Help!!! France and Italy car trip?

[Longlistmama]

Hello everyone,
hoping someone can offer me advice and insight.
me and my husband have decided that in between exam season next year we will take a road trip with our teens (and 1 toddler) (6 of us in total) to Dover to Calais and head to Italy. 🙈
yes I know it’s crazy 😂
like to keep costs down. We are not overly active and not big drinkers. But love food.
we hope to do this at leisure and prob have roughly 14 days give or take a few days. We also want minimal stays in France (not wishing to go through Switzerland on this occasion) we prefer quality over quantity p not really bothered to cover lots of ground… I would like at least one coastal visit. I’m struggling to be realistic in the planning of the route and how much time to spend in areas and how where to look to book hotels. Has anyone done this before to offer recommendations and guidance?
I am factoring tolls? Fuels and food? But want to rebook hotels and stops where possible? Many thanks xxx

Have you picked a destination in Italy? That will make a big difference to your route. Is driving through Switzerland alright if you aren’t stopping there? (I assume you want to avoid Switzerland due to cost).

Hello.
I think the final place would be Rome? I think Naples maybe to far for our time frame?
we would like to see Florence and Pisa I believe? But we are very open to suggestions. We would like to avoid Switzerland because of cost and because it’s a destination we would like to explore separately.
xx

First thing to consider is how many hours maximum you could drive in a day. If you could do 7 hours in a day, then you’d get away with only 1 stop in France on each direction.

You can drive from Calais to northern Italy in about 12 hours. With young kids I'm guessing you won't want to drive for more than 6 hours per day so that will take you at least 2 days. Rome is another days drive south at least.

The quickest route is through Switzerland and across the Alps. If you want to avoid Switzerland then driving down through France and across will add another 3 hours or so onto the drive.

If you want to see Pisa and Florence then why not base yourself somewhere around Bologna or Parma. Then you are slap bang in the centre of the food capitals of Italy. There are plenty of places to rent on AirBnB in that part of th world either in the mouintains to the south or around those towns.

I just did a month in Italy in a camper. We stopped in Venice, Verona, Sirmione and Gardaland on Lake Garda, Lake Como, Pisa and and for the Dolomites. We stayed 3 nights everywhere except for Pisa (1 night) for Dolomites which was much longer. All were fabulous.

For a France stop, Annecy might work well. It’s about halfway I think and absolutely worth a stopover.

Just be aware that if you think our roads are bad, Italian roads are a whole other level of awfulness. Look into getting a Bip&Go for motorway tolls in both countries.

It will be hot but I assume you’ll have air con in the car? I honestly wouldn’t go as far as Rome. There’s lots to see in the north. If budget is a factor remember that the hot spots will charge a lot more than less well known but attractive interesting places. Over 20 years ago I paid about €5 for a coffee in St marks square in Venice. Last February I paid €1.70 for a delicious cappuccino in a mountain restaurant in the Italian alps (Clavière). If you’re foodies do spend some time in bologna. Check out Stanley Tuccis programmes for inspiration. We had breads from a shop he recommended in Genoa… €2.50 for 3 massive slices.

It is cheaper and quicker to drive through Switzerland as you can now buy a vignette rather than paying tolls as you go.
I regularly drive to the South of Italy(Calabria) where the beaches are stunning but that is a three day drive (24 hours).

Aiming for anywhere between 6/8 hours drive time. With a couple of coffee and toilet breaks.
x

Thank you for letting us know. I had no idea. 🤷‍♀️

By the way to give you an idea of timing, we regularly drive to the French Alps and it’s about 12 hours incl tunnel from London. That’s with a max of an hour stops for the loo and quick bite to eat. And 2 drivers. It’s pretty relentless but works for us. Heading on to Rome would add another 12 hours of car time. Frankly I’d struggle to do that, and with a full car of children who aren’t used to it, make sure you’re really up for it! The roads in France are good but do factor in tolls. There are websites that tell you the costs of different routes.

I’m late the the air b&b party… currently looking over what is available. Thank you x

Thank you and yes we have air con x

Lake Garda is beautiful and has plenty of activities for teens, well worth a visit. We visited Verona from there but had to cut the trip short because it was far too hot for us in the city in July. Food was fantastic everywhere that we ate, and also inexpensive.

okay then. First up I’m going to say I wouldn’t personally attempt this with a 1 yo.
There’s only so much CBeebies a small child can watch in my experience, and your passengers will go bonkers trying to keep the child entertained.

I’d accept tolls otherwise the journey will be gruesomely long.

And I’d cut out Rome - it’s just too far with a baby.

So here’s my plan:

Depending on your starting point you might make it to Reims on day1. That’s a common place to break and lots of budget hotels without needing to head into the city. Novotel Tinqueux is nice and has an outdoor pool, about £220 per night for 6 people. Or you could do the Ibis for £100 less. I wouldn’t plan to go too far on day1 in case of delays with the tunnel crossing.

On day2 I’d bomb it down towards Genoa aiming to stay there for several days. Good street food and market, old town, beaches nearby, proper Italy. It’s about 10 hours from Reims though, so a tough day for the little one. So maybe you find a second break between Reims and Genoa? Let’s assume you do that so you don’t get to Genoa until day3. Pick somewhere a bit random for night 2 - usually fun and low risk/cheap way to spend half a day in a town or area that tourists don’t really visit.

Stay in or near Genoa for nights 3 and 4 . On day 5, shortish Drive down to Pisa during baby’s long nap (probably mid afternoon). Stay in Pisa overnight

Day 6, Spend whole day in Pisa then head to Florence about 1.5 hours drive. Book an Airbnb and stay for several nights.

On day 10: Florence to Como , 5hr 30 stay overnight near lake como and add a second night so you can take in the sights.

Day 12 lake como to Colmar in France (totally beautiful and amazing food; like a mini Strasbourg). 5.5 hours drive so start in the morning Spend your afternoon and evening in Colmar!

Day 12 Next day drive back towards Calais (7.5hours) . We find we benefit from a final stop before heading back. We like stopping at a B&B in or near Dunkirk and make a pitstop at the beach but you could do Calais itself.

This is helpful. Thank you.

i think we are thinking a euro camp in Emilia-Romangna for 3/4 days and 3/4 days at a euro camp in Tuscany. A nights stop either pisa or Florence. And a nights stop in Genoa on the way in and on the way out. We are contemplating travelling through Switzerland on the way to Italy but travel back through France. We are looking to stop also in Dijon on the way back though not sure where the first stop on the way to Italy should be.
my husband is a class 1 driver and is used to driving 12 hour days. We will be aiming around 6 hour days with 30 min leg and toilet and coffee breaks every 2/3 hours. We are also hoping to avoid weekend driving where possible.

also we are hoping to book for August 2026 so toddler will be nearly three… lots of tablet 🙄 snacks and colouring. Her tonie box and toys and lots of running around and leg stretches on the break stops. I feel confident this will be stressful but do able xx

im hoping someone tells me I have a good plan 😂

Seems reasonable! A lot better than the poor OP on the terrible holiday thread.