The Run To Monaco

[Azer]

Monte Carlo is my favourite place on earth - always wanted to do the drive from the UK but don't fancy the 2000 miles on the car.

It is only about 750 from Calais.
I made it longer than that as I wanted to drive the N85, with it's twisting mountain roads and little villages which take it in the wrong direction for miles at a time.

You don't need a fortune to stay there for 3 , 4 or even 5 days. Then head home. Which would make it atlot easier.
However, unless you want to spend most of the time on tiny little beach, which might not technically be in Monaco, you will get bored.
There is very little to do there and a couple could easily see it all in 2 days.

One of your AMG tuned C-classes is probably a good car to do it in, see about taking the Hull-Zeebrugge ferry. Then you don't have to do as much driving here.

Have to admit before we did our last road trip in the Alfa i was thinking about the mileage i was adding, as mine is still pretty low miles (65k for a 21 year old car). But then i thought why have i got it if not to use it! I love road trips anyway but when you're in a car you're interested in (whatever it is) i think it adds a whole new dimension to the fun.

Unless you are planning on selling it soon (whilst prices are right up, due to the chip shortage). You might well end up being the last owner of that Alfa, so I wouldn't worry.
In any case, it hasn't done that many miles. Not for a (I guess) 3ltr.
Mine has got 93K now. Similar age.

 

[Deleted member 159894]

I prefer to take the Santander ferry overnight and meander along the N Spain/S France coast and stop off at interesting places before dipping a toe into Italy for a cheap weekend.

 

[vijilants]

I am also highly tempted to give this a go....London living with 20 mph speed limits and speed humps is making my car and myself depressed.

Wene is the best time to go to catch the good weather but not too crowded ?

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Wene is the best time to go to catch the good weather but not too crowded ?

Avoid July and August and you’ll be fine. The F1 does have a quite an impact though - the stands, pits, road layout, and even the views are affected for much longer than you would think. Therefore I prefer Easter and September, but you won’t be disappointed any time.

PS If you plan to travel on the Route Napoleon plan for it to take at least twice as long as you expect it will!

 

[sgregory124]

It is only about 750 from Calais.
I made it longer than that as I wanted to drive the N85, with it's twisting mountain roads and little villages which take it in the wrong direction for miles at a time.

You don't need a fortune to stay there for 3 , 4 or even 5 days. Then head home. Which would make it atlot easier.
However, unless you want to spend most of the time on tiny little beach, which might not technically be in Monaco, you will get bored.
There is very little to do there and a couple could easily see it all in 2 days.

Don't get me wrong, its not the money side of things that bothers me.

I see it this way, if you're going somewhere like Monte Carlo, do it in style - its got some of the best hotels and restaurants in the world so best to take advantage of them. Previous trips for me have revolved around people watching, lying by the pool in the hotel, car spotting (both on the street and at Prince Ranier's museum - well worth a visit) and eating But you are correct, its not somewhere you go to 'do' stuff, you just go to 'be there'.

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Great photos. Good share.

Harry from Harry's Garage has done a few videos on this, if anyone's interested. He has a share of a boat in Antibes so has taken a variety of cars down there. He waxes long and lyrical about Route Napoleon and shows some good footage

I'm just back this morning from a sunfilled month in Provence. If anyone's feeling doubtful about the 2000 mile round trip, you shouldn't. Modern cars take these trips in their stride, thanks to the Autoroute, podcasts, and Spotify.

Other good stopovers are Beaune Fontainebleau and Aix en Provence. Interesting walkable places with good restaurants, but not too big or commercial. Aix en Provence is worth a visit - a University city that has embraced the electric vehicles and scooters in the city centre and shows what can be done. Oxford and Cambridge: you should be ashamed

Re Monaco, be aware that parking is a nightmare. Grab parking as soon as you can and avoid lunchtimes. It's tiny underground car parks fill up fast, and are a challenge for anyone in a larger car.

Others can muse on why so many Supercars can be seen on the congested roads of Monaco. It's an embarrassment in plain sight.

.

 

[sgregory124]

Great photos. Good share.

Harry from Harry's Garage has done a few videos on this, if anyone's interested. He has a share of a boat in Antibes so has taken a variety of cars down there. He waxes long and lyrical about Route Napoleon and shows some good footage

I'm just back this morning from a sunfilled month in Provence. If anyone's feeling doubtful about the 2000 mile round trip, you shouldn't. Modern cars take these trips in their stride, thanks to the Autoroute, podcasts, and Spotify.

Other good stopovers are Beaune Fontainebleau and Aix en Provence. Interesting walkable places with good restaurants, but not too big or commercial. Aix en Provence is worth a visit - a University city that has embraced the electric vehicles and scooters in the city centre and shows what can be done. Oxford and Cambridge: you should be ashamed

Re Monaco, be aware that parking is a nightmare. Grab parking as soon as you can and avoid lunchtimes. It's tiny underground car parks fill up fast, and are a challenge for anyone in a larger car.

Others can muse on why so many Supercars can be seen on the congested roads of Monaco. It's an embarrassment in plain sight.

.

Having parked in one of the underground car parks before, in a rental car - I won't be doing it again in a hurry! Surely the best thing to do with the car is have it parked by one of the hotel staff when you're there - that was my thought, sure not cheap, but just needs to be factored in.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Public car parks - especially older ones - can be a real squeeze. In my experience it’s the ramps between levels which are the most challenging, true of many underground car parks in the South of France and not just a Monaco thing.

Hotel parking is the answer. If you’re a fussy devil like me then pick a hotel where they’re happy for you to “grab” something from the car and become friendly with the door team. That way you can see what it’s like in the car park.

