Hi
We are new to this forum and were wondering if anybody had any experience of driving to Florence, Italy with 2 small children.
We are going to a family wedding near Florence in June 2007, and planning to drive from Calais through France to Italy.
Does anyone have any experience of this, we would love to hear all about it, nightmares and everything.
How long did it take? How much does it cost in tolls?
Recommendation for Travel Lodge style hotels in France?
Any info you can pass on will be a great help.
Thank you
Annette and Graham
Hi Annette and Graham and welcome to HT!
You may get a better response to your question about hotels in France if you post in the France forum.
luci
You may get a better response to your question about hotels in France if you post in the France forum.
luci
Hi Anette and Graham
We have driven to Italy on a number of occasions as we often visit a place near Parma which is on the A1 which I presume you will be driving on to get to Florence.
I have broken down the miles, cost of tolls and fuel, but note this is based on us driving in a Van as I don't have the costs for whn we drove on the motorbike and in the car.
From Parma to Calais was approx 843 miles.
We spent 191 euros on fuel.
We left our place in Italy on a Friday at 12:30 pm and includin an overnight stop, we arrive in Calais at 3:30pm on the Saturday.
We spent approx 172.20 euros on tolls (this includes the frejus tunnel ticket). Make sure you have plenty of change, and if you whose to use credit cards make sure you got a spare one handy, as the one time we went the toll just didn't like my one credit card and once your committed to the credit card lane, your stuck there so good job we had a spare one.
When we do stop overnight we never book just pull off the motorway when we say a sign, usually costs anout 75 euros for a ouble room inc breakfast.
Here is the route we take:
FROM CALAIS A16
A26 ARRAS
A26 ST QUENTIN
A26 REIMS
A4 CHALONS EN-CHAMPAGNE
A26 TROYES A5/A31
A31 DIJON
A31/A6 MACON
A6 LYON
A46/A43 CHAMBERY
A3 TUNNELL-DE FREJUS A32
A32 TORINO A21
A21 ALESSANDRIA
A21 PIACENZA
A1 PARMA
The trip in general can be a pretty one, but exhaustive if it's hot and you have not got air conditioning! French and Italians can be crazy drivers and god help you if you are caught up in any traffic ques due to an accident.
But when you look of the cost of this trip and the tunnel crossing and your picnic stuff, it would be cheaper to fly - as the cost with Ryanair to fly from stanstead to Parma in summer season was £80 for 2 adults return! and a hire car is usually £350 for two weeks, plus you don't loose 2 days travelling - we are flying next year with Ryanair as we too are getting married in Parma!!
Happy travelling - sorry for the long reply but if you do have any more questions - just ask.
Ann-Marie
We have driven to Italy on a number of occasions as we often visit a place near Parma which is on the A1 which I presume you will be driving on to get to Florence.
I have broken down the miles, cost of tolls and fuel, but note this is based on us driving in a Van as I don't have the costs for whn we drove on the motorbike and in the car.
From Parma to Calais was approx 843 miles.
We spent 191 euros on fuel.
We left our place in Italy on a Friday at 12:30 pm and includin an overnight stop, we arrive in Calais at 3:30pm on the Saturday.
We spent approx 172.20 euros on tolls (this includes the frejus tunnel ticket). Make sure you have plenty of change, and if you whose to use credit cards make sure you got a spare one handy, as the one time we went the toll just didn't like my one credit card and once your committed to the credit card lane, your stuck there so good job we had a spare one.
When we do stop overnight we never book just pull off the motorway when we say a sign, usually costs anout 75 euros for a ouble room inc breakfast.
Here is the route we take:
FROM CALAIS A16
A26 ARRAS
A26 ST QUENTIN
A26 REIMS
A4 CHALONS EN-CHAMPAGNE
A26 TROYES A5/A31
A31 DIJON
A31/A6 MACON
A6 LYON
A46/A43 CHAMBERY
A3 TUNNELL-DE FREJUS A32
A32 TORINO A21
A21 ALESSANDRIA
A21 PIACENZA
A1 PARMA
The trip in general can be a pretty one, but exhaustive if it's hot and you have not got air conditioning! French and Italians can be crazy drivers and god help you if you are caught up in any traffic ques due to an accident.
But when you look of the cost of this trip and the tunnel crossing and your picnic stuff, it would be cheaper to fly - as the cost with Ryanair to fly from stanstead to Parma in summer season was £80 for 2 adults return! and a hire car is usually £350 for two weeks, plus you don't loose 2 days travelling - we are flying next year with Ryanair as we too are getting married in Parma!!
Happy travelling - sorry for the long reply but if you do have any more questions - just ask.
Ann-Marie
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