Hi all, I have the first two weeks off and I would like to go to France with my girlfriend. We will be taking the car across on a ferry or via Eurotunnel and plan to travel down to Nice and back up. Has anyone here done this trip through France? I want to travel down through the Alps as they are just beautiful in the summer months but I have no idea where else to go! Any tips or pointers? We will probably camp most of the time but stay in hotels a few times as a treat Budget is around £1,250 each at the moment. Thanks! long
Are you aware that france require you to have an emergency kit in your boot in the event of a break down including replacement bulbs, a triangle and I think a flourescant tabbard. You probably know this already but doesn't do any harm to mention it.
Yep knew that one, also aware that there are lots of toll roads over there so I will need to work out the cost of that. Has anyone taken the car on the train further into France than Calais?
First off make sure your cars in good nick and your insured for European travel! Also you will need one of those triangles and a hi vis vest. If your cars abit mundane I would say go rent a sporty hatch back or something I'v been twice 1st in a 1.2 Clio and 2nd in a Mazda rx 8. Both the same journey so much more fun in the Mazda. Depends if you want to see coast or mountains but driving across to geneva then maybe loop through the top of italy could be fun.
I'm currently thinking about heading to Geneva, down through the Alps to Nice and then back along the south coast and then back up the west coast... We have an Aygo which will be fine mechanically but not too exciting. Not too sure whether we could afford to rent a car too.
Yep I've driven to Munich from Calais, generally speaking the roads are excellent. Couple of linkies below for you http://www.theaa.com/allaboutcars/overseas/european_tolls_select.jsp http://about-france.com/travel.htm http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/overseas/driving-abroad-whats-new-2012.html http://www.eurotunnel.com/uk/traveller-info/driving-in-france/
I haven't tunnelled further than Calais with car, but some tips: If you're touring, and have a relaxed schedule, don't bother with toll roads as much as possible. They're pretty expensive. I did Calais->Dijon and back, total toll cost was nearly £160! If we'd had time we would've avoided tolls. You need triangle, bulbs, high-vis and an alcohol breath tester in the car now Be very careful going through roadworks for les gendarmes - I was plucked out for speeding among a queue of 20 french cars all doing +20kph in some empty roadwork cones. I'm not saying I wasn't guilty, but funny how they picked me out! The Alsace-Lorraine region around eastern france is the only bit I've stopped in recently and it was sensationally beautiful. Well worth a stop if you're doing a circuit-tour.
Hmm they make you provide the breath testers now, interesting, now thats the way to implement budget cuts.
There's nothing to stop you from tinkering with it, although as here if you are stopped and over the limit it's hefty fines, points etc. The idea is to get the locals to stop drinking and driving, foreign travellers are just casualties.
Take multiple breath testers. I would not put it past the Gendarme to pick you up, make you use your tester and then radio the next team down the road to pick you up for no longer having one. We drove to the south of France several times as children, generally a massive 24 hour stint with my parents sharing the driving and it was always quite uneventful (except the bit where I got sun stroke and vommed all over the place). If you are travelling down and can get anywhere near Villereal (south of Bergerac) there is the most stunning of patisseries there, really quite exceptional. My in-laws live about 10 minutes away and we visit every time we are down. With regards to the south coast I was on honeymoon there about 18 months ago. Nice is very pretty and not as crazy price wise as some other areas round there. Prices tend go up the closer you get to either Monaco or Saint Tropez, Frejus in the middle gets down to slightly more managable levels. You need to go a reasonable way further north to get rid of the price hike from being on the coast as well; we found that Draguinan was where it started to get reasonable. If you can, visit the Verdon Gorge as well, that was one of the highlights of our trip.
Thanks all! I will have a more detailed look when I am home tonight at all of your recommendations. Does anyone been to an amazing restaurant in France that isn't really expensive? x
Two places that spring to mind: http://www.aucanardgourmand.com/restaurant-gers-logis-samatan.php?lg=en I've not been but both the wife and the in-laws both rate it very highly, and they are bloody fussy at times (in-laws in particular). and http://www.lecafedefrance.fr/ which is in Grimaud which is on the south coast. This was the best meal of our honeymoon.
