What about this route for first European trip?

davidathomas42

davidathomas42

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Hopefully the picture works. if not ill edit.


Starting in Sheffield end of March. Were thinking of getting the overnight Ferry from Hull to Zeebrugge to save the long boring drive south and enjoy the cabaret and silver tops boogying on the dance floor. Sure our little girl would love that.

Then a run down to a French campsite for around 4 nights then moving on to Lake Geneva for 2 or 3 nights. Up to Stuttgart to check out the Porsche Museum then Cologne to take a ride on the Rhine River before circumnavigating back to Zeebrugge and ferry back to Hull and home.

Total trip length 10-12 days depending on how long we stop in last 2 places.

First trip I am planning so any tips or modifications to the route appreciated. Basically trying to keep the driving light so were not living on the road between places. Might be adding in a single night stop in France between the ferry and Sainte Marie.

Only concern so far is if the weather will be warm enough as its not really summer. In fact its probably a long way off good summer temps. But thats when we both have the time off and we really want to get a trip in before some other stuff ties us down in the summer.
 
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It's a long route for your timescale. I would be concerned about Switzerland in March. We have been snowed into a campsite in May unable to move for a few days. Why not cut across to Black Forest region, its lovely and lots of town centre aires. Rhine valley also deserves more time.
You don't want yo be on the move so much that you pass by places of interest.
Enjoy planning though, just the thing on these dark evenings:xThumb:
 
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Just did the math on the route and it is looking a bit long. Also the site I had picked out in France says no availability :-(

Not 100% sure what an aire is in all honesty. Looking like just a nice place to park? My wife wants a nice french campsite with an indoor pool etc for the little girl to play in and facilities so we can just relax for a few days
 
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Khizzie said:
Too far for enjoyment I would say. But if driving all day is your thing ..!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

I don't mind driving. If there was a road to the Moon id be off in the morning. Its the family I need to not destroy there will to live by been in the van on the road too much. I do want to do a tour though and see a few places. Otherwise we may as well just fly there.

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As others have said, also you will find it difficult to get a site open with all its facilities usable too....

If you going to do north/east you may need to veiw it as a winter holiday for that time of year....
 
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It is likely to be chilly at that time of the year, especially if you go high up. It is also a lot of driving. I know when we first got our van we drove too much and it has become much more relaxing and enjoyable since we slowed down. I would probably be tempted to stick to France and see where you can find campsites which are open that early in the year and have the facilities you want.

Don't discount aires. They are often in great central positions in pretty towns amd you find some real gems when using them.

Enjoy your trip, whatever you finally decide.
 
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Parc verger appears to be open .thats in the Champagnac Riviera..area of France . Google it and see of it meets your requirements..Roy
 
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Thanks for the input so far. The weather is the main thing we will need to combat to make it fun and have facilities (open it seems)
Also the inlaws are wanting to come with us. They will be in there car and looking to rent a lodge or the likes on the same location as us for the first 4-5 nights. Then I think we will probably go our own way to the next spot and they will do there thing.

Its looking not easy to get what we want and factor everything in.... But as said thats what these cold dark winter nights are for ------ plan plan plan.

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I would look further down France, maybe the Vendee region, has its own micro climate and is good for families and if you make good progress the possibility of going further south for warmer weather...

The warmer it is the more you will find open..:)
 
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As others have already said , to much traveling for 12-14 days , you will just be rushing so much and be missing so much!!
Guys just while i read about sites not being open off season ,, does the same usually apply to Aires ??
 
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Have you considered the Mosel ? It's an easy, well travelled route.
Sites and Stellplatz will be open, there's indoor pools, spas, lots to see and do. Could even incorporate Nurburgring.
10-12 days is perfect duration.
Might still be very cold (sub zero) though.
 
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1200 miles in around 12 days, that's an average of 100 miles a day, or about 2 hours a day driving on autoroutes/autobahns. Obviously there'll be days where you rest, but on the travelling days you'll be travelling a long way. Not a problem for us but everybody's different. For every 3 days you stay put you'll have around 8 hours of travelling to do on the fourth day - worth considering. Driving in France on toll autoroutes is easier than in this country, but Germany is about the same as here so it will be the more tiring of the two.

The northern bit could be fairly chilly in March, and a lot of French campsites will not be open before Easter. Aires are maybe not best suited to the needs you've stated so be sure to book available sites in advance. We're hoping to head to France in late March for a month but we'll be using aires and spending most of the time below the southern edge of the map you've shown so we have a chance of some warmer weather. On our last April trip we had excellent weather but it was in the southern half of France.

For traversing German cities and some larger towns you'll probably need an Umwelt sticker which is based on your vehicle's Euro standard for emissions. If your sticker isn't green there could be limits on where you can drive in some urban centres. You might also want to check on whether Switzerland in general requires you to have winter tyres before April, or whether it's just certain upland regions.

If you want to break the journey up a bit Dijon is a very pleasant place. Cologne has more attractions than Rhine river rides, including a chocolate museum, but each to their own :)

Good luck juggling the in-laws.

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Personally for your first euro trip i would just stick to France, there is tons to see and do, plus its super MH friendly, its no fun when all your doing is basically clock watching to get to the next destination.. we did France,Italy,Slovenia and switzerland a few yrs ago in just over 2 weeks and it was not long enough, Slovenia was superb and i would loved to have stayed alot longer, Switzerland has views and scenery to die for - breath taking views around every corner, France we just love anyway - Italy - no comment = Just do not like the people or the place - my personal opinion of course.
 
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Like others have said it seems like a lot of miles especially with a young child. How about looking at the Normandy coast, there are a number of lovely old fashioned beach resorts around Le Touquet.
You may find campsites open there from March with the sort of facilities you are wanting.No guarantee on the weather but lovely beaches with wide promenades for walking.

