Driving Calais to Monaco
Discussion
Hi mate,
depends how quickly you want to get there. I've done Calais to Lake Como before but, we went through Switzerland too.
If you haven't been to Reims, get yourself there. It's pretty much right en route too. The Millau bridge is down the bottom, and a bit west of where you're heading but probably only a few hour detour.
Like I said depends how quickly you want to get to Monaco.
Jackal is your man for anything road-trippy! If he doesn't see this, definitely worth sending him a PM.
depends how quickly you want to get there. I've done Calais to Lake Como before but, we went through Switzerland too.
If you haven't been to Reims, get yourself there. It's pretty much right en route too. The Millau bridge is down the bottom, and a bit west of where you're heading but probably only a few hour detour.
Like I said depends how quickly you want to get to Monaco.
Jackal is your man for anything road-trippy! If he doesn't see this, definitely worth sending him a PM.
V8KSN said:
Quick question please, if you will.
Has anyone driven from Calais to Monaco?
Looking for suggestions and advice on time taken and places to stay etc.
Cheers in advance
Yes, you can do it in one day but I don't think that is what you want to do.Has anyone driven from Calais to Monaco?
Looking for suggestions and advice on time taken and places to stay etc.
Cheers in advance
The first bit is rather boring and flat and full of speed camera wielding policemen in laybys. I accidentally did Dunkirk last time and GPS said Belgium... which meant none of the preceding, and everyone doing 150kph as an average on arrow straight roads (very boring again but at least fast and terror free).
What are your plans?
Couple of days?
Zoom down?
Tour?
If the latter you could do the Route des Vins D'Alsace, then pick up the Route Napoleon. Both these bits alone, allowing for touristy stops, will take a day each. Or more if you want to. Excluding getting to the start, of course.
Realistically unless you want to stress yourself out and not enjoy anything, calculate on max of 350k per day on the slow roads. And sometimes you may struggle with doing that.
Motorways, you can easily do 1k but it will be boring as hell. I save the motorways for getting to places, for joining up the better bits and if I am behind schedule.
I repeat, speeding on French motorways (or Swiss) is a crazy thing to do. Save that for Italy.
Edited by 996TT02 on Friday 24th January 21:56
^^ Yep, I've got one of those. Very handy.
https://www.saneftolling.co.uk
You can just go straight through the tolls without fumbling for money. You get billed when you get home.
Only handy if you go the autoroute way. You will at some point though, as you cover the boring bit of northern France much quicker.
https://www.saneftolling.co.uk
You can just go straight through the tolls without fumbling for money. You get billed when you get home.
Only handy if you go the autoroute way. You will at some point though, as you cover the boring bit of northern France much quicker.
If it helps I find this the best route planner for France...
http://www.viamichelin.com/
You can 'drag' the route on the screen to take you through more scenic areas, plus it tells you the cost of the tolls etc for the full route.
ETA - I did the route in 10 hours non stop back in October (from Cannes), but unless you really have a need to be somewhere definitely try and break it up, there's some lovely stops along the way.
http://www.viamichelin.com/
You can 'drag' the route on the screen to take you through more scenic areas, plus it tells you the cost of the tolls etc for the full route.
ETA - I did the route in 10 hours non stop back in October (from Cannes), but unless you really have a need to be somewhere definitely try and break it up, there's some lovely stops along the way.
Edited by Petrus1983 on Friday 24th January 23:47
Did the return trip in a Ferrari 575 Superamerica/612/F430 mix (long story...). In a day, Route Napoleon then Grenoble and autoroute all the way back. Knackering and as I was on my own in whatever car I had I got a bit tired and grumpy towards the end. Which proves something.
Route Napoleon a MUST then take it easy on Autoroute and stay over somewhere. Although an alternative might be go into Italy where they are a bit more reasonable speed-wise, do the bottom bit fast on autostrada then Geneva and over Jura to home. Very pretty and I think nice hotels/grub. Or stay at Dijon/Reims. Speeding in Switzerland a big no-no, as is same on French Autoroute. They will get you - impossible to spot.
