The missing info here is where in the UK are you starting from? If it's going to take 8 hours to reach Dover it will make a difference!

Coach tour operators would say your itinery is perfectly possible because it's what they do, for example I have a Shearings brochure here which offers Lake Como (which is basically very upmarket Milan commuter land) with one overnight stop in Reims. They do then have a week to recover but I don't see that as essential. The fact that you can also share the driving makes it even more managable.

Points to watch are that you will probably need to use French motorways, and they usually want money off you by the distance you travel. The Swiss will require you to buy a motorway tax disk for your windscreen at the border if you intend using theirs but you can avoid them without losing much time (their other roads are free). Also petrol in Switzerland is cheaper than neighbouring countries but most other things, especially hotels, are dearer. The Italian motorways are also normally chargeable but you may not need those.

Is there a particular target in Milan? The traffic there is not for the faint hearted!

I'm living in lancashire but the start point on friday will be east ham, london so its around 2 hours if i'm not mistaken?

i had considered the french tolls - would it be worth it to go through belgium and germany to avoid them? would it add too much time?

no particular target - maybe the san siro we'll have to do the nou camp in barcaleona another time *L*

Hi dreamz69. I guess you posted the same question twice.
If you are still thinking of heading for Milan, driving through Belgium and Germany as we prevously discussed won't make a lot of difference in fact you could make better time and save money. I live in the south of Germany and regularly drive to the UK . The reason we drive through France is because there is a lot less traffic on the roads (though July and France being the main French holidays the roads are a lot busier) and we like to have an overnight stop in Reims. If you are leaving early from London you will only need approx two hours to reach Dover and can get quite a long way south the first day e.g Strasbourg as you previously stated. If you are driving through Germany then you can get to the very south of Germany in one days driving.
Another thing to note depending on which route you decide on Luxembourg normally has cheaper petrol than it's neighbours.

I just realised something folks that may result in a change of destination

Euro 2008 is happening in switzerland!

even though england arent in it alot of the local european nations surrounding switzerland are! i might actually push the date so we reach our destination on the final and watch the football there - eg in a bar in milan or something.

but like i said in the other thread judith - come this weekend i'll have a better idea of dates and locations

If you're thinking of going that soon there is another problem to consider - French fishing boats blocking harbours! The situation seems to be changing day by day but the problem isn't likely to be sorted soon and even a 6 hour delay would wreck your plan. It might be an idea to consider the Eurotunnel shuttle from Folkestone to Calais or the Ramsgate -Ostend ferry. The latter is a longer crossing but would put you straight on to the Belgium free motorway network to Luxembourg where you would have to options of either going straight into France and down to Metz and Nancy or cutting through a corner of Germany via Saarbrücken and then entering France towards Strasbourg. For overnight options in this area we have resident expert who I will PM to advise you!

For the onward route I'd suggest Basel- Luzern- Erstfeld then (assuming the weather is fine) Andermatt- Gotthard Pass- Lugano- Milan. Return route Milan- Stresa- Simplon Pass- Brig- Martigny- Montreux- Fribourg- Biel - exit Swiss border depending on where overnight stay is.

And to add futher confusion I've just found out that Stena have replaced the unsuitable HSS with proper ferries on the Harwich-Hook of Holland route and brought back the traditional night service. Given that East Ham is the right side of London for Harwich you could consider leaving on the evening before you had planned.The timetable is really badly laid out but I reckon it leaves Harwich at 23:45 so you would have to leave East Ham around 20:30 to be at Harwich before loading closes. It might be more expensive than you planned but would give you a useful head start. You'd be on a free Dutch motorway by the time you expected to be half way down the M2. From Hook you have the options of dropping down into Belgium and going via Antwerp- Liege- Luxembourg to pick up the above suggestion or go straight across the Netherlands to the free German motorway network and follow the Rhine down to somewhere close to the Swiss border.

Hi! Steve got in touch with me to suggest route help - I'm a Lancashire lass who has been living in Alsace for the last 16 years! (Thanks Steve!)

