Advice on driving to the South of France from UK?

Hi, I am French, living in the UK now, and i have done this route many times to visit my family in the Alps and Pyrenees.

If you are planning to go down the South from Marseille to the French Riviera area, I would take Eurotunnel or the Ferry across to Calais (nice in the summer when weather is warm and when you have more time), then from Calais straight on the A6 to Paris, then Dijon, then Marseille. With a young child i would definitely stop half way, no way you can do all the driving in one day, plus you will be tired and won't enjoy it. Last Christmas we stopped in Dijon for the first time, lovely modern town, we were nicely surprised.

Depending on how many days you have, you need to allow 1.5/2 days to drive down and 1.5/2 days to drive back out of your schedule, so I would recommend a minimum stay of 7 to 10 days to be worth it from my experience.

Recommended areas after Marseille: Cassis, La Ciotat, Bandol. Other nice places carrying to the East are: Le Lavendou, Bormes les Mimosas, Port Grimaud, and famous St Tropez!

Recommended area on French Riviera: Villeuneuve Loubet, Antibes, Juan les Pins,Cannes, Nice, Monaco. If you stay in one of these towns and have a car, you can easily to do day trips to all the towns above or even take the train/bus which are inexpensive.

So many beautiful places in the South of France! Also Montpellier area and Perpignan are great. Close to the Spanish border is the pittoresque Collioure, fortified town, magnifique! ;o)

Hope these tips help you and wishing you a great trip! Now you just have to decide where to go, decision, decision... :)

Driving To South Of France

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Can you budget for a stop on the way? There are hotels called Formule 1 which are fairly cheap. There is one in Alencon which would seem to be on the way from Calais, which would be a 3 - 4 hour drive in France. You would then have a leisurely 5 - 6 hour drive the next day to your destination. If you have never stayed in one, they are very basic. I stayed in one for a weekend with my brother on a trip to France. Double bed with a single bunk on top. No ensuite, but it only cost around £25 per night for the room. Functional, but did the job.

The Spain ferries are expensive - if you and bf drive then do an overnight and take turns to drive. Splash out on a dam good seat for the toddler - she'll sleep. Channell tunnel is also cheap if you go for a night run. Get the kid happy tired before you start and she'll sleep.

i have a home in france ..near perpignon ..i drive there 6 times a year ...i drive from the midlands to the eurotunnel ..then paris ...before paris pick up bordeaux road ..turn off to orleon ..then straight down to toulouse ..left to barcelona ..turn off at carcasonne .40 kilometers south ..im home ..900 miles ..i drive it non stop ..not that you should try ..you could go to bilbao ..but its a 24 hour ferry ..then drive across france from west to east ..one tip ...do not try travelling in france in august ..its a night mare ....tell us exactly what area you intend to go to ..we can then advise a route allso how long your stopping ..and if your happy to stop in motels ..and what you are interested in doing and seeing