9 COUNTRIES, 3 DAYS, 1000 MILES
A grand and scenic route from Calais to Poreč, passing through 9 countries and covering a 1000 miles. Every minute of your experience will be an adventure. By day, you’ll be driving over some of Europe’s toughest mountain passes and marvelling at breathtaking landscapes. By night, you’ll be enjoying local cuisine and entertainment with the other Rally teams.
Drive your car out to the starting point in Calais, France
Tackle the highest mountain passes and hairpin bends
Wonder at the spectacular scenery
Visit castles, fortresses and abbeys
Cruise along the coast
Enjoy a celebratory final night in the city of Poreč
All rally teams will meet at Chateau Tilques just outside Calais for a 9.15am briefing. You can either drive or fly to the start point. If you fly we can arrange for your car to be transported, for a fee. You are very welcome to stay at the chalet the evening before the Rally start, just let us know and we can arrange this.
Following the briefing and meeting of your fellow rally teams, it’ll be time to fire up your rusty chariots and start the epic journey across Europe.
The choice is yours on which route to take. Head up through Belgium and stop in the buzzy university city of Leuven, head down through Champagne region and explore the ancient caves at Reims, or head straight through Luxembourg, stopping for a coffee in the picture-postcard town of Dinant enroute.
Tonight we’ll be staying in the beautiful city of Heidelberg and our restaurant for the evening will be found at the end of a charming funicular ride. As we descend, you’ll have the chance to absorb the enchanting combination of castle, old town and river set against the mountainous backdrop.
Again, there are decisions to be made on which route to take to Innsbruck, but whichever way you choose you’ll be sure to enjoy some fantastic driving.
You could head back into France and stop at the colourful medieval city of Colmar. From here you can travel through the fairy tale-like principality of Liechtenstein before winding your way to Day 2’s finish along the incredible Silvretta High Alpine Road.
The Black Forest Ridgeway from Baden-Baden to Freudenstadt is worthy of its reputation and is a fine way to spend a Friday morning. From there you can meander down to Lake Constance, nestled in the foothills of the Alps and depending on progress you may even have time to take on the Hahntennjoch Mountain Pass.
Or you may like to take the Romantic Road from Würzburg, stopping at the beautifully preserved medieval town of Rothenburg ob der Taurber, before making your way to Füssen and the stunning, Disney-inspiring Neuschwanstein Castle.
After some truly monumental driving, we’ll be spending the night amidst the Nordkette mountain range in the Tyrolean capital of Innsbruck.
Waking up in Alps, the most pressing thing to consider is which mountain pass you’d like to wind along today. If you’re feeling particularly alive with The Sound of Music then make your way up to Salzburg before joining the sweeping Grossglockner High Alpine Road and from there into Slovenia and the zigzagging Vršič Pass.
Taking a southerly route through Italy you could stop in Treviso and enjoy an Aperol Spritz (passengers only!) on the Piazzo dei Signori. From there, cruise down the Croatian coast on the D75 to the chequered flag at Poreč.
Tonight we’ll be celebrating our mammoth journey across 10 countries, with the chance to let your hair down and enjoy the lie-in that awaits tomorrow!
You can choose how to make your way home. You could drive back, continuing your own adventure across Western Europe. The drive-time to Calais is approximately 16 hours. Or you can fly home from Trieste. We can arrange to scrap your car or transport it home, for a fee.