Talk to me about driving to the south of France?

[Travelmaama]

We're planning a trip to Toulouse this summer, and we are considering driving over rather than flying and hiring a car on arrival.

The positive part of my brain is saying this will be a lovely adventure, we can stay over night somewhere along the way and see the country as we go.

The other part of me is saying don't be crazy 😂

Any tips on somewhere nice to stay as a stop off? How to time the journey?

Me, DH, DS12 and DD2.

Have a look at https://www.bipandgo.com/ its makes tolls so much less stressful.

I concur with @Caspianberg's 3hr/6hr plan. For me, the drive is part of the trip so I like to maximise interest and take it easy.

This is a useful resource: https://about-france.com/tourism/med-avoiding-tolls.htm

How far are you from Dover? Stopping overnight there and getting an early crossing means you get a full day’s driving in France.

We're about 3 hours away from Dover, we could definitely stay over night there depending on accommodation costs I hadn't considered that option.

And if you go for the toll roads get a tag sanef/ emovis so you can scoot through with an automatic green light and a post holiday bill.

The Holiday Inn Express at Dover is reasonably priced and convenient for the tunnel. You get breakfast too.

We lived fairly near Toulouse and have made the journey many times. As we started from Dorset, we'd use the long sea journey to Ouistreham (for preference)
or to Le Havre and travel via the A20.
These routes don't have many toll sections ( from Ouistreham 765Km , 56 50 euros in tolls. From Le Havre, 825km; 41 euros tolls.) but obviously the ferry cost is higher.
We prefered to use an overnight ferry and frequently did it in one day but we didn't have young children.
When using a day ferry, we didn't travel too far on the first day. As someone earlier mentioned B and B hotels are good value.
Have a look at the Michelin site for routes.

Not a crazy plan at all.

We frequently drive the 8 hours from Calais to the Alps and it was never a problem when we had babies/toddlers. Ferry (or Shuttle) plus tolls/petrol and family hotel room was always better value than 4 flights and car hire. Downside was the extra time needed to travel. Flying is obviously quicker so I’d always do that for a 1 week holiday.

If you do an overnight stop, I recommend looking for a family room in a Novotel or Ibis (or similar). These cost around 120 euros a night for a big room with a double bed and two singles. Otherwise you’ll end up paying double that for 2 adjoining rooms. Breakfast is extra, but we usually find a local boulangerie rather than paying for hotel breakfast.

Hope you have a great holiday!

Some really great tips thaks everyone.

I've done a quick calculation on the toll and its coming out at €59 each way.

So to drive we're looking at around £600 including tolls and fuel.

To fly and hire a car it was coming in at over £1k.

Now to decide if we go for convenience or enjoy the adventure.

I would never consider avoiding the motorways... on the crunch days, the other roads are also busy. Avoid Saturdays. Sundays are great as there are no trucks on the roads and the roads are much less busy between 12 and 2.

We sometimes find somewhere to camp with a pool and stock up at supermarkets just off the motorway rather than service stations (cheaper fuel too!). But camping might not be so easy with a 2 year old.

The Paris Olymics might complicate travel this summer.

@SiobhanSharpe

Bis means minor but is also a pun on the expression Bison Futé - the clever bison, an old French saying. (nope, no idea either.)

🤔

As you say bis is used as secondary, as in secondary route.

Never heard about the old French saying but I do know Bison fute is a venerable French traffic warning system, which became a website (and now an app) that is supposed to provide up to date road info...how it got the name is explained here:

https://www.lefigaro.fr/conjoncture/d-ou-vient-le-nom-bison-fute-qui-connait-tout-du-trafic-routier-20230805

This! Makes a massive difference.

I hate long car journeys and wouldn't consider it but we have driven to Brittany and Normandy before. French motorways seem to move a lot faster and have less roadworks than UK ones!

One thing I suggest taking is toilet roll and a small soap dispenser. A surprising number of toilets we encountered had neither!

@ChateauMargaux

I would never consider avoiding the motorways... on the crunch days, the other roads are also busy. Avoid Saturdays. Sundays are great as there are no trucks on the roads and the roads are much less busy between 12 and 2.

All very much agreed..we've done Channel Coast <> Toulouse area multiple times and I really wouldn't fancy trying to do the journey avoiding autoroutes...(with shared driving, no kid considerations, it's doable in a day)....

A tremendous amount hinges on either getting around Paris outside of peak hours or avoiding the roads around Paris altogether...and on that subject, as you rightly point out:

The Paris Olympics might complicate travel this summer.

