# 4 weeks to Lake Garda and back



## senortug (Nov 17, 2007)

Would appreciate advice on a decent route both ways. Good roads, but not necessarily motorways. Also good tips on Campsites in both directions. We are going over by tunnel for the whole of June 2008.


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Garda*

Hi

My route is now firmly fixed as....

Day 1) Yorkshire - Dover. Sleep free of charge at the docks. Numerous campsites within a few miles of Calais and also the Aire near the docks.

Day 2) Calais - Lille - Belgium - Tournai - Mons - Charleroi - Namur - Arlon - Luxembourg - Metz - Chataeu Salin - Phalsbourg - use A4 for one junction here - then leave at next exit for Saverne and head for Molsheim. I always stay at the municipal camping at Obernai.

Day 3) - Obernai - Mulhouse - Basle - Lucerne - Gottard - Milano - Garda.

www.gardalake.it for campsites.

More detailed info of my routing is available here. This is about the cheapest route in respect of tolls etc.

Russell

For a stay of one month, I personally suggest you ignore the advertised rates and haggle.

Route to Garda


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## Guest (Dec 21, 2007)

senortug said:


> Would appreciate advice on a decent route both ways.


We've done it a few times by bike, getting there is a good part of the fun. One of our nicest routes was Calais, Reims, Basancon, Luasanne, Montreux, Maggiore.

We spent a few hours in the sunshine on the banks of the lake at Montreux, magic.

End of next May we'll be heading that way by RV and hope to spend a bit more time enjoying Montreux on the basis that this time we'll be able to afford to stay. Then Maggiore, Como, Garda, Venice, Trieste.

From Garda we headed to Innsbruk, spectacular views, then muddled our way across Germany back to Calais.

Before that we've been the other way round Lac Leman to Chamonix and through the tunnel. Chamonix is an essential stop, we'll probably return that way. There seems to be a million camp sites there.

On the other hand, we may just "weather looks bad that way, so we'll go this way". That might be biker thinking rather than RV thinking, but what the hell, it's fun.


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Travelling*

Hello Brian

did you travel over the Simplon Pass, just after Brig and then head for Italy? I wondered about wild camping up there. Stopped at a cafe/restaurant with a coach before and had considered asking to "have a good feed and stop the night" with the 'van.

Russell


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## devonidiot (Mar 10, 2006)

May I suggest that if you are going via Luxembourg or northern France you should drop into Colmar. This town centre puts Brugge into the shade.
It was one of the highlights of our September/October tour.


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Colmar*

Hi

Never been to Colmar but have been to the wallpaper museum - more interesting than it sounds and is well sign posted from the A35

Russell


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## navman (May 10, 2005)

We went down via Chamonix... a couple of years ago. Below is an extract of our log.. for the full log have a look at the 
first entry here

Garda
From Venice we went across to Lake Garda. First night we stopped at Camp site Olivetti, Torri del Benaco on the eastern side. This was OK as a stop over but did not suit us for a longer stay so we moved on, having visited the market on Monday morning first!

We traveled anti clockwise around the lake and as we were coming down the western shore we saw a glint of the sun off a few motorhomes right next to the lake side ahead of us. Having entered a tunnel and came out past where we thought this site would be we u turned and went back into the tunnel to find a turn off actually inside the tunnel towards Campione. The site was a Sosta, I suppose, and a €15 a night it included showers, washing area toilets and a service area. In addition we were able to park right next to the lake albeit it was all hard standing. Really great views

The next site was at Ideal Milano San Felice del Benaco near Salo. This is a well established site with restaurant bar shop and again great views of the lake. We managed to get a lakeside pitch again although there are options to have shaded pitches under vines and trees.


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## Guest (Dec 21, 2007)

*Re: Travelling*



Rapide561 said:


> Hello Brian
> 
> did you travel over the Simplon Pass
> 
> Russell


I really can't remember - but that's no surprise. Looking at the map, we will have done it some time.

Worse, we didn't do Montreux/Maggiore we did Montreux/Chamonix for a week's break.

But we probably will take that route in May. We'll be overdosed on lakes 

If we can that is, last time we tried to "go over the top" in May the pass was closed with snow and we had to go back onto the Swiss motorway, keep our fingers crossed and travel illegally. We got away with it.


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