Driving to the South of France 2022

[VWT2GEL]

September 2022 looking at driving down through France to Sete right at the bottom on the med coast

Any advice please money saving tips, places to stay on route and how long, don't really want to faff about unless its something really worth stopping off for and we will be are going via Euro Tunnel

BTW It's 2 adults and 3 dogs!

 

[Griff]

Drove down to Aix-en Provence (in a TVR ) a few years back and decided to come back the scenic route, ie avoiding motorways. One word of advice is unless you have a lot of time on your hands, don't do this. You suddenly realise just how big France is and how many hours driving gets you absolutely nowhere.

Oh yeah, driving towards trams in Dijon in the dark when you're knackered's not much fun.

Can't remember the village we stayed on the way down , but the chateau restaurant had the best fillet steak I've ever eaten in my life.

Have a good trip.

 

[StoneRoad]

Allow plenty of time and have enough breaks.
Also keep everyone inc the dogs properly hydrated, it is easy to forget or miss the early symptoms, even with air con.

& watch the food etc import rules.

 

[Spymaster]

Any advice please ...

Don't take the dogs!

 

[Spymaster]

Is your plan to get to Sete as quickly as possible and holiday there, or do you want to take a few days getting there and visit other places on the way and back?

How long are you going for?

What's your budget?

What do you like?

 

[VWT2GEL]

Don't take the dogs!

No choice

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

& watch the food etc import rules.

^^^this, especially with regards to taking dog food with you.

If you are setting off from the south east of England you can easily do it in a day, but if you want to drag it out Vienne is a convenient distance to stop and a nice enough town.

Get this for the tolls: Emovis Tag UK

You need UK plates on the car, not GB plates. You also need hi-viz vests for each person in the car and they must be in the seating area of the car and not the boot.

 

[weltweit]

Drove down to Aix-en Provence (in a TVR ) a few years back and decided to come back the scenic route, ie avoiding motorways. One word of advice is unless you have a lot of time on your hands, don't do this. You suddenly realise just how big France is and how many hours driving gets you absolutely nowhere.
..

I agree, on a motorbike journey to Spain some years ago I decided to seek out more curvy roads in the south of France, it took me three days just to get through the Massiv Centrale.

 

[pseudonarcissus]

Accor hotels are dog friendly, and that includes Ibis and F1 brands ( they might have a limit on numbers)

 

[Supine]

Can you take dogs post brexit?

We used to stay one night on the way down and mission it all the way back in one day/night.

 

[Sweet FA]

Done similar loads of times - with dog and without (not since Brexit tho).

Swerve Paris and go via Troyes. Depends how long you want to take and how much you're prepared to spend on tolls. Also how many times you'll need to stop. Also how overexcited and pissed you get on the overnight will necessarily dictate the start time of the next day's drive.

 

[not-bono-ever]

Plenty of well priced autoroute hotels in france. Plan to stop at decent les routiers for lunch, the prix fixe lunches are far far better than service station s and are literally everywhere. The autoroute system has lots of aire parking places where the french stop to lunch and let the hounds piss. Concur with various suggestions above . Prepare for tolls eating into your budget tho

 

[Sweet FA]

10 y.o thread here that might have some tips?

South of France

Thinking of going next summer as a treat for the other half. Was thinking of flying to Bordeaux and eventually flying back from Nice. Will be driving the entire way. So does anyone have any recommendations for cities/ towns to visit along the way? A bit of beach and vineyards would be good...

www.urban75.net

 

[pseudonarcissus]

Can you take dogs post brexit?

We used to stay one night on the way down and mission it all the way back in one day/night.

Yes you can, but you need to start the process at the vets a month or so before travel. The old passports are not valid any more

 

[planetgeli]

Depends how long you want to take and how much you're prepared to spend on tolls.

Probably the single best piece of advice here. Also, isn't there some permit you now need if you do take the Paris ring road?

Yes you can, but you need to start the process at the vets a month or so before travel. The old passports are not valid any more

I read the rabies vaccine (mandatory) for the dogs can take 4 months.

