Planning a driving holiday to Italy

[Twentyten]

As the title, I've never ever driven abroad, so could anyone who has give me some pointers as to what I should be thinking about beforehand.

We live in the Northeast of Scotland but driving in Populated areas doesn't faze me,(I've often driven in the centre of London during previous holidays!), and we intend to travel the length of the UK in one day, have an overnight stay either North or South of London, then catch the Eurotunnel into France the next morning,( Any Pointers here appriciated e.g. can you just turn up and get on, how often do they run, is there queues long,etc),Then hope fully travel the lengh of France the next day, and another over night before the Italian border (Again any recommendations). Then, next morning onto our destination in Tuscany(Has anyone stayed there?) Any advice would be muchly appriciated.

Just to add I will be doing my own research on t'internet just so you don't think I'm being lazy, I'd just like to hear other peoples advice and experiences.

And also you may be asking why we're driving and not Flying, my Wife has an irrational fear of Flying.

Thanks in Advance

 

[Arkady]

Make sure you have International breakdown cover on your insurance as it gets bloody expensive on this side and they WILL see you coming...also you will need (from Halfords - they sell them on the Ferry, but at twice the price):

1x Fluo vest for each passenger
1x warning triangle (2 in Spain)
1x med kit
1x bulb kit (for all the bulbs your car uses)
Vehicle Log Book (not a copy)
Full Driver's Licence (both parts)
Insurance schedule (not a copy)

The last three are mandatory in France, Holland and Germany (not sure about Italy) and police are empowered to do docs checks if they feel like it and for no other reason.
Failure to produce any of the above items results in a €30 fixed penalty on the spot - they have card-swipe machines on them...

Get the Ferry instead of the EuroTunnel as that 1.5 hour rest will be more use than you'd think - there's nowhere to relax on the Chunnel and a coffee and a sandwich (and a comfortable pee) makes all the difference. Plus, the family will go nuts without a leg-stretch....

Rest stops in France are frequent and good - watch for signs that say "L'aire de....something" most have toilet and food facilities - some have motels for truckers...

I'd say take an extra day going down France as it's further than it looks on paper and the whole point of a driving holiday is to enjoy the drive, not [PLEASE DON'T TRY TO BYPASS THE SWEAR FILTER] yourself up hammering down the autoroutes...try going off-piste as it were from time to time - Tom-Tom? - pick 'avoid motorway' for some of the scenic stretches to vary the journey.


Fuel: is now 30% more expensive on the Continent than in the UK..shocker...

Fill up in Dover as it's still about 99p a litre whereas in France it's about €1.50 or more for 95RON on the motorways...

 

[Merovingian]

next morning onto our destination in Tuscany(Has anyone stayed there?) Any advice would be muchly appriciated.

I was in Italy last month. Don't underestimate their driving - they all seem to have a death wish!

 

[Steve Smith]

If I was doing it I would be going by train and plane!


Steve.

 

[whitewash]

1x bulb kit (for all the bulbs your car uses)

i always find it amusing that in some countries you must carry a bulb kit, but at the same time their is no regulation set upon the manufacturer that states that the bulb must be replaceable easily without tools, meaning the bulb kit is often completely useless without a toolkit and a haynes manual!:shrug:

 

[asm61]

When do you go to Italy We are going at the end of July taking in Strasbourg, Milan, Rome, Savona and Reimes. Cant wait especially driving over the Alps.

 

[Arkady]

i always find it amusing that in some countries you must carry a bulb kit, but at the same time their is no regulation set upon the manufacturer that states that the bulb must be replaceable easily without tools, meaning the bulb kit is often completely useless without a toolkit and a haynes manual!:shrug:

If you don't have the means or the wherewithall to change your bulbs, you shouldn't be driving a car...IMO of course...

 

[trapper501]

1x Fluo vest for each passenger
1x warning triangle (2 in Spain)
1x med kit
1x bulb kit (for all the bulbs your car uses)
Vehicle Log Book (not a copy)
Full Driver's Licence (both parts)
Insurance schedule (not a copy)

That's a very useful list. I must admit to making an error of judgement recently when at short notice I had to get to a funeral in the Netherlands so just drove to Dover to catch a ferry. I'd arranged breakdown cover on the way by changing my AA deal but forgot about everything else in my haste to get away.

Fortunately I always carry a dayglow waistcoat in the car for work hooked over the passenger seat.

Apparently police in France will stop you if the can't see it, the dayglow stuff must be in the cabin of the car not in the boot.

I was also told on the ferry I needed a fire extinguisher, which I have anyway, but this might be an advised item rather than a necessity.

I've driven a lot in Italy, including in town in Rome, but the further south you go the worse the driving seems to get. I tend to park on the edge of the public transport system for big cities and then go in by metro.

 

[RobertP]

The middle of the major towns like Pisa are car permit only zones. The locals with permits can drive anywhere but if you go into the zona traffico limitato without the permit you will get a fine. Its all done with cameras and signs - no barriers. Fortunately car parks are just outside the zone usually but you do have to be careful when getting near city centres not to accidentally pick up a fine. Hire car companies will just charge the fines to your credit card.

TomTom was a huge help in finding our way around and navigating direct to car parks on the edge of no go zones.

 

[Twentyten]

Thanks for all the replies so far people.

Please keep them coming, no matter how trivial or obvious you may think they are, I probably haven't thought of it.

 

[Kev M]

My advice, don't do it. I've just got back from a week in Italy on the coast near Naples and driving there (accommodating their driving/ suicide attempts) made for some very stressful times and is no way to try and relax as a holiday should be. Having said that when I've driven in the north around Biella it's a bit better (but not much). As the country that gave the world roads you'd think theres would be in a better condition than they are (pot-holes galore, roads wide enough for a horse and cart not really a coach or lorry but that doesn't stop them, terrible road markings at junctions which are a complete free-for-all).

 

[Twentyten]

They haven't seen my driving yet!!

 

[mrgubby]

We're in Tuscany for a week from 22nd August. I was going to drive there (so I could take decent beer) but was over-ruled

So it's a flight to Pisa then hiring a Focus C max , I'll have to get full insurance cover so I can drive it like a local

 

[trapper501]

We're in Tuscany for a week from 22nd August. I was going to drive there (so I could take decent beer) but was over-ruled

So it's a flight to Pisa then hiring a Focus C max , I'll have to get full insurance cover so I can drive it like a local

Yes, we always go for a no excess insurance when on holiday.

We got squeezed by a coach on the access to table mountain and it still cost us £48 and half a day wasted going to the police station but it beats paying £400 excess for shoddy driving by somebody else when we were stationary.

 

[RobertP]

I bought excess cover from insuranceforcarhire.com (or similar name) £30 for a year once I'd gone through Quidco. Means I can decline the extra insurance and still be fully covered. Covers tyres and underpan of car that the extra insurance at the desk usually does not.

I didn't find driving in Italy any worse than anywhere else in europe. The satnav helped a lot in never having to dither over which way to go at junctions.