Are you looking at ideas for a Christmas getaway but are worried about your carbon footprint? Do you need to take your dog with you? Last Christmas we went for a road trip through France, Switzerland and Northern Italy, taking in lakes, cities, rivers, mountains, cathedrals and castles. We loved it and so did our dog!
Last week I shared the first part of the itinerary (from London to Bologna), as well as our experience of travelling through Europe in winter and with our furry friend .
Today, I am sharing our return route and stops.
Our winter road trip itinerary from Bologna to London
the outward leg of the trip, from Bologna to London, included stops at the cathedral city of Troyes; soaking up the Christmas spirit and Lumières de Noël of Montbéliard’s Christmas market; crossing the Alps and relaxing in the subtropical microclimate of Lake Maggiore, before reaching Bologna.
The second part of our itinerary included:
savouring he culinary and cultural delights of Bologna, the food capital of Italy; admiring the Rhine waterfalls at Schaffhausen; enjoying the festive vibe in the fairy-tale Alsatian village of Colmar; and to finish it off in style, a couple of days amongst the beautiful hills of the Champagne region.
Here is our travel log!
Our road trip day by day: What did we see?
Day 1,2 & 3 – In Bologna
my friend and host had arranged for us a guided tour of the Portici, a distinctive architectural feature that was recently included on the UNESCO-Heritage List.
The memories of my university years, when I never needed an umbrella because the porticoes protect you from the rain, came back. I also learnt so much I never knew, such as how the porticoes evolved over time, and the intriguing history behind some of the most celebrated ones, such as the one you can see in the picture above, framing the view of the cathedral.
The tour took most of the morning, and we dedicated the afternoon to exploring the medieval and paleo-Christian church complex of Santo Stefano, and a visit to the Due Torri (Two Towers).
With Bologna being Bologna, seat of the oldest university in Europe, a bookshop made an interesting stop.
As the evening made its way in, we found ourselves wandering in the old medieval alleys between the towers and Piazza Maggiore, and could not resist the temptation of aperitivo in an osteria – they seemed ok with the dog – followed by a trip to a gastronomia, where we bought some of Bologna’s famous delicacies such as lasagne to sample at home.
On the morning of Christmas eve, we we made our way to Via Piella, for one of the most intriguing sights of Bologna, the finestrella– or ‘small window.’ It is a window not just over a space but back in time, a glimpse of what Bologna looked like in the middle ages, all the way to WW2, crisscrossed by canals that carried people and goods, within the city and even to other cities, such as Venice.
In Piazza Maggiore, we visited the Palazzo di Re Enzo, and then made our way to the church of San Domenico, in the university quarter. It is one of the most fascinating of Bologna’s churches, and the list of the artists who worked in in reads like a who’s who of the Italian Renaissance.
It was time to head back and start preparing our Christmas Eve dinner, and food for our Christmas lunch!
Christmas morning flew, and we had reserved one activity for the afternoon, to work off the calories of a Bolognese Christmas. Forcing ourvelves away from the soft nougat and crème-pâtissière-filled tortellini – not to be confused with the savoury ones! , we embarked on one of the Bolognesi’s favourite endeavours, a climb from the city centre to the Sanctuary of San Luca, on top of the hill of the same name. It is one of the most memorable walks you’ll ever do. In Bolognese style, an umbrella will not be required: the path up the hill has been covered by the longest portico in the world, 600 archways for a total of of 4km!
Leia loved the climb too, and was totally exhausted by the time we came down, to enjoy a final dinner with our friends!
If you exclude the Christmas preparation and celebration, I only stayed a couple of days in Bologna. If you are staying longer, or for more ideas on what to see, check out my detailed Bologna post.
Day 4 – Drive to Schaffhausen
On Boxing Day, we said goodbye to our friends early. The day ahead was going to be the longest drive of the road trip, and being winter, we needed to make the most of the reduced number of hours of daylight. Furthermore, to avoid traffic, we wanted get to Milano – 2 and a half hours away – before the Milanesi woke up and started heading to the Alps for their New Year breaks. It went smoothly. By 10.30 we were by Lake Como, and the continued on through Switzerland. Our destination was a city we had visited on a previous occasion and that had left us with wonderful memories – Schaffhausen.
