European Trip

Dimfer · Mar 12, 2014

please allow me to resurrect this thread.

Looks like this trip will happen. Have not booked anything yet but really close.

Plan to be on this trip May 10 - 24. Leave Edmonton on the 10th and land in Rome, do the Rome/Vatican area 11th - 14th, short stop in Milan to look at a welding machine I am buying and proceed to Munich. While in Munich, attend Munich Highend 2014 at MOC on May 15-18 then Lucerne, Switzerland for a day or two then head to Paris. Stay in Paris till the 24th and begrudgingly head back home to Canada.

If it is better to do it the other way around (Paris - Munich - Rome), we will do it that way. If there are other stops worth seeing and conveniently located along the way, please feel free to recommend. Me and my wife are Europe virgins

Tips/suggestions will be appreciated.

We had a grand time at Newport Beach 2013 and hope to enjoy this trip even more.

our 2 daughters are not going with us on this trip. younger daughter preferred to stay behind to attend Otafest with her friends (even though I told her we are paying for everything). the older one wanted to come and was quite upset that we moved the trip from August to May, because she booked her holiday at work for August. We put them in charge of my 86 yr old mother while we are away, my wife had to bribe them with a European trip of their own in August.

JackD201 · Mar 12, 2014

Ding, do try to squeeze in Florence. You won't regret it.

I wanted to say go to San Sebastian, Spain too but that is too much out of the way.

garylkoh · Mar 12, 2014

JackD201 said:
Ding, do try to squeeze in Florence. You won't regret it. I wanted to say go to San Sebastian, Spain too but that is too much out of the way.

I second that - you may be able to rent a car in Rome, visit Florence on the way to Milan, and then fly Milan to Munich. Considering the distances we drive in US/Canada, it's not a long drive.

Dimfer · Mar 12, 2014

is taking the train in between these destinations a good idea?

Dimfer · Mar 12, 2014

garylkoh said:
I second that - you may be able to rent a car in Rome, visit Florence on the way to Milan, and then fly Milan to Munich. Considering the distances we drive in US/Canada, it's not a long drive.

I enjoy long drives, as long as the highways are not too crowded.. done Vancouver - Edmonton (1200 kms) under 10 hrs of driving a few times

JackD201 · Mar 12, 2014

Last time I was in Italy they were pretty lenient on the Autostrada. Hehehehe. In a rental easy to cruise at 80mph and do the occasional 100mph. Just download the maps with the speed traps.

Dimfer · Mar 12, 2014

Thanks Jack.. how about we do this together Bro

I was originally being helped by an agent (used her in one of our trips before) and she suggested these:

Rome:
Relais 6 - Just outside of city limits but walking distance to (Via Tolmino) metro stop.
Great reviews on trip advisor...people commented on cleanliness and friendliness
Approx. $233 Canadian Funds per night

Hotel De Monte
Close to Termini Station
Great reviews
Breakfast included
Approx. $220 Cdn Funds per night

Paris
Le Robinet d'Or
Great reviews
Metro top of street - great to get to attractions
Restaurant had fantastic reviews
Approx. $260 cdn funds per night

Grand Hotel Francais
Modern and clean
Next to Metro station
Also great reviews
Approx. $230 Cdn funds per night

Hotel Eden
Close to Metro 12th line
2 minute walk to Metro
quiet neighborhood
Approx. $243 Cdn funds per night

I was being cheapo because I don't want to go over my earned credit card points (worth $7,000 for flight and hotel) with the hope to keep my wallet intact for audio purchases while at the show but my wife does not think it is a good idea to stay away from the center of the destination cities. She got spoiled at Pelican Hills while in Newport Beach last year

garylkoh · Mar 13, 2014

Dimfer said:
I enjoy long drives, as long as the highways are not too crowded.. done Vancouver - Edmonton (1200 kms) under 10 hrs of driving a few times

It's a very much more pleasant drive than Seattle to Edmonton. I've done that a few times. I've driven the ring - after Milan, Venice, down the coast and then back to Rome for the flight out. 10 days in all..... (Rented an Alfa. Never again.)

egidius · Mar 13, 2014

..although you may enjoy driving in Italy and go out to Umbria (i would actually recommend avoid Firenze, turning into a tourist trap, Perugia, Assisi, Todi, Gubbio, Orvieto may be equally fantastic if you have not seen them) BUT: I often take the Frecciarossa high speed train, which does it for me!

http://www.trenitalia.com/cms/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=4ddd1a035296f310VgnVCM1000005817f90aRCRD

JackD201 · Mar 13, 2014

Assisi is great. It's like getting into a time machine.