Also did Geneva to Monaco in two fastish classics for Historics. Started at 9.30 and got there 4.30 I think but not going (that) mad and stopped for pics. In a modern car would have been there at 2.30 I would say.
Route Napoleon a MUST then take it easy on Autoroute and stay over somewhere. Although an alternative might be go into Italy where they are a bit more reasonable speed-wise, do the bottom bit fast on autostrada then Geneva and over Jura to home. Very pretty and I think nice hotels/grub. Or stay at Dijon/Reims. Speeding in Switzerland a big no-no, as is same on French Autoroute. They will get you - impossible to spot.
Also did Geneva to Monaco in two fastish classics for Historics. Started at 9.30 and got there 4.30 I think but not going (that) mad and stopped for pics. In a modern car would have been there at 2.30 I would say.
Cheers all, thanks for your replies and suggestions 
I have a sanef toll tag already but what I was really looking for is routes and places to stay.
For the first 150 miles or so after Calais it will be the main autoroutes doing a steady 80mph (to avoid speeding fines mostly but also to get a chunk of boring Northern France done) then I am thinking Reims - Dijon - Grenoble - Cannes - Monaco
I'll be in Calais Thursday morning around 11am and I need to be in Monaco for midday Friday.
Doable right?
I have a sanef toll tag already but what I was really looking for is routes and places to stay.
For the first 150 miles or so after Calais it will be the main autoroutes doing a steady 80mph (to avoid speeding fines mostly but also to get a chunk of boring Northern France done) then I am thinking Reims - Dijon - Grenoble - Cannes - Monaco
I'll be in Calais Thursday morning around 11am and I need to be in Monaco for midday Friday.
Doable right?
Unlike many things in life, it's longer than you think. Don't know where you live but if it were me I'd be on a 6:00 train and just get that massive bit of Northern France out of the way. I'd even just wing it on hotels although parking might be an issue. And on that subject the ritzy ones might say "don't worry we have a locked car park with a gate etc" and that might mean some underground affair or tight entrance which is not suited to big low cars. Top Gear in Paris.
The nice twisty bits can be savoured and will need the odd coffee, fag, fuel or pics stop. Not sure if you said it was for an event (GP?) but traffic will be dire the other end. Also... might be wrong but on Fridays it's bad anyway.
Whole French speeding thing has been done to death but what will land you in truly terrible trouble is anything over about 100mph. Unfortunately, you can be a good boy all the way at 85mph, give it one squirt as the roads are so good and then get nicked. Speaking from experience, but met the nicest French cop in the force in the process.
The nice twisty bits can be savoured and will need the odd coffee, fag, fuel or pics stop. Not sure if you said it was for an event (GP?) but traffic will be dire the other end. Also... might be wrong but on Fridays it's bad anyway.
Whole French speeding thing has been done to death but what will land you in truly terrible trouble is anything over about 100mph. Unfortunately, you can be a good boy all the way at 85mph, give it one squirt as the roads are so good and then get nicked. Speaking from experience, but met the nicest French cop in the force in the process.
V8KSN said:
Cheers all, thanks for your replies and suggestions
I have a sanef toll tag already but what I was really looking for is routes and places to stay.
For the first 150 miles or so after Calais it will be the main autoroutes doing a steady 80mph (to avoid speeding fines mostly but also to get a chunk of boring Northern France done) then I am thinking Reims - Dijon - Grenoble - Cannes - Monaco
I'll be in Calais Thursday morning around 11am and I need to be in Monaco for midday Friday.
Doable right?
As Steve says, it's longer than you think.I have a sanef toll tag already but what I was really looking for is routes and places to stay.
For the first 150 miles or so after Calais it will be the main autoroutes doing a steady 80mph (to avoid speeding fines mostly but also to get a chunk of boring Northern France done) then I am thinking Reims - Dijon - Grenoble - Cannes - Monaco
I'll be in Calais Thursday morning around 11am and I need to be in Monaco for midday Friday.
