Driving to SW France - avoid Paris?

[braddo]

I'm heading (from the UK) to south-west France for a holiday in a couple of months (nearish to Millau) and I've been surprised to see that suggested routes from both Michelin and Google Maps suggest going through Paris - would this be madness and gridlock or is it actually not too bad?

The alternative autoroute is fair way longer (Reims/Troyes/Dijon) but I'm wondering if realistically, the journey time would be similar because of delays around Paris.

Likely time that I would be hitting Paris on the way down would be August (so quiet?) but a Friday afternoon....

[Ozzie Osmond]

Go via Le Mans

Not much further; very much nicer. Look at the circuit and museum at Le Mans while you make an overnight stop!

[anonymous-user]

Skirting Paris on its equivalent of the M25 is usually OK, and even driving in Paris itself is not as bad as people say. As in London, you have to be assertive.

[ewenm]

Where are you crossing the channel? Does it have to be Kent => Calais (or similar)?

[Raify]

The peripherique is nothing at all like the M25, avoid it at all costs.

[anonymous-user]

I was referring to the Autoroutes that pass by Paris, not the Peripherique, but they take you to the east side. I would stay further west and bypass Paris, as suggested above.

Edited by Breadvan73 on Tuesday 28th June 11:48

[GAjon]

I went the Paris route year before last in a motorhome, no different to driving around any major city in the UK was my experience.

[braddo]

Raify said:

The peripherique is nothing at all like the M25, avoid it at all costs.

This is my main concern - I was quite surprised to see routes suggesting going anywhere near the peripherique (the routes I've seen touch the eastern part of it).

Then again, if traffic flowed at a reasonable rate I'm happy to give it a go - for me it's more the issue of getting stuck in gridlock than dealing with Parisian drivers. Being stuck on clogged autoroutes around Lyon for a couple of hours has made me tentative....

I'll be going via the Eurotunnel but I'll take a look at routes that towards Le Mans too.

[benjj]

I drove Calais > Beziers > Calais last week and did go via Paris.

It really depends on the time of day. On the way down I passed through at about 11am and it was fine. On the way back up I hit outskirts at about 8pm and it was carnage.

Just to show off, on the way back I went Montpellier airport to Calais (1060km) in 9 hours 11 minutes. At one point I had cruise control on at 139kph and didn't have to lift off for 1 hour 16 minutes.

Fuel and tolls are bd expensive though...

[bodysnatcher]

think about Channel - Rouen - Nonancourt - Chartres - then on to Millau

Google maps shows my choice as being 2 miles shorter than it's option round the peripheque although 40 minutes slower.

My mate and I used to use Rouen to Nonancourt going to Le Mans - could be quicker than the old N138, fairly fast empty road. Some of my family also prefer continuing on this route Chartres - Orleans when heading to holiday home just south of Tours.

[PottyMouth]

The best route is Portsmouth-St.Malo and then straight down the west coast.

[braddo]

bodysnatcher said:

think about Channel - Rouen - Nonancourt - Chartres - then on to Millau

Google maps shows my choice as being 2 miles shorter than it's option round the peripheque although 40 minutes slower.

My mate and I used to use Rouen to Nonancourt going to Le Mans - could be quicker than the old N138, fairly fast empty road. Some of my family also prefer continuing on this route Chartres - Orleans when heading to holiday home just south of Tours.

I was just having a look around that route and thanks, it looks like the way to go.