how to find in advance good service stations??

[ernest]

sounds pretty boring but that's about it. We're going to be doing our longest ever car drive with 3 kids and don't want to be stopping too much, so need to make sure when we stop it's somewhere good.

Mainly France (driving from Switzerland to UK). Need to know about child-friendliness, ideally in/outdoor play facilities etc. Is there such a web site (have looked but not found) or can any of you angels recommend any? Ta v. much in advance

When we drove up to Paris from CH we found most of service stations to be really good - play areas and mini toilets too. Our route took us via Basel (we stopped for breakfast just across the border into France) and across to Paris along the motorways. There is a little info here

Thanks lizs, sounds similarish to what we'll be doing - past Basel, left at Mulhouse, Nancy, Reims, Calais then ferry. We've always flown before, so this is a bit of an experiment. Good to know your experience has been good. I have to say I've had very few positive french public toilet experiences, so would like to find out in advance good places/places to avoid. will check out your link now

Do you post on the yahoo group Expat-Moms-In-Switzerland or similar ? There are bound to be others who have made similar journeys with kids and could offer advice.