The journey took 6 hours (7 hours with comfort stops and a quick lakeside lunch by Lake Lucerne).
It was still daylight when we arrived in Schaffhausen, so after checking into our hotel we went around the city as it turned pink with sunset.
Walking through the delightful streets of the centre, with its painted merchant houses and guild halls, felt like stepping into a fairytale! And the climb up the hill to the Munot Fortress just added to the feeling.
The magical sunset did the rest. We left ready for dinner, and in heaven.
Day 5 – Schaffhausen and the Rhine Falls
We started early the next morning, with a brisk 45-minute walk along the Rhine, from the Altstadt of Schaffhausen to a suburb called Neuhausen, where you’ll find one of the magnificent natural sights that Europe has to offer: Rheinfall, the waterfalls on the mighty river Rhine.
We had already visited once in late spring, when the water is at its peak because the winter snow is melting, and the falls looked like in this video. In winter, the falls are less magnificent in terms of abundance of water, but incredible in terms of atmosphere.
The humidity creates fog around the falls, and when we arrived at Neuhausen we could hear the falls long before we could see them. That is a memory I will treasure forever. And the falls clouded in mist – you could barely see the castle perched like an eagle on the rock island in the middle of the falls – felt straight out of a medieval story.
As the sun rose behind the castle, the clouds and mist started to dispel, but it was time for us to say goodbye to the falls and head back to the centre of town for a solid Swiss brunch of rösti and eggs.
Before driving off, we took another walk through the peaceful Altstadt, vowing to come back to Schaffhausen. The Black Forest awaited. It wasn’t my first wintertime trip to the Black Forest, but it was very different. The other time, the sky was swelling with snow, and a dusting of last night’s snow whitened the pines. This time, although cold, it was bright sunshine all the way.
The road from Schaffhausen to Freiburg is very picturesque and passes by some of the Black Forest’s most famous destinations, such as lake Titisee, where we stopped for a walk.
We then crossed the Rhine south of Freiburg, and entered Alsace.
Our hotel was outside Colmar, and had been lucky enough to find a hotel with a spa, so we spent a relaxing evening of pampering and delicious food – the hotel restaurant was divine.
Day 6 – Colmar
As we stepped out of our hotel the next morning, the very symbol of Alsace was there to welcome us: a stork had made its nest on the top of a church wall next to our hotel!
The stork, which flies away to Africa and returns nine-month later, has long been associated in locale folklore with the idea of birth and fertility. The Alsatians believe specifically that the magnificent birds bring luck to their houses. Despite their reverence for storks, the population dwindled, and before my trip I had seen this interesting article and video about the efforts to support the growth of the storks population.
Leaving the stork in their nest, we drove off to Colmar. Its Christmas market is one of the few in Alsace that stays open after Christmas, and we arrived on the penultimate day. It was as lively as you would expect, and, after the setback of Montbéliard on the outward trip, it was so nice to finally enjoy some spiced vin chaud while wandering through the stalls!
I won’t deny it, Colmar is busy. But that comes with being such a famous market in such a small town. It is not just popular with the French. Italians, Brits, and Spaniards flock to the Christmas markets of Alsace, but there is such a happy vibe you almost do not care!
What I loved about Alsatian markets is that the Christmas creativity spreads to literally anything. It is not just the civic buildings, the shops, the monuments – and the market area – that burst with Christmas decorations.
The bridges and roads are dressed up for Christmas, and people even decorate their own houses!
We had the option of going through the market in Colmar and then head to a nearby village, but we decided to stay. Wandering through the village unhurried, we had the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of Colmar beneath its beguiling Christmas dress.
The delightful traditional shop signs, the painted facades, and the beautiful cathedral. I found the statue of Mary, the sculpted portal and bronze door incredibly graceful.
We left in the late afternoon, as we felt we deserved a treat and wanted to spend some time in the hotel spa before dinner. Despite the rich food, this beautiful holiday had really detoxed our system, and we were switching into new-year-resolution mode!
Day 7 – Drive to Reims
The drive from Colmar to Reims is delightful. There is no obvious motorway connection, and we took Route Nationale 59 through the Vosges mountains. It feels like a brighter extension of the Black Forest. Gone is the darkness, the conifer varieties there seem to have lighter coloured leaves, and the road was quiet – maybe it was the holiday season -, and cutting through lovely villages.
