For the first time were going to use the tunnel at Christmas. The prices are OK and thinking although a slightly longer drive much quicker than the ferry with arrival / waiting / crossing. I’m looking at the route and want to avoid Paris. Google mapsand viamichelin giving different routes. What would you guys do? Tolls look like €70 via Le Mans ect which I know is much more than the usual middle route we take to Le Harve. If we head the north route Calais to Rouen we can take our regular road but would we be much better on the other?
My sons French GF is coming with us, presumably we need to get the ETAS thing for her.
Any recommendations for a chambre d’hote maybe 3 hours south of Calais? We already have 5 hours in UK so I want to stop, it was too much in one go last year.
Google and viamichelan suggest quickest is to go through Paris. I don’t beleive them, well I don’t want to, one traffic jam (or ending up on the internal peripherique as we accidentally did last time) would kill any savings.
My OH used to always drive from Blighty to Limoges which isn’t a million miles from you. She has previously said she would avoid Paris at all costs. She’s out at the moment but I’ll ask her what route she preferred when she’s back.
I’m not sure where you are but we’re about 40 minutes south of Poitiers and tend to go via Tours and Le Mans. Having lived around Paris for the last few years, I’d avoid it like the plague as you’re hostage to fortune with traffic problems.
If you’re near Limoges, would you be taking the A20? Our favourite route was the A20 or the A71 to Salbris, then Chartres, Evreux, Dreux and up to Rouen. Then we took the A28/A16 to Calais.
We’re another 1.5 hours south, between Perigueux and Bergerac. That is how we always go as well and looks like only about 1.5 house extra to Calais than Le Harve. Tunnel to Chatres showing as around 4 hours that way then 6 home the following day. Much more civilised than not stopping and already found lots of 3 bed apartments not too expensive for the night. Would like to not book on booking or airbnb which us proving difficult!!!
We once got routed through the middle of Rouen which was a bad experience, we were travelling north to south.
The next time, a bridge was being repaired and the diversion signs sent us further on the motorway, then around to the west of Rouen and over the Pont Gustav Flaubert. Much easier.
Thar’s my route to Dieppe. Wouldn’t go any other way I don”t pay tolls except possibly a bit of the A10 from just South of Orléans to Chartres very occasionally. The N153 in particular is very fast, good standard road. This overall routing takes very little extra time over the motorway option. The A20 is still free of charge going North as far as Vierzon from a couple of exits North of Cahors then Northwards.
The toll road that knd of parallels the coast from near enough to Rouen to Calais / Tunnel in an arc shaped route was always relatively quite cheap. Using It saved enough fuel (as compared to slowing down and speeding up village after village) to outweigh the small toll.
I like the Holiday Inn Express in Rouen, they had free parking in their basement. Near the hospital and main transit roads not too central - central Rouen has been a pig traffic-wise since I’ve known it. The reason changes but it’s still a pig.
We always tried to do that - then one day, I must have taken a wrong turning, and we ended up going through Rouen. It wasn’t bad, but skirting round is better.
We have used the Hotel Marmotte on periphery of Chartres close to the main road. Clean, fairly basic but adequate, and cheap if booked in advance. No restaurant in the hotel, but there is a Courte Paille restaurant 70 metres or so across the road. They do a good ‘Piece du Boucher’ if you like beef.
It maybe your antipodean upbringing but I think that’s actually a South direction
Section of the A20 is toll free? Then A10 through Tours on the N154 still free to Rouen D6015 to the A16 Calais road? What I am doing next trips is Alencon to Nonacourt from A28 as it looks lower cost than the A10 section but also cuts out more traffic, at least the map software says 30mins quicker.
have you looked at Air BB, that’s the place to plan for your overnight stay. you can use the map function to see everywhere available for your dates. we always break our journey in Chartres, staying in a lovely apartment near the centre, but its only one bedroom so no good for you. its a great place to spend an evening and look at all of the lights around the canals. have a good trip
We used to drive from Albi to Calais and always went through (round ) Paris. Even before we had a satnav we just followed signs to the A1 Lille. Avoid rush hour obviously.
