Driving Wine Tour of European Wineries; France, Italy and Spain

You want to do a wine tour in Italy, France or Spain? Maybe you don’t want to go on a bus or van with strangers? You can plan your own wine tour adventure. Just be aware of these 10 things for a wonderful wine vacation.

1. Small cars are better! If you are going into the ancient cities or a medieval town, you will get into tight spaces.
2. Manual Transmissions. Most car rentals have limited selections of automatic transmission. Manual is most common and economically a good choice.
3. Co-pilot: Too much going on when you are driving. One person drives and the other navigates.
4. Navigation System: Google maps is great, but it uses cell data. GPS uses satellite data and may be more reliable in places where the cell signal is week.
5. International Driver’s License. I have one but never needed it.
6. Drive speed limit in towns. The police will not stop you, but they will send you a heavy fine. On the autostrada it’s different. Keep up.
7. Don’t Drive Drunk: You can go to wineries and taste it all but don’t drink it all. SPIT people. See my video about that.
Note: If you want to drink then take the bus tour instead.
8. Driving Style: People in the cities always drive more aggressively than out in the country. And more so in Europe.
9. Parking: Always a consideration. Another reason why small cars are better.
10. Expense: Gas is much more. Another reason small cars are better. And there are lots of tolls.

This list is not exhaustive. Please include questions below. I will answer. And you might also have good suggestions.

➪ My website: https://gregthewinetraveler.com
Wine demos, wine education, travel planning and advice.

➪Instagram: greg_the_wine_traveler

©All photos by Greg the Wine Traveler.

If you are interested in European wine tour by car, anyone can do it with a little planning. Let me coach you through that process, so you can build your own personal relationships with the people and places that make the wine. All my videos are of places that I have visited myself.

Hi everybody this is greg the wine traveler have you ever wanted to go on your own driving adventure through europe to visit wineries do you want to do a wine tour of italy or france or spain and you don’t want to go on a tour bus

Or a van with a lot of people that you don’t know you can drive yourself but maybe you’re afraid of driving maybe it’s a little bit intimidating but with my 10 simple steps you should be able to do it and have a lot of fun folks if you like

My video give me a thumbs up consider subscribing you wouldn’t want to miss anything okay the number one item on my list is choose a car a small car small cars can get you into older towns and places that were built for donkey guards that that’s an actual street

It goes down well it really looks like an alley and then you come to a turn and you’re forced to go underneath a building there’s no way for you to turn around so small cars are always a good idea if you’re going to stay in out in the country

On the autostrata then it’s not such a big deal the number two on my list is drive a manual transmission a lot of cars in europe are available only as the manual version and it’s harder sometimes to get an automatic transmission it really limits your options besides with the price of gas

In europe it is a more economical way to go number three on the list is have a co-pilot decide who’s going to drive who’s going to be the co-pilot one has to keep their eyes on the road the other person has to know how to use the device that you’re using

To navigate number four navigation system i highly suggest you get a gps gps does not rely on cellular data sometimes you’re out in the country far away from whether cell data access and that could be limiting the gps uses satellite data and that’s available everywhere on the other hand google maps is great

And you can use that too if you’re not worried about cellular data by the way when it comes to navigation be aware that there is no florence in italy florence is in georgia and venice is in california because those towns are called and there’s no rome either quick word on international driver’s

License i have one i don’t think anyone wherever i’ve gone and someone wants to see my driver’s license i hand them over my state driver’s license and that’s good number six is driving the speed limit when you are out on country road there’s nobody around wheat field or

Whatever nobody cares but when you come into a town you better slow down but on the autostrata it’s all out people are driving fast i drive the speed limit people are passing me up giving me hand signals they’re not saying hello i’m sure they’re swearing at me number seven’s

Really really important don’t drive drunk go to as many wineries as you want taste the wine but don’t drink it all you’re gonna have to learn how to spit or you’re gonna be drunk and you’re gonna get in a lot of trouble have i been stopped by the police in

Spain to blow into a breathalyzer yes i had was i arrested no i wasn’t because i followed the advice spit don’t drink everything can’t do it number eight to consider is driving style do you live in mississippi or oklahoma or someplace where you only drive out in the countryside

You’re gonna have to get a little bit more aggressive number nine is parking it’s always a consideration it’s a problem in a lot of places so just be aware of that and plan ahead number 10 expenses gas can be two or three times because of what you’re used to paying

And there’s totals and the totals were expensive so guess what just go with it but overall when it comes to expenses just realize it’s your vacation folks my list is not exhaustive i haven’t included everything ask me a question i’ll try to respond in summary driving in europe is fun

Exciting and adventurous and i wish you good luck let me know how it goes for you la vita fata de piece ciao you