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Driving from Manchester to Italy

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  • zagfles
    zagfles Posts: 21,495 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Chutzpah Haggler
    mcfisco wrote: »
    I'd disagree strongly, road trips are superb

    If it were me [wish it was] I'd get myself one of those pop-up tents and wild camp my way down and back again
    As for hotels/B&Bs, I never had any problem at all finding somewhere suitable and within budget, just turning up on spec
    Yup - when we went to Croatia last year we booked a couple of hotels on the way down (as it was early August so didn't want to risk everywhere being full) but on the way back (end Aug/start Sept) we didn't book anything and just played it by ear. We had 5 days between leaving the hotel in Croatia and the crossing back, were going to stop in a few places but found a lovely place in Austria on the edge of a lake where we decided to stop for 3 nights, for me it was the best part of the holiday, totally unplanned! Usually the way with road trips:)
  • aw many thanks for all your replies. i am trying desperately to convince my OH thats what we should do for our hols this year. Defo do not want to fly as my OH does enjoy driving and im not too bothered about driving through france or germany as we have done that quite a lot and want to go further afield

    just trying to decide whether we should camp aswell :eek:

    many thanks for all your comments
  • lovesgshp
    lovesgshp Posts: 1,413 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary 1,000 Posts
    Have done the road trip many times, but via Dover, before we became resident in Italy. We usually drove France, Germany, Austria and over the St Bernard pass. (Beautiful views) Stayed in some good B&B hotels in Germany and Austria. Look for ones where lorries are parked up, as prices and food are usually good.
    Italian toll motorways are good and in Sept, not that bad, except mornings and pre lunchtimes. Usually reasonable 12.30-2.30 when everyone eating. Watch for the speed cameras!!! Always on the motorway, use the rear view mirror in the fast lane, you may be doing 130kph, but there will always be someone at 210, coming from nowhere.
    You have to park outside Venice, there are multistory places, but can be expensive. It is worth staying in somewhere like Soave (Lovely wine) or Verona and driving over for the day. Try to find restaurants off the tourist track, or expect to pay high prices.
    Hope this helps
    As Manuel says in Fawlty Towers: " I Know Nothing"
  • lovesgshp
    lovesgshp Posts: 1,413 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary 1,000 Posts
    Addition to last post:
    Many Italian restaurants close for their holidays, or open shorter hours in Sept. They hit the peak period, as most of Italy is on holiday in August, just a warning..
    As Manuel says in Fawlty Towers: " I Know Nothing"
  • mrsg26
    mrsg26 Posts: 228 Forumite
    We haven't driven to Italy yet but have drove all the way from Scotland to France and then onward to Holland in the one day, spent a fab week there and then drove to Paris for another week there and then drove back from Paris to Scotland the same day...with a 4 year old and a Dog in tow too! We had an amazing time and the driving allowed us to to see some beautiful places and scenery along the way. This year we flew to Italy (Bergamo)and hired a car and drove to Lake Garda ..and it was far too stressful! We vowed that when we go back we will drive again from Scotland and take 2-3 days getting there..it is only 19 hrs from Glasgow to Lake Garda and that can easily be done with 2 stop overs so I wouldn't hesitate to do it from Manchester. The only thing is the drivers in Italy are some of the worst I've ever seen they think nothing of pulling out in front of you at alarming speeds, however if you are a confident driver then I don't see that being a problem for you. I hope you have a fantastic time :D
  • claire16c
    claire16c Posts: 7,074 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    mrsg26 wrote: »
    This year we flew to Italy (Bergamo)and hired a car and drove to Lake Garda ..and it was far too stressful! We vowed that when we go back we will drive again from Scotland and take 2-3 days getting there..it is only 19 hrs from Glasgow to Lake Garda and that can easily be done with 2 stop overs so I wouldn't hesitate to do it from Manchester. The only thing is the drivers in Italy are some of the worst I've ever seen they think nothing of pulling out in front of you at alarming speeds, however if you are a confident driver then I don't see that being a problem for you. I hope you have a fantastic time :D

    Out of interest, how is flying to Italy stressful?

    Especially when compared to the drivers you mention :)
  • Bob_the_Saver
    Bob_the_Saver Posts: 5,610 Forumite
    edited 29 July 2012 at 10:33PM
    claire16c wrote: »
    Out of interest, how is flying to Italy stressful?

    Especially when compared to the drivers you mention :)

    I'd love to know this too, it can be just a simple day trip with Ryanair, obviously longer is better.
  • mrsg26
    mrsg26 Posts: 228 Forumite
    edited 30 July 2012 at 2:57PM
    claire16c wrote: »
    Out of interest, how is flying to Italy stressful?

    Especially when compared to the drivers you mention :)

    It was stressful as we flew with Ryanair, the seats were uncomfortable, the luggage allowance was difficult to manage with our daughter and on arrival at bergamo we picked up a hire car that wouldn't have been out of place at a scrap yard, scratches dents all over it not to mention the front bumper had fallen off and was in the boot!! Then we had to return to the car hire company and get them to check all this over in the dark at midnight with an extremely tired 4 year old by our side! They also held a 1500 euro deposit on our credit card for any damages..for a rust bucket off a car that didn't even look like it was worth that amount. So in the end all of this compounded together made us realise that loading up our own very comfortable jeep and driving from Scotland to Europe was a damn sight easier than flying to Italy with Ryanair and picking up an awful hire care....but then again each to their own.
  • mrsg26
    mrsg26 Posts: 228 Forumite
    I'd love to know this too, it can be just a simple day trip with Ryanair, obviously longer is better.

    I replied above to the OP, it's all down to individual choice and I don't like to fly Ryanair simple as. For us it's our choice. We tried it this year when we flew to Italy and we didn't like it so next year we will be driving to The South of France in our own car, which we load up with everything that we will need for the trip without having to restrict ourselves to 15kg luggage allowance. We make it part of the holiday as we love stopping off along the way and taking in the scenery around us. It's all part of the holiday experience.
  • mcfisco
    mcfisco Posts: 1,957 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    I'd rather drive every time if I had the time in the first place - which I often don't.
    It's hard to beat stopping off in a small town, finding a nice restaurant and indulging in a nice long lunch.
    Travelling from NE England, we used to make our first night's stop at the same very nice B&B in Boulogne and spoil ourselves with fruits de mer in a local restaurant we knew before commencing our trip the next day.

    It's a great way of travelling as long as you chill a bit and don't push schedules, it's not all about the destination
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