Family road trip - France - help planning please!

[CBC123]

Help planning would be AMAZING from anyone who has done similar please!

Driving from London to south of France (near Saint Tropez and we have accommodation here). We’re thinking driving to Reims and saying for one night - going to pommery champagne caves and the park? Then next day head to either burgundy/Lyon or Avignon for two nights and ideally want somewhere fund for the kids and entertainment/pools/slides etc, and then drive to the south of France. Not sure what to do on the drive back?! Hoping the trip to take 10-12 days. Recommendations welcome! Thanks xx

If you are coming back roughly the same way but with different stops we have stopped in Dijon which has a lovely centre - a big square with fountains coming up out of the floor to run in and out of. It also has a trail were you follow little metal owls in the pavement to do a walk round all the main sites which was fun https://www.dabblinginjetlag.com/dijon-owl-trail-guide/

We've also stopped in Arras which is only about an hour from Calais for an early ferry to get home in good time. Arras has lots of WW1 museums/ cemetary. If you're interested in that kind of thing and depending how old your dcs are - the Canadian memorial at Vimy Ridge is just outside Arras where you can go in the trenches and see preserved craters from the bombing etc. My DS (13 at the time) found it interesting.

Thank you so much!

Zoo Parcs de Beauval was a very cool zoo and the kids loved it.

It would change your route slightly but, if you’re not dead set on staying in Lyon I would consider staying a couple of nights in Thonon Les Bains - it’s a town on Lake Geneva (French side but very easy to cross the border to Switzerland) not sure if you’re camping but there’s an amazing camp site called Saint Disdille which I’d highly recommend (I think you can also stay in chalets there) it’s literally right on the lake and loads for kids to do x

This is so helpful - we’re not set at all, completely open and want to make it a real adventure and the journey part of the excitement. This sounds amazing - thank you!

Firstly I would establish your maximum mileage a day, we find that 250 is ideal and much over 350 gets a bit dull, obviously depends on road, car and children etc. as this is key to your planning (E.G. Calais to Saint Tropez is roughly 3 X 250 miles)

We usually make a vague plan, and book hotels as we go, and sometimes stay a couple of nights if we like an area, although I appreciate that may be more difficult with children.

Reims is okay, but I much prefer Dijon for walking around / eating etc. Lyon is nice in the centre,

I would try an AI agent for the planning, it usually works well

"We are driving from Calais to Saint Tropez, with children aged X and X, and would like to drive no more than 250 miles a day, stopping in some scenic towns and cities that might also have some child friendly attractions such as water parks etc. can you suggest a route, please"

I would also recommend getting a toll transponder (bip and go) as it makes life much easier on the motorways and some car parks.

...and I assume you're not planning to do this in August...!

I just came on to mention the toll tag thing but a pp beat me to it. Can save lots of time

We've done this many times. As adults, using bed and breakfasts through Sawdays to find qwirky places https://www.sawdays.co.uk/places-to-stay/bed-and-breakfast/, and with children, staying at Eurocamps. Enjoy!

I’ve stopped in Dijon, Lyon and a few other places though I drive through from Caen (overnight ferry) the roads are good though not cheap on the toll roads. We’d aim for a maximum of 400 miles split into morning and afternoon, ideally a little less

Epernay is fantastic, so are Dijon and Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Drove from Calais to Menton.

We’ve done England to frejus (not far from saint tropez) a few times. We generally go down in a oner, but take our time coming back. We’ve stopped in epernay, Paris and Dijon

I would swerve Lyon and stop off somewhere lake side. As someone else mentioned Thonon Les Bains is lovely, also Annecy (but busy in high season) and Lac d’aiguebelette is gorgeous for swimming with some lovely villages around to explore. You could also venture to Chambéry where there is lac du Bourget, another great spot. Savoie is my favourite region in France, so much to see and just stunning - my parents are from the area so I have spent a lot of time around there, am flying out on Sunday! We used to have a holiday home in Gassin near Saint Tropez and would always stop for a few days with family in Savoie before heading further south.