Doable right?
With that schedule what you will do is drive all afternoon and early evening on Thu, arrive somewhere in the southern half of France, then on Fri drive to your destination. Using only motorways, forget about any routes, and the places you mentioned above you will simply skirt.
In reality you don't have many options for so short a journey, any of the nicer driving routes are a day's driving in themselves, as previous, off the motorways assuming you intend to enjoy the drive and the places you drive through, no more than 350k/day.
Perhaps you could do something interesting on the way back?
http://www.classicdriver.com/en/article/persuaders... might inspire you. Or make you take the plane to Nice.
I stayed at the hotel Carlton in Lyon last year and it was very nice - large room, good location, secure car park. It had just been refurbished and we ended up in a very nicely done slightly odd circular suite (we'd paid for a superior room which I think was about €200 and were upgraded). I seem to recall the bar prices were fairly steep though. We were on the Eurostar at about 7 and got there around 4 autoroute all the way but not flogging it at all. I'd guess from Calais it is about 750 km.
williaa68 said:
I stayed at the hotel Carlton in Lyon last year and it was very nice - large room, good location, secure car park. It had just been refurbished and we ended up in a very nicely done slightly odd circular suite (we'd paid for a superior room which I think was about €200 and were upgraded). I seem to recall the bar prices were fairly steep though. We were on the Eurostar at about 7 and got there around 4 autoroute all the way but not flogging it at all. I'd guess from Calais it is about 750 km.
Google says 1,250km, 11 hours of straight driving via the fastest possible routes (sticking to speed limits).williaa68 said:
I stayed at the hotel Carlton in Lyon last year and it was very nice - large room, good location, secure car park. It had just been refurbished and we ended up in a very nicely done slightly odd circular suite (we'd paid for a superior room which I think was about €200 and were upgraded). I seem to recall the bar prices were fairly steep though. We were on the Eurostar at about 7 and got there around 4 autoroute all the way but not flogging it at all. I'd guess from Calais it is about 750 km.
I would avoid driving into lyon.Chance to get caught up in traffic..
V8KSN said:
Cheers all, thanks for your replies and suggestions
I have a sanef toll tag already but what I was really looking for is routes and places to stay.
For the first 150 miles or so after Calais it will be the main autoroutes doing a steady 80mph (to avoid speeding fines mostly but also to get a chunk of boring Northern France done) then I am thinking Reims - Dijon - Grenoble - Cannes - Monaco
I'll be in Calais Thursday morning around 11am and I need to be in Monaco for midday Friday.
Doable right?
Yep very do able- we did the same journey to Grenoble in two days starting in Kent, stopped Dijon first night, just North of Grenoble second night. All roads were N and D once we got south of Reims, some fantastic open and empty tarmac. Headed over the col de l'iseran to Turin in day three but you would strike Cannes/Monaco in the time planned. This was in a Tuscan so a more refined Porsche will be a nice balance between covering ground and not putting too much pressure on yourself.I have a sanef toll tag already but what I was really looking for is routes and places to stay.
For the first 150 miles or so after Calais it will be the main autoroutes doing a steady 80mph (to avoid speeding fines mostly but also to get a chunk of boring Northern France done) then I am thinking Reims - Dijon - Grenoble - Cannes - Monaco
I'll be in Calais Thursday morning around 11am and I need to be in Monaco for midday Friday.
Doable right?
Thanks for all your replies and and suggestions chaps.
I have settled on the following.....
354 miles - Calais to Dijon - Autoroute all the way!
http://goo.gl/maps/yjiIg
379 miles - Dijon to Monaco - D996 and the D1075 leading onto the N85 Route Napoleon
http://goo.gl/maps/KUPIl
I have settled on the following.....
354 miles - Calais to Dijon - Autoroute all the way!
http://goo.gl/maps/yjiIg
379 miles - Dijon to Monaco - D996 and the D1075 leading onto the N85 Route Napoleon
http://goo.gl/maps/KUPIl
Edited by V8KSN on Monday 27th January 11:19
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