One of my work mates organised a driving holiday around the south of France and planned to stay for a week with a friend he had previously worked with. He arrived in the middle of the town where she lived and called her for directions to her house. Conversation went along the lines of.. "I'm in the square by the castle. How do we get to your place?" "What do you mean by the castle?" "The massive big castle in the middle of town!" "There isn't a castle where i live!" "Aww balls" Turns out there where two places in France with the same name. Enjoy your trip.
France is lovely, been there on holiday over 20 times. I think the smaller towns are the most charming to visit and really show france at its best. You must go and visit Nimes for a few days. It is definatly my favorite city in France. If you are on a budget I would strongly advice you to go the youth hostel just outside of the city center on the hill. It's a good walk from the center, but great atmosphere and it's run by a great british chap called Andy. You can rent a room or even camp in the garden. Nimes is just one of the best roman citys. The centre is small enough to visit by foot, but it has a lot of amazing things to visit and is just beautifull all toghether, clean, ancient, lovely, just breathtaking. To name one thing, they have the largest intact colosseum and still host gigs there often in summer. Being from Brugges, this is one of the only cities that really caught me. The Pont du Gard is just 15mi away, so you can make a short trip to that as well. The pont du gard is a part of a amazing 40mi long roman aquaduct built to supply water to Nimes. Definatly a must visit if you are in that area. Nearby, there is also Uzes and Arles.. also lovely towns, but if you are short in time I would just suggest to spend an extra day in Nimes.. it's just that great. Visiting Paris is an obvious one as well.. but I'm sure you've put that on your agenda already. A good tip is to go to the Tour Montparnasse for a great view, instead of the typical Eiffel tower. You'll save time and money and you will see the Eiffel tower from that view! Also, you must go and sit at the sacre-coeur at nightfall with a bottle of wine.. I always go there when I visit Paris and would suggest finding some place to visit in that area (cheaper), just make sure it's very close to the subway. Buy a day-ticket at the subway to get around.. but don't be afraid to walk as well, especially near the ile de paris. For a few relaxing days.. enjoying nature.. I love to go to the gorges de l'ardeche. It's not near the main highways, so it's a bit of a drive from the "autoroute de soleil". It is a part of the ardeche river that has a lot of bends/turns in it. It's filled with campsite and lacks big cities but is instead filled with the most charmping tiny towns that lack any industry or commercial attitude. It's a bit harder to suggest where to go as it is a big area and you need to know your way around a bit. If you do end up going to the ardeche, make sure to take a day to kayak the ardeche, it's about 20miles and will take most of the day but it is one of the best activities to do there. That and just chilling under a tree with a decent book. Don't hesitate to PM me for more info if you need it. good luck and enjoy france!
Lovah beat me to it in recommending Nîmes and the Pont du Gard. I visited them along with Orange and Avignon whilst on a family holiday when I was 13. We stayed at a campsite at Vallon-Pont-d'Arc 40 miles north of Nimes by the side of the Ardèche river. Absolutely amazing scenery around there including the Pont d'Arc natural bridge.
My Grandparents live in France, roughly an hour away from both Carcassonne and Toulouse, both Cities are worth visiting. Several things that spring to mind are: Cathare Castles, these are castles which are perched on top of a high peak. The one that spring to mind is Montségur, Park at the bottom, and then walk up to the top, some stunning views when on a good day. I've been up a few times, and from memory, is a good 45min hike to the top. Canal du Midi, Lovely area to walk or cycle along, most of the tow path is tarmac'd. The Canal runs from the heart of Toulouse, right down to the Med. The Canal basins of Carcassonne and Castelnaudary. Cité de Carcassonne, is definitely worth visiting. Entry is free, although to go into the keep and i think onto the walls, there is a fee. It might be worth visiting Andorra while your in the area too, Duty Free Shopping in the heart of the Pyrenee's, Just be careful, French Border control sometimes pick out brits, although they mainly sting cars with numbers 31 and 11. As you only have the two weeks, you don't want to be cramming in everything, especially in the south, where everyone takes their time, pace of life is slower than the rest of France, so if you want more things to do around that area, let me know. Anyway, Enjoy your Holiday. Sam
