going to france for a week....

[The Tea Boy]

so im drinving from the uk, in the mrs Ka
am wondering wether or not monaco is too far or not? how long do we estimate it would take from calais? worth going for a look around or avoid at all costs? where else to go?
please help

Matt

[Mattt]

You can do it in a day if you want, but maybe better split into 2.

It's a nice place, but there's not loads to do there once you've driven the GP, had lunch and looked round the famous sights IMO.

Some decent roads around

[JRM]

The Tea Boy said:

so im drinving from the uk, in the mrs Ka
am wondering wether or not monaco is too far or not? how long do we estimate it would take from calais? worth going for a look around or avoid at all costs? where else to go?
please help

Matt

Ouch, I wouldn't fancy that in a Ka, probably take about 8 hours. Why not head West to La Rochelle, go to Cherbourg, or overnight to St Malo to reduce the driving

[bazking69]

The vision of a leisurely cruise down to the villa in Monaco in the blazing sunshine doesn't look quite so good when you substitute a convertible Ferrari for a Ford Ka I'm afraid...
It is a long long drive even in a mile muncher, let alone a Ka. Have a look on a route finder, I think you'll find that just the France leg will be the best part of 10 hours solid driving.

[bazking69]

BTW, I hope you are aware of how much everything costs in Monaco at any time of the year...

[Puggit]

I might be bias, but I'd stick to the Loire or Champagne region to save on driving!

[mechsympathy]

Mattt said:

It's a nice place, but there's not loads to do there once you've driven the GP, had lunch and looked round the famous sights IMO.

Monaco is barely worth the trip from Nice.

[Iain328]

mechsympathy said:

Mattt said:

It's a nice place, but there's not loads to do there once you've driven the GP, had lunch and looked round the famous sights IMO.

Monaco is barely worth the trip from Nice.

Calais - Monaco is 775 miles according to Google maps - that's near enough London-Edinburgh......and back again!

[rsole]

Me and Mrs rsole did Calais to Monaco, half decent motor and through the night. Took 10 hours and was v tiring. The next day was a little fraught!!

[Pvapour]

mechsympathy said:

Mattt said:

It's a nice place, but there's not loads to do there once you've driven the GP, had lunch and looked round the famous sights IMO.

Monaco is barely worth the trip from Nice.

+1

Only go there once in a while as its just down the road, other than that I would not bother, it'd be very tiring in in a KA & 7 days (no disrespect meant)

As has been said, La Rochelle + the island just off the coast 'Ile de re' is well worth a visit plus you could go through Brittany which is a pleasant place.

HTH

[mechsympathy]

Or Epernay in the Champagne region which is a few hours from Calais. 10+ hours on autoroutes in a Ka will have you killing each other.

[lardo]

Can't beat driving through France doing massive miles. Villefranche Sur Mer is right next to Monaco, me & mrs Lardo managed to stay a the same hotel as Mr Pagani himself during a meeting of Zondas. Meant to meet up with Mr & Mrs rsole at the time but thats another story!! There is still plenty to see in Monaco but I agree, driving that distance in a Ka might become tiresome. Best to go with the advise of La Rochelle and Ile De Re, its stunning.

[AJS-]

Monaco is definitely possible, but I doubt very much if it's worth it unless you have some specific reason to go there.

If it was me, I'd go Strasbourg/Alsace, stay a night or two there for vineyards, nice Frenchiness, then go down through Switzlernad, down the Ticino valley, it should be an easy and spectacular day's drive down to northern Italy, north of Milan. I did this route last week and the mountains are amazing. You can then head west up the Valle d'Aoste and, weather dependent, either go over one of the many spectacular passes up into France, or through the (EXPENSIVE!) Mont Blanc tunnel.

If you find you've done all this and still have 4 days left then you can nip down to Monaco. If, as I suspect, you're having loads of fun in the Alps then you can find plenty to do in that area for 3-4 days and have an easy and fast drive up to rural France.

All of course, assuming you can't persuade your good lady of the benefits of a decent car and a few days in the Eifel Mountains