Ypres, Romantic Road, Grossglockner & Italian Lakes - Is it feasible?

[Mullaghroe]

I'd be interested to hear thoughts about our plans for a trip starting in a week or so. Mindful that I don't want an exhausting road trip and a lot of this will be new territory, we have a flexible 6 weeks to complete the trip, but I can see that the outbound leg already totals 2,000 Km.

Itinerary:
Ypres - 3 nights for WW1 sites cycling tour
Romantic Road - 3 day taking in highlights
Grossglockner High Alpine Road (main reason for direction of travel)
Lake Garda - 3 or more nights R&R
Cinque Terra - A bit of seaside time and walking between villages - Up to 5 nights
Return slowly through France with current recommendations including Sommierre & Fleurie.
Open to recommendations which include lakes or rivers and sites along the Med coast for longer R&R stays
Its a lot to ask but I appreciate all input.
Here's what it looks like so far https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1kYgUCwT-AK97QZBLtNPSiPGD010CrU0&usp=sharing

 

[Wildcamper]

In my opinion less is more. I think you are being overly optimistic. For me this would be an "exhausting road trip".

 

[sidepod]

Sounds like a good trip. Grossglock is awesome. I can recommend a great little campsite on the South side.

Campsite in Flurie is very nice.

 

[larrylamb]

A six week trip is great, personally i would spend more time exploring Germany on the way to Lake Garda. Germany is so underrated. I would break up the journey to Wurzburg by having a stopover in Koblenz (great camping spot in the centre by the river confluence). Also en route to Fussen i would divert to Lake Constance and visit Lindau.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

I'd be interested to hear thoughts about our plans for a trip starting in a week or so. Mindful that I don't want an exhausting road trip and a lot of this will be new territory, we have a flexible 6 weeks to complete the trip, but I can see that the outbound leg already totals 2,000 Km.

Itinerary:
Ypres - 3 nights for WW1 sites cycling tour
Romantic Road - 3 day taking in highlights
Grossglockner High Alpine Road (main reason for direction of travel)
Lake Garda - 3 or more nights R&R
Cinque Terra - A bit of seaside time and walking between villages - Up to 5 nights
Return slowly through France with current recommendations including Sommierre & Fleurie.
Open to recommendations which include lakes or rivers and sites along the Med coast for longer R&R stays
Its a lot to ask but I appreciate all input.
Here's what it looks like so far https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1kYgUCwT-AK97QZBLtNPSiPGD010CrU0&usp=sharing

Doable @Mullaghroe but if you have 6 weeks why not take a little longer on your southerly route?
Ypres gets a thumbs up. The museum in the old wool hall in the town centre is well worth a visit as is the Tyne Cot cemetery. The sounding of the last post at 7.30pm at the Menin Gate (every night) is a moving experience.
We drove the Romantic Road a few years ago and I think we took 4 or 5 days from memory, maybe 3 days would be a bit rushed?
Camped at the Gasparina site in Peschiera years ago which was a great lakeside site. An evening in nearby Sirmione is worthwhile.
Have a great trip.

 

[Mullaghroe]

In my opinion less is more. I think you are being overly optimistic. For me this would be an "exhausting road trip".

That is at the fear, but I will take account of other comments and take more time if we stick with it.

 

[Mullaghroe]

Doable @Mullaghroe but if you have 6 weeks why not take a little longer on your southerly route?
Ypres gets a thumbs up. The museum in the old wool hall in the town centre is well worth a visit as is the Tyne Cot cemetery. The sounding of the last post at 7.30pm at the Menin Gate (every night) is a moving experience.
We drove the Romantic Road a few years ago and I think we took 4 or 5 days from memory, maybe 3 days would be a bit rushed?
Camped at the Gasparina site in Peschiera years ago which was a great lakeside site. An evening in nearby Sirmione is worthwhile.
Have a great trip.

Thanks for the suggested stops in Italy. Still quite a lot to consider.

 

[Mullaghroe]

A six week trip is great, personally i would spend more time exploring Germany on the way to Lake Garda. Germany is so underrated. I would break up the journey to Wurzburg by having a stopover in Koblenz (great camping spot in the centre by the river confluence). Also en route to Fussen i would divert to Lake Constance and visit Lindau.

Thanks. I haven't plotted the stopovers, but agree that I need one between Ypres and Wurzburg at least. Lindau is very pretty. I made many trips to our office in Friedrichshafen while I was working.

 

[andyinluton]

I would have left out Ypres at the start and added it back on at the end if you havn't run out of time.
In fact I would consider doing the whole lot in reverse order, Montpellier is only a days drive away from the UK, start round there with a relaxing few days on the Med & amble your way back.

 

[Mullaghroe]

A six week trip is great, personally i would spend more time exploring Germany on the way to Lake Garda. Germany is so underrated. I would break up the journey to Wurzburg by having a stopover in Koblenz (great camping spot in the centre by the river confluence). Also en route to Fussen i would divert to Lake Constance and visit Lindau.

Just wanted to thank you for the Koblenz recommendation. Arrived yesterday afternoon for 2 nights at Campingplatz Gulser Moselbogen. Great facilities and a small river beach.

 

[Mullaghroe]

A six week trip is great, personally i would spend more time exploring Germany on the way to Lake Garda. Germany is so underrated. I would break up the journey to Wurzburg by having a stopover in Koblenz (great camping spot in the centre by the river confluence). Also en route to Fussen i would divert to Lake Constance and visit Lindau.

I now realise that I'm staying at a different campsite. Shouldn't rely so much on Park4night

 

[larrylamb]

I now realise that I'm staying at a different campsite. Shouldn't rely so much on Park4night

Oh well, looks like you found a good one too. Enjoy Koblenz.

 

[Mullaghroe]

I now realise that I'm staying at a different campsite. Shouldn't rely so much on Park4night

Changed plan and vivisted Schluchsee in the Black Forest which allows an easy diversion to Lindau where we are now. Agree that it's a beautiful town.

 

[Dyddi]

On the Grossglockner High Alpine Pass its worth a detour to the Kaiser Franz Josef Hohe for lunch, viewing marmots and where the glacier used to be ...

 

[Mullaghroe]

Back home , (in the rain), and thought I'd post on the route actually completed. Not sure if we really wanted to spend time on the Romantic Road we opted instead to spend a few days in the Black Forest at Schluchsee and loved it. Sadly the weather was awful in the Alps when we should have been doing the Grossglockner so we moved straight onto Italy, (Como instead of Garda and that was one of the best sites we visited. Stayed 5 nights in Levanto, (joined by my brother-in-law and wife) and did visit the Cinque Terra by boat, (very hot & crowded but glad we went). Stayed coastal for almost 2 weeks in the hot weather. Very taken with Greoux Les Bains and Somierres and made it home after 5 1/2 weeks and 2,400 miles. Not too arduous because we had a few longer stops.
Did find it quite a bit more expensive than 2022 but we had a great time and the Cali performed flawlessly.
Here's the actual route we took showing all campsites.

Cali Trip Summer 2023 – Google My Maps

Ypres, Black Forest, Lake Constance, Lake Como, Cinque Terra, Riviera

www.google.com