Ultimate Driving Holidays - Monte Carlo Rally

Day 1 - Drive from the UK to Geneva and start of Rally

The rally itself starts in Geneva with dinner at the Reserve Hotel starting at 8pm on the 7th September where we will meet / greet and walk through the rally itinerary in detail.  Driving directly to Geneva from Calais takes approximately 7-8 hours, plus stops.

Overnight:  5 Star La Reserve Hotel, Geneva on the lake

Day 2 - Geneva to Montgeneva, French Alps

The second day is the most technical in terms of driving taking you from Geneva to a beautiful French fortress town called Briancon. The drive is mostly mountain passes with some stunning scenery with the roads going up to 2500m altitude. The journey continues with a road taking you through a fantastic contrast between the green lower passes and the barren landscape up high. The drive up is one of the best but coming down from the Mont Cenis onto the Italian side of things is amazing, with hairpins and cambered bends, everything a real driver needs eventually crossing back into France into the fortress town of Briancon, where you will spend the night.

Drive Details:  338 km / 5 hours 30 mins plus stops, 3 mountain passes including Col de I'iseran
Overnight: 4 Star Chalet Blanc, Montgeneva / French Alps

Day 3 - Montgeneva to Monte Carlo via Alps Maritimes

The third day takes you over the famous Col de la Bonnette, a fabulous drive that brings its rewards. The volcanic atmosphere is amazing; the road up from Briancon is an easy drive with some slightly more challenging parts surrounded by fantastic scenery. At the top you really have the feeling of being on top of the world, before beginning the descent which is made up of easy flowing roads with a Mediterranean feel to them where you can really get some speed up. The route continues along a gorge, with very nice panoramas followed by a nice descent towards the Cote d’azur. Arriving at Monte Carlo you will check into the fabulous Metropole hotel just around the corner from the Casino and the port.

Drive Details: 270KM / 5 Hours 30 drive time plus stops, 3 mountain passes including Col de la Bonette
Overnight: 5 Star Metropol Hotel, Casino Square, Monte Carlo

Day 4 - Monte Carlo to Montgeneva via Route Napoleon

The Fourth Day will take you along one of the most famous roads in France due to its fantastic scenery and beautiful flowing curves on which you can get a nice driving rhythm, the route Napoleon. There is a coffee stop at the beautiful old town of Grasse, before embarking on the route Napoleon. You will then follow the route to the “Gorge de verdon”, a gorge that is 738m high, also known as France’s very own Grand Canyon. After the canyon you will join the route Napoleon with the best part of the route for people who really want to make the most of the power of their car. This was a real driver’s road with a col between 2 lakes, followed by another great descent into the lake on which the château is located; this particular descent into the lakeside town of Crots, where you will spend the night, is breathtaking.

Drive details: 420KM / 6 hours 30 drive time plus stops, 2 passes including plus Grand Canyon du Verdon
Overnight: 4 Star Chalet Blanc, Montgeneva / French Alps

Day 5 - Montegeneva to Geneva via Alpe d'ueze

The last day continues in the style of the first, with the beautiful mountain passes through the alps, with more breathtaking views. We stopped off at the small alpine village of Mensac, with a market selling local products that were of fantastic quality. The final bit of the route is an easy return to Geneva via the autobahn.

Drive details: 230KM / 3 hours 30 drive time plus stops, 3 Passes and 3 Alpine lakes
Overnight: 5 Star La Reserve, Geneva on the lake

Day 6 - Return to the UK

Make your own way back to UK after a final evening in Geneva.

7th September