Paris-Champagne-Burgundy-Piedmont-Milan
 

We are trying to start a vacation the end of Sept. arriving in Paris and renting our car. We would drive to Reims or Epernay and then onto Beaune. At the end of one week we would like to leave France and travel to Italy. We want to visit Piedmont and then fly home from Milan. Should we drive to Italy from France or take a train?

If we drive it looks like alot of tunnels and mountain driving. While this may be beautiful can it also be nerve wracking with fog snow etc?? Not knowing what to expect can be worrisome. I would appreciate some input. If the train is the best way can you also suggest a city to depart and a city to arrive?

Thanks so much

first of all have you checked drop off charges for picking car up in France and dropping it off in Italy - could be huge fee for that - that could influence your decision

You do not want to rent a car in France and leave it in Italy - will cost you around $500 to do that. I would check for low-cost airfares at www.whichbudget.com.

The journey you suggest is terrific and practically undoable by train.

Do what you want to do by car, then drive through the Mont Blanc tunnel to Geneva. Drop your car at the FRENCH side of the airport, then - depending on your plane ticket - fly home from Geneva or get a train from the SWISS side to Paris.

Drop off fees vary, so check around. Also, don't forget to pro-rate the cost the of drop-off over the entire term of rental to figure out if, in terms of the trip you personally want to take, the added expense per day is worth it to you. On occasion it has been to me, and the drop off fee was not $500.

As for you more fundamental question, much of the driving in Piemonte is in rolling foothills, although the foothills are dense, meaning lots of twists and turns. Of course, if you approach from France on certain roads, you will be doing some serious mountain driving. Others, less so.

I don't think you are going to encounter snow in late September, and fog is actually more common in the rice fields and lower elevations. HOWEVER, any high mountain driving entails the risk of encountering low clouds. If you are on such a tight schedule you can't pull over and wait it out, you are courting real risks.

It is hard for me to imagine a satisfying trip to Piemonte, apart from an extended stay in Torino, that didn't involve renting a car. To avoid drop off fees or mountain-pass driving, you might look into crossing into Italy by train and renting a car at the first opportunity, like in Torino, Cuneo or San Remo.

PS: I should qualify my remarks about snow. It depend on the route you take, of course, but if I'm not mistaken, even the highest passes are open through September, and you might want to try lower elevations anyway. (I"ve been assuming you want to visit the Langhe area or Piemonte, or in general south of Torino -- but maybe that's not the right assumption!)