8 days between Goteberg, Sweden and Treguier, France
 

we're buying a new Volvo traveling with an 83 year old Grandfather and 12 year old daughter and 2 parents. We need a route and hotels along the journey..travel agents have been no help. i'm at wits end. We'll take the ferry to the northern tip of Denmark from Sweden travel through Germany, Belgium and France. We'd like to stop in Normandy and do an overnight on the Guernsey Islands. I hear that Brugge Belgium is wonderful. Would love any help re: recommended stops and hotel recommendations...approx $180/night.does anybody know how long we should plan for each days travel? thanks much!ann

<font color="green">ENVY...</font>

I'd probably think about spending a couple of days in Denmark, ideally at some nice thatchy roofy Kro (inn), then roar through Germany as fast as the Volvo will be allowed during break-in (most likely fast enough) then spend another couple of 2- or 3-day stints at one location (each) in Belgium or France before arriving at your destination. With Grandad's age, the stress of daily bivouac can be a bother, so a day of driving, then a couple of recovery days for local sightseeing and country-road exploring might be the ticket.

What month?

June 8th-16. I know i'm behind the 8 ball. good advice......thanks have you ever been to Brugges or Brussels? do you have a recommendation between? I think we'd rather stay out of the big cities...

My second recommendation of this site today, but if you want to avoid sifting through 500 possibilities and just get this done at at a reasonable rate, and you want a reasonably reliable hotel experience, look at http://www.accorhotels.com . Ibis and Etap are lower-end, Mercure and Novotel are middle-range, and Sofitel is upper range. Accor is a good French hotel brand, with hotels all across Europe.

I'd just look for convenient Mercure and Novotel hotels en route, based on what you posted. You can reserve them online and usually cancel up to 4 PM on the day of arrival.

Brugge is beautiful, also mobbed with tourists that time of year, plus, most hotels within the old town center will offer minimal parking facilities, which I would find (and did when I was in your shoes some years ago) a bit nerve-racking what with the new wheels. (Mine, a Saab, was vandalized in a Paris garage overnight because the hotel didn't have parking. Live and learn.) Much of historic Brugge is a pedestrian zone, with enormous parking garages on the periphery.

Personnaly I'd certainly avoid driving into Brussels - big city traffic, complex street plans...

There might be some hotels near or in Brugge with car parking - I'd consult the hotels listings at Fodors.com, or look at Expedia, and use that as a criteria. Hopefully others with more overnight experience in Belgium can respond.

I absolutely agree with the Accor reference. Great value, usually good locations, and reliable quality. We seek them out when we travel overland in Europe.