Road Trip Itinerary: 11 Days In France & Italy

Until recently we hadn’t done a huge amount of road trips as a family. Now we’ve started, it appears we can’t stop. In one year alone we took three of them covering over 5,000 miles in total. In this post I am taking you back to March and April 2016 when we embarked on a 2,000 mile road trip from the UK to France and Italy. My daughter was three at the time and I was 31 weeks pregnant. The journey took us to a quaint French city, through the Alps and onto northern Italy, passing through Switzerland on the way back and very nearly going over the German border.

We stopped at seven different towns and cities as well as a fair few service stations along the way. Despite reservations about how our daughter would cope, once again, she surprised us beyond measure and happily gazed out of the window, played eye spy and watched endless episodes of Paw Patrol on the iPad. We considered it a huge success and it gave us the confidence to do more with two children in tow. Here is what we did during our eleven day excursion.

Day 1: London – Troyes
We set off around 9am from our home in southwest London to get an 11am train from Folkstone through the Eurotunnel. We got there with time to spare. Inside the shopping centre there was an Easter display and craft activities for children which came in handy as our train was delayed.

When we finally got on, we whipped open our homemade sandwiches, stretched our legs and Mrs T pretended to drive the car.

In around 40 minutes we had crossed the channel and were in France! So far so easy. We kept to the toll roads which, compared to UK motorways, are fairly empty. No major traffic jams here which is a refreshing change. You do pay for the privilege. We spent around £100 in tolls during our road trip (Italy has toll roads too).

As we took to the motorway, we noticed a series of messages written on the electronic signs. It was shortly after the horrific terror attack on Belgium airport and France was showing its support with the words ‘Nous sommes tous de Bruxelles’ (We are all Brussels) which was both heartening and thought-provoking.

Keeping to our rule of only driving 300 miles in a day, our first stop was in the medieval city of Troyes just outside Champagne, famous for its half-timbered housing.

Getting there around 3pm, we had time to wander around the striking small city, admire its architecture, do some shopping, go on the carousel and have dinner, trying the regional delicacy – pigs intestines. You can read more about our trip to Troyes here.

Accommodation
We stayed at Le Mecure hotel which had a decent sized room. It was around a seven minute walk from the centre of town and had secure underground parking. It cost around €120.

Day 2-5 Morzine, French Alps
After grabbing a traditional French breakfast (coffee and crossiant) at a cafe in central Troyes we hit the road for 10am.

Our destination was Morzine in the French Alps where we were spending time with family. During our time there, Mrs T continued her ski training with her dad and grandad and we celebrated Easter with friends and family.

Accommodation: Private self-catered chalet in Morzine.

Day 5 – 7 Morzine to Modena, Italy
We set off through the winding Alpine hills in the morning and headed to the Mount Blanc tunnel. Although a convenient way to get into Italy, it does come at a price. W paid €44.20 one way. After just 15km underground, we arrived in Italy.

Although still mountainous with clouds clinging to the mountains, the unsettled weather of the Alps soon cleared to reveal bright sunshine. As we drove in this new country, there were clear indications we had left France far behind. Stone walls lined the side of the motorways with houses crammed onto terraces and old monasteries perched on top of hills.
In around five hours we arrived in Modena. The compact Italian city was a pleasure to wander around enhanced by some late March sunshine. We spent two night seeing sights such as its striking cathedral and eating delicious food. You can read more about our time in Modena here.

Accommodation
We stayed at a charming bed & breakfast called Quartopiano. It’s a two-bed apartment which can be let separately. We booked the whole apartment so Mrs T had her own bedroom. The place was full of quirky trinkets and has a steep staircase up to the kitchen. I wouldn’t recommend for very young children in case something got broken and if you were worried about the stairs.

Day 7 – 9: Maranello & Bologna
Our next destination was Bologna. En route we stopped off Maranello, the home of Ferrari, spending a couple of hours at its Ferrari museum. Filled with sports cars and road cars from every decade, the museum is well worth a look, especially if you are big on cars. You can read about our experience here.

In just one hour, we reached the city of Bologna where we just about managed to navigate our car to the hotel and a car park. It isn’t the most car-friendly city with one-way streets and no through roads.

During our two days in the city, we marvelled at Bologna’s leaning towers, visited the biggest brick church in the world and enjoyed some of its delicious food including its famous tagliatelle ragu (the inspiration behind spaghetti bolognaise). You can read about our 48 hours in the city here and my post about the top dishes you must try when in Emilia-Romagna.

Accommodation
We stayed two nights at Hotel Metropolitan, just five minutes from the main square. We had a good sized room and lights which had a multitude of colours which we didn’t quite work out but Mrs T loved seeing them change colour. She had her own bed in the entrance hall and we had an outside area too. We paid around €170 per night (breakfast included).

Day 9: Parma
The city of Parma was our final stop in Italy. Home of prosciutto and parmesan, we also discovered the city’s many historic buildings. Of course, we sampled the famous ham and parmesan too! You can read about our day in Parma here.

Accommodation
Slightly out of town, we stayed at NH Hotel, around 10/15 minute walk to the centre of Parma. Booking a junior suite, we had a very large room (plenty of room for two children) with two TVs, a large bathroom and coffee machine. Mrs T had the huge sofa bed to sleep on. We paid around €170 for the night including breakfast where we we stocked up on sandwiches to eat on the road for lunch.

Day 10: Alsace

It was time to get on the road again in a journey that almost took us through four different countries. We narrowly missed going into Germany after seeing a queue at the border and deciding to take a diversion. Our journey took as back into the mountains and a stop at a service station in Switzerland. To be aware, if travelling in Switzerland that you need to purchase a vignette for the car (£25), a type of road tax which lasts a year.

Our destination was the town of Kaysersberg a picture-perfect town far more German than French.

Full of the half-timbered housing with colourful fronts which dominate the region. It’s a charming place. We didn’t do much other than wander around the colourful streets, take photos and look in the shops. I bought some gingerbread memorabilia in a shop filled to the brill while my daughter stood transfixed by a film about the making of the biscuits. My husband got distracted by the wine shops, buying a few bottles of the region’s famous reisling.

Accommodation

If only this hotel had been midway through our trip! Le Chambard was luxurious and relaxing. I could have easily spent another night there. The Relais & Chateaux hotel had a small spa area and swimming pool as well as a double-Michelin starred restaurant.

As we had our daugther, we reluctantly gave the gastronomic menu a miss and went to the brassiere instead. The food was still good. I left the hotel feeling very refreshed. We paid around €215 for the night including a rather gourmet breakfast.

Day 11: Alsace – London

Our longest stint driving took us from Kayserberg back to the UK. At 500 miles it was a lot more than we have done in a day but we took lots of stops and we knew we would soon be back home in our own beds!

Overview

It was a diverse roadtrip: from medieval cities and towns to snow-capped mountains, Italian architecture, cars and gelato. A great combination with the added bonus of some warm spring sunshine. A good time to visit Italy without the searing heat (and crowds) of the summer.

We were very impressed at how our daughter handled it – and me – being 31/32 weeks pregnant. I did get uncomfortable at times in the car but we have adjustable seats and stopped when we needed to stretch our legs. We did a lot of walking, particularly in Bologna, which was a little exhausting. Another night in a spa hotel would have sorted that nicely! One of my fears was my daughter’s bladder but throughout the whole trip, we only had to make one roadside stop. Not bad going. Check out my other posts which cover tips on road trips with children and travelling when pregnant.

Have you done many road trips before? Where did you go and have you braved it with children?