We travel regularly between Colmar and Milan, and also between Colmar and the UK! So here's my suggestions - please excuse me if I tell you things that you already know!!

First of all, if you want to be conventional, might I suggest you look up http://www.viamichelin.fr which will give you route details (in English) from Calais to Milan showing the scenic route, the most economical route and the quickest route. It will also give details of motorway tolls and speed cameras!

Secondly, you really can't avoid motorway tolls completely. Especially in Italy where they seem to be every few kilometres and just for a few euros at a time!!

Finally, please note that you will require an EMERGENCY WARNING TRIANGLE in your boot and a HIGH VISIBILITY JACKET IN YOUR CAR from 1 July. The French police will be delighted to remove some euros from you if you don't, and I'm sure that they will increase 'patrols' for such easy pickings!!

It is always a shock to realise that you have 'gained' an hour once you leave the ferry at Calais. This may mean that you should eat on the boat, as France (outside motorway service stations) keeps fairly strict meal times - 12-2 and 6-9.30. If you want to fill up with petrol, take the motorway from Calais docks (the A26 to RHEIMS (pronounced Ra-ince)) and turn off at the first exit OYE PLAGE and head into town (first exit from roundabout) and get petrol at the Carrefour (I think) supermarket approx 800 m. Note that UK credit cards are NOT acceptable for the automatic pumps, so visit during supermarket hours ........ approx 9-8).

The first part of the route from Calais is via the A26. There is really no alternative, and tolls are payable - ticket at St Omer peage, payment just outside Rheims. At Rheims, the motorway ends and you turn left (east) onto the A4 at a suburb called RHEIMS TINQUEAUX. At Tinqueaux, there are a large number of hotels to suit all pockets very easily accessed from the motorway ... we use the Formule 1, but there are Campanile, Novotel and others. You can book in advance using the internet - http://Accorhotels.fr will be a start. The journey from Calais to Rheims will take you about 3 hours (legally).

From Rheims you have a choice. Either directly along the A4 to Strasbourg and then down to the Swiss border on the A35. Motorway all the way - often very empty - and tolled up to the outskirts of Strasbourg. The A35 from Strasbourg to Basel is FREE!!

Or take the A4 to the other side of Rheims, follow the directions for Chalons and then take the N4 (the old national road) from Chalons to Nancy, then either across the Vosges to Strasbourg and down the A35, or from Nancy to Colmar (crossing the Vosges at the Col de Bonhomme (open all year) and taking the A35 from Colmar to Basel. If you have the time, I would suggest this route - it is a bit slower but is much more scenic. No tolls either!! But less opportunities for meals if you are driving out of hours (see above).

From Calais to Colmar with my hubby driving, we reckon on 10 hours with a coffee stop and a lunch stop ........ loo stops at both!! But friends do do it quicker - 6.5 hours with no stops is the recent record!

If you want to stop overnight in Strasbourg, there is a suburb just south of Strasbourg called LA VIGIE/FEGERSHEIM that has all the overnight hotels, Etap, Novotel, Ibis etc. But you might want to go into the centre of Strasbourg and explore (worth it!). I recommend Ibis because I've stayed in quite a few of them, and they all have car parks (essential!!) and good breakfasts (supplement payable).

If you decide that you'd like to stop off in Colmar, or in one of the beautiful Alsacian villages on your way - such as Riquewihr, Eguisheim, Ribeauville, Kaysersberg, please pm me and I'll give you details.
Alsace is certainly worth stopping over in - lovely countryside, locally grown wines and delicious cuisine. It's a hidden gem that very few Brits have discovered .... yet.

From Colmar to Milan, we always take the route suggested by Steve. That is, A35 to Basel, N2 to Luzern (Lucerne in British spelling), the San Gotthard, Bellinzona, Lugano, Chiasso, Como and finally Milan.

