alan h's activity

Questions Asked

I'm planning my route down for a months visit in July. I travel through Switzerland as its a convenient route to the Lake Maggiore/Lake Orta area.

I logged on this morning to my local webcam, to look at the snow on the ski slopes. [When I'm in UK I like to see something of what its like at my place in the hills]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14995588

Loved the note about changing the locks!

I have just got back from my latest trip to Italy, and thought some of you might be interested to hear about a Swiss hotel that we stayed in on the way down.

For many years now I have used the likes of 'mappy', 'via michelin' etc for calculating different routes down to Italy - for us its a part of our holiday, so we don't always want to take the quickest/shortest route down.  We prefer to vary t

Today I received an email from the Swiss Travel Centre.  The relevant portion is;-

I've just driven down and back for a [much too] short holiday, and feel that an update on how fuel prices look on the way down would be useful to fellow travellers

P&O have introduced a new ferry on the Dover - Calais route - its called the Spirit of Britain.

They seem to have a special offer on at the moment [on this ship only]

Does Tomato soup exist in Italy?

We were feeling a bit under the weather when we went out to Italy 2 weeks ago. 

The route/timings for next years Giro d'Italia have been posted

http://www.steephill.tv/giro-d-italia/

 

Comments posted

"However, we both use Naples airport when going to Italy & it is only one day so we don't think this is too much trouble."

Don't forget - covid test before you go, and quarantine on your return to UK

The ones that are on now are still on their backing.

You can get cheap vignettes on ebay, if you need one again.

(Probably not legal in Swis law)

The Mont Blanc route is probably a little quicker than your usual route, but it is a fair bit more expensive - Via Michelin indicates about €100+ each way  overall.  ( More if you already have a Swiss Carnet). Although its marginally quicker, I've done the route a couple of times and it's a bit of a (tiring) blast on the motorways.

If it's just your usual route you want to avoid, may I suggest the following:-

Calais to Pontarlier (near Besancon), mainly motorway,  then into Switzerland and onto the motorway that skirts Lake Geneva and leads onto the Simplon Pass into Italy, near Domadossola.  Then on, via lake Orta to Varallo.  The Swiss part of the trip is very scenic, and less hectic than others.  (Its the route we use when we take the dog for its Summer holiday near Orta) 

Depending on how many stops you want to make, I can recommend a couple of hotels on the route.

ONE OTHER THING - I don't now if the Mont Blanc route has been affected by the recent storms/flooding in France and West Piedmonte

Good luck

Try googling something like -

"part load to Italy".

Throws up lots of options for getting quotes

 

I doubt whether many Italians would regularly feed a neighbours cat - they seem to have a different view on cats to Brits, in most cases.

You could try the expat forum(s) for your area - you might get an offer of help.

Good luck

If you are going back to the UK by ferry, you will have to quarantine on your return- only Eurotunnel travellers can avoid it, by non-stopping in France.

Although you can fill up with fuel etc in france, if you don't mix with others whilst you do.

I see that Ferry companies are complaining as only Eurotunnel users can avoid quarantine, and ferry users [even if they "non-stop"] have to quarantine.

We bought without a lawyer - following very very strong advice from our Italian friends. 

My advice is that it's much more important to have a good translator present at the signing.

Austria ( and Croatia) on the England quarantine list.

Switzerland on the Scottish quarantine list