I am busy planning our honeymoon in July and have just booked 10 nights in Lake Garda at a couple of different hotels.
We are planning to drive down and I have booked the ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam (cant think of the port it uses). Ferry arrives in Amsterdam on the 20th July at 9.30am but we dont check into hotel in Garda until 21st. We need somewhere to stay en route (whichever we take).
Has anyone done the trip? got any suggestions where to stay overnight etc?
I was thinking of going through Germany, Austria and over the Brenner Pass but any other alternatives would be good as this type of continental driving is all new to me.
Somehow got to work out how to get 2 weeks worth of luggage in our MG TF now :-(
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I am going here www.gardalake.it/hotellucia/ for a week in May. Might be worth a trip for a scenic lunch!It is on the West bank and is reached by a deadly road which goes up into the hills just South of Limone. The lake side road on the West bank is awful and if you want to do a bit of touring the lake ferry services are very good. Malcesine and Sirmione are delightful. Enjoy!
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"Somehow got to work out how to get 2 weeks worth of luggage in our MG TF now :-("
You'll take a couple of pairs of boxers, socks, shorts and three T shirts. SWMBO however....
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I have got no idea how to help with your question but all the same I wanted to say congratulations and have a fantastic trip - it sounds awesome.
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Thanks for suggestions so far. Yes it indeed does look like I will be having a small bag under the bonnet and she will have the boot for copious handbags and shoes - thankfully the engine is in the middle!
We are staying on the west side for 3 nights at the savoy palace in Gardone Riviera and 7 nights in Malcesine at Maximillian hotel if anyone has any reviews on them - particularly parking!!! Thanks AS, place looks really nice, may have a gander up there for some lunch!! - liking the sound of the roads as well
Any recommended mountain/scenic driving routes? Although happy to get lost and explore, will be nice to have something planned as well!
Edited by Webmaster on 27/03/2008 at 19:37
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Here is a link to reviews of the Maximillian Hotel in Malcesine
tinyurl.com/2u82lx
There is a cable car from Malcesine up to Monte Baldo with some not too strenuous walks and great views!
Edited by Armitage Shanks {p} on 27/03/2008 at 18:04
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Here is a link to reviews of your other hotel. I use these a lot - they are written by real travellers and not professional reviewers. There is always somebody really grumpy slagging a place off but my experience is that if most people like it then so will you!
tinyurl.com/yvqt8w
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Sounds great ! - We did something similar for our honeymoon in a Westfield. Your route is ideal. I would recommend looking at Austria ( somewhere high ) for your overnight. It will be stunning at that time of year. Also that way you'll see a major culture shift the next day in Italy.
Tips would include, ensuring that you have travel insurance for yourselves, breakdown cover for the car and hide a spare credit card somewhere in the car in case of wallet loss. Also take a mobile having first made sure it is valid for use outside the UK.
As for packing, try to choose fabrics / garments which will fold or roll to the smallest size and limit yourselves to two items of footwear each.( one on, one off ) We always took a pair of multi purpose shoes and a pair of flip flops each. Choose clothes which create interchangeable outfits so that items which have not become too grubby can be re-used with different accessories. Only take small containers of toiletries, you can always top them up while on holiday.
Have a great time !
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One thing to watch out for is the fact that most Italian drivers are as mad as hatters...:-)
I've stayed around the Italian lakes on numerous occasions, but it's some time ago now.
However, the scenery is stunning and I'm sure you'll both thoroughly enjoy the experience.
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I wouldn't choose to go then, though. You'll have plenty of time in the next few years when you'll be restricted to school holidays. Go at the end of June - cheaper, quieter and altogether easier.
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>>I wouldn't choose to go then, though. You'll have plenty of time in the next few years when you'll be restricted to school holidays. Go at the end of June - cheaper, quieter and altogether easier.
I totally agree, unfortunately we dont get married until July! Have paid the costly mistake in accomodation for it...and the ferry - £400 for an inside cabin!! I was shocked!
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Thanks for the links and tips as well - I will have a good read through them later!
Looking at the map, Austria does look like a good place to stop overnight so will do a search for some hotels on the main route down. Hopefully Germany wont take long to pass on the de-restricted Autobahns.
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Germany is a surprisingly big country.
Nijmegen to Munich will take you the best part of six hours.
I would recommend heading for A57 from Nijmegen down to Cologne (get there on A9, A2, A15 and A73 I think through the Netherlands) rather than the usual A12 to A3 as this route can get very busy.
I don't know what days you are actually travelling on but remember away from the motorways Sunday opening is more closed than open.
