My partner and I enjoy driving europe and have had 3 great driving trips: Baden-Baden to Prague, Vienna to Budapest, Provence. We are trying to plan a another trip this year (7 days) I've been thinking the Loire Valley or Austria (I love the food!) Any other ideas or recommendations?

Both are great options.

When we lived in Bruessels, we took a week's trip to the Loire and thoroughly enjoyed it, making it a leisurely trip. We especially liked the relatively short distances from one chateaux to the next and the many good and picturesque restaurants. You could pick a town sort of in the middle of the chateaux region, and do day trips up and down the river.


Finally, you could fly into Munich, pick up a car and drive to Regensburg or Passau (I prefer the latter), and then take a leisurely trip along the Danube to Vienna. Instead of heading to Budapest which you did (and as we did too one year, you could either return via the Autobahn A-1 to the Salzkammergut (Mondsee exit, Wolfgangsee, Hallstatt) and visit Salzburg and then return to Munich on the scenic route via Berchtesgaden - Reit im Winkel, or you could continue from Vienna and do a loop to Graz - Klagenfurt - Hallstatt - Salzburg - Munich. This trip would involve more driving.

http://www.thirdmansystems.com/vacation/maps/maps.htm
Click on the "7 day trip" link.
This is a map of a route that will more than fill 7 days. I've traveled most of this route at least once. Germany, Austria, Italy. Heavy on scenery, mountain passes and lakes. This site lists many excellent trips. http://www.alpineroads.com/

Ken

thanks for the link. great maps.

You're welcome. If you like I can make smaller sections or other areas and post them. I use a program called Microsoft MapPoint Europe and then upload them to my web site. I have fun doing it and it helps me learn more for my next trip. I'm hoping late summer 2006, if not then 2007.

Ken