euro tour

[shaggs147]

Ok, I need help everyone! ...... If all goes to plan I'll be riding to Calp in Spain to meet up with friends and family for about 4-5 days. Thinking of going via Eurotunnel, but that could change to a ferry. Hoping to get to destination in approx. 3-4 days. I've been told by some people that riding through France can be boring at times .... much of the same scenery and flat fields etc.
So.....  Part 1 of the help ..... any recommended routes and places to look out for on the way? I was thinking of going through Andorra en route.

Now.... part 2 .... Originally I was going to head back through another part of France, but noticed that I can get an overnight ferry from Barcelona to a port near Rome for about 140 euros. It could be an idea to ride up through Italy and Germany etc.

A bit of an epic trip I know, and sore  time! So is it possible over 15 - 16 days ish, or should I sack the Italy idea off.  All route ideas and suggestions welcome!! 

[flatfour]

Personally I would avoid Andorra above all else! When I went there it was hot, with enormous queues to enter, dusty and with lots of construction going on, resembled a building site!

This was, I must add some years ago, however the experience was unpleasant, something echoed by the others on the trip who also thought it was a good idea to go there at the time.

[coman37]

Hi Shaggs,

I've done several trips to Spain, always Eurotunnel to Calais then whichever way depending on destination but usually south past Le Mans then head for Andorra if Barcelona or Costas, Biarritz if Central or Portugal. I nearly always get soaked going past Le Mans no matter whether it's June or October. This year was jacket off, t-shirt only all the way to Madrid (then it xxxxing rained). It is boring but quick if you go on the motorways, I try to keep off the peage to save money and enjoy the scenery, villages etc, but is slower due to limits in towns, endless roundabouts.

Or you can spend 24 hrs either on the piss if that's your thing, or staring at the (shared) cabin walls. If you do go on the piss, make sure you are sober at disembarkation as the police regularly breathalyse every driver, easy nick for them but who wants a load of pissed foreigners driving on the wrong side of the road.

Whatever you decide you will have a great time, ride safe



Coman

Just seen the above post, I love going through Andorra but only for the great roads

[yorkshirepud]

If you want to take a short tour of northern Italy through France I would do the following.  A good 2 days tour.

Follow the south coast route to Monaco.  Doing the monte carlo thing is fun, then carry on into Italy staying on the coast to Ventimiglia, its only a few miles from the border.   

From Ventimiglia, turn North and stop on the E74 through Breil-sur-roya (lovely old town in a valley) to Cuneo.  That road has the most amazing scenery.   Once you get near Cuneo it does flatten out and becomes boring.   You can continue towards Turin and head to the lakes and the more ridden mountain passes like stelvio etc. but if your pushed for time, head toward Pinerolo, then onto Sestriere and climb to the top, the back to towards Sauze D'oulx.  From here the quickest way back to France is through the frejus tunnel, but I would take the mountain pass (D1006) from Susa  to Modane. This road is amazing, with a stop at the lake and church at the summit.  Its toll free too.

From Modane head towards, Albertville and Annecy.   Lake Annecy is a great place to stop at, or anywhere on the lakeside really, and it's an easy day ride from here to Calais on the toll roads, or a couple of nice touring days on the national and d's.

[Boomer]

If you want the twisty windy route use the motorways to get south of Paris to Vierzon, then Issoudon, la Chatre, Gueret, Egletons, then either Bort-les-Orges or Mauriac, then south to Aurillac, Espalion, Rodez and then to Millau to see the bridge. From there take the motorway south to Beziers, Narbonne and into Spain.
You will have ridden the emptiest part of France , full of twisties and superb scenery. 8)
The whole Massif Centrale is prime motorcycling country.

[shaggs147]

Some great suggestions there thanks. Busy writing them all down to check out on the map. Will take a bit of planning but well worth it.

[davetherave]

I've travelling through France a number of times, one of the suggestions - the overnight ferry from Plymouth to Santander is a great way of doing it but please France isn't flat and boring but from my experiences forget about the channel crossing to Calais as you'll waste 200 miles on boring roads and this is where the comment about France being boring and flat has come from, this part is crap ! as I said earlier forget about the crossing and travel by ferry from Plymouth to Caen this way you'll be past Le Mans and on the way to Potier/ Limoges and central France, now bearing in mind France is an enormous country and depending on the time you have available and your prefences I always use a mixture of D roads (our A roads) and E roads ( our M ways) this way you "see" France but cover some distance too, now as I said France as a massive country compared to Blighty so I set myself a personal limit of 300 miles in a day maximum, this won't get you through France in a day (but if you took the overnight ferry to Santander you'd need a bed for the night too so you haven't actually lost any time) so it would be wise to look for a hotel in the Potier/ Limoges region, now at this point you are only still about half way down so with an early start and some fine weather you could make the Spainish border the next day.  I'd agree with the comment about Andorra although it was 14 years since I last went, but it was busy, very crowded and I just didn't like it, just a feeling.  Now my route is throught the centre of the country, obviously you could travel down either east or west side the choice is yours but either way for me it's a lovely country to travel in and don't forget the priority to the right rule, not widely used nowadays but well worth knowing about, google it for the full explanation.

Good luck