Calais to St Tropez

[Four Litre]

Where to stop off on the way (with two kids!)in July? Also want to make sure I take in the best roads I can without scaring the wife and kids to much. Taking the ISF so still enjoyable.

Ideally want to leave the UK on a Friday evening so make a bit of an inroad into France Friday night. Need to be in St Tropez for Sunday high noon.

If anyones got experience of this trip - appreciate any pointers. Kids travel pretty well so not to concerned over keeping them 100% entertained.

[Stephanie Plum]

Lake Annecy on the Saturday night. Regarding making inroads, Reims or Troyes is a good first night stopping point I always think. Then the next day can be slightly more leisurely and you can actually stop and have a look around places while heaing south.

[SpeckledJim]

Le Touquet Friday night? Or do you want to make more ground than that?

[audidoody]

If you are doing the journey from Friday to Sunday midday you'll won't be doing much sight-seeing or ambling along the N roads. You'll be on the autoroutes.

Suggest you stop Friday night in Reims and then Lyons East the second night. Novotels are plentiful and kid friendly.

Going through Lyon Centre can add an hour to the journey in the summer.

To avoid Lyons Centre take the A46 which loops around Lyon (follow the signs for A46 Marseilles) and rejoin the Autoroute du Soleil.

You'll (presumably) be approaching your final destination on the A8. The quickest way to STrop is to take the Le Luc exit through La garde freneit and Grimaud. But this involves about five miles of narrow winding roads over the mountains and will probably worry the wife and kids. The route in from the next exit (Le Muy) is a new dual mini-motorway but will take you into St Maxime. In July the traffic on the coast road from St Maxime to St Tropez will be horrendous. To get to St Tope by lunch time you'll need to be in St Maxime by 11:30am.

Get a Telepeage dongle. It will avoid having to queue at the toll booths and save much time and stress.

https://www.saneftolling.co.uk

The bison fuete web site will predict traffic on the days you want to travel.

http://www.bison-fute.equipement.gouv.fr/diri/Accu...

ETA: one other tip. Pack a lunch and stop off in the "Aires" (rest areas). In July the motorway service areas resemble Oxford Street on Boxing Day. Fill up as you leave your first night rest stop as the queues for fuel along the autoroute can be awe-inspiring in July.

Edited by audidoody on Thursday 3rd January 10:39

[torqueofthedevil]

You don't need so long it is a very fast journey. Blast it to reimms or Dijon in one leg then down to ST the following leg. Easy. Miss lyons as suggested tho.

[LADANIVA]

The days of fast driving in France are long gone, unless you are on the AutoRoute

[fulham911club]

I do this trip several times a year. On my own with the dog : non-stop. With the family one stop around the Macon area.

With kids - they aren't going to enjoy being in the car from friday evening till Sunday lunchtime so I'd suggest as others have said:
- stop Friday near Troyes (depending on what time you are leaving Friday)
- arrive St Tropez Saturday

When I do this trip I avoid weekends as the traffic is far worse (esp July / August) so if you can leave Thursday evening and spend Friday covering most of France then it will be a much better journey.

Avoid the A7 through Lyon and take the ring road

[Four Litre]

Cheers all for the advise, will get a transponder as its been mentioned a few times.

Going to stop off at Euro Disney on the way home - treat the kids(and empty any small change I have left)

[LADANIVA]

Empty small change at Euro D.

Wish I had your type of small c=hange

[Four Litre]

LADANIVA said:

Empty small change at Euro D.

Wish I had your type of small c=hange

When I said small change, I meant what small change I have left to my name, so much so that we'll be climbing over the fence!

[Not Ideal]

audidoody said:

You'll (presumably) be approaching your final destination on the A8. The quickest way to STrop is to take the Le Luc exit through La garde freneit and Grimaud. But this involves about five miles of narrow winding roads over the mountains and will probably worry the wife and kids. The route in from the next exit (Le Muy) is a new dual mini-motorway but will take you into St Maxime. In July the traffic on the coast road from St Maxime to St Tropez will be horrendous. To get to St Tope by lunch time you'll need to be in St Maxime by 11:30am.

Get a Telepeage dongle. It will avoid having to queue at the toll booths and save much time and stress.

https://www.saneftolling.co.uk

The bison fuete web site will predict traffic on the days you want to travel.

http://www.bison-fute.equipement.gouv.fr/diri/Accu...

ETA: one other tip. Pack a lunch and stop off in the "Aires" (rest areas). In July the motorway service areas resemble Oxford Street on Boxing Day. Fill up as you leave your first night rest stop as the queues for fuel along the autoroute can be awe-inspiring in July.

Edited by audidoody on Thursday 3rd January 10:39

Absolutely all of this - spot on. Especially concerning St Maxime - full of Belgian campervans bumper to bumper.

[jackal]

try and do the whole of the D996

one of the best roads in France ... simply epic and not one car in sight

im a fan of Annecy too ... was there in 2012