Driving to the south of france

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badshot1uk

Active Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2003
Messages
107
Location
Orpington, Kent
Car
1991 300 TE 24V Sportline, 2001 Chipped Picasso 2.0 HDI
Hi all,

Anybody know how long it would take to do the above?

I'll either do it nonstop (just fuel stops) or lesurely but not sure yet.

Last year I drove back from venice to Eurodisney non stop
(12 hours) :crazy: I was knackered and had to drag the kids round for a day after:(

Anyway I quite like driving in europe but am a little pushed for time, but not sure if I can handle another marathon drive!

Thanks for your help

edited to add, I may do it in the Picasso ! (55mpg versus 20mpg in the beast)

Paul
 
Try Mappy.com, Map24.com or one othe the other on-line route guides, then add in your stops. They work on the basis that you will maintain 100kph, which is just about possible, especially if you use cruise control.
 
Well, you don't say where you're going from/to, but the Michelin route planner http://www.viamichelin.com/viamichelin/gbr/tpl/hme/MaHomePage.htm
is as good and as comprehensive as you'll need.

Dig into the options and you can customise your route - stopovers, whether you want the shortest, quickest or avoiding motorways, costs - anything.

Be aware that you will not improve on the times quoted!

Basically, your choice is quick and expensive - say, for example, 10 hours by Motorway at 140 euros for tolls and petrol, or 14 hours, saving 60 euros in tolls. Or you take two days on leisurely back roads and put some of the savings towards D,B+B in a nice Logis de France.
http://www.logis-de-france.fr/uk/recherch/index-ca.htm

Le choix est à vous !
 
Furthest I have ever done in a day comfortably is Cahors or Dax, both a fair way down but not all the way. Tried it from Monaco once and thought better of it and stopped in Champagne country.

To be honest is largely depends on the holiday traffic (whether the French are on the move, the North Africans or the rest of us holidaymakers). So much better than driving over here though!
 
I did Toulouse to St Malo in around 7 hours a couple of years back. It's not far shy of 600 miles.

PJ

PS: Further to Del320's point, I have always maintained that once you are off the French Autoroute, you will average just 40mph over any distance. That's always been the case, and unless you drive like a Frenchman, I'll guarantee you will not improve upon that.

During a recent 2 week stay in the Perigord, the trip computer in my Volvo showed an average of exactly 40mph.
 
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Thanks chaps...

I would love to take to TE but with the 'other oil burner' its 55 mpg versus 20 odd :eek:
I'll see how brave I feel nearer the time!

Cheers again Paul

p.s I think we may be heading down to st raphael from calais roughly 750 odd miles
 
My Grandparents used to drive it in 2 days (Monaco to Cheshire) a few times a year in a MK2 Capri Ghia (one of the only capri's registered to Monaco). They just fly easyjet now because it far cheaper.

p.s take the W124 with you, it'll be a journey to remember then!
 
My parents live down near Bergerac - which is about 50 miles east of Bordeaux. We usually do Calais to there in around 9 hours including stops.

If you're going down to the Med then you should take the route that goes slap-bang down the middle of France, including the new bridge over Milau. It's worth going that route just to see the bridge and for the drive as the autoroute drops down off the Massif Central into the coast - fantastic scenery. I think it's the A71. You could make Calais to Monaco in 12 hours I'd expect.

I agree with 'imadoofuss'. You will only make around 40mph once you get off the autoroutes. French autoroutes are brilliant but all their other roads can but a bit frustrating.

France is a big place but you can travel across it very quickly on the autoroutes.

Jon
 
Definately stick to the Autoroutes, they're so much quicker.
To drive to the Cote or most Med towns is do-able in a day pretty easily, you'll just get bored.

I found the Cote D'Azur much easier than Germany/Denmark border even though it's further.

Don't be tempted to either drink and drive or speed, the Police are getting hotter now.
 
For me the whole thing of driving such a trip is the ability to take your time, stop off at places that look interesting and not have too fixed an itinery - the travel is part of the trip and a mixture of motorway and A roads gives you the best of both. If you're just going to hack it all the way, planes and trains are by far the better choices.

I drove on the autoroutes for the first time last year and was amazed at how good they are, excellent road surfaces and light traffic make for a much less tiring drive than the UK equivalent.
 
There is another option I have wondered about, which is getting the ferry from Plymouth to Bilbao or maybe Santender

That dumps you in Northern Spain but rather obviously not that far from the Pyrenees & South of France.

Anybody done this?
 
Hi, i did the crossing from Plymouth to Bilbao a few years ago when we went to south of France. Two nights on the boat was to much for me, awfull weather and it was the most expensive ferry i have been on. Nice drive though from Spain to France. Going to France next week and am going from Portsmouth to Caen. Staying in Caen overnight, driving down to south of France on Saturday.
 
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Voltman said:
Hi, i did the crossing from Plymouth to Bilbao a few years ago when we went to south of France. Two nights on the boat was to much for me, awfull weather and it was the most expensive ferry i have been on. Nice drive though from Spain to France. Going to France next week and am going from Portsmouth to Caen. Staying in Caen overnight, driving down to south of France on Saturday.

Well that sounds like a non runner to me!
 
I'm cheating..... flying and hiring to Nice - be there Thursday..... Mini GTG anyone ?
 

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