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Lake Geneva / Great St Bernard Pass / Milan / Naples

Lake Geneva / Great St Bernard Pass / Milan / Naples

Old Apr 30th, 2017, 08:40 AM
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Lake Geneva / Great St Bernard Pass / Milan / Naples

Hello

It's a 'Special' birthday this year and I'm looking to retrace a childhood journey combined with a Dream Drive.

As a youngster every summer my family would drive from Abergavenny in Wales to Naples in Southern Italy to visit family.

I would be looking to fly to Geneva, pick up a car and then drive the Great Saint Bernard Pass, Lake Geneva, Milan and down to Naples.

If anyone has previously driven all or any part of this I'd really appreciate some route recommendations and general advice.

Many many thanks!

M
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Old Apr 30th, 2017, 12:43 PM
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then drive the Great Saint Bernard Pass, Lake Geneva, Milan and down to Naples.>

Drive Lake Geneva to the St Bernard Pass -I have driven it -a lot of hairpin turns but fine as traffic goes slow - see the famous dogs adt the summit. then go by Lake Stresa, etc
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Old Apr 30th, 2017, 03:15 PM
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Please see your other thread:
http://www.fodors.com/community/trav...hern-italy.cfm

You don't say where you will begin, but if there is any chance that you will have jet lag, then I would strongly encourage you to avoid driving for your first night or two. Although many people are not aware of it, there is mounting evidence that driving with jet lag is just as dangerous -- to yourself and others -- as driving drunk, and nothing you can do will prevent the microsleeps (which you might not even notice) that are the apparent culprit. And please note – microsleeps aren’t dependent on getting sleep or not, they result from shifting your waking / sleeping cycle away from the one to which you are accustomed. Seriously -- NOT a good idea, no matter your other constraints and no matter your prior experience!

You might find it helpful to consult the Michelin Green Guides for the areas you hope to visit.
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Old Apr 30th, 2017, 03:52 PM
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Just an fyi -- S/he has seen the other thread, which is why s/he re-posted here.
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Old May 3rd, 2017, 05:34 AM
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Some really useful information here, thank you for taking the time to post!!

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Old May 28th, 2017, 02:01 AM
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Hello

Based on responses here and a little more research I'm wondering if flying to Geneva (from UK), hiring a car at Geneva Airport, after a nights rest, (am I right in thinking Vignette is included if it's a Swiss hire car?), then driving a loop via:

Lake Geneva
Martigny
Aosta (via Great Saint Bernard Pass)
Chamonix
Bonneville
Geneva

Perhaps stopping for a night somewhere along the route also, before flying on from Geneva to Northeren Italy to collect a car to drive the rest of the way down to Naples?

Has anyone done similar or have any insights into this plan I may not have considered?

Thanks in advance.

M
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Old May 28th, 2017, 03:58 AM
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If I'm not mistaken, it is very simple to get from Switzerland to Chamonix using public transportation, and likewise from Chamonix to Aosta, which has a car rental office. It doesn't take that much longer to go from Chamonix to either Milan or Torino, if you prefer to rent the car further south so as to have a shorter drive to Naples.

So suggesting you use the car that you rent at the Geneva airport to visit Lake Geneva, Maritigny & Bonneville, then take a train from Geneva to Chamonix, and then the train or bus (can't remember what's available) to Aosta, or Milan or Torino, and rent the Italian car in one of those Italian cities.
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Old May 28th, 2017, 06:33 AM
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Probably should add that if the point of this excursion is driving the Great St Bernard pass, then do that loop but still consider using ground transportation rather than flying from Switzerland to get into Italy (unless you want to take the cable car over Montebianco and aren't carrying too much luggage).
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