European Travel Advice...

I've got a month off before this years Euro meet. I've almost decided what I'm going to do with it. I'm after ANY commments or advice people might have on the idea, I'm at the very early stages and I have never done anything like this before.

I want to take the Smart on a loop of Europe ending up in Amersfort. So I'll drive through France via Paris, head for Madrid, Seville, Barcelona, Milan, Vienna, Prague, Berlin and then to the Euro Meet. Thats about 4,700 miles to my estimation, quite a trip, but I will have a full month to do it.

I'm hoping to take someone with me to help with the driving and to chat to etc... although I've yet to confirm this. What I really want is adive or anythoughts on the preperation for a trip of this size, esp as the Smart has limited luggage space. Or any places that are good to visit or stay at on my route round. I'll have a tight budget so Youth Hostle type places will have to be used.

Am I bonkers for wanting to do this in the Smart???

Cheers

Cris.

Am I bonkers for wanting to do this in the Smart???

Double bonkers with knobs on, your brains'll be like custard by the end (or maybe they already are )

People do it in sevens now that is bonkers

And you will get the longest distance traveled award

Where is the smart factory?

be a real adventure head north and then hook up with some of our northen europe friends and come down with them.

I think there is a rule about taking a much longer route to get there??? But if I were picking someone up on the way that'd be different (I think???)

The Smart factory is on the French German border somewhere, so I probably won't make it there, although I have decided I want paddle shift fitted so maybe they couls do that for me

I like the idea of heading further North, but maybe that would be too far

I think it would be a little bonkers doing it any car, but I fancy having a collection of pictures of my Smartie in loads of different places.

Cheers

Cris.

If you had the month after the meet i might even join you with the 7

anyone nutty enough to do the trip with me in the 7

That's a shame It would have been cool that!

It wouldn't be fair on the other guys at work for me to have the week after off, they all have kids and will want it for the school hols. I could join you for the trip back if you are making it via the EuroTunnel straight after the meet.

Cheers

Cris.

Maybe this map of one route will help people see what I want to do better...



Cheers

Cris.

Ooh, ooh. Seville and Cordoba are great places to visit.

Hm, nice itenerary, but did you consider taking a little detour after Genoa and visiting some of beautiful cities and countryside of Tuscany? OTOH, if you think you don't have enough time for town after picturesque town and prefer scenic routes instead, why don't you turn north after Marseille and do some driving through Switzerland? Then you can either get down to Italy via Como and Milan, or continue westward, skip Italy alltogether and enter Austria via Saltzburg. If you keep Italy, don't skip Venice, and perhaps round part of Alps from southern side, through Slovenia. (If you do that, a beer in Zagreb or thereabouts is not far away ).

BTW, touring the Europe in a Smart is a perfectly reasonable endeavor. I travelled (albeit somewhat shorter routes), besides my trusty Renault Twingo, in Citroën 2CV held together by wire, string, bubblegum and good will, in a Russian contraption called Moskwitch, and in an ancient Fiat van powered by 30hp 750ccm engine, among other things.

Ah, I am green with envy!!!