European road trip in July

Thomas "Dont pass on the Left". Doesnt sound correct. On the autobahn???????

Thinks all for the great tips. I'm already feeling better driving in Europe. Yes, I have reserved my car, a middle size car with auto transmission:). The car will be parked at Piazzale Roma for 22.50 Euro a day in Venice. I have a TomTom GPS with a western European map. One more question, what time the day turns dark in Western Europe in July? It will be better for driving if the daytime is longer.

" One more question, what time the day turns dark in Western Europe in July? " About 10 pm.

I think you (and your children) will appreciate the well organized rest stops with full service cafes in most of the countries that you will be traveling through. We find them to be much more frequent and well thought out for the traveler than anything we've encountered in the US.

Avoid French autoroutes on the last weekend in July / first weekend in August. There are jams like you would not believe. Watch for the Tour de France route - that could catch you out as well!
Roger

Have change easilly accessible if you are going to be on toll roads. Don't pass on the left. No right turns at red lights. For me, used to driving in California, that was hard to get used to. In France I learned it was convenient to have enough cash on hand to pay a ticket on the spot (I was caught in a speed trap as I approached the Swiss border.) A fun game is to have your kids try to spot license plates from different countries. Be prepared for "round abouts". In cities, be aware that you might be sharing streets with trams and that they have the right of way. In cities, streets will often be much narrower than you are used to --and yet they are still considered two-way streets! Finding a parking space can be a challenge. In most parking garages you pay at a machine at the pedestrian entrance when you are returning to your car. You do NOT pay at the auto exit when you are leaving the complex. I learned that one the hard way, many years ago!
Allow enough flexibility so that you can at least briefly stop at any unforeseen "must sees" that you might stumble upon along the way. Have a great trip!

Have had several road trips in Europe and love them. One year spent 3 weeks in July in France with my then 14 year old- the two of us had a great time. Our longest drive was from Chamonix to Paris CDG- took all day! My very best tip- besides keeping them fed all the time- is get a GPS pronto now asap preloaded with the Euro maps and learn how to use it. Teach the 12 year old to direct the driver by reading it. You can mark your parking spot and find almost any hotel with the address easily. It will pay for itself in lack of aggravation! We used the Tronchetto parking garage in Venice- used the 30 euros a day VIP parking- and were fine. RS has more places listed but we liked having the car behind a fence with a lock. Do you have your car reserved yet? Our family of 4 has had a variety of cars but calling a VW Passat a "full size" car made us all laugh- our carryons/backpacks barely fit in the trunk.
Ipods help everyone seperate for a while when actually together, also; our family is happier listening to music or occasionally watching movies.

This can be of some help (better with US/Canada destinations than the rest of the world). http://www.sunrisesunset.com/ Pam

I believe you most definitely DO pass on the left - on the autobahn. As for road trip tips - build in time to stop at interesting places. Don't get in such a hurry that you pass up places you may never be near again. Have a marvelous time!

Gotta learn my right from my left! You guys are correct! Never pass on the right. Do pass on the left. (blush.)

I, personally, think your longest drive will be Lauterbrunnen to Venice. You're going through the Alps, then get to drive on the Italian autostrada, yikes! Going through some of the mtn passes can be slow with the switchbacks and busses. Just plan for much, much longer than google map says.

Having driven Lauterbrunnen to Venezia several times I disagree with the comments about that route. Lauterbrunnen to Interlaken, easy. Interlaken to Luzern via Brunig pass, one significant hairpin, beautiful, not difficult. Luzern, or actually just short thereof, to Milano via Gotthard Pass tunnel easy, just concentrate in the tunnel, don't speed, take it steady going down the hill to Belinzona(nice Moevenpick in the service area at Bellinzona Sud), don't take out the border guards at the border chicane. Milano to Venezia straight and fast (by Italian standards)

We just returned from our road trip to Germany & Switzerland. Though we didn't have any kids with us, I did have my Ipod touch which had an app that gave all the country and regional prefixes for license plates and had a place where you could check that you've seen that plate. I thought it was pretty cool to be able to keep track - sort of a high tech license plate game...if you have an Ipod or Ipad the kids may enjoy that.

