Driving to the south of France

[jollybaby]

We are contemplating driving to the south of France ( northern Provence) for our summer holiday in July. Miss JB will be 10 months then. Just wanted to get an idea of how easily doable this is. How long did it take? Is it best to split the journey into two with a stopover somewhere? Mr JB has grand ideas of driving through the night on the way down but I'm not overly keen. We caught the direct eurostar to Avignon last year which was great (5 hours) but with all the baby paraphenelia (plus Mr JB's cycling gear) we thought it may be easier to drive this year. Any advice welcome.

[SummerMum]

We did Avignon Eurostar last year also, and loved it (with 5, 3 and 2 year old). OK , loved it may be a bit strong, but you get the idea. I didn't scream or cry once.

We did the drive when number one was five months old. Bit of a mare - we'd set satnav to avoid motorways for some reason (blamed on me, mais oui) so took about 3/4 of the day before we clocked on that we were driving through one very pretty town after another. Yes, it was great to be able to load up car with everything, but train was so much easier - apart from that terrible queue at Avignon station for the hire car, and then, now obligatory row about getting hire car seats to work, which middle child refused to sit in car seat that wasn't 'his' and we drove to our destination with him in his footwell, which he remembers fondly to this day...

OK, on thread about the drive - lots of snacks, change of clothes, bottles of water, wet wipes, face spray... marriage guidance manual. It will be fun really!

[candj]

We did this two years ago with a then 4 1/2 and 2 year old. We had small tvs in the headrest of our car for videos which I highly recommend. We also limited our driving to max 5 hours a day. Not sure about driving overnight as it wouldn't be totally comfortable and you wouldn't be well rested not to mention how tired your husband would be in the morning. Agree with above lots of snacks, drinks and a satnav absolutely essential. The Reststops along the way are pretty child friendly and well stocked. Good luck have fun!

[Ann]

Also avoid Saturday travel if you can; that's when the northern parts of France depart for the southern parts in the summer. July is probably not as bad as August but nonetheless school holidays for the French.

Also I'm not sure you could do it in one go, we've always had a stopover. You needn't decide where you want to stop in advance, get as far as you can and stop where it suits you; it should be a nice overnight stay. Have great time.

[sillywoman]

We did it a few years ago from Calais to a village near Marseille, with children of 2, 5 and 7. Actually it was OK. We stopped every 2 hours or so for a rest break, exercise and food and made the journey in under 10 hours. 12 and a half door to door. We stuck to the motorways though and just went for it. I had a lot of secret 'entertainment packages' that I just kept bringing out at intervals on the journey.

This summer we'll be driving to Rome with the intention of only stopping once en-route. Mr S is a bit hardcore like that!

[Bluemum]

Hi Jollybaby,

We've done this last August with a 4 month old baby and it was sooooo straight forward, we are doing it again this year - I would highly recommend! Taking baby paraphernalia on train or plane is really stressful and you can take so much more in your car.

We set off at 6pm from SE22 and our plan was to drive as much as we could (well, my husband could - I can't drive), driving on France's motorway is a dream, almost like driving through black velvet, it so smooth!! We end up driving all the way to Dijon and that took us around 8/9 hours (seems a lot, but we didn't really feel it after the channel crossing (Eurotunnel) and a couple of coffee breaks). Baby slept all the way, not a beep! We looked for a cheap Road/Motel style hotel and found one quite quickly, I think prices were around 90 Euros.

Next day we got up early (well, baby was up at 7am) and after 4 hours kip we we ready to drive to our final destination: Le Luc, Provence (another 4/5 hours).

I think driving through the night is less stressful with baby and also not so hot. The second part of our drive was fine for the first 3 hours but once she was awake, she got hot and bothered in her seat, only a little left to get there, so I've managed to entertain her with some singing and pulling funny faces.

One thing I highly recommend is a carrycot car seat, so your baby can have a nice sleep.

Please feel free to pm me if you would like more info. Have a great time! x

[HennyPenny]

Why have all this grief? Have your holiday in the fabulous Loire Valley,lots of sun, wonderful wine and local produce, brilliant markets and of cousr, a few chateau to visit. From Calais you are looking at (without stopping) 4.5 hours of driving,(depending on how fast you drive), and there are lots of good loo stops en route. My sister and I have 3 holiday cottages available, most peak weeks are now booked, but you are assured of a home from home, with wifi (in the 2 larger properties) comfy beds ready to put children to bed in, travel cots and high chairs if needed, and a bottle of fizz in the fridge for you to really start your holiday. We have been running these for several years, and half our guests this year are repeat bookings, so we clearly have the right formula for really happy holidays. Have a look at our web site Lovetheloire.com and email us if you have any queries. Hennypenny

[jollybaby]

Thanks for the replies. It seems like the drive is definitely doable. Just need to remember to set the sat nav properly! (Summermum - we've friends who were driving to the Alps and accidentally set theirs to avoid toll roads - they only realised when they reached the border with Belgium!)