 

[kenny g]

Give yourself plenty of time and it can be a dream. Do it as a mission and smash it out and it will be an experience. Go for the middle way and it will be a turgid hell. Pretty much like life itself.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Also, isn't there some permit you now need if you do take the Paris ring road?

Dunno, but most diesels need a permit for Paris and Lyon...

 

[blossie33]

I've been twice to the south of France by car with relatives but it was a very long time ago (once pre EU days!) so I don't really have any advice.
We drove down fairly leisurely and stayed overnight twice in both directions, nothing planned, just decided when it was time to start looking for somewhere and always managed to find a decent place in a small town to sleep with breakfast included sometimes or there was always a little cafe nearby.
A great way of seeing the countryside - enjoy!

 

[Janh]

Use the viamichelin route planner for an estimate of tolls you'll be paying. ViaMichelin: Route planner, Maps, Traffic info, Hotels

 

[A380]

Motor rail one way - probably on the way back. One of the great joys. Drop the car off at an industrial estate on the edge of Avignon (Or where ever) at tea time get taken into town by mini bus for a final dinner. Head to the town centre station at a bit before midnight, go to your sleeper carriage. Wake up at Calais in the morning. Once you add the cost of petrol, tolls and accommodation saved its not a ridiculous price for an awesome travel experience.

 

[Riklet]

Money saving tip - take a plane!

Do not drive round Paris it's a fucking tunnel nightmare.

France is an expensive place now and driving down it is also an expensive business. If youre keen to do it on a budget you can avoid the autoroutes and do the whole thing on good national roads. My dad did that and had fun. Lots of camping options or more reasonable accommodation if you look around a bit too. But I would leave 3-4 days to enjoy the journey. Bourges is quite a cool place to stop btw.

 

[bluescreen]

I used to drive down regularly pre-Brexit, pre-pandemic to see family. Didn't manage it last year.
I'd like to go this year but will need a PCR within 24 hours of departure for France, and not clear how to get one that quickly, especially given that I'll be leaving first thing for Eurotunnel.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Motor rail one way - probably on the way back. One of the great joys. Drop the car off at an industrial estate on the edge of Avignon (Or where ever) at tea time get taken into town by mini bus for a final dinner. Head to the town centre station at a bit before midnight, go to your sleeper carriage. Wake up at Calais in the morning. Once you add the cost of petrol, tolls and accommodation saved its not a ridiculous price for an awesome travel experience.

No longer operating

 

[Sweet FA]

Armageddon permitting, I'm thinking of driving to Spain at the end of July, doing a bit of surfing on the way, then meeting Mrs & Lil'FA in Madrid, a few days in Tarifa then in-laws for a week near Malaga. Possibly drive back via Barcelona. Will just be me and the dog so hoping to overnight in aires on the way. Anyone camped in aires?

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Separate U.K. sticker needed for Spain, the number plate one is not valid…

 

[Sweet FA]

Separate U.K. sticker needed for Spain, the number plate one is not valid…

Fingers crossed, I'm driving down to Briancon next Saturday so need to sort these details tbh - sticker needed for France too? I haven't got a number plate one so would have needed to get something sorted either way. Hoping they might drop the PCR palaver before next weekend too...

 

[IC3D]

Love driving through France esp in a camper switch off toll roads on the sat nav and you go through some beautiful towns with tasty cafes. A roads can be quite fast anyway. Stops for river swims and scenic stuff, ruined castles etc.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Fingers crossed, I'm driving down to Briancon next Saturday so need to sort these details tbh - sticker needed for France too? I haven't got a number plate one so would have needed to get something sorted either way Hoping they might drop the PCR palaver before next weekend too...

France accepts the number plate Union Flag with UK on it, Spain and Cyprus don't, so best just to have a UK sticker. Of course France needs yellow vests in the driver's cabin and all that other crap...

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Oh and currently for France it is antigen test in the 48 hours prior to departure., so cheaper than PCR, from today no tests needed to enter the UK.