costs. Your choice.
If you are going directly to Biccari you need to decide what time you will arrive in Calais, how far you want to drive that day, and how far on the following days, and identify within 50 miles roughly where you hope to get to each day. Then start to look through the site guides to pick out two or three sites in each of those areas. I can't make suggestions because I don't know where you will be each evening.
Take care. It's a long way.
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The route you're proposing is certainly the quickest but as others have said the tolls will be significant. The road surfaces on the route through Belgium leave a lot to be desired and will take you longer (and will be more frustrating). The beauty of the French motorways from Calais to Strasburg are that you can cover the distance quickly. My recommendation is that you go with your proposed route. Try to avoid the roads around Milan on a Friday if possible.
Re sites on the route. Since you don't know how your journey will progress (there are so many variables) I suggest you buy the Campercontact app. and start to look for a site about 30 minutes before you intend stopping. The app will give you lots of Aires/Stellplatz/Sostas and/or campsites local to your position at the time. Its never failed us and we drive the return route to the Adriatic twice every year. There will be no need to pre-book.
Hope you enjoy your holiday, I'm sure you will.
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Further to my ealier post I think I am changing my mind about a route to Italy. We have just come back from Villach in Austria and came over the Ferne Pass (Caravans not allowed Innsbruck - Seefeld) and then Strasburg - Nancy - Reims - Calais. A nicer drive than via Belgium. Also, the Reiscen Pass into Italy is so slow and busy, no parking places and much longer than the Brenner so do not think we will be using it again.
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we have done this trip 4 times and again this year all sites booked onroute and back before we leave england, we take our time and go over to calais after work to get the crossing out of the way and go to de panne in belgium for the night where they have an overnight stop area, then to luxembourg where we take advantage of the cheap fuel and stop for the night, then on to obernai in france in the alsace region real nice area, then through the gotthard tunnel where you can hit traffic and quite steep hill so we try and do this early as we can, along side lake lucern etc, got to say weve never found it to bad on tolls however the viginete works out £65 i believe as you have to have 2 £32 each.
if you need a list of sites we have stayed in let me know
have a lovely time it is a stunning place
louis
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The route you have chosen is the quickest and is our preferred route to Italy. I would plan to stay in Alsace (Obernai, Colmar etc.) then you can do the lovely drive from Basel to Lugano through the St. Gotthard tunnel in a day and avoid stopping in overpriced Switzerland.
Unfortunately, because you are visiting relatives you have to go a long way South and it will be very hot and busy so I would plan to do that last bit as quickly as possible!
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There are a couple of nice looking sites at Porlezza which is not far from Lugano but in Italy.
Camping Darna Sas Porlezza
Camping Ranocchio Porlezza
We've not been there but they're on my list of possibilities
(I'm waiting for Hitch's suggestions
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I'm afraid that there aren't many sites close to the Swiss border but not in Switzerland. We cheat by going to Lake Maggiore but you could fairly easily treat this as a stopover. Just drop down to Locarno and go down the lake 9km to Cannobio where there is even an ACSI site.
If we stop in Switzerland we always stay near Bellinzona. A nice site but very expensive which I have marked in the Touring Europe book as Camping Bosco although I thought it was something different. My old book says 63 SF per night!
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Correction. The site that we have used a number of times is Camping Al Censo at Claro near Bellinzona. Atractive site and very convenient.
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