driving to South France

[kiwibella]

I'm trying to budget our travel expenses for getting down to Southern France in the half term. I reckon the tolls will be about £50 each way but uncertain about petrol costs. Actually we have diesel Ive read about filling up at the supermarket instead of services but any experiences or prices would be very helpful.

Oooh, this is such useful thread. We are also driving down to southern France in the summer with DD aged 3 who has never done a long car journey before. We're planning to stop overnight somewhere. Thanks for the tips - think I will definitely get the Liber-t thing. That sounds like a really good idea.

Mine took about 4 days to arrive.

Portable dvd players have already been mentioned but they are fab. Beg, borrow, buy one if you can. Dvds and regular drinks/snacks with the odd stop and run aroung will see the average small child well sorted on a long car journey.

ooh portofino, glad you are here - one of the bits of French bumf seems to imply that sometimes the machine doesn't manage to read your electronic thing, & that if you don't then pick up a ticket instead it will charge you for the entire length of the autoroute you have used???

How do you tell if it hasn't been read, please? Is there a warning light or a beep or something?

thanks for these tips. have also just ordered my liberte card. v excited.

kiwibella, just noticed your post about reading the site in French; if you look at it using Firefox, you are offered a translation into English (Firefox is wonderful!)

Some of the English is a bit odd but it's a lot easier than trying to understand it all in French!

It beeps and the barrier raises. tis always a bit scary waiting for the beep.

Oh thank you, kitten - so it's not possible to drive through if it hasn't read your badge, you have to take a ticket or the barrier won't go up? That's very reassuring!

Then you have to go to a manned T booth at the other end with your ticket & your badge? Do you need to speak to them or just hand the things over?

marking for later

quick q though, ordered my liber-t thingy last night, but the site crashed just after payment

checked my online credit card though and a payment had been made for £1.73 to a french company do you think it went through?

Mine was £8.85 to

APRR FACTURATION ST APOLLINAIR

so £1.73 doesn't sound quite right - how frustrating, you don't know whether to do it again or wait & see, do you?

When are you travelling, sherby?

We're driving down to Le Lavandou this year - first time since the DC arrived as we had used the motorail in previous years.

Sadly it's not running this year!

So, I'm marking my place and off to look at the liber t things because it sounds like genius.

Off on Thursday

With a 4yr old, 2 yr old and a 9wk old

We usually fly but thought we would try the drive this time.

DH wants to do it all in one go through the night, but tbh I am dreading it!

I love Le Lavandou, we are off to La Croix Valmer, so looking forward to being there

oh my goodness, that will be a long drive

We have done that distance in one go - later in the year & during the day (no small children here), so much warmer, & it was really not too bad; so if you & the children can sleep for most of it it would be worth it, it is much easier to have the car to pack everything into! (& to get about once you're there)

Do your kids sleep well in the car? (the older 2 that is, I'm guessing the baby is an unknown quantity!) Are you supposed to be sharing the driving or will he do the whole thing?

(hope your liber-t thing arrives in time!)

Hopefully the children will sleep through, leaving at 7pm so fingers crossed!

Yes to sharing the driving, the route planner thing reckons about 14hrs after the tunnel so will definitely stop for breakfast and run around about 7am.

Luckly we have a 7 seater so I will set up a spare seat next to the baby so I can climb in the back and soothe back to sleep

fingers crossed the liber-t thing gets here

Michelin & google both say about 11 hrs from Calais - does your route planner factor in 30-min stops every 2 hours?

I am very impressed that you are going to breastfeed and drive - just don't try both at once

Make sure you get a bit of a kip in too - in fact when the baby's asleep & the kids are awake stop at one of the fancier Aires & let DH take them all away for as long as poss so you can have a rest in total peace!

Hope you all have a wonderful time

Did anyone get an email after they paid for the liber-t thing?

Can't get through on the phone to check and DH is bugging me about it

Just checked the cc online again and this is who the payment went to

DIRECTION CENTRALE DE
84LE PONTET

so if they took some money hopefully something has gone through

thanks ponders I will just think of all those fresh croissants and beautiful ocean at the end of the line!

Just to 'splain a bit more about using liber-t. when you get to the tolls, you go into the lane that has liber-t over the top of it. When you drive up to the barrier you slow right down. You don't get offered a ticket You'll hear a beep from your transponder and the barrier will raise after a heart stopping moment. You can't get through unless it works.

btw - if it doesnt work, go to a manned booth and wave the transponder at the chap and say 'ca ne marche pas' then look in puzzlement at his/her response.

never had it happen, used it for two long french trips over 2 years.

Agree with OYBK. The thing in the car beeps.
Most of those of to Le Lavandou and Croix Valmer. It is my favourite part of the world. Make sure to go the gorgeous beach at Gigaro. There is a lovely restaurant there if you can drag yourself away from your beach towel.

Last year the cost from Brussels to Montpellier was 90 euros return.

I love Gigaro, l'escalet is my favourite though and the corn on the cob at Dolphin plage yummmmmmmm

L'escalet is good!

Now that is fascinating , cos we've been going to Le Lavandou for years and I've never heard of Gigaro!

we love the beaches by the french presidents palace - Pellegrin, Cabasson and Bregancon (although dh does get twitchy about paying!) while the children love the beach at Le Lavandou for the ice cream!