Driving Paris to Venice - Good spot to stay the night?

Hi Nancy I would take the train to Venice, and save yourself a full day of driving. Better yet look into finding a budget flight. You can get directions on Mapquest. Good Luck Wendy

Thanks, Wendy. Driving (and the scenery) is part of the trip. After Venice we are driving to Provence for a week. We'll then head to Sarlat for a week and back to Paris. We love exploring off the beaten track.
Nancy

If you don't mind an extra 3hrs onto your driving journey, I would suggest routing your drive to Venice via Bern, Switzerland on then onto the Interlaken area. The overnight suggestion is the Hotel Silberhorn in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland. The Lauterbrunnen valley is where you see the alps on steroids. You will then pick up your routing to Milan and then on to Venice. Departing at 2pm, you would arrive about 9pm. Note that you will need to appropriate driving permit to drive in Switzerland.

Nancy, A few things to mention regarding driving in Italy...... One important point to note is that for driving in Italy, each driver must have the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. These are valid for one year, and easily obtained at any AAA office (two Passport-sized photos required, which in some cases are provided by the issuing office). Failure to produce an IDP if requested can result in fines on the spot! Have a look at This Website for more detailed information. You may also want to search other Posts here regarding the Zona Traffico Limitato areas that are becoming increasingly prevalent in many towns in Italy (especially Florence!). EACH PASS through one of the automated Cameras will result in a €100+ ticket! A GPS along with a good Map would also be a good idea. Be sure to also give some thought to the question of CDW. If you accept the CDW offered by the rental firm, it will be expensive but will provide "peace of mind". Some "premium" credit cards provide rental vehicle insurance, however I've found this to be somewhat complicated so I just accept that offered by the rental firm. Check the Car Rental section in Europe Through The Back Door for further information. Cheers!

Hi Nancy
You can get driving directions from Mapquest for Europe. To get to Montreaux it is 6 hours. Not much time stop and enjoy anything if your leaving at 2. Then from there 6 hours to Venice. Bern Switzerland is 6 hours from Paris. I get that you want to see the country side and back roads. What I have experanced with the long hauls is your don't see much. Your too busy getting from one point to the other. Driving around Provance sounds like a wonderful idea. Have you thought of picking up a car there? Then drop it off and take the train back to Paris? I rented a care out of Paris to visit the Loire Valley once. On the way back to Paris we were on the highway and sat in traffic mostly. Wish we had dropped the car off in the Loire Valley and taken the train back to Paris. Was such a waste of time. Wendy

Thanks to everyone for your help. I think we will try to stop for the night in Chamonix on our trip to Venice.
My husband and I have driven many thousands of miles in Europe but haven't been back for 6 or 7 years and never took this route from Paris to Venice before.