Driving to the south of france

[AngelicCurls]

I’ve rebooked my eurocamp holiday for next May but the flights on ryanair/jet2 are extortionate compared to this year. Am I mad to consider Eurotunnel and driving down? Michelin website says 16hrs and around £550 in fuel and tolls, I could use Tesco vouchers for the Eurotunnel so would be cheaper as would need to hire a car there anyway. Have a 8 and 5yo, both reasonable I the car

[QueenofLouisiana]

We drove to near Narbonne last year, two stops so only 6 hours or so in the car each day (plus stops). It was a pretty easy drive, just plan ahead with downloaded movies on iPads, snacks and an idea of where you might stop on the journey.

[ivykaty44]

Take a ferry rather than the tunnel. It makes the drive shorter, gives you a nice break from driving, and is more fun.
But not mad, no. We do it most years.

Actually the tunnel is 20 miles less driving, it’s further to diver to the ferry port than it is to the tunnel

That’s if you go Dover Calais or euro tunnel

Obviously if you go to Portsmouth, Poole or Plymouth it’ll be different ferries and more expensive- but possibly less fuel

The overnight ferry Portsmouth st Malo is nice to do but isn’t cheap

I’ve driven south of Lyon to Birmingham with 4 year old and 10 year old, it’s easy driving on the motorway but the tolls add up

Or you could go down to Rouen which is mostly free and misses Paris. Some nice places to stop of on the way

[Twiggywinkle13]

My in laws live in Spain and this is our plan if we can later this year. If not, next. I think I will find flying even more stressful than I do now with all of this going on.

[Skinnyjeansandaloosetop]

Driving through France is enjoyable and like a PP said, the aires or service stations are great- and in my experience do fantastic food

[TravellingSpoon]

We have driven several times (when with DH) and like other we just book a cheap hotel or air Bnb. We have stayed in Nantes and Orleans, and other places I cant remember. Just breaks the journey up a bit.

[ITonyah]

We always drive and we always stay in a pretty air b and b on the way down. Best part of the holiday!

[astuz]

We did it last year. I love the long drive and the travelling - it's part of the holiday for me, so we took the Portsmouth to Caen overnight ferry, so that effectively was a one night stop over (it's cheaper if you book it through Eurocamp). We then stopped at a Eurocamp in the Dordogne for a couple of nights, before then moving down to the South of France for 9 days. We then came back via a different route, and again stopped off for a couple of nights to explore a different area of France. I actually loved where we stayed in the Dordogne, and wished we'd stayed there longer!

Before we booked, I did check out the cost of flying + car hire, against diesel+ tolls + ferries etc, and it worked out about the same, but we just wanted to drive, so we could stop off and see other places.

[notimagain]

Am I mad to consider Eurotunnel and driving down?

Not mad at all.

With shared driving we've done London area to/from just short of the Spanish Border in a day..if one of us has to do it solo we tend to split that journey over two days and nightstop in a Formula 1 or similar between Paris and the tunnel.

IMHO the big trick is either finding a cunning route that avoids Paris or at least minimises exposure to it (there are various options), or failing that, making sure your timing is such you don't hit the Paris peripherique during peak hours.

[stringbean]

We do the drive a couple of times a year - once for skiing and once for camping. Our kids - now teens - are used to the drive and it's just a part of our holidays: I really enjoy the journeys. French motorways have plenty of stoppong places with rural 'aires' or picnic stops every 25km or so. Would definitely recommend a toll tag for the peages so you can cruise through the fast lane - there's a link to the sanef website on the Eurotunnel website. Eurotunnel or Dover/Calais ferry definitely cheapest options - ferries from Portsmouth are a lot more expensive but depends on day of week and time of crossing. Plenty of options for hotel stops - we usually use Novotel or Ibis as they have family rooms - Novotels usually have a small pool which was always welcome for the kids after a long journey. Campanile and Premier Classe have family rooms as well and prices are lower. I like the journey as well for the fact that we're independent and can take lots of stuff with us (we now tow a trailer, am beginning to wonder if it would just be easier to take a caravan!).

[MrsJoshNavidi]

We used to do it over night when the kids were small and take it in turns to sleep and drive.

[TheShoesa]

I drove to Oregelet in the Jura region last summer.
We stayed overnight in Dover at a Premier Inn and took an early ferry. Arrived at our campsite early evening but I allowed lots of stops as we were in a campervan without air con and it was HOT.

For South of France I'd probably wouldn't stay at Dover, but take an earlyish ferry if I could and have an overnight stay on the way through France.

I'd also recommend getting a TAG for the autoroutes if you are going to be using them. Saved no end of bother at the toll booths

[MrsTravers]

We always drive down into France or Italy (when we go - not all the time, sadly!!) as find flights/car hire more expensive. Have worked out that up to 6/7 hours post crossing is fine - children get a bit restless after that and we get tired (we often do a 5-hour drive in Uk to my family, so suspect it's our limit!). On our last drive to Italy, we stopped in an ibis near Dijon, which is quite a good stopping point - alternatively you could ask Eurocamp if they have a site en route so you could over night and give family a chance to stretch legs before the next bit. They seem to have lots for overnight stops.

[chocolatviennois]

We usually take Brittany ferries and stop overnight in Ibis Styles or Novotel. I would not use formula 1 as they don’t have en-suite s. Brittany ferries are expensive if you don’t get the ferry as part of a package with the accommodation. P and o or dfds cheaper. We always try and avoid doing the main drive on a Saturday as traffic much quieter any other day.

[TheHighestSardine]

We only ever stop once, just hit up a Formule 1 or similar cheapo hotel at whichever major city you'll be around dinner time on the first day.

[clara10]

We are very close to the tunnel so no but you could cross the channel, stay in the hotel complex next to the eurotunnel and start early the next day to nail most of the driving.

[AngelicCurls]

Do those that do it stop twice? So once after the tunnel and then again further south?

[clara10]

We go most years. Drive over 2 days. Stay in ibis budget en route. Love being able to take a load of crap with us in the car ie dingy, inflatables, buckets, spades, sun tent, table tennis bats, badminton, Heinz tomato ketchup 😆
Eurotunnel so much quicker than the ferry from Dover and you don’t need to hang around either.

[Guiltyfeminist1]

We drive to S France every year (last year drove to Italy) and it's no bother. Make sure you've got good central heating, snacks and lots to do and it's a wonderful part of the holiday. You get to see lots of the country you might not otherwise have seen.

[MrsJoshNavidi]

Take a ferry rather than the tunnel. It makes the drive shorter, gives you a nice break from driving, and is more fun.
But not mad, no. We do it most years.

[fessmess]

I have driven to south of France several times and have broken it up into two days. Makes it more relaxing and the hotels are cheap (€50 for a family room). The roads over there are great.