mikestewart48

After getting some appalling quotes to move my house contents to Italy, I have decided to do it myself. Has anyone any advise please for getting through customs with a truck full???? Any problem areas to consider???

regards from
Mike

TestaRossa

Know someone who did it with all their garden plants in pots too, so I shouldn't worry! If you want to contact this guy for his experience his blog is Villas for two - I'd google it. He is in Abruzzo. Name is David.

Kenny and Moe

Avoid Switzerland if you can

katu

We did it ourselves both ways and did not have a problem at all. If you drive an Italian truck you should not be stopped in Switzerland, every other vehicle crossing the border is Italian.

The Swiss guard did try to look in our UK van on the way to Italy, but it was too full (you could not have fitted a Rizla in there) and he couldn't be bothered!!

Buy a ferry ticket which allows you to change crossing time without extra charge. By the time you get to Calais you will want to get on the first ferry leaving.

katu

Kenny and Moe

The swiss guard stopped my mate and his wife in a rented Italian van (Amico Blue I think) and confiscated all his cigarettes and booze even though he was within the Euro limits, even calls to the embassy made no difference. With regards to ferries, arriving early in Dover I have never been charged for getting on but in Calais I have. I later found out it is free to change within two hours of your ferry and most will let you on with no charge if you arrive within two hours of your ferry having already left.

Nuvoletta

Avoid the bloody Swiss! you can book one way on Eurotunnel fairly cheap, return ticket is really cheap if you do a weekend saver and it avoids the 90 minutes on a ferry full of badly behaved kids at this time of the year....

We moved all our stuff down last year, we actually went through Switzerland and had no trouble at the border, I had my transit full to the roof and a twin axle rental trailer!

enterprise1999

I'm just taking some tools and a few bits and peices over in the back of my Saxo..... Bascially to see what driving down to Sicily is like.... Says it's about 1800 miles, therfore at 60mpg is 30 gallons of fuel if I use a light foot.....
Then the cheapest way across the chanel and the Messina straights.

Anyone else done it?

Kenny and Moe

In a Saxo Don't forget to factor in accommodation costs on your way down, at 60 miles per hour it is gonna take forever and a day. I drove back from Naples the other day to Calais, averaging about 80 - 85 miles an hour all the way and that took 21 hours with about 6 stops lasting about ten minutes each. Driving from Calais is fairly comfortable through france, belgium, luxembourg but you will certainly tell the difference when entering Northern Italy as it is complete chaos for several miles. Are you using the Mont Blanc or Gotthard tunnel?? Take it you are going to the very south of Italy to get the ferry?? in which case it will take forever and a couple of days......
Good luck whichever way you go.

enterprise1999

Havent a clue and got all the time in the world..... Just want the least hassle. I've done venice to rome in a panda that was ok and driving round Sicily for the past 3 years has been ok....... I've just got a garmin gps, laptop and a few Euros...
Plus a spare seat If a cool blonde needs a lift.

Lorna at Vicenza

blind ?

enterprise1999

Well she could be blind but wouldnt be any good at map reading.....

Austrobrit

thought you had a navi

enterprise1999

i suppose she could hold the laptop

bricwood

they are charging £2000 for London to Puglia but I must wait till they get a full load dropping stuff of in France on route

jenny g

Hi there, just a suggestion, why don't you consider sailing down from Genova to Palermo..i dont think the price is so very expensive, not when you take into account autostrada..petrol..and the danger of being on the road for such a long time!!