alan h's activity

Questions Asked

I'm planning my route down for a months visit in July.

Mon, 06/04/2012 - 08:13

I logged on this morning to my local webcam, to look at the snow on the ski slopes.

Thu, 01/05/2012 - 04:47

Loved the note about changing the locks!

Wed, 09/21/2011 - 09:20

I have just got back from my latest trip to Italy, and thought some of you might be interested to hear about a Swiss hotel that we stayed in on the way down.It is the Hotel Engel in Stans [near to Lake Lucerne, a few minutes from the motorway

Mon, 07/25/2011 - 05:21

For many years now I have used the likes of 'mappy', 'via michelin' etc for calculating different routes down to Italy - for us its a part of our holiday, so we don't always want to take the quickest/shortest route down.  We prefer to vary the rou

Wed, 06/01/2011 - 09:25

Today I received an email from the Swiss Travel Centre.  The relevant portion is;- "The GBP price for a Vignette will increase from 01 June 2011 and we wanted to give you the opportunity to purchase this years’ Vignette before the pric

Mon, 05/23/2011 - 09:45

I've just driven down and back for a [much too] short holiday, and feel that an update on how fuel prices look on the way down would be useful to fellow travellers The following is a good site for seeing what prices have been like  

Mon, 04/04/2011 - 05:02

P&O have introduced a new ferry on the Dover - Calais route - its called the Spirit of Britain. They seem to have a special offer on at the moment [on this ship only] I've just booked a return crossing [car + 2] for £60 - significantly less th

Sat, 01/29/2011 - 06:08

Does Tomato soup exist in Italy? We were feeling a bit under the weather when we went out to Italy 2 weeks ago.  As part of the R&R process, I fancied some soup, and looked around the supermarket.  There were lots of different soups, but I rea

Mon, 01/24/2011 - 08:29

The route/timings for next years Giro d'Italia have been posted   My son rang me up to inform me that the route passes about 100m away from

Sat, 11/06/2010 - 07:04

Comments posted

Mon, 08/12/2013 - 10:52

My Suggestion. Rheims to Chalons en Champagne [the only bit of toll road]Challons. to St Dizier - normal road [not dual carriageway, but with overtaking lanes at times]St Diziere to Nancy - dual carriagewayNancy to Colmar - dual carriageway, then normal road, but with overtaking lanes in placesColmar to Mulhouse then turn left into Germany - dual carriagewayDown German autobahn towards Basel - pick up Swiss Motorway Carnet at Bad Bellingen servicesBefore reacing Basel, take turn to Lorrach, and on into Switzerland - avoids Basel [possible traffic delays at Border] - dual carriage way throughoutTake Swiss motorway to Lucerne and on to Gotthard Tunnel [or Gotthard Pass], and on into Italy and autostrada Easy route to take- done it many times

Sat, 08/10/2013 - 16:49

Get a couple more quotes as a comparison.  Then bargain the price down

Wed, 08/07/2013 - 06:42

Filter You should be able, once the listing has come up, filter the answers by specifying which year[s] you wish to see.  [filter is on RHS of the answers listing page]

Fri, 08/02/2013 - 11:48

Probably nearer 100Km, if that - but you save a ton in toll charges and time paying toll charges (plus border queues [if you go through Basel), so the overall time diifference won't be massive.  Plus cheap petrol.Still its up to you  [and the route planner you use]

Thu, 08/01/2013 - 16:56

Standard Answer from meDover - Dunkirk [DFDS] is usually cheapestCalais -Dunkirk, Lille - into Belgium - Charleroi, Namur, and on to Luxemburg - all toll free motorway. Fill up with petrol in Luxemburg [at services entering or leaving the country - cheapest on your route. Then toll free motorway to Metz, Nancy and towards Colmar [becomes single carriageway for part ner Colmar]. Toll free motorway from Colmar to Mulhouse, then over to Germany and down towards Basle.  Take turning off to Lorrach to avoid Basle [can be bad]  So far, still no charges Travel through Switzerland needs a vignette  - about 35 Euros [I think] at the services on the German motorway [at Bad Bellingen] - but thats the only charge [vignette lasts one calendar year - actually Dec to January (14 months)]Through Gotthard Tunnel [no charge] and down into Italy and on to ½ûÂþÌìÌà autostrada and toll charges Good luck

Wed, 07/31/2013 - 17:19

If all else fails - try 'Google Translate' on it has a 'listen' facilty, so you can hear how the words are pronounced, and isn't too bad on basic phrases

Mon, 07/29/2013 - 11:21

You could look at

Answer to: Verne
Wed, 07/24/2013 - 09:53

I tend to go via Switzerland as it avoids french toll roads, and road tunnel charges.   I recommend cutting up to Belgium [via Lille] and on to Luxemburg, then down to Metz, Nancy and then Colmar and Basle bypass into Switzerland.It is a wee bit further than blasting down to Metz on the french autoroute, but is totally toll free and Luxembourg petrol is cheap [motorway petrol price is the same as off the motorway]You do need a Swiss Vignette [buy it at the German services at Bad Bellingen], but you have saved on French road toll charges - and it lasts until the end of Jan next yearNo further charges in switzerland [fill up with fuel before getting to Italy, on the Locarno road, just off the motorway - motrway petrol prices are high]Only toll charges will be on the ½ûÂþÌìÌà autostrada

Answer to: Verne
Wed, 07/24/2013 - 07:11

About 750 miles - 11 or 12 hours driving time [excluding all stops] So you could, in theory, have a kip in a hotel [just] before the Mont Blanc tunnel [depending on your route] and have about 3 hrs [or so] driving left the next morningI'd probably go into Italy and leave a shorter drive [say 60 - 90 mins] in the morning

Wed, 07/24/2013 - 06:59

The route planner on the Drive Alive website is pretty good   It allows you to 'drag' your route to vary it, gives a running time total for the journey [useful for booking overnight stops], and also has lots of hotels/campsites etc shown on the map.The website also has plenty of additional info on driving abroad