momhill

We will be in Provance for six days then we will have five days to get from Provance to Basel where we will drop off our rental car and we are taking a train to Berlin. (this is already set in place-except for train tickets - want to take the train vs flying to be able to see some of Germany out the train window and am aware that we will not be geting off the train until Berlin)

This is our thinking... May 29th - June 2 - five days
1. We have five days to get from Provance to Basel (where we have scheduled to drop off the car at the French side of the Airport on June 2nd. (rental company is aware of tentative plans for Switzerland and Italy)

2. Husband wants to see and possibly drive some of the Alps of Switzerland. (he does not have to drive the alps but is thinking he would like to drive a small portion. Is this a bad idea???)

3. I would like to drive no more than 200 miles a day. (flexible)

4. We would like to have a kind of idea where we will end up each day - name of city or village (or is it fine to let it be loose and not book hotels etc??.)

5. Might like to drive along the French Rivera for a bit then into Italy maybe Mentone and head north ( The Cannes film festival is about this time so would dip south east )

6. Would like to see Monte Blanco. (Would this be a good place to stop for one night?)

7. Dont care for really big cities and would like stay with more rural areas- we enjoy scenic beauty, walking, history..exploring back roads...and visiting small towns.

ANY thoughts would be sooo much appreciated. I know there is a lot of questions-I dont want to come home and find out i missed "the best most beautiful place in the world by five miles"...This is a really big event in out lives.

zeppole

i'm not sure if you want to see the hubub around the Cannes festival or avoid it. If you want to see it, you definitely need hotel reservations.

You might want to move fairly quickly up toward Monte Bianco, so you can spend time sightseeing there and assess conditions there for crossing the mountains. These are the highest peaks in Europe.

If you go along the French and Italian Riviera on a nice weekend and want to stop in Menton for the night, you probably need reservations unless you are prepared to go 15 minutes further in Ventimiglia as a back up. Almost anywhere on the Mediterranean coast on a weekend needs a reservation once the weather turns warm.

Leaving Menton, proceeding on along the italian Riviera, I would probably turn north near Savona, and stop in the Langhe hills for lunch (around Bra/Cherasco), and then press on to someplace north of Torino, near or in Ivrea, where you will find lots of hotels and probably no need to reserve. There are smaller towns before and after Ivrea if you prefer.

After that, you enter the Aosta valley. You can stop in Aosta for lunch and to see the marvelous Roman sights. Maybe take a hike somewhere near there to get views of Monte Bianco. It would make sense to spend the night in that area so you can tackle Alpine driving the next day, refreshed. It is so off-season, I really doubt you need hotel reservations (just warm clothes!) However, if you want to stay in a hotel with a view of Monte Bianco (there are some in places like Pre St Didier or Le Thuile), you might want to book that in advance.

http://www.booking.com/hotel/it/resi...7d33d72;dcid=1

From near Aosta, the Grand St Bernard pass can take you into Martigny in Switzerland if the pass is open -- and it usually opens June 1. If the pass is closed, you have to take the Mt Blanc tunnel. If the pass is open but it is raining, I suggest you spare yourself the stress of driving the pass in the rain and take the tunnel.

I have only been on the Italian side of Monte Bianco, and have not taken the pass, so I hope people who have actually crossed the pass or who know about French or Swiss side will show up to give you advice. There are beautiful views of Monte Bianco from towns on the Italian side, and I assume the same is true on the other side, but I don't know where is the best place to go to see them.

http://www.grandsaintbernard.ch/homepage.asp?l=3

http://buddstanley.blogspot.it/2010/...nard-pass.html

Michael

For the Alps, you could stick to the French side. After all, the tallest mountain in that range is the Mont Blanc, straddling the French-Italian border.

From the Provence you could drive up to Briançon and then take the road closest to the Italian border to Chamonix. You will see plenty of Alps there.

To get to Basel, you can either go via Neuchatel and Biel to Basel, or go through the French Jura. I traveled the French Jura side, so you might want to click on my name to find the trip report starting in Basel.

It might be a good idea to use Google maps or www.viamichelin.com to get a sense of distance and time of travel. Viamichelin is date specific, so asking for an Alpine road in a winter month will not take you on the road along the Italian border because it is closed.

Make sure that you return the car on the French side of the Basel airport to avoid a stiff cross-border drop-off fee. And you need a vignette if taking limited access roads in Switzerland.

The trip can be done in five days without problem.

momhill

Thank you both. Do you have any thoughts or favorites about the trams and lifts that are around Monte Bianco. It appears that there is a great variety. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks in advance

Michael

There is a funicular that a long time ago took travelers to the base of the Mont Blanc glacier from Chamonix; but with the melting of glaciers, the base might be at a much higher elevation now.