Europe Travel

[guest]

Assuming you want to hit Norway, Switzerland, and Italy where is the best place to arrive. Originaly I though plane to Stavanger and drive everywhere else from there, but is there a better way? Perhaps arrive in amsterdam for coffee :) , and then ferry to norway and drive to italy?

[imported_Tom Aiello]

If you ask me, you're looking at two separate trips.

1) Southern Europe: Fly into Geneva, rent a car and drive a loop to Chamonix, Lauterbrunnen, and Arco, then back to Chamonix. Or, do the loop from the other side by flying into Milan, driving to Arco, Lauterbrunnen, then Chamonix (or leave out Chamonix, if you aren't interested, as per your original post). The advantages of leaving Chamonix in include a trip to Mauvoisin, the sites around Chamonix (my favorite of that loop is the main exit over the firehouse at Magland), and of course, a herd of Giraffes at the St Jaccques in Salanches.

2) Norway: Fly into Stavanger, Ferry to Lysebotn, see what else is up by meeting locals and trying to hook up for other Norwegian sites.

If you want to do the trips back to back, I'd fly from Geneva or Milan to Stavanger (or vice versa).

Driving from Norway to Southern Europe seems a bit excessive, especially given the price of gasoline in Europe.

--Tom Aiello
tbaiello@ucdavis.edu

[Yuri]

Yo !

I've done this route a few times, both flying and driving. A few tips:

Fly to Munich, Milano, or anywhere in Switzerland. Munich is my favourite. Tickets and rental cars are much cheaper there. Norway is much more expensive, cars in particular.

Driving to Norway will take a full day + a rather expensive ferry ride. It's much easier to fly, and cheaper if you go alone: count on about $400 round trip ticket from Munich to Stavanger. Ferry ride is around $300, and each gas tank is roughly $50. If you stick with Kjerag you don't need a car anyway.

Driving a good fast rental car in Europe is a very pleasant experience. Pick diesel at any cost, you'll save hundred$ on gas. Other than that, just floor it and see how fast the car goes ;-) Austria, Holland and most of scandinavian countries have automatic cameras that foreigners can happily ignore. 6-speed turbo diesel VW Golf was the most fun in the mountains so far. You can rent 911 Turbo and such at Munich airport but you cannot take them to Italy :( Also too big a car won't fit comfortably on certain cliffside roads in Dolomites.

bsbd!

Yuri.

[feral]

Hi yuri

Just went up to arco hired a little Sh!t box renno in Interlarkin drove to Arco ,those Italian freeways are kick ass left lane 190kmph with ice in spots and getting flashed to move over and back in the fast lane fun fun fun fun .......


Just a tip they sell these pocket coffee 5 pack eat 2 of these and you are reving all the way ....




bsbd feral:-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-( :-(

[obi]

I bet you would have been glad to have a couple of them on your way up to prickle peak :D