With the low temp and snow on the way..
I have 2 weeks off work and wanted to do some travelling, was looking to reach Italy.
Is it worth driving through central Europe and what 'precautions' while should I take.
any help appreciated!

what route were you thinking of taking?

tsbnoise

Will be starting from London, down to Berlin, Warsaw, Prague, Venice and if time permits... Rome

2 weeks??

Hi JP...
i live in northern italy (near Pisa) and i can tell you that we've been having an unusually mild winter and at the moment it's possible to ride around quite confartably with just some adequate protection. if'you re unlucky, however, you will have to put up with a lot of wet weather; be ready for it. Venice is probably the worst place in italy to go to during the winter: being in a swamp it is generally cold and humid. (probably best to haul it all the way to rome: MUCH better city to visit and MUCH better weather)
Crossing the alps won't be a problem as even there snow has been very scarce this winter. if you're coming from prague you'll probably be taking the Brennero Pass on the highway from Innsbruck (A) to Vipiteno(I): a piece of cake as it'a always in excellent conditions.
As far as prague, i was there for new year's and there was no snow at all, but it was quite cold and very humid. but then again prague is so damn beautiful that you won't even notice the weather while you're there.
IMHO, however, i think you're schedule is a bit tight. it is certainly possible to do it all in 2 weeks, but you probably wont have much time to take in the sights. even the riding won't be spectacular: roads in central europe are straight, boring, super-fast highways and you won't be having much fun until you reach at least Austria and the Alps.

let me know what you decide.
take care and have anice trip

I think its to see the places, soak up the atmosphere, taste the cuisine and
craming a long journey into a short time-frame defeats the whole purpose...
I have a friend in warsaw so thats why the detour, otherwise Berlin-Prague is shorter.

having said that... if I cover Venice, Pisa and Florence these are very beautiful places on their own

Which map would you recommend for travel in entr. europe?
Thanks for the advice
JP

Right now southern Germany and Austria are drowning in snow. Temps are are usually subzero. Probably Czek Rep dito. Personally I wouldn't even think of travelling that route at this time of the year. If you want to soak up the atmosphere, enjoy the ambiente - go in spring or summer. IMHO the earliest for an enjoyable bike trip through these countries shouldn't be earlier than May.

Southern Spain is quite comfy at this time of the year...

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