jennsean

I've just started planning a driving trip to Europe this fall (starting and probably ending in Sweden), and would appreciate any advice regarding destinations, hotels, short stops, restaurants, sites to see, routes, etc.

The following countries/cities are on the long list, but I haven't made any real decisions yet. Thanks!

Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, France, Ireland,

Prague, Budapest, and Vienna

Maybe Croatia?

also:

any particular cell phone and credit/debit card advice would be appreciated

any particular map books or travel guides you recommend?

Underhill

First of all, how long will you have? What interests you? What's your hotel budget? Knowing those things would help us help you.

Have you started looking at travel guides? Good way to begin the research you will need to do for a successful trip.

jennsean

Hi. As far as the length of the trip, I'd say up to about a month, although my mom would like me to spend a little over a week of that in the UK with her.

I have looked at a lot of travel guides - always liked fodors big gold guides, but it seems that the most recent one hasn't been updated in awhile so I was wondering if anyone had recommendations of supplements to it/other guides.

I'd rather cover more ground and get a taste of a lot of places on this trip so I know where I want to come back to rather than spending a long time in one or 2 places, but I want to be able to feel like I've seen more than just scouting for future trips - rule some places in and out for future.

Hotel budget is negotiable, less money is better b/c I can stay longer and have more money when I get home to pay off the car (I'm doing volvo overseas delivery), but I want to feel that all of the stops are safe and clean. There will be a few nice hotel splurges I suspect (by this I mean under $200 for the night still) but most nights I don't expect to spend more time in the room than a shower and sleeping, so the decor, etc. isn't too important to me.

My interests are pretty varied, in my previous trips to Europe I tried to mix the major tourist sites with a bit of random exploring about town and unplanned countryside lunch stops, etc. I wouldn't miss the top tourist things to see, but particularly enjoy those more off the beaten path...

I know this isn't particularly clear, I've a lot more work to do before I go. Any pointers would be great!

ira

Hi J,

>I'd rather cover more ground and get a taste of a lot of places ...but I want to be able to feel like I've seen more than just scouting for future trips

You can do one or the other, it will be hard to do both with only three weeks to visit 10 countries.

jennsean

Understood. I'm actually trying to narrow the list, don't know how many countries/how much time in each would be reasonable at this point.

My fiance and I have each seen about half the list individually, so even quick trips through shouldn't be sooo hectic, just catching a previous highlight or 2, but we know we need to cut it down further anyway. Any advice is appreciated.

Also anyone recommend a good European driving travel atlas?

Thanks!

kleeblatt

Are you buying a BMW? A friend bought one and drove it down to Italy. Guess what? He got a scratch. Luckily, it was only a scratch, considering Italy. Just a minor warning.

LoveItaly

Hi jennsean, don't have a whole lot to offer but do have one thought. You say you will probably start and end this trip in Sweden. Have you thought about buying an Open Jaw flight, flying into one place and flying out of another so that you do not have to do any backtracking?

jennsean

so sorry about the scratch - hope the experience was worth it!

it's actually a volvo xc90 and volvo pays for the r/t flight to the factory in sweden and to ship the car home from sweden or german. I may pay the drop off fees to leave the car somewhere else on the continent, but I'd have to fly back to Sweden anyway.

The more I'm thinking about the trip, I may fly to meet my family in the UK (the only really set part of the trip aside from sweden), then fly back to sweden to pick up the car and start and end there...

Any cheap air carriers from sweden or copenhagen to ireland that anyone recommends?

and any particular destinations/routes recommended from my list of possibilities? (it's of course way too ambitious as it is)

Thanks!

RonZ

Cheap flights web site

http://www.whichbudget.com/#from5

I would settle on how many hours of driving you wish to do each day [factoring in finding the hotel, getting lost in cities, , etc.], and then use mappy or one of the others to work out driving routes. The pitfall is trying to cover too much ground---seeing little but the tail lights ahead. If large cities are on the agenda, train and/or air travel might be appropriate.

jennsean

Thanks RonZ & everyone. Any recommended sites are always welcome.

Anyone also recommend a particular European road atlas?

Any guidebooks to supplement Fodors (the last Fodors Europe is getting a bit older than I'm used to dealing with...) I'd get the European cities one, but I want country suggestions too...

Doble_Vergasser

Michelin Green Guides give recommended routes/ drives and special cities. They have a star rating for both routes and cities. I know that there are green guides for Switzerland and most regions of France (alsace etc.).
About $20 each.

jennsean

Thanks, I'll definately check those out.