Make sure you have enough petrol on Saturday pm to get you through to Monday am.
You should have a holiday to remember...
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I forgot to add I've done that ferry crossing once, they unloaded the trucks before the cars. It was nearer 11 before we got away from Ijmuiden.
Add about 1,5 hours from there to German border plus time I mentioned above, I wouldn't try for further than Munich on the first day.
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My favourite way is to aim for Venlo in Holland then follow the A61 into Germany. After Mannheim go south on the A5 towards Strasbourg/Basel. (I usually break the journey in the Black Forest, just off the A5). Cross into Switzerland (Best to buy the swiss vignette in advance as you avoid a big queue at the border) where the road becomes the A2. Follow the A2 past Lucerne and all the way into Italy (picturesque drive!). At Milano take the a4 towards Garda. Total distance about 760 miles seems a long way but it?s quite a pleasant and fast journey.
Swiss office for vignette www.switzerlandtravelcentre.co.uk/ or buy at the last German motorway service before Switzerland. Don't buy at the border - you have to queue in a different lane - horrendous queue at peak times.
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Not done the trip for a few years now, but Garda used to be our favourite holiday destination. Out of interest I put Amsterdam to Malcesine into viaMichelin route palnner to see if their recommended route coincided with the one we used to take from Calais - it did after Stuttgart. For fastest trip we used to go from Stuttgart to Munich (or was it Rosenheim?), then Innsbruck, then Brenner - fast but boring motorway!
For more scenic route head south off A8 to Ulm and Kempten, then Fussen and Fern Pass (good road, a few hairpins, beautiful forest interspersed with fantastically blue lakes, great views of Zugspitze).
Southern Germany also v. beautiful (Schwabian Alps) and near Fussen are the incredible fairy tale castles built by mad King Ludwig - Neuschwanstein etc - have a look at
www.neuschwanstein.de/english/index.htm
From there go to Innsbruck and Brenner, but if you a fancy a bit of an adventurous route go via Timmelsjoch Hochalpenstrasse from Imst to Merano. Google it and you will be unable to resist it!
www.timmelsjoch-hochalpenstrasse.at/en/home.html
even a video or 3 of it
youtube.com/watch?v=fd9ITK8TjMY
youtube.com/watch?v=HCEHcDYp6R0&feature=related
When you get to Merano - either go on to Garda or turn right and have a go at the Stelvio Pass - Clarkson said it was the best drive in Europe,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMEON6bivZs&feature=related
it has nearly 50 hairpins going up to fantastic views of glaciers and another 40 or 50 down the other side to Bormio and then down towards Garda (via Passo di Gavia??) - allow plenty of time!
www.autocar.co.uk/blogs/greatestdrives/archive/199...x
And then, if you get the chance get into the Dolomites and try Passes of Sella, Gardena (Groedner Joch), Campolongo, Pordoi and di Fazarego . This link might be of interest
www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1943482
Oops, sorry, forgot you were on honeymoon not a driving holiday!, Garda is nice but those passes in a sports car are nicer!!!
Enjoy
Phil
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Try to avoid A road/Motorways near Milan/Malpensa. I have a sorry tale. Drivers are a little crazy.
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This will be a great trip. Lots of good advice above. I've been to Lake Garda more than half a dozen times and we will be there again in June. Aside from the lake (which can be very touristy in places but nice in others) I really enjoy exploring off the beaten track.
As Armitage Shanks says, the road to Tremosino is spectacular.
There are great mountain roads to the other small lakes to the west of Gardone Riviera and last Easter we had a memorable day touring on the east side of Monte Baldo. Also the fascinating medieval villages (to the south of Sirmione) of Castellaro Lagusello, Monzambano, Valeggio Sul Mincio, Borghetto, Volta Mantovana, Cavriana. Great restaurants in Castellaro Lagusello - try the pumpkin ravioli.
On the lake, Sirmione is nice (but will be packed), Limone and Garda are also worthwhile. In July, the traffic on the lakeside roads will be horrible so take advantage of the good ferries.
>2 weeks worth of luggage in our MG TF
No problem - just ensure you chose your bags to fit perfectly in the luggage area and then chose your clothes to fit perfectly in your bags. Simple!
Once, I went 4 weeks, camping, with my girlfriend around France, Switzerland and Germany in a 1968 Spitfire.
Enjoy!
Edited by Billy Whizz on 28/03/2008 at 08:45
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There´s a good music festival in Riva del Garda in July, if that´s your thing - I´ve sung in it a couple of times - and Riva is a nice place anyway. It´s at the top of the lake and gets cooling onshore breezes from about 11 am.
www.musicarivafestival.com/
Verona isn´t far away too, for more opera.
