Patrick E61

Does any one else here like to use their E61 for travels? If so, please post some details about your trips, or plans for future excursions!

Since the year 2000, I have owned a BMW Touring - two E46 models, and one E39. I know that there are enthusiasts that do not like BMW station wagons, but I have found that it is a great car for family road trips. We (wife and son) have driven all over the northern Europe with our BMWs, including trips around Finland, trips to Estonia, Latvia, Norway, Denmark and due to my job, four trips per year to the Kingdom of Sweden. I like driving in Sweden!

Now that I have finally managed to get a diesel E61, we are planning our most adventuresome road trip to date for next summer: we are going to drive from Finland, to western Crete. Yes, this is completely insane, but it has been an idea that we have been discussing for the last three years - we vacation on Crete for 3-5 weeks every summer, thus the impetus for the road trip.

I recently bought a laminated 90cm X 90cm map of Western Europe, and we are using that, plus Google as our travel advisor on how to build this trip. As a travel agent, I am fairly confident in my ability to make this happen.

The plan is to get south as soon as possible, through Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Austria and Italy for the ferry ride from Bari, to Greece. Then hang out in Athens for a few days before catching the SuperFast ferry to Souda Bay (near Chania, Western Crete). We will enjoy Crete at our favorite villa near the beach, make some field trips around the island, eat a lot and see friends. After three weeks of that, we will head back to Italy, and have a slow journey north.

My wife's "area" for five days will be northern Italy, including a drive through the Stelvio Pass, and then comes my five days in Austria and Bavaria. We plan to stop at the Alpina factory, do the factory tour at Die Welt, meet some people doing ED there and so on.

We will end the trip in northern Germany, with a few days on the Baltic Coast, and then catch another ferry back to Finland.

Like I said, this is totally insane and it looks like it will require about six weeks. However, with a 530d Touring, and a co-driver crew of experienced road trip veterans, it has to be done.

I would be happy to hear any advice, comments, tips, "must see places" or anything else you can come up with! And yes, I am aware that airplanes have been invented!!!

mrfva

Sounds like a great road trip! Take lots of pix along the way, and keep us posted

Patrick E61

Oh yeah! Pics and vids will be made!

On our last trip (airplane), I managed to snap 1800 pics, so I can imagine that it will get a bit more serious with a road trip!

Paavju

Moi, miten olisi t?m? (check this out)!:

http://www.bmw.com/com/en/insights/t...?download=true

MacSid

That sounds like a grand plan, and it's making me almost green with envy.

Mrs. MacSid and I also love our road trips. It's just the two of us at the moment, so our ride of choice is our E60 (and our E39 before that). There are just no better ways to cruise, and the boot swallows all our stuff, all we've bought and always has space to spare. Then there's that lovely 3.0d under the bonnet, which is just great for relaxed long distance cruising, not to mention its frugality. Here are some of the trips we've done in our E60:

- In August we did Amsterdam-Newcastle (ferry); Newcastle-Glasgow; Glasgow-Mallaig; Mallaig-Portree; looped the Isle of Skye; Portree-Inverness; Inverness-Aberdeen; random trips around Aberdeenshire; Aberdeen-Edinburgh; Edinburgh-Newcastle; back on the ferry. Did this over 2 weeks, spending a night or two in each destination.

- In February we did Amsterdam-Innsbruck; weekend in Innsbruck and Salzburg; Salzburg-Milan; week in Milan; Milan-Venice-Milan for the weekend; couple more days in Milan; Milan-Zurich; Zurich-Triberg (Black Forest); Triberg-Amsterdam. This was done in the space of 2 weeks and the weekends on either end. Got 940km on one full tank on this trip despite running down through Germany with the speedo pegged at 200km/h!

- We've also done Milan once before, but via the Alsace region (Obernai, Barr, Colmar) and then directly through Switzerland in both directions. This was a business trip, but we did take in the Alsace/Vosges sights and castles on the way south, and the vineyards on the way back. Car arrived home with our one suitcase, my briefcase, Mrs MacSid's handbag and lots and lots of cases of wine ... and it all fit in the boot

Done a number of other shorter jaunts on long-weekends:
- Amsterdam-Bruges-Amsterdam
- Amsterdam-London-Amsterdam (via Calais and the Tunnel)
- Amsterdam-Le Havre-Calais-Bruges-Amsterdam
- Amsterdam-Paris-Amsterdam
- Euro meets (check out the links below)

... and there's more to come yet. The combination of the ease of getting to anywhere from Amsterdam and the E60's abilities make that an absolute certainty

info@trinityautosport

+1, and safe trip

///Marco.it

Hi Partick,

Great plan. However I would not drive till Bari to take the ferry, just long boring highway. Take the ferry in Venice instead and spend few days going through Swiss/Italian Alps and Venice.
Here you might find some good ideas.
M5 Touring alpine tour

Ciao
Marco

Patrick E61

Thanks for the link!!

Patrick E61

Another outstanding link! I will take some info from that and add it in to our database.

Regarding the drive to Bari: I haven't researched enough, but is there a ferry from Venice to Patras, Greece? Once I have my morning coffee, I will be off to Google this!

///Marco.it

I think that both Anek and Minoan lines are calling Venice with their ferries many times per week.