Driving Calais to the Loire Valley on Black Saturday - any top tips to survive??

[dinkystinky]

Other than avoid Paris like the plague - which we're planning on doing!

Will have DS1 (8), 2 (5) and 3 (1 and blooming grizzly with it at the moment) in the car - am planning on lots of snacks, water, dvds, toys and books for the kids. We have the French car supplies/breathalyser etc we require. We have one of those auto pay fobs for the toll roads.

Anything else we need to survive the journey with our sanity relatively intact?

No advice I'm afraid, but we're doing the same journey with DS (3) and DD (4months) at the same time, so fingers crossed for traffic free roads and a speedy journey!

We're going as far as Paris on Friday morning, then continuing first thing Sunday, after a day's sightseeing without the car.
Is Sunday likely to be as bad, do you know?

We did exactly this last year first saturday in August. It was fine, no traffic. French motorways aren't like UK ones. The horror I feared just did not materialise.

Bon chance Oli! You are giving me a faint glimmer of hope DameofCrones - thank you! No idea clam re Sunday - I suspect not

Mind you, according to google maps earlier today, there are loads of roadworks on the A1 from the channel to Paris, via Lille. Think I might go the other way.

Try and avoid Rouen too if you can. I find it the most painfully slow part of the journey normally!!