You can also try using Aires as part of your trip as there are some lovely ones in the area.
 
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Good luck ! We travelled to far on our first trip to France and realised we spent the best part of the day driving . Since then we have changed the way we plan our trips!
We have never been that early but as others have said many campsites don't open that early.
Often snow tyres or chains are compulsory in some countries in winter so check that.
The beauty about a motor home is that plans can change daily but with a little one you may need more structure.
Village and town Aires are often near community pools etc . We Never sleep on a motorway aires at night ( but use them as stop breaks during the day)
Lots of threads on the pitfalls .
 
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We used to hammer down to where we wanted to get to I think it was a hangover from tugging days.
Have a more relaxed approach now, France is Motorhome heaven and is perfect for ambling from one village to the next on route to your destination.
For a first trip I would stick to France and just have loose plans, there will always be cheap small hotels for the inlaws.
We tend to follow the weather if the forecast is bad for where we are heading we head of somewhere else.
 
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I think this is the classic mistake and admit did it myself.
Your sat at home studying a map and so many places to visit.
In reality as mentioned, weather in March is not that good even parts of Spain are still cold, snow still a possibility in France. Campsites will start to open from Easter onwards, so check that date for 2017.
It's not always fun for little ones to be strapped in a car seat for hours and hours on end. Took our grandkids with us since they were born so been there and got the T shirt.

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The only bit we have planned for next years trip is the EuroTunnel and then head south. I have some thoughts on the route south but nothing cast in stone. When we have had enough driving we find somewhere to stop.

You have 2 nights on the ferry. 4 nights French campsite. 2 nights Lake Geneva. A trip on the Rhine and a visit to the Porche Museum and 1200 + miles to travel. Should take you 2 - 3 weeks.

I would say its impossible in 12 days to be an enjoyable trip.
 
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We had plans for our first fortnights trip abroad to Italy in our new motorhome a few years ago. The more we looked at it the more it seemed like driving than sightseeing, so we stuck to France, travelled down the east, across the middle and up the west coast. Fantastic trip, half the mileage and we kept off tolls and motorways and saw loads of great towns villages and countryside.
But, good luck with whatever you decide. There are quite a few sites open all year. This might help, though I am sure there are others.
http://www.frenchcampsites.co/french-regions/region-information-open-all-year.html
 
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If you were to halve the distance it would still be a bit challenging. March/April, a couple of multi night stops, a second vehicle needing booked accommodation, child on board.
Perhaps a more direct "there and back" trip would be better with a couple of short detours en-route.
Just saying.
 
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I think trying to book accommodation for your in-laws in exactly the places you need ( and want) to stop is a challenge too far in March.

Also, I know all children travel differently but a lot of travelling for a little one on her first motorhome holiday may put her off!

If the Porche museum is a must see, maybe find a campsite in the area and accommodation for in laws and stay in that area, then a stop at Bruges on the way back? Or Amsterdam? ( I'm not sure on distances) but I'm thinking there's boat trips in both your little girl would enjoy and I'm sure Google will find other child friendly attractions.
 
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Don't do it! Short winter days and weather risk you will spend all your time driving and none of it taking in the sights. We spent 4 weeks doing a similar trip (in June) but we also took in the Romantic road. It was our first trip and we ended feeling that we should have allowed at least twice as long as we felt we had insufficient time to do the sights. its a lovely trip but way too much for 12 days.

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I agree with many others on the forum that the distance traveled for a 12 day trip is way too much. There is plenty to see in France, Belgium and even Luxembourg could be a closer option. We have been along most of the route that you have proposed have a look at our trip maps and click on the kangaroo icons for the info.

http://www.travelbunyip.com/homepage/our-2016-trip-map/

http://www.travelbunyip.com/homepage/follow-our-2015-trip-map/

http://www.travelbunyip.com/homepage/where-are-we-now/

If you have a look at the 2016 trip it took us nearly 7 weeks.
Spend more time exploring and enjoying the trip than sitting in the van on a road. Otherwise you may need
a holiday when you return as you might be exhausted from your trip. Good luck and safe travels.
 
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If you are going to the Porsche museum, ("All that money, and they still didn't get it straight!") then you may be interested in:

The Mercedes Benz museum, also in Stuttgart. Amongst other things, they have the first car - yes, really - the. first. car.

Stuttgart has hot springs, and more than one spa/swimming complex built around them. Great if the weather is bad - or even if it's fine. For example there's the Leutze spa/swimming pool complex. One tip - start in the cooler pools - once you're in a hot pool you don't want to get cold.

There's a campsite in the middle of the town (Cannstatt), near the Mercedes museum. Not a particularly inspiring location, but OK as a base if you're out all day.

The Sinsheim Technical Museum. You'll pass it on the motorway between Heilbronn and Heidelberg. Can't miss it, it's the one with the two Concordes on the roof.

The Speyer Technical Museum, no Concordes, but a Jumbo Jet instead.

Both these museums have a variety of attractions, not just planes and vehicles, but things like fairground organs and vintage pop music exhibits. And 3D IMAX cinema with films every hour or so.

There is an Aire at the Speyer museum, you can stay overnight. Not quite a campsite, but some facilities. Speyer is a nice town, worth a stroll around. Also there's Sea Life Speyer.

If the weather's good, there's a Celtic (yes, Celtic) castle at at the top of the hill by Nagold.
 
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You've heard the negatives. Cold ! I would have suggested Brussels/Liege/Trier and go down the Moselle then down Rhein a bit and back. Plenty of miles for that time-scale. Much will be closed anyway.

Have you thought of taking the ferry to Spain ( Santander/Bilbao ) and quick drive to Med coast. A bit tight on time but better on weather.
 
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