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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To drive to italy in one day?

172 replies

Whattheuh · 13/06/2015 22:02

Most of the threads I be seen people plan to do it in a few days,but we don't have that much time and money to stop overnight a lot.we were thinking of leaving very early and hopefully arrive by that evening.anyone done that?

OP posts:
TwinkieTwinkle · 13/06/2015 22:24

It is doable, we have done it from Calais, albeit a different route and longer timescale, with one driver. I seriously recommend looking into dads Newcastle-Amsterdam overnight crossing. It might cost a bit more but realistically if you go Dover-Calais you might end up with hotel costs, it could all even out. Plus the ferry is very fun! Smile

Chewbecca · 13/06/2015 22:25

Where are you starting from?
I find the viamichelin timings to be very accurate.

If you're counting from Calais, presumably you've got a few hours before you get there?

You can get a room in France very very cheaply if you do decide to stop.

Magicalmrmistofeles · 13/06/2015 22:25

11 hours from Calais? It takes us 8 to get to La Rochelle and it's a long way from Italy!

liger · 13/06/2015 22:25

Are you planning to drive through Switzerland or via France only?

TwinkieTwinkle · 13/06/2015 22:26

Yeah, St Gottard is the tunnel through the alps. It can get very congested during the day time, hence why we do it in the middle of the night/early hours of the morning. Love passing through Switzerland, getting into Italy and stopping mid-morning for an espresso and the awesome toasties they make in Italian service stations! Grin

ExitPursuedByABear · 13/06/2015 22:26

Why would you?

If you don't even know the tunnel through the Alps it is clearly the first time.

Original poster
Whattheuh · 13/06/2015 22:30

Yews,it is the first time.not decided on best route yet,I read that to pass via Switzerland we would need to pay a tax or something?would it be easier to avoid the tunnel and go over it,since it isn't winter so no snow trouble ?we will stop overnight if it becomes necessary, but would rather get it over and done with.but stopping for a evening rest then going back to the road early morning is not a bad idea.

OP posts:
elQuintoConyo · 13/06/2015 22:31

Dad would drive Herne Bay to Inverness in a 2CV in 14 hours. Hideous for all involved.

At school we did a ski trip and, Dover-Calais ferry included, it took 35 hours Bristol-Bolzano (Dolomites). Also hideous and I was a lot older.

Do you really need to drive? With Dc? Poveretti!

lunalovegood84 · 13/06/2015 22:31

We had a lot of family holidays driving to Italy from Scotland as a child. It always took us 4 days to get to Tuscany! (Stops at Dover, different places in the middle of France, and at the Alps). What if you get stuck in a queue somewhere - you really have no margin for error.

MrsTerryPratchett · 13/06/2015 22:33

Just don't. I lived there and we drove back a lot. It won't be 11 hours.

Take a tent and camp!

Annunziata · 13/06/2015 22:35

I know Milan is north of Rome Grin

Where are you going?

You really need to stop every 2 hours and that's without young kids needing to go peepee.

They are not likely to sleep and if you're sharing driving, you need to be sleeping, not refereeing cranky kids stuck in a car seat.

It used to take us a week to drive back to Italy from Scotland and that was with a mental Sicilian driving.

liger · 13/06/2015 22:37

Honestly - plan for at least one overnight. French roads are relatively clear and easy. But Swiss roads are fast and full of cars and need your full attention. Likewise you don't want to be tired or distracted by ratty kids on the climb up to the Alps. If its your first time plan for all eventialities and hope for an easier run.
( In Switzerland you need to pay for use of the motorways - it's valid for a year) . There are also tolls on the French motorways of course.

TwinkieTwinkle · 13/06/2015 22:39

If you drive through Switzerland you need a vignette. Doesn't matter whether you use the tunnels or not. It's like their road tax. It used to be cheaper to buy it from the embassy (or online) instead of doing it when you get to the border, I'm not 100% sure if it's still the same since we always buy ours before going.

liger · 13/06/2015 22:39

What age are your kids?

5Foot5 · 13/06/2015 22:39

Where in the UK are you starting from? That makes a big difference.
We once drove to Tuscany but we were staring from the North West of England:

Day 1: Macclesfield to Dover - really quite tiring
Day 2: Calais to Geneva, ready to go through Mont Blanc tunnel - pretty easy in one day
Day 3: Geneva to our destination South of Florence, quite tiring but not as bas as the UK bit.

If you live on or near South Coast I would think Northern Italy certainly do-able in a day. BUT. With young children? Woo that is a bit of a game-changer......

TwinkieTwinkle · 13/06/2015 22:41

www.swisstravelsystem.com/en/home.html

SiobhanSharpe · 13/06/2015 22:41

We drove to NW Italy last year, and are doing it again i n September but we find after eight hours driving, with two stops, (two stints of two hours each) we've absolutely had enough.
It's really not expensive to stop at a hotel in France, there are several budget chains, often near autoroute exits, also if you stop you can buy food at a hypermarket or ordinary grocers nearby and not have to spend £££ on very expensive and very average motorway service station food.
It also depends a lot on when you're going, European motorways can be hellish at holiday times.. We once spent six hours completely stationary on the A6 (autoroute du soleil) in Southern France on a Saturday in August.... Our mistake , obvs, but never again.

TheCatHimselfKnows · 13/06/2015 22:42

No way! There will be an accident or something that holds up the traffic or queues or something. There can be huge queues for the Gottardo tunnel depending on when you are travelling. You need to buy a vignette (on line or at the border to travel through) travelling from UK I would stop over at the Swiss end. Lucerne or somewhere.

pollythepolarbear · 13/06/2015 22:42

We did this with children aged 4 & 6. Drove 6 hrs down to Dover to get 1am ferry. Drove through night in France and arrived Italy (lake Garda) about 2pm. We then put up our tent Smile

It was surprisingly ok. Worst bit by far was driving in UK. We bought DVD players for kids and they were absolutely fine, no complaints!

Because it was the start of our holiday we were fresh and able to cope with shared driving. Rest areas in France were wonderful. It was an adventure driving at night.

But.. on the return journey it was hellish, never again. And we were only coming back from France by that stage of our holiday. Never driving overnight again on the way home - multiple stopovers next time!

TheCatHimselfKnows · 13/06/2015 22:46

And do the tunnel or pass early in the morning

Branleuse · 13/06/2015 22:46

we just came back from south of france a couple of weeks back, and even though we did it in two days, I still think it was too far to drive. Toll roads and petrol add up too on such a long journey. Its not the cheapest or easiest way to do it.

TwinkieTwinkle · 13/06/2015 22:48

Ooooooh Polly can I ask what campsite you stayed at? I've camped at Lake Garda, so beautiful!

Also, for anyone reading and thinking about doing a similar trip to OP, if on the way back up you fancy splitting the trip, I highly recommend stopping at Europa Park in Germany. It's honestly the best theme park I have ever been to (and I've been to quite a few!) I even go without DS.

Original poster
Whattheuh · 13/06/2015 22:49

How much is the vignette?Polly,way was it so much worse on the way back?is traveling thru the tunnel a must or can we avoid that?

OP posts:
Original poster
Whattheuh · 13/06/2015 22:50

It is in augustShock that's way we were planning to go from dover early ,around 6 am.would not trust us to drive thru the night.is a couple of hours for us to get to dover.

OP posts:
TwinkieTwinkle · 13/06/2015 22:50

My parents had to go over the pass about 10 years ago when there was a fire in the tunnel. It was hellish according to my dad. He would never do it again.