Have a fantastic time!
Regarding the luggage situation, this company do a bespoke set of bags for the MGF - maybe an idea for a wedding gift?
www.elitemg.co.uk/fitted_luggage.htm
Cheers,
Barchettaman
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I really do appreciate everyone help/suggestions/tips and links! - some really valuable info there, thanks
Looks like we have made the decision to go to Italy rather than a beach holiday with a Matiz for a hire car!!!
I really cant wait to get going now, hopefully will be a repeat trip year after year so I can work my way through different routes and as many mountain passes as possible - they look great!
The future mrs does like Opera so that is handy and luckily is quite happy to sit in the car for a few hrs a day with the roof off so driving is definately on the agenda when we are there. If it doesnt rain, I hope we dont even need to put the roof up! Unfortunately it looks like a long boring motorway blast until we hit the alps though looking at times and distances etc!
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As mentioned many times already, a beautiful part of the world. I would head for Arnhem from Amsterdam, then Duisburg. This will take you on to the A3 in Germany, then the A9 towards Munich. If it were me, I would stay in Munich overnight, enjoy one of the fabulous beer gardens here, then head for Lake Garda the following day.
Bear in mind it'll be holiday time so the roads will be choked with dutch people towing caravans. You'll need between 7 and 10 hours to get from Amsterdam to Munich depending on traffic, and I normally allow 5 to 6 hours for the drive to Lake Garda from Munich depending on which part of the lake I'm driving to. Don't be tempted to use the Karlsruhe - Stuttgart - Munich route on the A8 across southern Germany. This is 300km of roadworks and will be for the next 2 years. It's also theoretically possible to drive through Switzerland which is shorter but in my experience will take much longer.
Make sure you have enough spare Euros for the Brenner pass. I used it once when I'd already spent all my loose change for the Autostradas in Italy and the credit card readers at the Brenner toll gate were not working. Result? They made me park up at the police station and walk 2km to the nearest cash point to be able to pay the toll with cash!
You probably know this already but northern Italy is prone to some real almighty thunderstorms at that time of year. It'll be clear blue sky then thunder clouds appear about of nowhere, then you experience the equivalent of the annual rainfall of Manchester in 45 minutes, followed by sunshine again. This presents an ideal opportunity to find a nice cafe and sample some of the local wines, thereby avoiding the rain;-)
Edited by Webmaster on 28/03/2008 at 17:03
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Yes, Bagpuss is quite right about the thunderstorms which can be very dangerous as they can often produce deadly hail stones the size of ping pong balls and bigger. You may notice local cars whose bodywork have more dimples than a golf ball. As a big thunderstorm approaches you will see locals scambling to get their cars reparked under heavy-duty cover - like a tunnel.
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>>nowhere, then you experience the equivalent of the annual rainfall of Manchester in 45 minutes, followed by sunshine again
You can follow the local custom and park up on the hard shoulder under a bridge...
Edited to say I recall seeing this in the late 80s; my parents who had driven to Italy in the 60s (in the days when you could park in the main square in Milan outside the cathedral) said it had been a much more common sight then.
Edited by Mapmaker on 28/03/2008 at 11:41
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I did a similar trip on my honeymoon in a Volvo P1800, but via the Riviera. That was in mid-winter 1962 but more recent trips make me fearful of the overtaking habits of Italian drivers. On passes, you may enjoying watching the great verve of local coachdrivers but try not to get too close when they are oncoming. Driving on the eastern shore road of Lake Garda is not too bad (Garda itself is a dump) but there is an excellent bus service between Riva and Verona. I too would opt for Malcesine. If at a loose end, go up the funicular there for the view: even looser, kite sail back down. I too would avoid the neighborhood of Milan, especially the main route to Slovenia.
Count your change. In spite of the official view, you will have to tip although a young Italian hotel receptionist friend tells me that "Italians don't give nothing".
Your MGtf handbook probably warns you not to put luggage in the front as it could interfere with energy absorption in the case of a bump (mine did) and this could have insurance implications. I needed all the boot luggage space for myself for my 2000-mile MG trip so of course my wife had to stay behind. You can probably get a purpose-built, lockable security box to bolt under the passenger seat and a boot lid luggage rack.
On the lines of "I wouldn't start here", I would go in September, still warm but fewer tourists and cheaper. But it will be lovely MG driving whenever so congratulations and "buon' viaggio"!
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