We have always wanted to see the Italian Lakes, so this we year decided to spend a week on Lake Como, followed by 5 nights in Switzerland, taking in some new and old passes whilst we were there.

We left the UK on Friday morning and headed for our first night stop in Silly sur Neid, France, travelling via Belgium and Luxembourg. We stayed at a Logis Hotel called Auberge du Gros. The next day we travelled on to Italy, arriving at our destination on the shore of Lake Como, a lovely apartment called Casa Panorama with stunning views over the lake. We stayed here for a week, taking in the sights, as can be seen from the photos below, and then moved onto Switzerland.

Our first destination in Switzerland was 2 nights at Hotel Restaurant Walliser Sonne, in Reckingen-Gluringen, followed by 3 nights in Hotel Restaurant Schuetzen in Lauterbrunnen. From here we drove many of the Swiss Passes and visited Schilthorn, among other places.

For our return journey to the UK, our first night stop was at the Hotel L’Oree du Bois in Vittel and our final stop was at a lovely family-run farm in Crevecouer sur Escaut called Europa B&B, Ferme de Montecouvez.

Our route was as follows:

Day 1 : Home-Dover and then Dunkerque-Silly sur Nied
Day 2 : Silly sur Nied-Molvedo
Day 3-5 : Local driving around Lake Como
Day 6 : Molvedo-Locarno-Cremia-Molvedo
Day 7 : Rest day
Day 8 : Molvedo-Argegno-Sighignola-Porlezza-Musso-Molvedo
Day 9 : Molvedo-Chiavenna-Splugenpass-San Bernardino Pass-Nufenen Pass-Gluringen
Day 10 : Gluringen-Nufenen Pass-St Gotthard Passes (old & new)-Lukmanier Pass-Oberalpass-Furka Pass-Gluringen
Day 11 : Gluringen-Nufenen Pass-St Gotthard Passes (old & new)-Furka Pass-Grimsel Pass-Sustenpass (both ways)-Interlaken-Lauterbrunnen Day 12 : Drive to Stechelberg for Schiltorn trip
Day 13 : Rest day
Day 14 : Lauterbrunnen-Route des Cretes-Vittel
Day 15 : Vittel-Montecouvez
Day 16 : Montecouvez-Dunkerque and then Dover-Home

Total 1,965 miles

After the photos section below there are links to videos of the following Swiss/Italian passes:
Furka pass, Grimsel Pass, Nufenen Pass, San Bernardino Pass, Sustenpass, St Gotthard Pass, Splugenpass and Route des Cretes (Vosges Mountains, France)

A somewhat unusual visitor at our first stop in France!	Casa Panorama in San Siro, Lake Como
Breakfast view from the balcony to the south	... and to the east
Varenna...	...from the ferry
Bellagio...	...with lovely cobbled pathways
Motorboat blatting on Lake Como	Villa Balbianello as seen in Quantum of Solace
A lakeside villa surrounded by Cypress trees	Yet another stunning lakeside villa
A Leaning Tower of Pisa in a station car park between Domodossola and Stresa!	Storm clouds gathering...
Bellano at night from our apartment	Argegno from the cable car at Pigra
Extracts from SatNav showing San Bernardino...	... and Nufenen Passes
Tunnel on the Splugenpass...	...and as photographed on a previous trip in 2009
"Wot, no barriers!" says Maggie	"Windscreen wash, Sir?"
Martin, a fellow Sevener we met on a blat on the    Nufenen Pass	St. Gotthard Pass, where the new road crosses over the old cobbles
View of the tunnels on the new St. Gotthard Pass	Looking back on the old St. Gotthard Pass
Alpine marmot at Belvedere on the Furka Pass	The Rhone Glacier from Belvedere
Looking towards Gletsch where the Furka and Grimsel Passes meet	Hotel Belvedere on the Furka Pass
Hotel Walliser Sonne in Gluringen	Barns with staddle stones, approx 600 years old
Part way up the Nufenen Pass...	...and at the top with Griesgletscher in the background
Alternate view from the top of the Nufenen Pass	Pretty alpine flowers en route
Ascending the Furka Pass	and descending the Furka Pass with the Grimsel Pass in the background
Tunnels on the ...	...Susten Pass
Steinsee from the Susten Pass	and the Stein Glacier
Maggie taking in the view	Sunset at Lauterbrunnen
Schilthorn as seen in 007 OHMSS	Just below the 10,000 ft summit of Schilthorn
Thuner See from Schilthorn	Eiger (3970m), Monch (4099m) and Jungfrau (4158m)
A paraglider who launched himself from the top of Schilthorn	The Eiger from Murren
New snowfall whilst we were in Lauterbrunnen	View of the valley from Wengen
Staubbach Falls from our hotel balcony	Circuit de Reims at Gueux...
Pitting mid-way along the famous straight...	...in front of the pits
Yet another French country road...	...and requisite poppies

Videos:

...and to finish a blat along the famous straight at Circuit de Reims

Touring