If you don't have one already, you will have to buy a 'vignette' (sticker) at the border in Basel - currently 40 SFr, but Euros accepted - which gives you the right to use the motorway system ....... and really there's no alternative. Mind you, Swiss motorways are very well maintained, and if there's a jam, the police are quickly on the scene, and in winter, the snow ploughs could win a gold medal for efficiency!

Allow 2 hours from Strasbourg to Basel - there may be a queue at the border if you arrive between 7-9 am because of commuter traffic, but it moves quickly. Petrol is cheaper in Switzerland. Please remember that the Swiss do not accept euros (!!!) except in the areas VERY close to the border!!

The route from Basel to Luzern, once you are clear of the centre of Luzern, is scenic and usually fast moving. Be careful of lane changes when you are going through the centre of Luzern, but there's plenty of signing. There can be a short wait where the motorway joins the motorway through central Switzerland at Egerkingen, but patience is a virtue!!

Depending on the time of year, you may have the choice as to whether to take the San Gotthard Tunnel - fast and soulless - or the Pass - longer but very beautiful. It depends on you, and how you feel at the time. There is no charge for the tunnel, but you will get loads of lorries, because they are NOT allowed to use the pass (plenty of hairpin bends, especially on the north side!).

Once through the Gotthard, the Movenpick service station at Bellinzona has lots of fresh food and is a good place for a stop!! Actually any Movenpick service station is good - there's one on the approach to Luzern and another on the way up to the Gotthard. The stretch between Bellinzona and the Italian border is lovely - Lake Lugano! You could also stop off at 'Switzerland in Miniature' just south of Lugano - before you cross the lake - if you have kids - I enjoyed it .......

The last service station in Switzerland (cheap petrol?!) is at Coldrerio, just before the border at Chiasso. There is a McDonalds there.

The Chiasso/Como border can be a bit frustrating with lanes of queueing traffic. Patience required!!
Just after the border you should have great views of Lake Como on your left! Should you decide to stop off here, it is truly lovely, BUT the traffic layout of the town is appalling, and after at least 10 visits, I have not yet mastered it! Blood pressure rises ..............

Shortly after the border (after 2 exits for Como) there is a toll booth (euros!) and you continue on towards Milan - straightforward ...... I think there's another toll before you reach Milan!! PLEASE check where you are going in Milan and use a map/viamichelin to plan your exit because the Milan ringroad is far worse than the M25 - volume of traffic, crazy tailgating and lorries!!

The drive from our house in the Colmar area to Como is 4 hours and to Milan 5 hours IF there are no hold ups. The Swiss have a radio channel (well noted on signposts) that gives traffic news, and works in tunnels, but it is NOT in English!!

Bring water, snacks (not chocolate) and a good sense of humour and you should have a good drive. Do take time to stop off and visit, as all good holidays start when you leave your front door and not when you arrive at your destination.

I'm afraid I can't give you much help with the route back that Steve has suggested, but I think it will be easy to follow and give you different sights to see.

Have a lovely time - and please don't hesitate to contact me either on this thread or by pm if I can be of further help to you. All good wishes xxxxxxxxxx

PS If you do decide to travel through Belgium, you can connect with the A35 at the Belgian border and carry straight down to Strasbourg and Basel that way - or via Holland, to Belgium, Brussels and Strasbourg (which I used to do on the late lamented Olau Line Vlissingen service). If you go through Germany, there are no tolls, but the motorways are crammed with lorries and flashy BMWs and Porsches at full speed and I find it very stressful. The road between Brussels and the Belgian border is usually uncluttered but mindbogglingly dull with very few service stations. Petrol is ultracheap in Luxembourg (two service stations at each end of the country) which leads to HUGE queues. Cigarettes are cheapest there too.

Maybe the mods could combine Dreamz69's two posts re driving to Milan (The other post was entitled driving break from London to Milan which I have been posting on since last Tuesday) as I think we may now be duplicating and overloading him with info. He's only going to be there 1 night taking 2 to 3 days of travelling which won't give him much time for sightseeing during the journey. He hasn't even decided when or if he is definitely going as according to his origional posts it's just an idea.