Route

The Route for the 2009 rally

05 April - Start to Paris

06 April - Paris to Munich

07 April - Munich to Prague

08 April - Prague to Amsterdam

09 April - Amsterdam to Home

...by any route the competitors chooses!!

Paris - is the city of a thousand clichés - the 'City of Lights', and Hemingway's much quoted 'Moveable Feast' amongst them, but for once it is also a city that justifies the hype. The French capital is one of the world's truly great cities, a metropolis that lavishly satisfies the desires of tourists and business people alike and manages to retain a standard of living that makes becoming a Parisian so alluring.

Despite its large size and population, almost everything worth seeing is contained within the Boulevard Périphérique (the ring road). The compact centre is easily navigable on foot, with the efficient and comprehensive Métro system always on hand to ease tired limbs. The lifeblood River Seine splits the city neatly in two and the useful arrondissements (districts) system neatly carves Paris into manageable chunks.

Munich - the centre of southern Germany, is one of the country's favourite tourist destinations, offering a unique combination of modern flair and traditional charm, all mixed together with a heavy helping of 'Gemutlichkeit', the special German term for hearty, happy, healthy togetherness.

Traditionally the city, famous for its breweries and beer halls, conjures up images of jolly red-cheeked, portly men in lederhosen, downing steins of beer. There is plenty of this fun to be had, but Munich and the Bavarian region has plenty more to recommend it to visitors. The city has numerous great museums, art treasures, hi-tech industries and gems of Gothic and Baroque architecture. It is also the gateway to the Bavarian Alps, drawing winter sports enthusiasts from near and far.

Prague - the magical city of bridges, cathedrals, gold-tipped towers and church domes, whose image has been mirrored in the surface of the Vltava river for more than ten centuries. Prague is also a modern European metropolis full of energy, music, and art.

It's a city of contrasts: Serene green isles in the river and peaceful parks draping the city's seven hills are just steps away from the architectural treasures and bustling street life of the city center.

Amsterdam - one of the greatest small cities in the world. From its canals to world-famous museums and historical sights, Amsterdam is one of the most romantic and beautiful cities in Europe.

Amsterdam is a city of tolerance and diversity. It has all the advantages of a big city: culture, entertainment, international restaurants, good transport - but is relatively small, quiet, and largely thanks to its canals, has a little road traffic. In Amsterdam your destination is never far away.