Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, provided you are happy to navigate without a co-driver ! If this is a problem you can always follow the Tour Director or some of the other tour participants.As far as costs are concerned, most hotels in Europe charge by the room whether occupied by one or two people and as our prices are based on two people occupying a room, sole occupancy of a hotel room will invariably increase the cost per person.Car ferries, too, normally charge per car so, as a single person, extra costs will be incurred. However, we always endeavour to keep any premiums for sole occupancy to a minimum. Contact us for details.
Yes, but the same sole occupancy surcharges as above may apply.
Yes, for instance we have several European clients for whom it is far more practical to meet us on the first day of the tour on the continent or part way through a tour and we will adjust the price accordingly.
Yes, however most tours start immediately on disembarking the ferry, so in cases where some participants take a different ferry crossing they can join the route at a later point in the day if it is not convenient to meet the main tour off the ferry. Return crossings at different times to the published tour route are usually no problem but there may be a price adjustment for a change in the advertised crossing especially where tickets are purchased on a 5 day return or 10 day return basis and these periods are extended.
No. In the early years of our history we did supply a back up vehicle but we soon discovered that there was a limit to what they could repair and of course back up vehicles are an extra cost that we had to build into the tour fees so we stopped using them !We now insist that everyone takes out motor vehicle continental recovery/breakdown insurance with a hire car clause in the event that your car cannot be repaired immediately.This way you can continue on the tour in a hire car so your holiday is not wasted.
We do accompany all tours and, in the case of any major breakdowns, we will assist whenever we can with arranging help and organising transport to the next hotel. We issue hotel telephone numbers and organiser's mobile numbers at the start of each tour so you can contact us throughout the day if you have a problem.
All our tours start with a ferry crossing; our French tours start with a Portsmouth-St Malo overnight crossing; our Italian, Alps and Swiss tours use a Dover- Dunkerque daytime crossing.You are always free however to arrange an alternative ferry crossing.In the case of most French tours we actually meet you off the ferry when you arrive in St Malo, for the other tours using a Dover crossing we meet you at the Dover ferry terminal.If you decide to arrange your own channel crossing you can join the tour at some stage in the day.
Location and start times will be issued in pre-event bulletins and once on route, you may start each day at the time that suits you - you do not have to wait for everyone to be ready.
We make it as easy as possible to navigate along the daily routes and provide you with a comprehensive road book which includes daily timed itineraries and detailed route notes with interim and cumulative mileages and all the towns and villages that we are passing through highlighted. In addition, we supply you with maps with the route highlighted so, depending on whether you prefer to navigate via route notes or maps, you have a choice.In summary we make it as easy as possible for you to enjoy your driving but at the end of the day you do need to be able to read a map or follow instructions from a road book .A sat nav is highly recommended and can be purchased with European maps for less than £100 and help enormously if you get lost ! In recent years many a divorce has been saved by a sat nav !You are always free, however, to make your own way each day to arrive at the hotel destination but, as we go to great lengths to design the most scenic routes on the best driving roads possible, do think twice before driving your own route !.
No, you can travel with friends or individually at your own pace. If you are new to car tours and don't feel confident about navigating along the the route by yourself you can follow the Tour Director's car until you get the hang of it.
We select the hotels personally and choose them for a combination of their location,character, style,charm, ambiance, personal service and, of course, their food.Many of the hotels we use are in stunning locations either on a lake, or river, or set in attractive countryside or a pretty village and often with scenic views.We tend to avoid corporate- chain hotels as they often lack character and ambiance. As a consequence however not all the bed rooms we use will be identical. Most of the hotels we use are 4* family owned establishments where personal service is automatic and sincere and accompanied by a genuine smile.A 3 course or 4 course dinner is included each evening and this is normally enjoyed in the hotel although occasionally, as a change, we eat dinner in local restaurants.
No, our tours are open to anyone and have no element of competition so no special qualifications are needed. Normal car insurance will cover you for our car tours.
As most sports cars, classic and modern, have limited storage space our tours are very casual and informal as far as dress code is concerned. During the day you can dress, or undress, as you like ! In the evenings when we all meet for dinner we request you wear 'smart casual' There is no need for the men to wear a jacket and tie
We have no strict criteria for car eligibility on our tours. Modern sports cars, of any age, are accepted as well as classic cars.Depending on the tour some older cars, pre 1950 for instance, may have difficulty with some of the daily mileages.Some tours, too, involve climbing many mountain passes so just bear this in mind !Just check with us first if you are not sure if your car is up to it..
This depends on the individual tour as well as,on occasions, from day to day too. We normally try to keep daily mileages to less than 200 miles, but occasionally have to do more, simply to limit the number of days on route and to get from A - B. However, when we do exceed this sort of mileage it will usually be predominantly on major roads or motorways although in general we try to avoid motorways.
When we have had more than one day of long mileages we then always try to build in a short day .Most tours usually average less than 150 miles in a day.
We try to reach the hotels between 5.00-6.00pm, but of course this will depend on several factors; what time you start off each day, how many times you stop on route, for how long and your average speed!Our road books include daily itineraries with recommended timings and mileages and if you follow these you should arrive at the evening hotel at the time indicated in the road book in plenty of time to relax and unwind before dinner which is normally served at 8.00pm.
Almost all the hotels we use have private off road parking, sometimes with a secure garage.
All our tours are intended to be relaxing and enjoyable holidays,however, they are car tours so you will naturally have to spend a large proportion of the time driving, sometimes on challenging, but interesting, and always scenic roads. The evenings are totally relaxed and friendly social occasions where we all enjoy dinner together and chat about the day's adventures.
Morning and afternoon coffee stops and lunch stops are built into each day's route and these give a good opportunity for a break and a chat with fellow participants.Often the stops are in a pretty village or at places of interest where there is time to relax and stretch your legs.Our itineraries include the option to visit pretty villages, beautiful gardens, museums, historic villas and chateaux so we try to ensure that there is something of interest for everyone, especially the ladies.There should be no need to feel under any pressure - these are driving holidays and can be adapted to suit your preferences.
We have customers from all walks of life and all age groups - the common bond is their love of cars and driving and their decision to spend a holiday with strangers. Our tours offer the chance to put enjoyment back into driving on quiet roads in contrast to Britain's congested roads in a time when it is regarded, by many, to be 'politically incorrect' to actually enjoy driving!
Classic Car Tours International was established in 2001 as a "tour operator".Incorporated as Classic Car Tours International Limited the company is registered in England and Wales registered number: 04836747 Our registered office address is: 5,Royston Road, Poulton -le- Fylde, Lancashire FY6 7JX. The company is governed by "The Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations" 1992 (SI 1992 No 3288). As a consequence we are required by law to protect clients' pre-payments. We do this by ensuring that all monies paid to us by a client are held in a separate clients' deposit trust bank account from which they are only withdrawn on completion of the contract, defined as the end of a tour. The client trust account is held at the RBS bank.
Sorry but our tours are designed for adults only.
Sorry but we don't accept dogs or pets on our tours