# European Delivery Schedule



## infernoM3 (Jun 21, 2006)

Wanted some feedback about my itinerary < 30 days to go! 

Any cool sights or things I shouldn't miss. 
tips/tricks for roads, drives (nice views or fast routes). places to eat, things to do, picture spots. Also looking for recommended parking lots. 

3/20 leave LAX
3/21 Arrive in MUC 9am, check in to Courtyard Munich near city center, walk around marientplatz, vittienmarket, BMW Museum, Hofbrahaus at night
3/22 8AM BMW checkin 9AM Delivery, 11:30 Factory Tour, 
1pm lunch then drive to Verona
3/23 Verona sightseeing (Rome/Juliet) lunch then 
1pm drive to Venice, checkin Hotel Ala near San Marco
3/24 Venice Sight seeing 
3/25 Venice morning sightseeing then drive to Monaco. stop by Milan if time permits
checkin Marriott Cap' Ali near Monaco border
3/26 Monaco sightseeing (casino, gardens, etc..) 
3/27 Eze/Nice sightseeing
3/28 Nice sightseeing, drop off car at airport
3/29 Fly back to LAX


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## SD ///M4 (Jan 24, 2011)

infernoM3 said:


> Wanted some feedback about my itinerary < 30 days to go!
> 
> 3/22 8AM BMW checkin 9AM Delivery, 11:30 Factory Tour,
> 1pm lunch then drive to Verona


Unless they changed the Factory Tour, our 11:30 tour last May lasted until 14:00. If you decide to eat at the International Restaurant instead of in the Premium Lounge, I would allow an hour for lunch.


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## infernoM3 (Jun 21, 2006)

My main concern is driving from Munich to Verona/Venice. It looks like I have to go through mountain passes and worried about weather/driving/road conditions. No snow tires for me. Hoping there's no snow and I avoid any cops. I heard I need to pickup a Pass to drive through Astria. I did get a international license. I was hoping to drive during daylight so its warmer. Also how is driving in the nighttime through valleys. I guess I'm a lil paranoid after coming from Costa Rica where they say don't drive a night. U may fall off a cliff and bad drivers. Is it pretty safe to drive in Europe at night on country roads, mountain passes, etc..


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## SD ///M4 (Jan 24, 2011)

infernoM3 said:


> I heard I need to pickup a Pass to drive through Astria. I did get a international license.


Austrian law requires a vignette to drive on their autobahns. You can get a 10-day vignette relatively inexpensively at just about any petrol station in Germany within 2 miles of the Austrian border. Make sure that you read the back for proper placement on your windshield. Austria also requires the use of the international drivers license but it's not required in Germany. Not sure about Italy.


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## infernoM3 (Jun 21, 2006)

less than 2 weeks to go. I'm excited. Any other tips or tricks I should remember.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

If you are driving in wintry conditions and have an accident, you basically have no insurance coverage if you don't have winter tires on.

Keep that in mind when planning your drive and, at the end of March, anything is possible weather wise even though it's nice and sunny and warm in many parts of Europe (I'm in Geneva right now and it's 10° and sunny and was up to 17° in Bregenz a few days ago).

Just pick your destinations carefully in keeping with short-term weather forecasts and the trip will go a lot more smoothly.


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## b-y (Sep 14, 2004)

infernoM3 said:


> Wanted some feedback about my itinerary < 30 days to go!
> ...
> 
> 3/25 Venice morning sightseeing then drive to Monaco. stop by Milan if time permits
> ...


(I'm in a cranky mood, so please excuse the bluntness.) IMHO doing the Venice-Monaco trip in one day makes little sense for a holiday, and going via Milan makes even less sense. Googlemaps says the fastest route is to turn onto the A21 at Brescia and head toward Piacenza. (BTW, Piacenza is a univeristy town and makes a nice lunch stop.) Their time estimate is 5.5 hr by this route. But traffic can be bruttle on the A4 for the first part of the trip and then again around Genoa. Also, a lunch stop in Italy is not (or, at least, should not be) a quick fast-food sort of thing.

As to all the pitfalls of driving into Milan for the day, either search past posts here or look at the Wiki. In addition to the traffic, etc, there is also the ZTL and congestion charges.


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## M FUNF (Apr 2, 2008)

b-y said:


> (I'm in a cranky mood, so please excuse the bluntness.) IMHO doing the Venice-Monaco trip in one day makes little sense for a holiday, and going via Milan makes even less sense. Googlemaps says the fastest route is to turn onto the A21 at Brescia and head toward Piacenza. (BTW, Piacenza is a univeristy town and makes a nice lunch stop.) Their time estimate is 5.5 hr by this route. But traffic can be bruttle :dunno: on the A4 for the first part of the trip and then again around Genoa. Also, a lunch stop in Italy is not (or, at least, should not be) a quick fast-food sort of thing.
> 
> As to all the pitfalls of driving into Milan for the day, either search past posts here or look at the Wiki. In addition to the traffic, etc, there is also the ZTL and congestion charges.


I would have said the traffic can be BRUTAL Professor, but your opinion is valid.


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## infernoM3 (Jun 21, 2006)

Do you guys recommend taking the train from Venice to Verona vs driving. My gf's brother lives in Verona and I can maybe park car for free or find somwhere safe to park vs driving it to venice and leavin in the parking lot. This would save me money/gas and maybe stress. I was also considering dropping off car at dropoff point in Nice early. Rather than paying parking if I don't really need need to be driving. I heard public transportation was good and parking expensive and bad in monaco/nice area? I will probably do a drive along french riviera just to see but other than that will I need the car much?


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## wmo168 (Mar 26, 2009)

3/25 basically going to take you all day to drive from Venice to Monaco, I did that last year and I am sure you don't have enough time to go Milan as it has bad traffic and big city.. 

