Not in a particular rush, would like to stop en-route and take in any special locations, including at least one overnight stay
Happy to avoid toll routes too but not that fussed either way
VIAMICHELIN.CO.UK avoiding tolls is mind numbingly dull and slow. Missed a motorway junction and did 3hrs in the flat boring bit.
Route firstlt
Tunnel/Calais - Rheims - Djon (left) then Geneva as google maps says if you avoid Paris. Let me say again AVOID PARIS
Rheims and Champagne is interesting if your into vino.
After that it's quite well er flat and dull.
Where in the UK are you starting from ?
Non-tolls is long and slow if you go through France. We've done the trip loads of times and from Zeebrugge it's about 10 hours drive - found that a bit much to do in a day, we were pretty fed up by Bourg en Bresse last time. Generally go Lille (go E of Lille to avoid the central autoroute) - Troyes - Dijon - Bourg-en-Bresse - Geneva. Stop-offs have been nr Reims in Champagne, and Chablis and Beaune/ Macon area (we generally go wine hunting.)
If you're doing it over 2 days, looping east through Belgium and Luxembourg will save a lot of tolls - fill up with fuel from empty in Luxembourg should save more than the "extra" kms cost. You will probably end up taking on the Brussels peripherique but it's not too bad; Lyon and Paris are far, far worse in my experience.
Would recommend a visit to Alsace; it really is beautiful and not too bad to go from Nancy through the Vosges. There is a tunnel with a toll but IIRC the rest of it is free, and about 60% dual carriageway. From Alsace there you're sets you up for Basel to Geneva through Switzerland - you need to buy a vignette to use Swiss motorways which is about £30, but that doesn't get you very far in France on the autoroute anyway.
I've done payage and A roads, the A roads drive IMO was pleasant, certainly if you're not in a hurry, we still managed the Alps in a day. Navigating is the problem/stressful bit IMO, so a sat nav will take the stress away and allow others in the car to relax. I poo-pooed sat nav at first, prefering the cut and thrust of a road map and idiot mate trying to fathom it, but probably will never drive on the continent again without one now.
I've also done same as Stu^, stopping off in wine regions/villages.
Going to the Dolimites in Sept and intending to try the non payage route version thru Belgium, Lux etc, for a change, apparently it only adds 50 miles onto a 1200 mile journey
Drove to Chatel last month. Did the majority of the route on the Peage as suggested but from Dijon on ward (we came off the peage for supermarket fuel) we used the back roads which in good condiotion and took in lots or nice little vilages. This also allowed us to do a few runs of Metabief, which was great.
However the Swiss motorways were expensive and disappointing, wouldn't go via Lausanne again given the choice.
Just come back through France, from uk to morillon, the cost of the peage was about 75 euros one way, so u need to take that into consideration.
When driving to the Alps the last two times we have stopped off in Metz, which is close to the autoroute, and well worth a bit of an explore. An alternative is Strasbourg, but the traffic is more stressful and not very much fun after a long drive.