Classic Car Journeys

2012 Classic Europe Itinerary

August 31st to September 7th

Friday 31st August - Get yourself to Trier, arriving in time for an 8.00pm welcome dinner. (Please see note about ferries in the Entry Info and Cost page.) To get to the start, if you can afford the time, it would be worthwhile considering catching a lunchtime/afternoon ferry on Thursday and meandering down towards Germany with a stop on the way. (Maybe visiting the Nurburgring to spectate or for a lap or two.) That way you could easily arrive in Trier by early afternoon on the Friday giving you the rest of the day to explore. The hotel is in the town centre. Trier was founded by Romans in 16BC and was the former capital of the Western Empire. As well as various Roman ruins there is also an antique fair taking place that weekend. If you cannot afford to take the extra day, the run to Trier is about 4 and a half hours from Calais. Dinner in the hotel. Mileage from Calais to Trier 275

Sat 1st September - This is a long day but nearly all of it on fast rural German roads. About lunchtime we’ll be stopping at the Technik Museum in Speyer. It’s possible that some people may not be thrilled by the idea of strolling about on the wing of a 747, climbing inside the largest propeller driven aircraft in the world and examining a fascinating collection of U boats, so just across the car park, on the same site, is the Wilhelmsbau museum full of rare oddities, clothes and bygones from the 19th and 20th Century. From there we head to Augsburg where we’re staying in a large hotel just on the edge of town. In the evening you’ll be free to walk or tram, (3 stops), into town for dinner. Mileage 290

Sunday 2nd September - This is another long day but because there is a stretch of motorway, it seems a lot shorter. We head to Munich arriving at 10.00 am for a visit to BMW World and the BMW Museum. There’s a good two hours built in to have a leisurely look around before heading further east, then south on lovely roads, into the Alps and Austria. It’s a lovley days driving to the overnight stop - the ski resort of Obertauern. Dinner will be in the hotel. (Hopefully you won’t need it, but that night we will also have workshop facilities.) Mileage 230

Monday 3rd September - After two long days the pace slows down as we head due south to Slovenia. Crossing a mountain pass with lovely views it’s only a short run to Ljubljana, Slovenia’s capital. Again we’ve got a city centre hotel. We should arrive early afternoon giving you the rest of the day to relax and enjoy the city. Mileage 140

Tuesday 4th September - In the morning we’re heading to Postana Cave, Slovenia’s biggest tourist attraction. It’s the largest Karst Cave in the world and the most visited cave in Europe. As there are over 15 miles of underground galleries we’ll be catching a train. If going underground is not your thing, just down the road is Lepica, the home of one of the oldest studs in the world and the breeding centre for Lipizzaner white horses. (It’s unlikely you’ll have time to visit both the cave and the stud.) After the visit(s) we head down to the coast. Slovenia has a tiny section of coast line and we’re calling into Izola where you can enjoy an alfresco lunch on the harbour side. After lunch it’s a short run to Croatia and soon after crossing the border there’s an opportunity to have an afternoon coffee at a lovely little village packed with art galleries. After coffee we head further south for our overnight stay near Pula. Dinner in the Hotel. Mileage 130

Wednesday 5th September – We’re now in the area of Croatia known as Istria which until World War 2 was part of Italy. The street signs are still written in both Croatian and Italian. First thing, you’ll have a chance to visit the Amphitheatre at Pula. I’ve never been to the Colosseum in Rome so I cannot compare this one. However it is very impressive with most of the walls still standing. We’re then heading north to call in to a tiny church with an unusual 600 year old mural called the ‘Dance of Death’. There are only a few of these surviving in the world. After leaving there we head south along Croatia’s coast road. It’s a lovely road with beautiful island views. We are staying overnight near Critvenika. Mileage 110

Thursday 6th September - We head further south along the coast again before heading east inland to Croatia’s number one tourist attraction, Plitvice National Park, very close to the border with Bosnia-Herzegovina. This is not just any old park but a truly stunning arrangement of huge clear water lakes. It really is justified as their number one tourist attraction. We won’t have time to do all of it as you could easily spend a whole day there but we’ll take a train to the top of the park and then it’s about a two hour (gentle) walk back to the car park. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. After lunch we head for Zagreb stopping on the way at a lovely little museum which commemorates the Croatian war of independence (1991 to 1995). The museum is situated on the former front line and a number of the nearby buildings are absolutely peppered with gunshots. Leaving the museum it’s an easy drive to Zagreb where I’ve managed to secure places in a very smart city centre hotel. The parking is 100 metres away and we’ve got 24 hour security for the duration of our stay. Zagreb is a lively city and you’ll be free that night to explore. Mileage 170

Friday 7th September - This is a complete day off although I have organised a morning guided tour of the city. In the evening we’ll meet up for dinner in a lovely room overlooking the town square. Mileage Zero

Saturday 8th Septmeber - Free to travel home in your own time. Total mileage to Calais 970.