Ding, I wish I could! I'm set for NY, ORL, SF with Keith and our whole families. This year is about the kids.

asiufy · Mar 13, 2014

Dimfer,

I took the liberty of suggesting an alternative itinerary

(love doing that, I should've been a travel agent!)

11 Paris
12 Paris
13 Paris > Strasbourg
14 Strasbourg > Munich
15 Munich
16 Munich
17 Munich
18 Munich
19 Munich > Fussen > Lucerne
20 Lucerne > Lugano
21 Lugano > Milan
22 Milan > Rome
23 Rome
24 Rome

Comments:
Strasbourg is beautiful, a great stop on the way. Nuremberg has a nice compact historic old town, also a good stop on the way to Munich. After Munich, you can visit the Neuschwanstein castle in Fussen, whcih is on the way to Switzerland. Lucerne is a beautiful city, but very compact too. The drive from Lucerne to Italy is gorgeous, passing through some incredible mountain lakes, but you'll have to go through a big, long tunnel to get to the "other side" of the alps, but you probably won't have problems since it's not winter and it's not the weekend.

I've been to most of these cities with a car, and they were not problematic. Most of the old towns have car parks right outside the gates or walls.

If you want to do it by train, it's also possible, but then I suggest you get a train pass, and look at the timetables carefully before leaving, and don't forget some trains require reservations.

I suggest you splurge in your first stop, with a good hotel. From then on, you can be more thrifty. Milan has tons of options right around the train station, Rome too.

Hope this helps

alexandre

Dimfer · Mar 15, 2014

I booked the flights and the hotels up to the Munich leg. Will be following much of Alexandre's recommended schedule (Thanks). The fare is $100 less per person and the departure, layover and arrival are much better by doing Paris-Munich-Rome. I am quite happy with the hotel deals that I got (4 star) so far, had a little trouble picking the hotel in Munich because the nice ones close to MOC are fully booked already but still managed to get Pullman Munich. I picked this hotel because they have shuttle service to the show, one less thing to worry about.

still working on the hotels for the rest of the trip. I want to simplify it and still deciding if we should skip Milan. I am buying a 40kEuro welding machine (CEMSA in Milan) with no North American dealer/representation and want to at least see it in person before buying it..

I want to drive in between cities, inquired at Sixt website and found out that one way charge is twice the rental cost, BMW Series 1 Paris to Munich will cost us $380 total but to rent same car in Lucerne and drop it off in Rome 3 days later will cost me approx $400 in rental plus $1500 in one way charge.. I hope the view driving through the Alps is worth it.. will decide on it soon.

My wife said we should stop by in Tuscany, she'd seen it many time at Italian restaurant menu and want to know what Tuscany is all about

asiufy · Mar 15, 2014

Why don't you pick the car up in Germany? Should be cheaper than Switzerland.
Or, if you do one-way inside the same country, it's not as expensive (sometimes it's no more expensive than return).
So, pick the car up in Lucerne, and deliver it in Lugano. From there, it's a 1 hour train ride to Milan.
You can repeat this scheme in Italy, so you'll be able to stop by some Tuscan towns on your way to Rome.

alexandre

Dimfer · Mar 18, 2014

It surprised me how much cheaper it is to rent a car in Munich vs in Luzern. I can rent a Mercedes Benz C Class in Munich on the 18th and drop it off in Rome on the 21st for less than $1k total (including less than $200/day drop off charge) whereas it would cost me over $1,500 for drop off charge alone if I rent (an economy car) in Luzern and drop it off in Rome.

Now driving becomes a very good option, this will make our schedule more flexible. I have only looked at Sixt website, maybe other companies will even be better.

thanks for the tip Alexandre.

asiufy · Mar 19, 2014

You're welcome

Enjoy the trip, that whole area is beautiful!
Post a report when you get back, including the Munich show!

alexandre

wisnon · Mar 19, 2014

Make SURE to stick to the speed limit in Switzerland, as there are tons of cameras and mobile speed traps, including average speed speed traps. The fines can be very tasty (Excess speed of say over 25kph on the highway can have draconian consequence)s and GPS devices are NOT allowed to have the locations of the fixed radars. The other point is to make SURE that the rental car has a 2014 Swiss Vignette for CHF40-, as this is the annual tax to drive on Swiss highways. If not, you have to ask the border guards to sell you one when you are crossing, because if caught, they will fine you CHF100- and you STILL have to buy one. This vignette is need even if you are just passing thru Switz.

asiufy · Mar 19, 2014

Oh yes, good call! Basically just follow what the local cars are doing. If they speed, you can speed

Also, I've heard that roads in Italy are chock full of radars as well, including the ones that measure your average speed, so make sure you make regular stops for coffee and bathroom breaks

alexandre

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