We have done it numerous times. We used to stop off at McDonalds on route when kids small as the McDs had play areas /soft play int them, which entertained them for a bit.

it was fine. Avoid driving thru or round Paris, and check road heights if have a roof box!

I would head Le Mans & Tours direction & avoid going anyway near Paris

The biggest reason I suggest two overnight stops is that’s toddlers generally sleep terrible. Maybe yours doesn’t, but for us we never aim to leave at 4am as it means we are already tired before we start the drive, and then long drive ahead means potentially unsafe driving when we are both tired.

Theres also the aspect that being able to arrive each evening at a decent time means toddle can have dinner as usual, run about again and hopefully a semi decent night sleep. Then enjoy a nice breakfast at accommodation and leave at a normal time.

For a Monday booking. I would leave Saturday. Leave 8- 9am, drive and ferry etc. hopefully in France by 2pm. Drive about 3hrs. Arrive by 5-6pm latest eat accommodation. Then you have several hours for toddler to run around at playground or fields and all eat. Toddler in bed 9-10pm.

Sunday then 3hrs x2. So a 6hr ish drive day. Drive 3hrs, stop at a nice attraction for a few hrs, knacker out toddler and eat, then hope he sleeps a good chunk of the next 3hrs. Stay overnight

You should then be within about 2hrs of destination. Meaning you can get up and enjoy local area you stayed in without rushing, and leave lunchtime to get to accommodation (prob can’t check in until 2-3pm). Arrive semi refreshed as you only had a shortish drive, and start enjoying that holiday straight away

Add an extra night accomodation there and back and it might not be cheaper....

This: we drove through Europe to Morroco with 2 under 5s. We also did another 3 hours after dinner so 8-11pm but were in a campervan so just pulled into an aire and popped the roof at night.

Our day looked something like 7am, awake- coffee and pastries in the van.
8am -11am drive.
11-2pm long stop for activity then lunch
2-4/5pm drive- hopefully DCs have a nap.
4/5pm-8pm stop, often a swim ( free showers) or run about then dinner.
8pm-11pm drive.
11p. pull over roof up, sleep.

That way we could get down to Bordeaux for the first night.

But at least you have your own car when you get there and are not so restricted on what you take with you.

True - I prefer the flexibility of having my own car and being able to explore on the way and on the way back ... the journey is part of the adventure (though it rarely feels like it on the way back!!

Have you already booked your ferry tickets? The other ferry suggestions would be much better. I used to drive to the south of france every year and agree with other PP that lengthening the ferry ride and shortening the drive is the way to go.

Have a look at the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Caen. You’ll do a big chunk of the journey while you sleep and it knocks off a few hours driving on the other side.

Make sure you get your headlight adjuster stickers and French breakdown kit. From memory you have to carry a high vis vest, warning triangle, breathalysers, spare bulbs and all your documents (insurance and ownership papers).

If your sat nav shows speed cameras, turn that setting off. You can get fined if you’re caught with it on.

Another shout for sticking to motorways if you don’t fancy getting stuck behind a tractor for two hours. Good luck, have fun! 🇫🇷

Loving the idea of overnight ferry, if we go to St Malo port the onward journey is only 7.5 hours, we also wouldn't need to pay for accommodation at the UK port as we would sleep on the ferry crossing.

This could be a great option with a stop over in La Rochelle on the way down to our final destination.

We've been driving to/across France a couple of times a year since my first child was born 17 years ago.
You've had lots of good advice here. I will say, in my experience, Black Saturday is often a bit of a paper tiger. We regularly travel from London to Devon/Cornwall and back and I would far, far rather take my chances in France! Last year my in-laws stayed in a guesthouse which suggested all the guests got up and had breakfast at 4am to 'beat black Saturday'. PILs were at the holiday house six hours before they were meant to arrive!
Part of our family travelling tradition in France is that we stop for lunch at a flunch. Flunches are basically cheap restaurants attached to large supermarkets, so often just off the motorway, where you buy a protein and then get unlimited veg buffet to go with it (also nice puddings, cheeses, ice cream etc etc). You get a proper break, can do a bit of supermarket shopping if you need to, and it gets a bit of veg in everyone too. They are fewer and further between than they used to be, but well worth considering if they fit with your itinerary. (We plan our trips around them these days, but that may be excessive!)
Definitely second all the 'do more ferry and less driving' comments. And beware that your Sat Nav will be desperate to send you via the outskirts of Paris, which may not necessarily actually be your best route!