Instead stop by and see the Ferrari Museum in Maranello if you leave Venice at 6am in the morning (No you not going to have time to sightseen in Venice on 3/25, it will only takes a few hours in that day to visit there and you get to Monaco around 6pm if you leave Maranello at 1pm which give you time to sightsee a bit in late afternoon.

See my pictures at my signature 11ed.



From the drive to Venice, I did take the Austria grossglockner pass which is just open in May and it is amazing before i get to Venice... It is close in March and I think you have to take tunnel to get to Venice from Austria.


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## Trinitony (Feb 10, 2010)

I think that travel by train in the French Riviera will limit the sights that you can see without lots of taxis. I drove the area from Menton in the east to St. Tropez in the west without any trouble in the off-season. Parking in Monaco was not a problem. I don't recall that it was particularly shockingly expensive because everything in Europe is shockingly expensive.

I would recommend seeing:
Eze village and botanic garden at the top of the hill. Great views from up there.
Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, St. Jean Cap Ferrat. Beautiful gardens, modest palace, nice tea room, wedding destination - beware.
Fondation Maeght, St. Paul de Vence, but only if you like modern art.
Renoir's Home in Cagnes-sur-Mer if you like his art.
Palace, palace gardens, Oceanographic Museum in Monaco.
Drive the three Corniches.


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## infernoM3 (Jun 21, 2006)

Thanks how long does it take to drive the corniches? and do yo just drive or stop at the any of the points you recommend. I am coming from the east since driving from italy. Is it better from the west or does that not matter. I guess if this were US coming from west would mean your on the outside lane closest to ocean??? We have limited time and not sure my gf will like me just driving all day vs sightseeing? I did have Eze, casino/gardens, villa rothschildt, and St. Jean in my plans. Are there also any good photospots not to miss or just everywhere is a good shot.


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## infernoM3 (Jun 21, 2006)

Oh i found the answer to some of my questions.http://lestuffblog.com/2009/10/14/the-french-riviera-best-drives/ 
from what I read it same area just diff levels. Seems like you would be go back and forth nice to menton etc??? Can you recommend a way I can do all 3 or best parts of all 3 in 2-3 days based on my Nice/Monaco schedule? Like take the middle one when going to Nice on Eze then on way back take the grand?


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## Trinitony (Feb 10, 2010)

infernoM3 said:


> Thanks how long does it take to drive the corniches? and do yo just drive or stop at the any of the points you recommend. I am coming from the east since driving from italy. Is it better from the west or does that not matter. I guess if this were US coming from west would mean your on the outside lane closest to ocean??? We have limited time and not sure my gf will like me just driving all day vs sightseeing? I did have Eze, casino/gardens, villa rothschildt, and St. Jean in my plans. Are there also any good photospots not to miss or just everywhere is a good shot.


The Upper Corniche would be better driven from west to east but the direction should not make much difference on the Middle and Lower Corniches. The Upper is the fastest and would be the one to use if you want to get back to your hotel in a timely manner. The time taken to drive each of them will depend on how much stopping you choose to do and the traffic. I would guess that you should allow several hours for each. You could use this site as a guide to what interests you on each of the Corniches.

http://www.newhollandpublishers.com/downloads/pdfs/cotedazur.pdf

I relate better to photographs, so here is a site that you might find helpful.

http://www.fotosearch.com/photos-images/french-riviera.html

In deference to your gf I would skip the Upper and Middle Corniches (except when you are going to Eze) and drive along the Lower Corniche or the road along the shore and stop wherever you find appealing things to explore. We had no trouble stopping and parking on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice in the off-season. You could easily spend a day on this road, particularly if you take lots of photographs. You will have to plan carefully or you will run out of time and have missed most of the the sights that you would have liked to have seen.

The two photospots that I would not miss are the views from the top of Eze and the Villa Ephrussi and its gardens. But you will find that you will have taken hundreds, perhaps thousands, of photos by the time you leave the area.


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## infernoM3 (Jun 21, 2006)

The reviews for Ferrari and lamborghini museums werent very good. Said small not enough cars and not worth detour?


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## infernoM3 (Jun 21, 2006)

I need a restaurant pick for dinner near courtyard Marriott near city center. I only have one meal other than vittienmarket and BMW welt.


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## infernoM3 (Jun 21, 2006)

Here's my route from Munich to Verona. A8, A12, A13 A22. Is there anything that i should stop by along way? Passing through Innsburg and Bozen? Is this road the Brenner pass? Also any places along my route that I can put my foot on the gas.

http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=m...kHwDYhRF9_RzFiO5TzEgGhyw&gl=us&mra=ls&t=m&z=7


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Bozen is a great place to stop.

There is a lot to do, esp. if you take the cablecar up to Upper Bozen (Oberbozen). See What's Doing in Bozen. Plus you can see Ötzi! :thumbup:

In addition, there's a wonderful hotel, the Parkhotel Laurin. Great restaurant, too.


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## Wine-O (Feb 17, 2010)

infernoM3 said:


> I need a restaurant pick for dinner near courtyard Marriott near city center. I only have one meal other than vittienmarket and BMW welt.


Catch the #18 or #19 tram from Hauptbahnhof Süd three stops down to Holzapfelstraße. Walk across the street to the Augustiner Braustuben. They have a beerhall plus a sit down restaurant. http://www.braeustuben.de/ I consider it the best beer in Munich.:thumbup:


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## HerrK (Jan 9, 2010)

infernoM3 said:


> The reviews for Ferrari and lamborghini museums werent very good. Said small not enough cars and not worth detour?


Who did the review on the Ferrari & Lamborghini museums - Robin Meade? If you are any bit of a car guy you will be put these places to visit on your bucket list.


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