Avoiding tolls but not sacrificing much time in France?
Discussion
Afternoon all, we're taking out MH to Catalunya this summer, via the Millau Viaduct and Andorra, I'm planning to do Euro Tunnel to Millau in a day, is there any routes that won't hurt time too much, but save me some money on tolls please? For reference our MH is 7.3m long, 3.3m high and 2.3m wide, I don't ideally want to be going through any tiny villages after some terrible directions from a local in Finale Ligure Italy last year.
Thanks for any responses.
Aaron
Thanks for any responses.
Aaron
Wow! That's ambitious driving plan. I've always tended to head SW from Calais towards Lourdes and head down the country via Tours & Bordeaux so don't have any recommendations, unfortunately. But a quick look at Google Maps suggested with tolls you're looking at 9.5hrs driving time and without around 3hrs longer.
I like to think of myself as a seasoned driver but would always tend to break up the journey to Lourdes with an overnight half way and would tend to draw the line at 12hrs on the very easiest of motorway journeys. I'm not sure how advisable it is to spend 12hrs behind the wheel heading through towns & villages.
Good luck and hope someone can be along with some help rather than caution!
Sounds like a fab trip BTW. I'm heading to Loire Valley, sadly in the car this year as we've not yet sorted the 5th seat out for my newest Son so missing out on a bit of French motorhoming, so will have to live vicariously through you and others this year!
I like to think of myself as a seasoned driver but would always tend to break up the journey to Lourdes with an overnight half way and would tend to draw the line at 12hrs on the very easiest of motorway journeys. I'm not sure how advisable it is to spend 12hrs behind the wheel heading through towns & villages.
Good luck and hope someone can be along with some help rather than caution!
Sounds like a fab trip BTW. I'm heading to Loire Valley, sadly in the car this year as we've not yet sorted the 5th seat out for my newest Son so missing out on a bit of French motorhoming, so will have to live vicariously through you and others this year!
I did Calais to Bedoin (Provence) last year avoiding toll roads in car with an 11 year old and a dog . Even with 2 night stops en-route at Tours and Lyon it took a long time ha ha! Some beautiful, quiet roads and lots of nice villages and scenery admittedly, but it was slooooooooow going!
Via Michelin should be a be able to plot you a route using route nationals and the free auto routes, it will add on say 4 hours.
Given the size of the MH id be tempted to stay on the main Autoroutes and therefore away from all unnecessary roundabouts and whatnots on the RN's.
Moulins is a nice stop if you're tempted a bit further up.
Given the size of the MH id be tempted to stay on the main Autoroutes and therefore away from all unnecessary roundabouts and whatnots on the RN's.
Moulins is a nice stop if you're tempted a bit further up.
I too would advise caution.
I've actually done similar going from Calais to Monaco avoiding tolls, I found it quite exhausting. The main roads were okay, but dealing with constant speed limit changes around villages, "priorite a droite", tractors, road closures, narrow roads and so on is a very different prospect to sitting on the motorway and stopping at the odd tollbooth.
Tolls cost a fair bit but IMO it's totally worth it for your sanity.
I've actually done similar going from Calais to Monaco avoiding tolls, I found it quite exhausting. The main roads were okay, but dealing with constant speed limit changes around villages, "priorite a droite", tractors, road closures, narrow roads and so on is a very different prospect to sitting on the motorway and stopping at the odd tollbooth.
Tolls cost a fair bit but IMO it's totally worth it for your sanity.
We often do Calais to Argeles over two days doing mainly non tolls but that includes us doing Shropshire to Dover in the early hours of the first day.
We usually head down towards Rouen avoiding tolls and dont find going through the villages a bother at all. after rouen we pay a couple of cheap tolls that are literally like a couple of euros each and then stop overnight somewhere around vierzon, Bourges or Nevers.
I think trying to get down to millau in one day in a motorhome would be a hell of a day but it depends on how far your going into catalunya the next day i guess.
We usually head down towards Rouen avoiding tolls and dont find going through the villages a bother at all. after rouen we pay a couple of cheap tolls that are literally like a couple of euros each and then stop overnight somewhere around vierzon, Bourges or Nevers.
I think trying to get down to millau in one day in a motorhome would be a hell of a day but it depends on how far your going into catalunya the next day i guess.
missing the VR6 said:
It'll be a long day and 12 hours is what I had in mind,
I think you'd do well to do that even on the Autoroutes that time of year. We do fairly regular road trips, but limit ourselves the the odd eight hour driving day, to include pit stops. Even that can feel a chore towards the end. (Mind, we are fossils)missing the VR6 said:
Afternoon all, we're taking out MH to Catalunya this summer, via the Millau Viaduct and Andorra, I'm planning to do Euro Tunnel to Millau in a day, is there any routes that won't hurt time too much, but save me some money on tolls please? For reference our MH is 7.3m long, 3.3m high and 2.3m wide, I don't ideally want to be going through any tiny villages after some terrible directions from a local in Finale Ligure Italy last year.
Thanks for any responses.
Aaron
Best route is that.Thanks for any responses.