Wow you’re all amazing! Thanks so much I can’t wait to start researching asap! We are planning to go as soon as the kids break up 23rd July…. Does this change things?

Try and avoid Saturdays, it appears most of France travels south on a Saturday and traffic can be bad. Check campsites as well if planning on stopping on way as some have a minimum 3 night stop over. The South of France is a long way for such a short time driving but will be lovely- def make the journey part of your holiday.

Oh and make sure you have good european breakdown insurance!

When you approach a stop sign, stop and count to 6, even if there are no other cars in sight. The french police will appear out of nowhere and fine you 60 euros if you don't.

Also remember the triangle and multiple fluorescent jackets in car and the breathaliser kit.

We’ve stopped at Dijon and Reims as well. The only thing I remember about Reims is dragging my family to the cathedral. I prefer Dijon as well.

if you can make a detour to Annecy, then you must, it’s lovely.

My dh prefers driving on the toll roads. We played ‘guess how much the stretch of road cost’ whenever we came to pay the toll.

Remember, the French drive ‘on the other side’ so the person in the passenger seat has to lean out and pay the toll.

The french supermarkets are good fun to look around and buy food. Service stations tend to be more expensive.

if you can, stick to the bigger service stations. Some of the smaller one’s toilets aren’t the best.

we didn’t have fun days out en route. We’d drive, find our accomadation, eat and go for a walk. Next morning, we’d have breakfast, go fir another walk, then crack on. We’d have a small overnight bag for the journey.

Presumably you're taking Le Shuttle - so it will depend on what time you're going and therefore how far you want to go the other side of the channel

Personally, we hated Reims, found it to be a total dump. Others seem to like it, but I would avoid.

Dijon is worth at least two nights, and Troyes is worth a night of anybody's time.

Arras is pleasant for a night if the timing works for you.

We've been meaning to visit Lyon, but so far have only passed through, but by all accounts it is well worth a stop.

Avignon, again, is worth some time if you don't want to plough on all the way, or if you're leaving later in the opposite direction.

These are all places that are not far off the main "route du soleil", so you don't need a big diversion to get to them, and all worth seeing in their own right.

Was going to say about the bip transponder toll thing, absolutely brilliant. Also, if you’re going into the centre of lots of the major cities you need to have a document a bit similar to Ulez - it wasn’t expensive to get (from memory less than 10 euro) and one works for the whole country but without it you can be fined.

Also don’t forget with the car care kit with all the bits in you need a high viz jacket for everyone in the car. We bought a great set off Amazon with everything needed but it only came with one so had to buy three more separately.

Just finishing a half term road trip with a 10 and 12 year old (our first so we were nervous to start with but it’s been great and we’ve all loved it and are already plotting a return). Good luck and enjoy!

Would highly recommend Laon as somewhere to stop for the night on way back to ferry / eurotunnel. The hotel les chevaliers Hôtel Les Chevaliers, Laon (updated prices 2026) is v central and is good value.

I would consider that the distance you ‘ll be able to drive could be impacted by fuel availability due to ongoing closure of the strait of Hormuz. Just something to bear in mind.

breathalysers are no longer mandatory.

@MaybeNotBob

We liked Troyes as well. I agree, choose it over Reims.

Crit’Air is required for a few cities including Grenoble and Lyon. Easy to get on line.

My tip going north would be to take the A51 from the coast and deviate into the mountains. Nb it’s a lot less busy than the A6) and goes through Aix and some stunning countryside. Particularly good if you find the heat too much in the south, the mountains will be cooler. There are lakes which are safe for swimming. Check out the Aqua Park(s) at Serre Ponçon (2 hours north of marseille). That lake isn’t well known but during the Tour de France 2 years ago it was described as the most beautiful stage of the race! Read up on the Route Napoleon.