In Germany the signs at exit points on motorways which start with the letter 'U' followed by a number are indicating the alternative route to the next motorway junction, which you can follow should the motorway be busy, slow moving or stationary. Just follow the 'U' sign indicated at the junction you decide to leave the motorway at - it will then be visible at all following junctions until it delivers you back on to the motorway. Doesn't of course guarantee an open road as this too can become congested, but it has been a great help to us in the past. The message 'Stau' on the overhead boards indicated that there is congestion ahead and this is the point at which we usually follow the 'U' sign.

Oliver, we have had many similar road trips like you have planned. We always drive on our trips in Europe, and, like you, we'll often drive a long time to arrive at our next destination. However, some of your drives are much too long. Here are some of my suggestions. Paris to Lauterbrunnen: consider stopping for a night in Beaune. Beaune is in the heart of Burgundy surrounded by vineyards. It's a lovely area. Lauterbrunnen to Venice: to get there quickly, use the Gotthard tunnel. It is more scenic to drive on the pass, however, it takes a lot longer. Venice to Munich: a very , very long drive. Consider driving Venice to Lermoos, Austria. If you want to visit the castles by Fuessen, staying in Lermoos will make it a lot easier. Your kids can also ride the Sommerrolderbahn (luge) in Biberwier. It was a big hit with my son. Rothenburg to Amsterdam: another very long day. Consider an overnight in Bacharach. Very quaint, small town with lots of German architecture. The next day's drive to Amsterdam will still take at least 5 hours. If you would like lodging info for Beaune, Lermoos, Rothenburg or Bacharach, send me a personal message. The three of us have travelled to all of these towns and I have lodging info for families. Most of all, have fun on your trip making lifetime memories with your family.

Thanks everyone. We are leaving July 2nd, so it's probably too late for us to change itineraries. Hopefully, those longer summer days will give us extra a few hours of driving time in daylight. From Lauterbrunnen to Venice, other than suggestions from above comments. someone also suggested Furka pass for its spectacular view. Is it worth via Furka pass?

Consider yourself warned: July 2nd is the day school gets out in France. Expect lots of people to be on the road that weekend. Also, IMO, Google Maps is way too optimistic with their timing. Add 20% to get a bit more accurate timing. Be aware that the speed limit in France decreases when it rains. From 130 to 110 and 110 to 100 on the autoroutes. There are unmarked speed cameras in France. They will mail you a bill eventually if they catch you. Don't stop at the reststops on the autoroutes in france that are without a gas station unless you absolutely, positively have to go to the bathroom and can't find any other place. Those restrooms usually have turkish toilets. My kids can't stand them and you'd think by now they'd be used to them.

We just drove over the Grimsel and Furka Passes from the Interlaken area. It's a beautiful drive if the weather is good. It snowed the day before we drove. You have to go over both passes to get to the Gothard Pass and it is a slow drive. Make sure you get the vignette for Switzerland and Austria-they do check. I never could find a speed limit sign for the motorway in Switzerland but I think it is 120k/hr. There are speed cameras so keep to the limit. Gas up in France as it's the lowest. Agree with other posts, if you get caught in vacation traffic add lots of time and driving off the motorway is slow.

I recommend you to at least in one of thouse mountain routes to/from Venice take off from the highway and cross a mountain pass in some old road. Specifically, I'd recommend you to take off the road before the Gotthard tunnel, and go via the mountain pass. It is absolutely gorgeous. If you want to make it really fun, enter Italy via the Luncomagno pass, then travel around the Lake of Como before rejoining A4 to Venice.

With kids in the car, you may want to add another stop between Rothenburg and Amsterdam. In the summer, traffic on the roads between the Alps and the Netherlands can be awful. Examples: I drive back and forth between near Mannheim and Leuven in Belgium regularly. If traffic isn't too bad, averaging about 120 km/hr, the trip takes 3 and half hours. More likely, though, I hit stau after stau and the trip takes close to 5. Yesterday, I drove from my house to Lech am Arlberg in Austria (stunningly beautiful!). All the on-line resources estimated about a 4 hour trip. Took close to 6 because I was frequently crawling between Karlsruhe and Stuttgart. And in the middle of the summer, you'll be driving through the most densely populated areas of Germany and the Netherlands and you'll have to share the road with all the Dutch in their campervans and all the big rigs going to and from the major port cities of the north to the east and south. That's going to be an extremely long, frustrating day for you!