driving to the South of France

vikki.f

hi

just a couple of questions really, we are looking at the South of Framce again this year, and having tried the coach (24hrs) have in the past couple of years let the train take the strain.

1st couple of times were good, ashford (kent) to lille, change platform and to Perpignan, then good old eurostar changed their services and we had to go to Paris and change stations, the longer we stay the more luggage and in fact the shorter gaps between transfers.

this year we wanted to go for 3 weeks and looking at advice for driving, we have driven into dunkirk for beer runs but never a 700 mile journey.

Therefore the questions are, best route, as novices are we better to stick to the payage which are supposidly quieter or the free roads.
are we better to leave in the evening from UK, drive till dark overnight then on the next day or ealry shuttle and drive in a day with regular breaks.

Do we require additional breakdown cover or will Renault Assist suffice (car only a year old)

emergency kit, we have in watching on ebay 2 vests, bulb kit, gb sticker, beam diflectors. anything else required.

we thought of having a 4 wheel allighment before we go, as do not want to wear tyres out early with the weight and distance

many thanks in advance

LillythePink

where are you travelling from and to?

We have driven from St Malo to the South of France and then further down to the South of Spain.

I prefer the payages as when we are going somewhere, I like to get there as soon as, rather than take the scenic route!

The only difference between driving over there and the Uk, is that they drive on the opposite side of the road, most of the roads are two lanes oh and they drive a lot better than in the UK.

vikki.f

hi

we looking at talking shuttle from folkestone, and to perpignan area again, thats why 3 weeks are an option as we dont want to lose too much time driving,

LillythePink

When we went to the South, we were about an hour away from Perpignan.

So, if you're going from Folkstone, I assume that you will be landing in the Normandy area?

Because we landed at St Malo, we drove down Rennes/Nantes/Bordeaux then across, we then went the same way back up - it only took us 5 1/2 hours (but we were driving over 100 mph all the way)

You could do it in a day easily - it's not that far!

knightstyle

We live in France and find driving here is fine, even with a RHD car. You only need 1 hi-vis vest this year, 2011, and it must be in reach of the driver at all times, not stuck in the boot. The other thing is to have all your documents, license, V5, and insurance to hand. Your Renault warranty should be for Europe and should include breakdown insurance for europe but check as this may only be for the first year.
Have a good trip and check the motorway prices plus look at Bison Fute for red days on the roads when major traffic jams are expected.

knightstyle

Previous poster mentioned St Malo, motorways from there are free till Nantes. Plus if you or any other MSE users use Brittany Ferries PM me and I will give you our code to get 10% off.

vikki.f

going to go via the channel tunnel, its only £11 dearer each way (i know not money saving) but gets you a little further into france and not have to worry about bad weather

frisco_2

we live in the south near carcassonne but also come back a lot to see the grandchildren in scotland so our route is a little different zeebrugge best day to drive for auto route is sunday no trucks allowed!! if going through paris......simple follow signs for bordeaux no deviations right through orleans then you'll see signs for toulouse.......simple folow them but we do this all the time....last time december from carcassonne to paris we left 7-ooam arrived paris 5-00 pm and that was steady all day auto route should cost 53 euros.....good luck (I think we must own half the auto route now) we done so much

LillythePink

Yeh - we rented a cottage just outside of Carcassonne - obviously sailing to/from st malo we didn't have to touch Paris!

I do find that driving in France is a lot better than the UK - they don't lane hog (unless it splits into 3 then they can be as bad as the British!), but we have never had any problems.....apart from a few on the spot fines for speeding both in a car but mostly on a bike

knightstyle

Forgot to say earlier be careful when entering a roundabout, cars mainly do not indicate when turning left. There is a goverment campaign to try to encourage people to indicate but it seems to be falling on deaf ears. Oh and get a european accident form before you leave.

Gloomendoom

I've just driven down to Perpignan for Christmas and back. I hadn't driven on the Continent since 1986 and I found it no trouble at all, despite the appalling snowy weather conditions in the north of France.

We avoided all the toll motorways but driving was easy. Roundabouts are no problem and lane discipline is generally excellent. People actually use their indicators when changing lanes which is a refreshing change from the lazy morons on this side of the channel. It is worth noting though, that most motorways in France are just glorified dual carriageways, slip roads are short, bends are tight and inclines are steep. Despite that, the speed limit is often 81 mph (in good weather).

The worst problem I found was working out what the speed limit was when I wasn't on a motorway. It isn't all that clear and speed cameras are quite common. Information overload at junctions is also a problem as it is not uncommon to be presented with about twenty signs, all the same size and shape, giving you directions to all manner of places... the next town, the local hairdresser, or pottery etc.

I'd advise that you drive at the weekend as there are far less lorries on the road. In fact, I believe most lorries are completely banned from the roads on Sundays up until about 10pm.