Not really a trucking question but advice needed all the same. In May we are going on a family holiday to Argeles-Sur-Mer and am struggling to come up with best route - timewise and cost wise. We are booked on the 1915hrs Dover to Calais and then have whilst 1500hrs the following day to get there. I’m normally a night driver so the 700 mile trip overnight doesn’t worry me too much. My wife will drive the first couple of hours into France and then I will take over. We have got a petrol volvo estate which averages about 25mpg on combined (bit higher whilst sat on cruise on motorways etc). I won’t be driving for more than 2 - 3 hours in a stretch and am not suicidal so know to pull over when tired etc. So over to you guys who know infinately more about this kind of drive than I will ever know. Thanks in advance
Just to clarify I won’t be towing anything and there is no roof box etc just a plain volvo estate
My route of choice if tolls not an issue, Calais - Paris- Orleans - Clermont Ferrand - Millau - Breziers.
Cheaper then going Dijon - Lyon route and more scenic.
If you want to miss paris and save on tolls then going via Rouen, Evreux,Chatres to get to Orleans is an option
Thanks glen much appreciated do you know how much the tolls are■■? Wondering if whether going the toll free route would add on more time and miles therefore make it as expensive as tolls?
A Good idea is to use mappy.com
Glen do you know much about the a16,a28, n28, a13, a154, n154, a10, a71 and a75?
Approx 55euro each way going via Rouen
just wondered if that route was as good as it only seems to add 20 minutes and is nearly 20 euros cheaper
Well to Orleans its not a bad route used to use it all the time going to Bordueax, and from Orleans to Argeles I would always go via Millau. Pretty much duall carriageway all the way lastime i went.
Ive driven Barcelona to Calais on the route in a little over 12hrs many years ago
For autoroute charges ,try here : www.autoroutes.fr
thanks for that kerbut, also interested to know tho how the different routes fair timewise and fuel wise, not always the best option just to avoid charges for sake of it I’m sure
Look at it this way.
Eastern Route via Dijon and Lyon Approx 765miles and 99euros in tolls plus a boring route to drive.
Central route 1 via Paris, Orleans and Millau Approx 723miles and 72euros in tolls, nice drive and some great views over the Millau Bridge but all ways chance of congestion around paris.
Central Route 2 via Rouen, Orleans and Millau Approx 748miles and 55euros in tolls, nice to drive like previous route but missing out Paris.
remember tolls quoted are approx and one way all will take approx 11 to 13 hours to drive depending on your speed.
use the following sites to plan your journey
Gain Glen thanks for the help, I think I will be going central route 2, it won’t matter about not seeing Paris as next year will have a 2 night stop over in Paris to do disney and a bit of sight seeing. This year its get to the south asap as I don’t have too many holiday days left! What is worrying me now is the petrol station lark are they all credit card at the pump jobs? Do the filling stations open 24hrs a day?
Norfolknewbie:
Gain Glen thanks for the help, I think I will be going central route 2, it won’t matter about not seeing Paris as next year will have a 2 night stop over in Paris to do disney and a bit of sight seeing. This year its get to the south asap as I don’t have too many holiday days left! What is worrying me now is the petrol station lark are they all credit card at the pump jobs? Do the filling stations open 24hrs a day?
From experience driving vans in France you will find that many petrol stations will become automated in an evening except in the larger cities, on the autoroutes they tend to be manned 24hrs though the shop may be closed. I have always found when in france and having to use automated sites that Esso Express are by far the cheapest.
This will be your direct route. £60 for tolls. £130 for petrol. 722 miles.12 hrs driving.
From Calais.
This way via Rouen is the same price +time ,4miles further but avoids Paris.
Thanks Harry for the help
My wife and I went in our car last year to visit my family nr Perpignan and…
Never again…it’s going to be plane everytime, we did go via Pompey as its only 25miles away but took the cheap option of the night boat without cabin 
and an etap on the return journey as we did 1 hit it down there from Le Havre, we also used the RN’s when we could and went evreux-dreux-chatres-Orleans-clermont-Millau-beziers-Perpignan…we didn’t have any problems with fuel as we just filled when we saw a leclerc or similar. Bon route
truckertang:
My wife and I went in our car last year to visit my family nr Perpignan and…
Never again…it’s going to be plane everytime, we did go via Pompey as its only 25miles away but took the cheap option of the night boat without cabin
That route that you mention seems to come up a lot on the search route engines as it is nearly toll free motorway to rouen then on that route you mention, whats that route like? forgive me for being pig ignorant leclerc?
It’s 1 of the french supermarket chains, plenty on that route, it does seem to be the route of choice to the south west by truck or car,all our drivers use that route as it is also the cheapest and alot of the time we go out via Pompey anyway,
Sorry I knew there was something else, it’s a good route even if you do end up with trucks along alot of the way there’s plenty of d/c and long straight s/c, virtually all m/way from Orleans as I’m sure the modifications they were doing around Beziers are now completed, we used the RN from Beziers as I do enjoy that drive along the med, i think it cost us with the ferry/tolls/fuel/food roughly £400.