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Original poster

Driving in France on Black Saturday (peak summer holiday travelling day)

41 replies

HereComesYourMam · 15/06/2015 14:30

We're going to France for two weeks at the end of July. After spending a week in the Dordogne (near Montignac/Sarlat), we'll be driving to Arcachon, west of Bordeaux. I'm starting to get a bit worried about the traffic though... we'll be making that journey on Saturday 1 August, which will be one of the busiest days of the year in France (hadn't really thought it through when I booked it).

I don't suppose anyone with local knowledge has any tips on how we might be able to avoid the worst of it...? Or could maybe even put my mind at rest that it might not be too bad...?

I'm not keen to go completely cross-country as DS gets a bit carsick on windy roads...

OP posts:
Branleuse · 19/06/2015 13:44

I think all big towns to go through can be busy at times/rush-hour, but driving through paris is always best avoided, in the same way that central london is. I would definitely go through Rouen over Paris any day

thatsshallot · 19/06/2015 13:47

Thanks frantically tries to find hotel with interconnecting rooms near Evreux

frenchfancy · 20/06/2015 07:06

The thing to remember about Rouen is to ignore the satnav and use the signposts instead.

thatsshallot · 20/06/2015 07:20

Yes, we were there a week after Pont Mathilde reopened which the signs clearly knew but sat nav didn't, although after traversing it three times you'd have thought nav would have got the point!

Am v excited now, have liber-t winging its way to us, route planned and new half the price of previous hotel but no thanks to accor hotels telephone booking line

Thanks so much for the advice on here, now to plan 18 hours in Paris with 3dcs

LillianGish · 20/06/2015 07:49

The key on black days is to avoid the autoroute. I've done this a few times (not your precise journey, but various other long drives) and gone on the N roads, which are still good roads and found them to be really quiet. I think most people are using SatNav or automatically look at the autoroutes whereas if you take an alternative route it's not much problem. It probably helps that I LOVE maps and enjoy navigating, but I can honestly say that DH and I have been astonished by how quiet these roads are by comparison. Some black spots are unavoidable - the Ring road around Rennes for example has always been a sticking point for us - but generally you will have a much easier and more interesting drive on the Ns and more importantly keep moving.

LillianGish · 20/06/2015 08:05

Just saw your last comment re car sickness and wanted to stress N roads are main roads (like our A roads) they are not the windy back roads.

Summergarden · 20/06/2015 08:10

Oh no ???? I knew nothing about this and now majorly regret booking our holiday to start on 1st August with 2 toddlers in the car.

We will be driving from St Malo ferry port approx 8am on the main (presumably toll roads), down to Rennes first (presumably that main road doesn't go through the city itself), then next to Nantes on E3 and finally down A84 to La Roche sur Yon. It was supposed to be just over a 3 hour journey

If anyone has any tips I'd be extremely grateful.

thatsshallot · 20/06/2015 09:10

DVDs/audiobooks (just discovered can download free from our library, currently have a load saved to iPods/phones-tablets they are brilliant. Don't forget you can download CBeebies too, ours seem more engaged with programmes rather than films

French motorways and major roads have far more frequent rest areas with ours, every other one is just a forest/outside space with picnic area and loos (many are stand up ones though, might be worth pre warning them if the may get freaked out)

as long as you have snacks/drinks you'll be fine, would recommend decent road map in addition to say nav and possibly comparing routes before you head off as sat navs will ALWAYS take you on autoroutes even though sometimes smaller roads better

Summergarden · 20/06/2015 20:16

Thanks. I've just ordered the Michelin road map and will try to plot out a route.

Original poster
HereComesYourMam · 22/06/2015 15:31

Thanks for all the advice on here. Our toll thing has arrived! And I'm going to get some new audiobooks too.

Our problem is the Bordeaux ring road - there really doesn't seem to be a sensible way of avoiding it (except going a very long way round and crossing the river much further south). I did wonder though whether it might be less busy going round it the other way... might do that if it comes to it!

OP posts:
frenchfancy · 22/06/2015 16:36

summergarden You should be ok, that is an easy drive I've done lots of times. Your main black points are the Rennes and the Nantes ring roads. Going south you should be fine (lots of French from Nantes head up to the Brittany coast). Watch the Rennes - Nantes section in terms of speed, it isn't Autoroute so it is limited to 110 km/hr. the Gendarmes love to catch out tourists on that stretch.

You only have one set of tolls to deal with - on the Nantes/La Roche stretch. If it is backed up then a badge won't help you so I wouldn't bother with one.

thatsshallot · 23/06/2015 06:44

Thank you to the PP who recommended telepeage ordered ours from APRR and its on its way, genuinely v excited :)

Chewbecca · 28/06/2015 21:10

We travelled from Bayonne over into Spain on black Saturday 2 summers ago and I must say it was pretty heavy traffic and took a few hours longer than planned.
What I would suggest is make sure you fill up with fuel before the day and take plenty of supplies in the car, many service stations tend to have queues 1/2 mile onto the motorway on the day & are exceptionally busy.
It's only 1 day though, you'll get over it pretty quickly!

helloalll · 05/07/2015 22:31

Resurrecting the thread!
Anyone have any idea what it might be like driving from Geneva ish to Paris on that first Saturday in August? I'm hoping we may be going in the opposite direction from the hoards heading to the Med? We could go on the Sunday but we have friends in Paris and would quite like to stay 2 nights with a relaxed Sunday with them rather than just the Sunday night and then pegging it to Calais...

DoreenLethal · 05/07/2015 23:07

You will be going in the opposite direction.

We have changed our booking to go to Dieppe on the friday afternoon, so we will be heading out from fuether south and east that morning.

5Foot5 · 08/07/2015 21:52

We travelled down to the Dordogne on that day a few years ago. (Doh! Should have thought of it before we booked as we had heard all the warnings before)

It was very, very busy on the motorways but they were giving out lucky bags at the toll booths!! IIRC ours had:

  • a reflective vest (we had already bought one anyway heigh-ho)
  • a can of Red Bull (can't stand the stuff)
  • a colouring book and crayons (DD was about 14 at the time)
  • some duct tape (YAY!!)
  • a leaflet describing 101 things to do with duct tape (as if I needed anymore ideas for it)

Nice thought though.

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