all you experts on driving through France....

[braveandcrazy]

I know there are plenty of you out there!

We are usually very wimpy and only manage the few hours through Brittany so this year we are branching out and driving to Switzerland and just working out the route through the East of France, stopping overnight on the way.

Can any of you give me an idea how far we can get in 4 - 5 hours driving from Calais, in the school summer hols? We are travelling Friday, not Saturday, hoping that will help. Will we get to Dijon in that time or do we stop earlier than that?

Thanks for your wise responses

4-5 hours won't quite get you to Dijon but would get you to Troyes and a little beyond. There's a hotel immediately off the autoroute beyond Troyes that we always stay at enroute to the Alps, Le Val Moret. Alternatively, there are loads of hotels around Troyes.

That's great Lilymaid that hotel looks nice.

Troyes is really nice, well worth a stop over.

Hi
I don't knw if this answer is too late but I always stay at the Auberge des Vieux Moulins Banaux - it's about 3 hours south of Calais on the way to the Alps. It is also near Troyes - the food is fabulous, the rooms are lovely and not too pricy, and they have beautiful gardens.

I can't recommend it highly enough - have stayed there three times in the last year on the way to see my inlaws and back (going from east to west france).

Here is the link:

www.bourgognehotels.fr/

Sorry looks like they have taken down the English version of their site. PM me if you want any details on the place.

Just checked back in - thanks for the info Cheria it looks lovely but was hoping to get a bit further down than 3 hours driving on the first day. However, I shall bear it in mind for the return journey as it sounds in the right spot for stopping then!

You could get to Dijon, but only if you are prepared to drive straight there with only a quick loo stop or whatever.

Agree that Troyes is a good spot. Reims takes 3 hours, and then Troyes is another hour roughly on from there.

Try having a look on the Logis de France website for hotels - they are often very quirky and French, but these days all the rooms do have ensuite so that you don't have to go creeping about the halls at night with those lights that turn off after 'X' seconds! They have fabulous restaurants though so you can be sure of getting some good local food :)