Road Trip- Sweden to France
 

We are doing a road trip from Gothenburg, Sweden to Luc-sur-Mer, France. We would like to keep daily driving time to about 4 hours (that will give us any needed leeway) and still leave a tiny bit of sightseeing. We plan to make our overnights at: Copenhagen, Hamburg, Cologne and then on to Luc-sur-Mer.

My questions are 1) is there a good stopping point between Cologne and Luc-sur-Mer? 2) any recommendations for quick stops/ sights along the drive? 4) would you recommend booking hotels before or play it by ear? 3) any advice for the journey?

Many thanks!

try www.viamichelin.com for routing suggestion. You can specify various preferences (scenic, fastest, etc.) and in between points.

Thanks Michael, it looks like a handy/ useful sight!

I would say Aachen, Amiens, Rouen and Honfleur.

Aachen has Europe's most impressive cathedral (dating from 800 A.D., with Charlemagne's throne) and a medieval city hall.

Amiens has the most eleborate flamboyant-style gothic cathedral on the continent.

Rouen is just a picturesque medieval town. BTW, it has a fine cathedral too (if you will not be tired of gothic cathedrals).

And Honfleur is an incredibly charming port town (no significant cathedral).

Traveller1959, thank you for your feedback. I have been to Aachen and saw Charlemagne's throne! It certainly is a beautiful city. I could never tire of cathedrals and castles, but I have a feeling our three year old (and probably my husband for that matter) isn't as interested ;) In any case, I will definitely consider your suggestions. We aren't for certain where to get a hotel in the Normandy area, but we'll have about 2 full days there. I was also considering Bayeux over Luc-sur-Mer. Again, thank you, it is much appreciated.

Are you buying an OSD Volvo? We did last year, it was a great experience.

DebitNM - I was going to ask the same thing! We're planning on doing the OSD likely in May 2013, though with less driving. Probably Copenhagen, Goteberg, Stockholm...

We flew into Copenhagen, spent 4 days there, then took the train to Goteberg and picked up the car. We then drove up to Norway for 4 days, brought the car back to Goteberg and dropped it off and spent 3 days there. Then took train to Stockholm for 5 days and finished with 8 days in Paris.

If you haven't found this board yet, check it out. Great info:
http://forums.swedespeed.com/forumdisplay.php?55

LOVE my Volvo; it was one of the last S40's to come into US via OSD.

DebitNM - Thanks for the link - that's great! And what a fantastic trip. I'm stalking the XC60 - and will probably drive my husband nuts until we go... Glad to hear you like your car!

Unless you already plan to see specific sights, like the Cathedral in Cologne, you will lose quite some time to drive in and out of the big cities.
If Hamburg is just a waypoint, you could trade it for Lübeck. You will get in and out much faster, the old town is a gem and very easy to explore even if you only feel like walking around for an hour or two.

DebitNM and Dunia123, right you are!!! We bought the OSD Volvo and are driving it back to the UK. So I had wanted the S40, but they quit making it :( In the end, we went with the XC60. I am opening the link as I type, thank you! We have upto 2 weeks travel time, which is why we decided it's now or never for the Normandy area.

Debit, your itinerary, sounds crazy and lots of back tracking! I would be so stressed out.

Cowboy1968, I was hoping to visit family in Hamburg, but it's not possible now, so it has become just a stopping point. I will have a look at Lubeck as a good alternative!

So here is where our literary is at:
2 nights in Goteberg (visiting the city and a trip to Marstrand)
1 night in Copenhagen
1 night in Hamburg
1 night in Cologne
either a) drive straight through to Bayeux or
b) stop in Amiens
2 nights in Bayeux

I think I am ready to commit to Bayeux as a Normandy base rather than Luc-sur-Mer.

With only 2 days in the Normandy area, are there any recommendations for prioritizing sights?
Thank you! I the final stages of planning, we head to the airport Tuesday morning!