Aaron
A75
Gentlemans highway
2 sMoKiN bArReLs said:
Euro tunnel to Millau in a day on the Autoroutes in summer is a massive journey! I can't begin to think how long it'd take off piste.
Sounds like a great trip, but that's one heck of a first leg
Sounds like a great trip, but that's one heck of a first leg
A75 for Motorhomes is good.
I wouldnt want to pay tolls, for a speed 120/130km I couldnt use.
Millau is best route.
Done it many times.
missing the VR6 said:
Google maps seems to be taking me to the A75 to finish the trip, from A71 and some other A's I can't remember.
We take that route in my car.. (not MH) tolls to the A75 were about 45 euro last time we went that way (to a75), (including the tunnel under Paris, which granted you won’t be able to use), lovely road though the old volcanoes.Many years ago I drove from Calais to the Dordogne with a caravan, (had an overnight stop).
On the orders of my thankfully now EX wife, we went on the RN's to save the autoroute tolls. It was slow then but with all the cameras, roundabouts etc I think it would be worse now, bad enough in a car.
The fact that a lot of French villages seem to be in a hollow, meant lots of slowing down and accelerating often up hills, resulting in dreadful fuel consumption.
I think that had we used the autoroutes the toll charges would have been largely offset by the fuel saving
On the orders of my thankfully now EX wife, we went on the RN's to save the autoroute tolls. It was slow then but with all the cameras, roundabouts etc I think it would be worse now, bad enough in a car.
The fact that a lot of French villages seem to be in a hollow, meant lots of slowing down and accelerating often up hills, resulting in dreadful fuel consumption.
I think that had we used the autoroutes the toll charges would have been largely offset by the fuel saving
We have just come back from a trip in a car to Cannes using Toll Roads both ways. We have a Sanef tag which saves a hell of a lot of faffing at the toll booths and you don’t notice the cost till a month later, in our case about 120 Euros each way. We did 1 stop in France (Dijon) which is about half way from Calais to Cannes (about 800 miles in total). Driving 400 miles a day at a steady 75/80 mph is not too tiring, the worst part is the 300 in uk to Folkestone which takes about 7 hours!
I was quite surprised at overall fuel consumption in petrol car. Normal uk driving I’m getting 35 mpg but in France it was nearer 45 mpg with cruise control set at 75.
As has been said using non toll roads is not really an option if you want to cover good distances. Also the French Aires are far superior to Motorway Service Stations.
I was quite surprised at overall fuel consumption in petrol car. Normal uk driving I’m getting 35 mpg but in France it was nearer 45 mpg with cruise control set at 75.
As has been said using non toll roads is not really an option if you want to cover good distances. Also the French Aires are far superior to Motorway Service Stations.
Plus8 said:
We have just come back from a trip in a car to Cannes using Toll Roads both ways. We have a Sanef tag which saves a hell of a lot of faffing at the toll booths and you don’t notice the cost till a month later, in our case about 120 Euros each way. We did 1 stop in France (Dijon) which is about half way from Calais to Cannes (about 800 miles in total). Driving 400 miles a day at a steady 75/80 mph is not too tiring, the worst part is the 300 in uk to Folkestone which takes about 7 hours!
I was quite surprised at overall fuel consumption in petrol car. Normal uk driving I’m getting 35 mpg but in France it was nearer 45 mpg with cruise control set at 75.
As has been said using non toll roads is not really an option if you want to cover good distances. Also the French Aires are far superior to Motorway Service Stations.
Are the tolls really that much. Whilst I’ve been driving in Europe I never count the cost of the tolls or look back at my statement to see how much was spent. I was quite surprised at overall fuel consumption in petrol car. Normal uk driving I’m getting 35 mpg but in France it was nearer 45 mpg with cruise control set at 75.
As has been said using non toll roads is not really an option if you want to cover good distances. Also the French Aires are far superior to Motorway Service Stations.
To the OP, whilst lot of the N roads are quite picturesque, they are very slow going.
I'll be honest, that sounds like a horrible day 
Add on whatever your drive is to the Eurotunnel, an hours check in and the crossing, and you're looking at a potential 14+ hour day without breaks.
I would definitely break it up and stop for the night somewhere - even if it's just an aire. You could always break camp super early in the morning and still be at your destination by say 10am the following morning.
What do you gain by flogging yourself driving all day?
Self preservation!
Add on whatever your drive is to the Eurotunnel, an hours check in and the crossing, and you're looking at a potential 14+ hour day without breaks.
I would definitely break it up and stop for the night somewhere - even if it's just an aire. You could always break camp super early in the morning and still be at your destination by say 10am the following morning.
What do you gain by flogging yourself driving all day?
Self preservation!
Being over 3m in height it will push you into the class 3 toll, most Motorhome’s are class 2 ( cars are class 1). Class 3 is approx triple the class 1 charge.
I’ve heard tell that if you press the assistance button at the toll if it rings up class 3 and say you are ‘camping car’ some operators will drop it down to class 2…
I’ve heard tell that if you press the assistance button at the toll if it rings up class 3 and say you are ‘camping car’ some operators will drop it down to class 2…
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