Road trip in ITALY, FRANCE, SPAIN

[YK81]

Hi everyone!!

Just became a member but have been around for a while reading your posts! Big thanks for all the sharing, this forum is superb!

So.. To the matter at hand…! (I wasn’t sure were exactly to post this but considering that the greatest part of the trip will be in France, and most of the time we most probably be dining, I post it here)

My beautiful girlfriend and I are going to go on a 15 day roadtrip in Europe in the end of May.

You can check out our route here: MAP Marked in the map are the places that we have already booked and unless we get a really strong negative reaction wont change.

In a few words the plan so far is as follows:

We arrive at Milan airport in the morning (have rented a car) and make our move towards the Riviera for the night.

We pass part of the next day in Monaco for a taste of the F1 and move towards the west.

4 days later we arrive at San Sebastian and stay there for 2 nights. The first night we dine at Berasategui and the second at Arzak. (also visit Bilbao , Guggenheim, Anish Kapoor exhibition etc)

4 days later we dine at Bras and stay there for the night

3 days later we dine at Osteria Fransescana in Modena, Italy.

The next day we drive back to Milan and fly back home.

So the question is: Considering our route what places, restaurants, villages, tourist attractions, markets, wineries, museums etc do you think we should definitely go to? We have the related guide books but I am looking for more personal suggestions, favorites etc!

What are your personal favourites? Where did you have the most unforgettable time?

Please also consider: We like everything food. We have never been at any of the places on the route before. We are both just under 30 years old. We like art and design, especially contemporary stuff, but we also do appreciate classic beauty. We don’t feel we HAVE to go to the ‘famous’ places - definitely interested to seek the hidden treasures in our route (not in a snob way, we will certainly visit any place that is memorable- tourist attractions included). Obviously we cannot go to all the places in between. We will do a balloon flight!! Most probably in perigord!?

So.. I think that’s all… I hope you can help us! the choices seem endless!!!!! The smallest suggestions will help.

Thank you so much in advance,

YK81

[Nyleve Baar]

I assume that you've probably already booked your flights and discussed your route - however, in the off chance that you're open to a drastic suggestion, I would advise you to cut your route roughly in half. Having driven quite a lot in that part of Europe, I can only say that however long you think it will take to get from A to B, it will actually take twice as long. Which means that you'll either be spending a lot of time whizzing past charming-looking spots where you'd like to stop or driving a whole lot more of your day than you'd planned. For what it sounds like you want, I'd chop off either the San Sebastian end and make your foray more into southern France or fly into somewhere like Lyon or Marseilles and go west from there. Othewise, you could drive downward from Milan into central Italy and then take in a bit of the Ligurian coast and the Riviera. There's good eating in all those places.

Yes, there are fast autoroutes that will get you from one place to another quickly, but you'll miss all the towns along the way. And I don't mean almost miss - you won't even see where they were. This is a very ambitious route for 15 days of leisurely dining experiences. Just my two cents worth.

[YK81]

Hi Nyleve, thank you for your reply!

(Airplane tickets are booked, and some hotels at keypoints too, although the latter can change... restaurants are also booked but there is still plenty of time for that to change as well)

Having said that i understand what you are saying and it is something we short of knew since the beginning of the planning of the trip, and decided we wanted to travel that way... drive a lot and far... rather than focusing in one area. Considering we live close (Greece) it is quite easy to return to an aera that we ll have particularilly liked and might want more of.

But you are right and thats why i am looking for people's highlights and suggestions, so we dont miss anything amazing by just passing next to it and staying for a day in the other/uglier/less memorable village