Robespierre

Take a look at some GPS offerings, too. I've used Microsoft's on my PocketPC in Europe and tested Michelin's on a laptop over here, and have found GPS to be a godsend.

You can get into Microsoft Streets & Trips with GPS receiver for $90 at CompUSA this week (SKU 314344), and oodles of free maps can be found on the Internet. See all the links on this thread:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34474486

Robespierre

By the way, I tried to order the Michelin GPS maps on their web site, and it wouldn't let me. An exchange of e-mails established that they don't sell Europe maps outside of Europe. Go figure.

Anyway, I'm confident their software works with my hardware, because I've downloaded the demo (<i>op. cit.</i and run it.

jennsean

Thanks Robespierre, I'll check those out. I was considering the navigation system for the car, but it seemed like a lot of money considering I don't need directions for most of the US travel that I do to see family and such.

Are the handheld devices good with european maps loaded in? I must admit I've never had a palm pilot or anything of the sort...

Are they hard to work and are the maps relatively easy to download and use? This may be a better option than spending money on road atlases and maps over there...

Robespierre

You can get a feel for GPS navigation by downloading Michelin's demo and running it on your present computer. It's very easy to use, in my opinion.

But you will still have to shell out about $100 for Michelin's highway maps:

<b>http://www.shop.viamichelin.co.uk/shopexd.asp?catalogid=199</b>

Note that this version doesn't give directions the way the 199&euro; product does, but it DOES plot routes and tell you where you are if a GPS is plugged in.

jennsean

Thanks again, I'll have to check that out when I get home

jennsean

I've been thinking about all the driving and trying to narrow the list and may have found a way.

Can anyone advise whether severe weather that could impede normal driving would be expected in any of the listed countries this October or November?

I know that it's unpredicatable and already have the average temps, but perhaps this could help me narrow my destinations.

Comments on road conditions would also be useful.

Thanks a lot!

Robespierre

To generalize (a lot!) I would say that your odds of encountering bad weather increase with altitude. In other words, as long as you stick to the coastal areas and plains, you probably won't encounter any impassable conditions at that time of year. Having said that, be aware that the European climate has been off the charts year-round for the past several years, so any generalizations are near useless.

If I were picking up a Volvo, I'd stick to driving Scandinavia, Denmark, through Germany to the Low Countries within the 15 days of the included insurance. Maybe 3-4 days in Stockholm, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Brussels, and ending up in Bremerhaven. Drop off the car, take the train down the Rhine to Switzerland, up through France to Paris, and the Eurostar to England.

As for the mountain regions: let the railroads figure out how to get you there

BTilke

With a Volvo XC 90, take great care driving through the old towns of some cities and the little hilltowns of France. In Sancerre, for example, we were nervous about driving our Renault Laguna around some of the tiny one-way streets; in Bamberg, we almost got stuck in one of the old town streets in a Volvo V70--you would definitely have trouble with the bigger XC 90!
We do most of our driving trips (we live in Europe) in the fall...favorites so far include central France, Germany, and Austria. We are doing the Austrian Tirol, Salzburg area, eastern Switzerland, northern Italy and northeastern Bavaria this fall. Whatever the weather, we expect great scenery! (It looks like our Renault Laguna will be replaced with a new Peugeot 607 before we hit the road.)
If you stick to Germany, the back roads of Muensterland and Saarland are very attractive and greatly under-touristed compared to other parts of Germany (Bavaria, Black Forest, Romantic Road, etc.). If your travels take you to the Black Forest, spend at least one night in the Dorint/Sofitel in Baden-Baden and ask to take the hotel's Audi A8 for a spin--just for the comparison ;-) (Seriously, they do have a new A8 on hand from the local Audi dealer that guests can test-drive)
My father-in-law did the ED Volvo thing (Volvo V70 XC) two years ago and had a great time driving through Germany. A bit of trouble with the delivery, completely unrelated to anything Volvo did or didn't do, just unusual circumstances. He thought the Volvo people treated him exceptionally well, loved the factory tour and the car is still working great.
We have to get a car in the UK this fall and are dithering between a Volvo V70 (everyone in my husband's family drives Volvos, even his German relatives) or the new, re-designed Volkswagen Passat. (The Peugeot is a company car my husband uses while working in Belgium)
Re maps, we really like the Michelin spiral bound atlases, but in Germany, you can a very well done series of maps/guidebooks called BildAtlas. Excellent driving suggestions, especially for off the beaten path routes, lots of photos, and good descriptions/suggestions for each area (in German only). Available in German book stores and some of the larger service stations.