First family trip to France
Discussion
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
The wife, me and the kids are going over to the Limoges area for a couple of weeks this summer. We were planning to travel down to Folkestone and then Eurotunnel to Calais. Our plan is to say overnight at Rouen before travelling down via Le Mans etc to Limoges the next day.
Firstly, can anyone recommend a small, friendly hotel in Rouen? We expect to arrive there in the evening - about 6 pm.
Secondly, any thoughts on the route from Rouen down to Limoges bearing in mind that we will have three argumentative teenagers on board? Whilst we would like to get there in reasonable time on that day, we are not thrilled with the thought of it all being motorways.
Coming back we were planning to do exactly the same route, and probably stay at the same hotel in Rouen, having been told to avoid Paris.
Is this too many miles to do in two days or should we consider a second night enroute?
The wife, me and the kids are going over to the Limoges area for a couple of weeks this summer. We were planning to travel down to Folkestone and then Eurotunnel to Calais. Our plan is to say overnight at Rouen before travelling down via Le Mans etc to Limoges the next day.
Firstly, can anyone recommend a small, friendly hotel in Rouen? We expect to arrive there in the evening - about 6 pm.
Secondly, any thoughts on the route from Rouen down to Limoges bearing in mind that we will have three argumentative teenagers on board? Whilst we would like to get there in reasonable time on that day, we are not thrilled with the thought of it all being motorways.
Coming back we were planning to do exactly the same route, and probably stay at the same hotel in Rouen, having been told to avoid Paris.
Is this too many miles to do in two days or should we consider a second night enroute?
Trip from the tunnel to limoges is not a long trip,8 to 9 hours really.130klm per hour with 2 or three stops.I live 45 mins from Limoges and dont really stay over night.
If you use RN roads then of course you will be slower,but its worth using them,as you will save on tolls and fuel by going slower.In the summer i use the RN roads in my van and usually save enough money to pay for a hotel.Going slower is much nicer,but i dont have teenagers in my car anymore.
Good luck
If you use RN roads then of course you will be slower,but its worth using them,as you will save on tolls and fuel by going slower.In the summer i use the RN roads in my van and usually save enough money to pay for a hotel.Going slower is much nicer,but i dont have teenagers in my car anymore.
Good luck
Thanks for that.
It'll take us about 5 hours to reach Folkestone, which is why we planned to get through the tunnel and then stop overnight.
Having been advised to avoid Paris, we thought Rouen and then head via Le Mans etc and down that way.
Which route would you advise?
The villa is at Mainsonaise-sur-Tardoire
It'll take us about 5 hours to reach Folkestone, which is why we planned to get through the tunnel and then stop overnight.
Having been advised to avoid Paris, we thought Rouen and then head via Le Mans etc and down that way.
Which route would you advise?
The villa is at Mainsonaise-sur-Tardoire
I allways go down to Rouen then onto Le mans,Tour,Poitiers. Thats Autoroute or RN roads. When you get to Poitiers you have a couple of choices.Either get on to N10 at poitiers heading south then get of at onto the D148 towards Civray onto charroux onto pressac onto Confolens onto Etagnac at roundabout left onto n141 to St Junien then onto limoges.
another way if you are on the A10 towards poitiers get of at J29 (pay toll) then get on the N147 sign posted to limoges.(left or south) Stay on the N147 to limoges.
another way if you are on the A10 towards poitiers get of at J29 (pay toll) then get on the N147 sign posted to limoges.(left or south) Stay on the N147 to limoges.
To Edit that last post,as i now know where you are staying. Use the N148 route. When you get to the first roundabout at Confolens take the third exit onto the D951 signposted to St claud,Chasseneuil,then La Rochefoucauld into la rochefoucauld after about 3 sets of lights turn left onto the D6 signposted to Montbron.In Montbron find the D699 to Maisonnais-sur-Tardoire.
Nice area for a Holiday. Check that none of the road numbers have been changed.
Nice area for a Holiday. Check that none of the road numbers have been changed.
Have got a place SW of Limoges so driven it many times. via Paris is quickest via Rouen adds about an hour but can be done in 7 hours that way, but that assumes minimum stops.
Good tip would be to use an up to date Sat Nav if you can. Map reading arguments are never fun !!
Rouen definately worth a visit, and although I cant make a suggestion I would have thought staying in the centre is best to make the most of it, but make sure you have somewhere to park.
Personally I would add a day and go via the Loire if you have time.
