Four of us are planning on going to Italy, France and Germany next May for two weeks. We%26#39;re thinking that we would like to drive it??? Does this sound possible to do in that time frame? We don%26#39;t want to miss Cinque Terre which I believe is pretty far south in Italy-which takes more time. Are we crazy for driving-- what side of the road do those countries drive on. Any help is definitely appreciated!
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%26gt; We%26#39;re thinking that we would like to drive it??? Does this sound possible to do in that time frame?
You can pass through a lot of countries in this time. But the only thing you are going to see are the motorways. They don´t look much different from ones in Wisconsin, I guess.
%26gt;We don%26#39;t want to miss Cinque Terre which I believe is pretty far south in Italy-which takes more time.
Why don´t you simply take a good map of central/Western Europe from your local library and get an overview of locations?
%26gt;Are we crazy for driving-- what side of the road do those countries drive on.
The countries don´t drive at all, they stay put. :-)
But the people drive on the same side of the road as in USA.
A short trip - eastern France (Alsace) to bavaria to northern Italy - should not be impossible though.
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Cinque Terre is not at all far South in Italy. It%26#39;s a beautiful 3 1/2 hours drive from Nice on the French riviera. And from 5Terre it%26#39;s a 6 1/2 hours drive to the German border.
Within two weeks and provided you%26#39;ve got a car you can easily do:
- Paris
- French riviera
- Cinque Terre
- Black Forrest
- Rhine valley
- Mosel valley
- Champagne region of France
- and back to Paris
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%26gt;- Paris
- French riviera
- Cinque Terre
... would, in my opinion, already fill up 2 weeks. Unless you plan to barrel through with minimal stops, and view the scenery and cities only through the car windows...
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Italy, France and Germany are similar in size to 3 western states. It is quite possible to make a short visit to each of them in two weeks. It depends on how you like to travel and what you want to see. If you mainly want to pass through the countryside, get out of the car here and there, eat at some nice restaurants and get the lay of the land, why not.
For me it would get a lot more complicated making visits to complex places like Paris, but you did not mention that.
Regards, Gary
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%26gt;Italy, France and Germany are similar in size to 3 western states.
May very well be, but the density of sites to visit is not similar at all :-).
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Not everybody is as slow as the Swiss. You know they have to print the New Zürich Newspaper (NZZ) very slowly because the people can%26#39;t read that fast ;-)... just kidding, no offense.
You can perfectly do the tour as I described above in two weeks time. And yes, of course you won%26#39;t be able to dig very deep into every subject but I assume that%26#39;s not the purpose of your trip anyway.
The drive thru Switzerland from the Italian to the German border is just around 3 hours. You could have a swim in the sea after breakfast in Cinque Terre and still make it for dinner in the black forrest.
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The four of you will see a lot of each other and a lot of gas stations on the roadway. Not my kind of travel, but to each his/her own!
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Avoid Cinque Terra on the weekends. The Italians head down there, and the trails between the five villages are packed. Monday morning is a good day to hit the trails. Pisa is an easy train ride to Cinque Terra and is a wonderful city. Consider staying there and training it in rather than driving in. On a nice day you can hike between the five villages, see them, have a nice lunch or dinner, and train it back to Pisa.
When you get to Germany and are off the autobahns, pay attention to the yellow diamond signs. They mean you are on a priority road and other drivers entering need to yield to you. However, if you are not on a %26quot;priority road,%26quot; you must yield to anyone coming in ON THE RIGHT, no matter how %26quot;priority%26quot; your road appears to be. It%26#39;s a strange driving rule in Germany, but you need to pay attention to it when you%26#39;re in the cities and towns.
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irieblue--
Please think about using the trains in Europe. You%26#39;ll meet others, and can go the route you want with greater ease than driving a car in unfamiliar (very) territory. I have traveled by train in Europe for many years. The connections keep getting better and better. Consult among you about what cities, etc. you and friends really want to see. You could land in Frankfurt, go by train to Munich, head south into northern Italy, circle around and approach France from the south, then return to Frankfurt for the return home. Get a map and some travel books, read about some of the larger cities that could be a base, and post back on TA for lots of info on passes and/or tickets, as well as possible itineraries.
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Last year we traveled exclusively by rail in Germany. We are going back with our two adult children in two weeks and will travel only by train again. It is great traveling between cities. No parking, traffic or rental car headaches. The main train station is usually in the heart of the old town.
Train travel is also immersion travel. You are not isolated in your personal bubble while traveling around. You have to deal with ticket buying, sharing your space with Europeans and making sure you are ready to exit the train when it comes to your stop (no messing around). My wife and I loved it; it will be great for the kids. They both studied German in high school, and it time that they got a chance to use it.
What we missed in train travel is easily getting out into the countryside. It does come down to what you want to do and see. Some parts of Deutschland , Italy and France are more accessible by car.
Rotling makes a good point. It is wise to get a list of international road signs before driving in Europe. But, it is not rocket science.
Regards, Gary
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