Nice to Pisa and back again
 

I have mapquested Nice to Pisa and its about three hours. Has anyone ever done the drive? We are planning it as a day trip. I know it a long day but we have driven from Pennsylvania to Southern Ca six times so car rides we can do. Just wondering if mapquest is correct and if there is anything wlse you would recommend on the way.

That is not accurate. I have driven that coast several times and I would estimate 4 hours at least---not a day trip. The road has about 120 tunnels and drives me crazy.

I've done that road several times and I hate it - just like Bob. The 120 tunnels seem like 220. There are plenty of opportunities to make a wrong turn in Genoa and end up in the middle of a large city - with no local map.

Don't do it. There's plenty of neat stuff to see around Nice to keep you interested for several weeks. If you like scenic drives, head into the Nice Hinterland, or take a scenic drive in the hills "behind" the Riveria from Vence to Cotignac.

Stu Dudley

I'll dissent, at least a bit. It can be done in three hours, more or less, if you are comfortable at driving breakneck autostrada speeds (130-150 kph - - you don't have to get totally crazy)...

...and bobthenav is correct about all those tunnels (actually 150+) - - there are substantial segments where it is just tunnel, bridge, tunnel, bridge, tunnel, repeat, repeat, repeat...

The geography is like a stack of (rock) plates on edge in a dish drainer, and they just bored hole after hole after hole, with bridges in betweem to connect the tunnels together.

For what it's worth, based on my reading of late... I'd go to Turin instead (and I'd stay overnight, or several nights).

Best wishes,

Rex

It's a horrible drive. If it's sunny out and you wear glasses you'll be switching between your sunglasses and your regular glasses every 10 minutes or more. The trucks are scary as hell.

Reading your other posts and wondering why you want to subject your family to this kind of vacation??? Can't you just go somewhere and relax a bit?

When we travel we always stay really busy so the idea of streaching out our trip to nice to see Pisa seemed intereting. Thank you for the info about the tunnels. Maybe we should rethink our plans.

Do you have my 20+ page itinerary for the Riveria & Provence?. E-mail me at [email protected] if you want a copy. There are many very interesting day trips in the Riveria you can take that won't involve a lot of very stressful freeway driving.

Last year we took the train from the Pisa area to Nice just so we could avoid that drive.

Stu Dudley