alan h's activity

"Cut down on the booze...?" I'd have thought ...."Get a Life"  was more appropriate

Dunkirk - Namur  E42 to Lille - A16 to Mons - A15 to Namur then A4 to Luxembourg. I always did the Metz - Nancy - Mulhouse route, mainly free motorway/dual carriage way, with a very pleasant drive over the Vosges to Mulhouse - never went into Germany from LuxembourgFrom Mulhouse - E54 into Germany dead easyNever stayed in Weil am Rhein - but looks easy to get to from the route via Lorrach that avoids Basle 

I assume that 'avoiding France' means you don't want to pay to;;s on the autoroutes. My favourite route for doing this is [basically];- Calais - Dunkirk - Namur - Luxembourg - Metz - Nancy - Colmar [or Mulhouse] - into Germany and on towards Basle - turn off before Basel towards Lorrach and on into Switzerland [all toll free so far - get Swiss vignette in German Autobahn Services at Bad Bellingham, or on line]Then Lucerne- Gotthard Tunnel - Milan - Bologna and Ancona - about 16 hourss driving.Stops - 

• 1st - 3hrs into drive - Castell Les Sorbieres near Dinant was good when we stayed there
• 2nd - 8/9 hrs into drive - Seerausch Swiss Quality Hotel near Buochs on Lake Lucerne is very good 
• 3rd - Somewhere around Rimini?  [dont travel that far ourselves

Not the cheapest of Hotels - but we liked them Good luck Alan

Petrol in LuxembourgIf you go via Luxembourg, you don't have to leave the motorway to find cheap petrol. The government had the great idea of setting the price across the whole country, so motorway petrol is the same price as everywhere else

Cost wise - From Calais, the best option is probably to take the Luxemburg route from Calais as it avoids [nearly] all French motorway charges.Calais - up to Dunkirk and on through Belguim to Luxemburg.  [Fill up with fuel in Luxemburg - cheapest on the route]From Luxemburg, on to Metz and then Nancy [Toll-free French motorways] and over the Vosges to Mulhouse.[You can do Metz to Mulhouse via Strasbourg - motorway all the way, but some charges]From Mulhouse in to Germany and down the motorway [free] towards Basle.  Turn off towards Lorrach, before Basel, to avoid possible traffic hold ups - then on into Switzerland.   Vignette needed, you can buy it at the border, or at the Bad Bellingham Srervices on the German motorway.This route is slightly longer than Calais to Metz direct, but saves a fair amount in tolls.In Switzerland, use the free Gotthard Tunnel, but look at the signs to see if the Gotthard pass is open [worth doing if it is]. Probably worth getting off the motorway near Locarno to fill up with petrol before rejoining it and going on nto Italy.As an alterntive - the Simplon Pass is normally open all year round, and is a lovely drive.  You can do it by going Nancy to Besancon, on to Lausanne and round the top of Lake Geneva to the Simplon. There is an Ibis in Sion West if you need a convenient overnight stop..Enjoy

I use     Groupama Assicurazioni.Do a Google on "Groupama Assicurazioni" and "Toscana" and you should find plenty of Agents, some of whom will be in your area 

Check the ferry savers website - what Ugo says about relative costs may not be 100% accurate.Best you check yourself, and not rely on Ugo's [or my] responses to this post

Looking at getting to Peterborough about midday on 24th.If you haven't already booked the ferry from Calais, look at the overnight sailing from Hook of Holland to Harwich. Leaves Hook at 2200hrs and lands at Harwich at 06.30hrs and is only about 2hrs to 2hrs 30mins to Peterborough.Costs about  for a car plus 2 adults is about £250 return  [but saves cost of a hotel stay on route] Could be worth looking at.

I agree with Ugo about how far you can get on day one - Como seems about right - about four and a half hours driving [plus stops] - 280ish milesHowever, that does leave about 660 miles [11 hours + stops] to go via Luxembourg, or 625 miles [10 hours 15 minutes] via Ugo's route.  NOTE, although its more direct, Via micheling calcualtes its about £16 more expensive because of tolls, and you don't get the cheap petrol]8 hours or so driving the next day would get you to Namur area - Booking.com site has some cheap hotels for that area, and it would leave about 3 hours the next day to get to Calais.  Midday ferry or Shuttle should let you get to Peterborough that evening.Remember you have to pay on line, or by phone, for using the Dartford Bridge these days - there are no toll booths to pay when you get there. Good luck

Just use the Via Michelin route planner, choosing Ancona to Calais and add via Luxembourg.  Route given is good, as it misses most of the French autorotes that are toll roadsOvernight in Switzerland can be expensive, but there is accommodation [Holiday Inn Express] at the Nuenkirch services, just north of Lucern, and about 7 - 8 hours into the journey  [approx 150 swiss francs] Total journey time approx 15+ hrs - so second stay could be in/around Calais [for an early start] - look at Booking.Com or similar for options.Fill up with petrol in Luxembourg - very cheap. If you haven't booked the ferry yet - look at the Shuttle - a bit more expensive, but you would save at least 1, and probably 2, hours off your journey