The journey took 4 hours, so we arrived in Reims in time for a late lunch and for a visit to the cathedral. I had seen it before, but loved it and wanted to go back. We were a bit nervous taking the dog inside, so we took turns. My husband went for a walk through the centre with Leia, while I visited, and I waited for him while enjoying the charms of Reims after dark.
Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Reims is no ordinary cathedral. This masterpiece of spires and stained glass windows encloses the sacred space where in 496 St Remi, the local bishop, baptised the Frank king Clovis, traditionally considered the first king of all the Franks.
Later, Clovis was crowned here and the cathedral received papal permission to anoint future kings. During history, the French kings have made ample use of that permission, as 33 French monarchs were crowned in Notre Dame de Reims over the centuries.
Entering this space feels like a journey through over a millenium of French history. As you would expect of the site of so many coronations, the cathedral’s interior is magnificent, But it manages to remain mystical, a feeling probably aided by the stained glass windows – amongst the most beautiful and well-preserved in Europe. The rose windows, in particular, are spectacular, filling the space with a kaleidoscope of colours when the sunlight filters through them.
Our hotel was outside the centre, en route to the Montagne de Reims, where we wanted to go the next day.
Day 8 – La Montagne de Reims
We knew what we wanted, and the weather was on our side, a sunny winter day. We would go an explore the small villages between Reims and Épernay, the most significant champagne producing area, home of Premier Cru and Grand Cru. We visited a number of the villages.
Amongst the most memorable I have to list Hautivillers, This village was born as an abbey, and at the end of the 17th century the Grand Cellérier (monk in charge of foodstuff and the vineyards) was a certain Dom Pérignon. His assistant was another monk, Dom Ruinart. And the rest is history!
Unfortunately, the abbey is now owned by Moët & Chandon, so we could not visit it. Thankfully the burials of the two monks have now been moved the abbey church, which is open and has an interesting history.
The area around Aÿ, the birthplace of Bollinger Champagne, is also delightful, with half-timbered houses and Renaissance wine presses – Francis I and Henry IV of France used to love the local wines! We enjoyed the wine tasting and express visit at Aÿala. We had to take turns because Leia gets nervous with groups, but it was still great.
We were determined to visit smaller Grand Cru and Premier Cru producers that do not export abroad, to bring home something unique and yet more affordable. After Aÿ we continued to Mailly-Champagne and Rilly-la-Montagne, where we found what we were looking for.
It is hard to dislike champagne tastings, and we enjoyed all of them. If I have to pick the best experience, it was Christian Muller.
The owner was there, and shared so much of her experience, the impact of climate change on the vineyards, and snippets of information such as the reason why so many champagne producers – like herself – have German names. There was a wave of migration from Alsace to Champagne, and the Alsatians brought not just their German last names but their wine-making skill.
Day 9 – Drive to London
We took it easy on the last day, had a lovely French breakfast, enjoyed the pool at our hotel, and then prepared for the Channel crossing. When a holiday comes to an end, it is always a bit sad, but we had our booty of Champagne, cheeses, and the Alsatian kouglof and Italian nougat to welcome the new year!
Would we do a winter road trip with a dog again?
I’ll be honest, I was nervous when i started planning this trip. embarking on a winter road trip through 3 countries in Europe with a dog sounded daunting – and Leia can be particularly nervous with strangers. But it all worked well!
People where generally welcoming and understanding, and the couple of situations when we had to take turns to enter attractions were manageable.
We learnt a few lessons along the way, and I have to be honest, we were lucky with the weather. Before getting the dog we did a winter road trip to Germany and it snowed all the way back to Strasbourg, so I know it can be tougher than it was this time.
Overall, though, the benefits of a winter road trip far outweigh the potential negatives. Some attractions will be closed, and the weather may be cold but you also end up having some popular sites almost completely to yourself, not queueing to get into buildings or museums, and your hosts and people you interact with on your journey will have the time to engage with you and actually enjoy it. If you need proof that I mean my words, I am about to book another Channel crossing for this December!
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