Advise on a short trip to France please..

[ntel]

Mrs NTEL and I are thinking about taking a short trip to France between the 27th and 30th of December. Trouble is, we have never been there and havn't got a clue where to go, where to stay, or what to see. We would probably take the ferry from Dover to Calais on the 27th and stay overnight just outside calais somewhere. From there we would like to head southish, avoiding Paris at all costs. Could anybody suggest a nice route we could use, taking in some pleasant scenery, good motoring roads, interesting sights etc. Also any hotel suggestions would be good.

Thanks in advance guys.

Dave

[puggit]

To head South from Calais, take the A26 (autoroute des Anglais!) which heads East of Paris You'll be able to reach Riems in a few hours (home of Champagne!)

Try and book with www.speedferries.com - they operate an EasyJet booking policy and are normally cheaper then the pirate ferry companies.

Avoid CitiEurope in Calais - try and shop in the Auchan the opposite side of the Autoroute instead.

[D_Mike]

There are loads of wonderful places to visit in France - how far south do you want to go? (how much driving do you want to do?).

[alexkp]

How about spelling "Advice" properly?

[ntel]

D_Mike said:

There are loads of wonderful places to visit in France - how far south do you want to go? (how much driving do you want to do?).

Mike, probably only as far south as say ....Rennes as we would be getting the Ferry home on the 30th of December. 5 hours per day driving on the wrong side of the road would probably be enough.

[ntel]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Whoops

[D_Mike]

ah, ok - I was going to suggest Arles as I think it is really nice and in a nice area too... unfortunately it's 750km south of Paris near the south coast :/

I'm not so familiar with the northern part of France

[mybrainhurts]

Listen carefully, I will say this only once.....

Not too fast...they'll snaffle your driving licence on the spot.....


And don't forget the obligatory requisites to be carried in your car....

(1) Warning triangle

(2) White Flag

[ntel]

mybrainhurts said:

White Flag

[Tony427]

My suggestion would be

1. Get off ferry and head for Auchan supermarket.

2. Fill car with Xmas booze.

3. Return to Ferry. You should be able to accomplish this in under two hours.

4. Spend money saved by buying booze abroad on a couple of nights in a luxury hotel somewhere nice in the UK.

Cheers,
Tony

[themaskedavenger]

Get yourself a Dorling Kindersley Travel Guides you wont go far wrong with hotels, resturants or places to visit.

[ntel]

themaskedavenger said:

Get yourself a Dorling Kindersley Travel Guides you wont go far wrong with hotels, resturants or places to visit.

Good thinking batman

[Balmoral Green]

Unless you take a very late crossing, I wouldnt bother stopping at Calais for your 1st night, it would be a waste if you're only going for a few days. Put a few miles under your belt and have a target destination from a guide, or just stop when you see somewhere that looks nice. If you do end up struggling for a place to stay (unlikely) just go to the industrial/retail park area of any biggish town and find a Formula1/Campanille type travellers hotel, does the job for half the price of a Travelodge.

[wedge girl]

We went over last year for those few days and stayed here www.chateau-de-la-motte.net/uk/index.htm

Had a fantastic time.

[sparkythecat]

If your going to stay just outside Calais try Hotel du Centre in Wimereux.

An authentic family run hotel, it's comfortable, if a little basic, but very reasonable.

The restaurant is very good, serving a limited menu of regional dishes that are all very well served and presented. Sea food is especially good.

Been there twice this year already and going back there again on Friday this week on a pre-christmas shopping trip.

Wimereux is a victorian seaside town about 4 miles north of Boulogne. It's very quiet in winter and a lot of places are shut, so other than bracing walks along the short promenade, there's not a lot to see and do, but it's ideal for an overnight stop.


Find out more here or google for further reviews.

[z4monster]

How about a blast to Millau to cross the fantastic bridge that JC et al went over on Top Gear this week?
Nice area once you get past Clermont Ferrand. You could do 1 night near Paris then blast on the following day and do the bridge then stop over in Millau.

[towman]

If you want a "scenic" route to Reims, search on here for "Furball" and get the route we did last year.

[clapham993]

Would suggest heading down into Picardie - around Amiens/Albert etc. Beautiful countryside, very quiet roads and, if you're interested in the history, the almost impossibly moving memorials to the 1st World War's Western Front

[cinque]

Last weekend i stocked up the cellar.

£40 return on the shuttle thing with 3 other passengers. 1st stop Oddbins & Majestic for decent bottles (£20 +) then down to Montreuil to the WSociety shop for everyday drinking wine (£2.30-£10)

then cross country to just outside Betune to La Chartreuse du Val St Esprite (SP?) Chateau about 25 mins from Calais superb place with 'very good' food and wine.(rooms range from E115-155) Following day back up the A1 to Calais for the return.

Overall, the money saved on vino, more than payed for the short weekend away. (3 restaurants attatched to the Chateau. The Robert 2 is the gastronomic one) well recommended & im a fussy sod!

[steveherb]

ntel old chap, here's a fantastic b&b to stay in just outside Calais. We used it approx 18 months ago, since then I believe it's had an indoor swimming pool added. Its dead easy to find, you really cant miss it. Search for a thread called 'Calais - places to stay' for full details. Website for b&b is http://ferme.eglise.chez.tiscali.fr/chambres.htm
Highly recommended, I suggested it to another ph'er, dont know if they ever used it, but I have no hesitation recommending it to anyone. And no, it's not owned by relatives or friends of mine!


>> Edited by steveherb on Wednesday 30th November 09:41