Ideas please for a driving holiday in France

Drove last July to Hourtin via Saintes with Waze set to 'no motorways'. Then on to Bordeaux then back via some stops in small towns. On the drive to Saintes we barely saw another car and Bordeaux was easy because of the low speed limits. I got the impression lots of cameras and brutal policing have now made France a very civilised place to drive, nothing like it was 20 years ago (or here). The attraction to SW was camping by the sea, cycling in Les Landes, waves and claret.

Summer 22 we caught the ferry down to Santander and then made our way up the west coast of France. We stayed just outside Biarritz, then the Dordogne and finally Ile de Re for approx 4-5 days each. It was amazing, particularly the Dordogne. You could easy drop days along the way and squeeze it into 10 days I reckon.

Would second the Santander ferry option. Stay at San Sebastian for the first night then drive back to any of the northern ports. We did 4 days around Bordeaux, 3 days around Amboise in the Loire valley and a day in Normandy.

We've also done Santander with our van, slowly made our way across to Barcelona where we parked the van for a week and flew to Ibiza before flying back collecting the van and wandering back up through France for two weeks. Was a great holiday.

We also have a family home in Perpignan, the central route via Millau bridge is 21hours/1000 mile door to door (NW UK) which opens up the South coast/Spanish border if you want summer heat/artist painting holidays.
Don't underestimate how big France is and how boring the autoroutes are in the North but they are fast and efficient for covering far longer distances than you would normally do in the UK.
Buy a Sanef peage tag before you go for hassle non stop autoroute payments.

Opposite experience to Bill last May, the driving in France was shocking, I was relieved to get into Italy!

The Aquarium at Brest is amazing. The best Toutist thing I’ve been to. I love that area west of Bordeaux. Shallow warm lakes and surf at the coast. Time it right and you could hit a surf competition.

Further inland the Dordogne is ace. Lovely rivers and caves with paintings over 10,000 years old

I spent a few holidays in a farmhouse near Draguignon (a half hour northish from Frejus). I drove all over south of France, into northern Italy and a day trip to Barcelona - I loved it. Seeing the changes in scenery across southern France. People were great and so many options for food. I'd love to go back!

I stayed by Lake Annecy last summer. Gorgeous place!

We did a tour as staying at a pals place on the edge of the Dordogne, got the ferry to Rotterdam (from Hull) and then made our way there/back via 'Cathedral' cities staying/eating in the old town areas next to them.

We did use the Autoroutes though to get across the 'boring' bits.

I get zero pleasure from the actual driving, but we've had some great stopovers crisscrossing France. I tend to alternate between big chain and small quirky hotels, in smaller towns. So e.g.

Dinan, incredible cobbled medieval walled town handy for St Malo Ferry, the La Maison Pavie is a nice place in the middle, (though latterly we've sayed at the Mercure).

Near there I think we've stayed at Condé-sur-Sarthe, Manoir de la Chapelle. Full on quirk if still going. The proprietor will make you speak all your french.

Halfway down, Loire valley and hesitant to recommend this as it's been booked the last time I looked round there Les Troglos de la Tufolière near Tours. Stay in a cave - guaranteed to be cool. Stroll banks of Loire to get dragged by ones partner onto a dancefloor in the strange fairground where highly skilled frenchos will make you feel very daft.

Or Hotel de France, Chartre-sur-le-Loir, near Les Mans. Loads of motor racing memorabilia, and the nicest cheeseboard I've ever encountered. I was told to have as much as I wanted. Not a sensible instruction.

Last one how about Gordes, heading into Provence. Another incredible hilltop place. Stayed at Mas de la Beaume. Bit pricey but v nice. Or from the Verdon side Moustiers-Sainte-Marie amazing village built amongst limestone cliffs with waterfalls down the middle. Stayed at La Bouscatière. Double quirky. Had the run of the rooftop gardens and bar at the time...

All the above are an easy walk (bar the chateaux one which is a bit longer) from nice places to stroll, eat and drink. All with the exception of Moustiers which very much is a destination, I'd call "on the way" places but really worth a half day or so stopover.

The road from St André les Alpes  > Castellane > Moustiers Ste Marie is a spectacular drive, it might however be quite busy during the holiday season.

ocrider

Full Member

Once upon a time, before children, my wife and I did a 9 day trip, across France in a sporty little coupe. We got the ferry from Portsmouth to Bilbao, the drove down through the Pyrenees, and over to Carcassonne. From there we drove across southern France, through Provence, before heading up through the Jura’s and eventually back home. Along the way we went over the Millau bridge, stopped at Mont Ventoux, Aix-Le-bains, Besancon, and Troyes, among other places, and we didn’t go on the motorways for more than 100 miles, of the many we covered. The roads away from the motorway were generally very quiet, the scenery stunning, and the food delicious.
I hope to do something similar again some day…