+Gill & Tony Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 (edited) I'm seeking advice from someone from Switzerland, Austria or somewhere near. We are planning a trip to Europe next year, finishing with 4 days in Switzerland, probably based in Zurich. We will be hiring a car in Amsterdam, driving to Antwerp, Luxembourg and then into Switzerland It occurred to me that it might be possible to do a round trip from Zurich to Zurich including 5 countries in one day. Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Austria, Germany and Italy. Is this possible? Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks Tony Edited June 17, 2015 by Gill & Tony Quote Link to comment
+speakers-corner Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 Hi Tony, yes it is possible. It will be a lot of driving for you but it is possible. You might even be able to make it 6 countries in one day. Try this, Zürich (Switzerland), Mullhouse (France), Singen (Germany), Bregenz (Austria),Vaduz (Lichtenstein), Reschen See (Italy) and then back to Zürich. Quote Link to comment
+Gill & Tony Posted June 17, 2015 Author Share Posted June 17, 2015 I ran that route through Google Maps and got a total of roughly 12 hours driving time which is a bit much - especially doing it on the "wrong" side of the road. Cutting out France brings it to a more manageable level and Italy before Vaduz is even better. I may manage it, it will need more planning but the trip isn't even booked yet. I'll tell all in 15 months or so when it is all done. Quote Link to comment
+wmpastor Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 I ran that route through Google Maps and got a total of roughly 12 hours driving time which is a bit much - especially doing it on the "wrong" side of the road. Cutting out France brings it to a more manageable level and Italy before Vaduz is even better. I may manage it, it will need more planning but the trip isn't even booked yet. I'll tell all in 15 months or so when it is all done. Sounds like an adventure and a story to tell in the forum. You have plenty of time to plan, fortunately. I suggest having a prioritized short list of caches at each location. I have found that while traveling on a tight schedile, Murphy's Law works overtime. For example, an "easy" cache in one place probably was easy, but turned out to require "local knowledge" of how to access the area from the highway. Another easy cache just over a state line was missing, and another had a crowd of workmen at GZ. That multistate plan was jinxed - & not adequately planned. Quote Link to comment
+.Flo. Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 When starting from Amsterdam you could easily do several countries on your way South: Netherlands, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria. Choose the caches and plan the route beforehand! Quote Link to comment
+.Flo. Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 5 countries that can be done in a reasonable amount of time woul be: Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, and Germany. And the other countries on another day. Perhaps if you're not used to driving in continental Europe you should only "dip into" Germany from Luxembourg or France and otherwise avoid driving there (especially the Autobahn). The German driving style is very efficient and swift, but if someone is insecure and slow and not accustomed to the rules many drivers can be very aggressive and merciless. I'm German myself, so I may say that without sounding xenophobic. Quote Link to comment
GCEdo Posted June 20, 2015 Share Posted June 20, 2015 Last month I did 8 countries in one day, so it is possible My countries were a bit different... Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Italy, Germany, France, Luxembourg, Belgium. It was great adventure, exhausting yes, but great adventure. I changed with my friend for driving, not sure if I could do it without some rest. Have fun! Quote Link to comment
+Gill & Tony Posted June 21, 2015 Author Share Posted June 21, 2015 Caching isn't the main purpose of the trip and the holiday is planned to be leisurely driving and sightseeing. No more than 5 hours driving per day and below 4 is better. I've got two 4- country days planned. Liege to Luxembourg, via Germany and France; Zurich to Konstanz, into Austria, Leichenstein and back to Zurich. It's been almost 50 years since I last drove in Europe. Can anyone advise what border crossing is like these days? I travel on an Australian passport, but am entitled to a UK passport. Does the Australian passport make it easier or harder, or doesn't it matter? Thanks Tony Quote Link to comment
+Ben0w Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 It's been almost 50 years since I last drove in Europe. Can anyone advise what border crossing is like these days? Language on traffic signs and fuel prices changes. Unless at the swiss border you won't see any checkpoint at inner EU borders any more. However, be sure to obey custom laws, there are occasional "traffic control" checks in border regions. I travel on an Australian passport, but am entitled to a UK passport. Does the Australian passport make it easier or harder, or doesn't it matter? Doesn't matter. In EU countries you most probably won't be asked for it anyway and at the swiss border they treat all strangers with the same mistrust. Just be sure to stay on the right side of the road - which is the right side. Have a nice trip! Quote Link to comment
Love Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 I ran that route through Google Maps and got a total of roughly 12 hours driving time which is a bit much - especially doing it on the "wrong" side of the road. Cutting out France brings it to a more manageable level and Italy before Vaduz is even better. I may manage it, it will need more planning but the trip isn't even booked yet. I'll tell all in 15 months or so when it is all done. All of those countries drive on the "right" side of the road. I've driven through most of the countries that you'll be visiting and it's very easy to get around. There are websites online where you can study up on European traffic signs in advance. Also, study up in advance the speed limits for countries. I've found they tell you when a slower speed limit ends, but they don't tell you what the limit actually is. Most countries will have a general freeway/autobahn, highway and city speed. Keep in mind that most rental cars are manuals over there, so you're not used to driving a manual that might be the trickiest part. I've typically gotten international data for my iPhone and used the built in maps for directions and never run into any issues. Though you'll find many rental cars in Europe have a built in GPS so you may not even need an international data plan for your maps. Quote Link to comment
Glory Hunters Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 I did it last year (5 countries in a day) but with a small trick we departed from our home country, where we found a cache, landed in Germany, rented a car, then visited Austria, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. That was 5 countries. Quote Link to comment
+Gill & Tony Posted June 23, 2015 Author Share Posted June 23, 2015 I'm thinking now of driving straight to Luxembourg from Amsterdam via Belgium, Germany and France. That will get 5 in a day with only 5-6 hours driving. Quote Link to comment
+Vooruit! Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 For those who haven't read it already: http://www.geocaching.com/blog/2011/10/15-countries-in-24-hours-one-big-day-of-geocaching/ Quote Link to comment
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