From memory we pay £50 per night in the hotel car park which would be expensive for open air car parking in a UK town/village but for very secure valet parking, in a nice hotel, in one of the most expensive places on earth, it seems reasonable to me.

Compared to the cost of Eurotunnel, fuel and tolls, the extra cost of parking in a hotel car park - compared to a public car park - is barely noticeable.

 

[MrA209]

Sounds like a great run!
It now got me thinking about trying together a road trip that includes this, Col de Torini, and some other good roads in that part of the world.

 

[Deleted member 159894]

Great photos. Good share.

Harry from Harry's Garage has done a few videos on this, if anyone's interested. He has a share of a boat in Antibes so has taken a variety of cars down there. He waxes long and lyrical about Route Napoleon and shows some good footage

I'm just back this morning from a sunfilled month in Provence. If anyone's feeling doubtful about the 2000 mile round trip, you shouldn't. Modern cars take these trips in their stride, thanks to the Autoroute, podcasts, and Spotify.

Other good stopovers are Beaune Fontainebleau and Aix en Provence. Interesting walkable places with good restaurants, but not too big or commercial. Aix en Provence is worth a visit - a University city that has embraced the electric vehicles and scooters in the city centre and shows what can be done. Oxford and Cambridge: you should be ashamed

Re Monaco, be aware that parking is a nightmare. Grab parking as soon as you can and avoid lunchtimes. It's tiny underground car parks fill up fast, and are a challenge for anyone in a larger car.

Others can muse on why so many Supercars can be seen on the congested roads of Monaco. It's an embarrassment in plain sight.

.

We often spend a few nights in Beaune, good restaurants and an excellent chateaux nearby:

Musées | Château de Savigny-lès-Beaune

100 avions de chasse, 250 motos, 36 voitures de course Abarth, 8000 maquettes, 20 camions de pompiers,... Des collections insolites et uniques en France !

www.chateau-savigny.com

 

[sgregory124]

Public car parks - especially older ones - can be a real squeeze. In my experience it’s the ramps between levels which are the most challenging, true of many underground car parks in the South of France and not just a Monaco thing.

Hotel parking is the answer. If you’re a fussy devil like me then pick a hotel where they’re happy for you to “grab” something from the car and become friendly with the door team. That way you can see what it’s like in the car park.

From memory we pay £50 per night in the hotel car park which would be expensive for open air car parking in a UK town/village but for very secure valet parking, in a nice hotel, in one of the most expensive places on earth, it seems reasonable to me.

Compared to the cost of Eurotunnel, fuel and tolls, the extra cost of parking in a hotel car park - compared to a public car park - is barely noticeable.

£50 per night for peace of mind sounds like a bargain to me. I'm wondering how much it would cost to have the valet staff put your car out the front of the hotel. We stayed at the Metropole in 2016 and directly outside the front doors, was the hotel's own Mini Moke and two Veyron's - one of which was a 'Per Sang' super limited edition. Therefore I deduce i'd probably need to cross the valet's palm with something obscenely expensive to get them to put a plain old Merc out front

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

£50 per night for peace of mind sounds like a bargain to me. I'm wondering how much it would cost to have the valet staff put your car out the front of the hotel. We stayed at the Metropole in 2016 and directly outside the front doors, was the hotel's own Mini Moke and two Veyron's - one of which was a 'Per Sang' super limited edition. Therefore I deduce i'd probably need to cross the valet's palm with something obscenely expensive to get them to put a plain old Merc out front

They parked our car out front first time, but when I spotted it there I asked that it be relocated to the garage, and they happily obliged and remembered to do so every time thereafter.

I didn’t mind it being there for a few minutes before and after use but the hotels with spicy cars tend to get sightseeers get up closer and personal with the cars.

Car spotters seem to treat the cars with respect and keep their distance. Non-car people care much less and and happily lean on the cars and more for photos.

 

[sgregory124]

They parked our car out front first time, but when I spotted it there I asked that it be relocated to the garage, and they happily obliged and remembered to do so every time thereafter.

I didn’t mind it being there for a few minutes before and after use but the hotels with spicy cars tend to get sightseeers get up closer and personal with the cars.

Car spotters seem to treat the cars with respect and keep their distance. Non-car people care much less and and happily lean on the cars and more for photos.

Ah fair enough. The Metropole was delightfully car-spotter free as I remember, although its not difficult to maintain that, as its at the end of a driveway off the main road so most 'casual' spotters probably wouldn't bother venturing down there - I suspect they'd be moved off if they did to be fair.

 

[Azer]

I am also highly tempted to give this a go....London living with 20 mph speed limits and speed humps is making my car and myself depressed.

Wene is the best time to go to catch the good weather but not too crowded ?

September, after the schools have gone back. Early-Mid October, before half-term.

Depending on your tolerance for cold, it is probably going to be pretty good down there in November. Though the day light hours are limited.

Avoid July and August and you’ll be fine. The F1 does have a quite an impact though - the stands, pits, road layout, and even the views are affected for much longer than you would think. Therefore I prefer Easter and September, but you won’t be disappointed any time.

PS If you plan to travel on the Route Napoleon plan for it to take at least twice as long as you expect it will!

I deliberately stopped for the night in Lyon, then drove to Grenoble. Fueled-up there in order to tackle the N85 with a full day/tank.
It then took me the rest of the day to get to the principality.
I drove the home straight and up the hill to casino square as the sun was setting.


Regards parking: as has been said, it is a minor cost and well worth it.
I think I payed around £15 per night, under-ground, next to the hotel. Left it there until I drove home.
Everywhere is walking distance in Monaco, if you get fed-up with the hills, there are free public lifts.

Sounds like a great run!
It now got me thinking about trying together a road trip that includes this, Col de Torini, and some other good roads in that part of the world.

I'm still planning to do my Alpine road-trip. Next year now.