Assuming it is safe and allowed to, I’m planning a roadtrip into Europe for just over two weeks with my partner, from end of August.
Dover-Calais ferry return booked, nothing else so far.

Very vague plan is drive down to Swiss Alps, spend a few days there, then down to somewhere on the Italian coast for a few days, then back up to the French Alps for a few days, then home.
Or all of that in reverse.

We would like to book accommodation (Airbnb, glamping, or camping) at each of the 3 stops, and then have a day or two flex in-between each stop which isn’t pre booked. Going in my Peugeot Partner so sleeping in the car is an option too.

Activity wise, looking for lots of outdoorsy stuff, and a bit of city/culture:

Hiking (nothing too strenuous)
Cycling (partner on a hybrid, me on MTB) – realistically no more than 30-40km in a day if flattish, less if hilly
Kayaking/paddle boarding
MTB – I plan to take my enduro bike so would love to get a couple days of proper riding in, some lift assisted would be nice. Getting to lifts before they close for the season may determine route somewhat. Probably only have my open lid, and be riding on my own, so need to take that into account.
Coast – somewhere not too far down the Italian coast to minimise travel, but also somewhere not too resorty or too expensive.
Culture – art, vineyards, good food, pretty villages etc

Would love to hear people’s recommendations on places worth visiting, activities, places to stay/eat etc etc. As we are so flexible with our route, we end up searching for “what to do in alps” which isn’t exactly specific..!

Thinking maybe around the Interlaken area for Switzerland, Portofino (staying outside) for Italian coast, and Chamonix for France. All expensive areas though!

Any input much appreciated!
Duane.

We stayed at lake Iseo last year it was beautiful, much nicer than Garda and other busy lakes in the area, would be worth a visit

A few things to consider, I have one of these Emovis tag to pay french rolls, easier than doing it by card or cash all the time and direct debit from your account the month after you get back.

Take swiss francs so you can pay their own tolls, you are more motivated to pay when the person asking you is carrying an assault rifle.

Troyes is a good stop over town on the way to the apps and worth a wander round after a long day in the car.

Lac Annecy is a lovely area and would allow for some hills and paddle boarding.

Can’t be much help on the cycling front as I’ve not ridden round there, but Chamonix has plenty of bike shops if you are stopping there.

Thanks both, good info!

Lake Iseo looks great but not sure if we are planning to go that far east. Thinking of some time around lake Como though.

Similarly love Annecy, but not sure if going there pushes us a bit too far west.

Any input on riding? Looks like Morzine, Vernier, Pila, and Chamonix is open to bikers at least until the first week of September.

Any recommendations for nice places to stay for a couple nights near or in those towns?

Thanks,
Duane.

Culture – art, vineyards, good food, pretty villages etc

Central Spain is a bit ignored as a tourist destination but has all these – obviously if you want coast/beach forget it, but you could certainly do worse than a few days in Madrid then either head to Portugal or north or south Spain.

You can camp right on the northern edge of Lake Garda in Torbole. Lots of options for mellow rides and hiking.

Then it’s a straight forward drive to Morzine via Pila/Aosta, La Thuile, Chamonix and probably more places I haven’t been to yet.

There’s a campsite in every stop and for such a small area there’s enough riding to keep you busy for months.

Slovenia is a lovely place to visit.

If you fancy NE Spain, our place in Cataluña ticks absolutely all your boxes. We’re 15km from the sea and the Ebro delta which has kayaking and paddleboarding, there are hundreds of km of bike trails ranging from easy Via Verde to full on enduro tracks. Plenty of historical towns, castles and villages. Sept is the ideal time to come with fresher weather.
Pm me if interested.
This is us

We do variations on this every summer (not this one though). My suggestion would be to do less in your two weeks.

If you want to do three places with days unbooked in between, you are going to spend more time in the car than you realise – plus there is packing, tent pitching, whatever at either end of the day. Fine if the road part is the main aim and you are a big fan of sitting in a Peugeot Partner for hours on end, not so fine if you want to have time to do all the activities listed in your two weeks.

Also, the further you go South into Italy, the bigger the motorway grind to get there becomes. Do your furthest stop first then work your way back towards Calais.

Have a look at the Lauterbrunnen valley, just south of Interlaken. There is absolutely loads to do and it’s got a nice camp site but you’ll need to book.

From there I’d then drive a couple of hours round to Chamonix and forget about going to the Italian coast.

pila, crans montana and some of portes du soleil open until 6/7 September.