Limoges implies Limousin area, if so this web site is okay for events/fetes etc:
http://www.guide2limousin.com/events_listings.asp
this has a few suggestions as well
http://uk.franceguide.com/maps/france/regions/limo...
Good tip would be to use an up to date Sat Nav if you can. Map reading arguments are never fun !!
Rouen definately worth a visit, and although I cant make a suggestion I would have thought staying in the centre is best to make the most of it, but make sure you have somewhere to park.
Personally I would add a day and go via the Loire if you have time.
Limoges implies Limousin area, if so this web site is okay for events/fetes etc:
http://www.guide2limousin.com/events_listings.asp
this has a few suggestions as well
http://uk.franceguide.com/maps/france/regions/limo...
An alternative is to get a ferry from Portsmouth to Saint Malo. That's an overnight crossing, and lands you in France at breakfast time. I can do the trip to our house (SW of Limoges again) in around 5-6 hours from there. Depends upon where you are in UK as to whether Portsmouth is quicker, and the ferry can be pricey, but compared to the extra fuel, and the cost of an overnight stop in France, there may not be much in it for you.
I can add a bit to this having a house in Toulouse and driven this route a few times.
Via Rouen is OK but seems to add about an hour to the trip and navigating around Rouen is a nightmare, the road signs are crap. With two Satnavs, a map and an iPhone map, we still missed a turning. Stayed on the outskirts of Rouen once and drove in to the city for the evening and we thought it was a bit of a dump and good place to avoid but each to their own.
We tend to stay at any of the chain hotels, there's half a dozen in France depending on how much you want to spend. Balladines, Formula 1, Campanile, Ibis, B&B, Mercure and Novotel spring to mind. Personally I've used most of them and since all I want is an evening meal and a clean bed, I tend to go for the middle of the range Campanile. Sort of around 60-70€ for a room taking three people. Have a look on the websites and look for special offers. I like Campanile especially, it's a franchise so is owned by the people running it hence every place is a little different and has it's own character. Never stayed at a bad one yet.
Another point worth thinking about is your statement re avoiding Paris. In general I'd half agree EXCEPT if you're travelling in August. If you are then I'd choose to go via Paris. Why? 'Cos August is when the Parisians go on holiday so it's empty and is a perfect time to visit the city. Last August my wife and I were driving back to UK, we'd actually stayed the night at a Campanile in Limoges funnily enough, and got to the outskirts of Paris at 11:30, just before lunch. Detoured in to the city centre, parked in a side street off the Champs Elysee and were eating lunch in a nice restaurant just down from the Arc De Triomphe at half twelve. Had a quick drive round the city, did a quick trip up the Eiffel Tower having parked virtually outside and we were on the 6 o'clock ferry from Calais. Got a lot of brownie points from SWMBO for that one though it spolied it a bit when the dog was sick from eating the moules she'd slipped him at lunch, but that's another story,
The point is, don't be scared of Paris. Just choose your time carefully, DON'T try to drive around Paris during the rush hours but most other times it's no worse than many other cities, just allow one-two hours to get round it say from Charles De Gaulle airport to south of the city round about the junction of the A10/A11 (a 58 mile section). And EVERYBODY should at some stage of their life drive round the Arc De Triomphe. You've never seen so many people with a bad neck who can't turn their heads or see any other cars. Great fun especially if you drive a bit of a wreck and don't mind too much about the odd scrape or dent. I might not do it in a Veyron though.
And if you do drive via Paris, and I'd seriously recommend it, there's a really good hotel complex one junction north of Charles De Gaulle aiport at Survilliers/Witz at junction 7 on the A1. There's just about every hotel you can think of and a Pizza Hut, Buffalo Grill (a national chain a bit like a Beefeater) and the ubiquitous McDo. Excellent location for a stop if travelling in either direction. Just about 3 hours from Calais so ideal stopping off point, but then I guess that's why they built it there.
Hope this helps.
Via Rouen is OK but seems to add about an hour to the trip and navigating around Rouen is a nightmare, the road signs are crap. With two Satnavs, a map and an iPhone map, we still missed a turning. Stayed on the outskirts of Rouen once and drove in to the city for the evening and we thought it was a bit of a dump and good place to avoid but each to their own.
We tend to stay at any of the chain hotels, there's half a dozen in France depending on how much you want to spend. Balladines, Formula 1, Campanile, Ibis, B&B, Mercure and Novotel spring to mind. Personally I've used most of them and since all I want is an evening meal and a clean bed, I tend to go for the middle of the range Campanile. Sort of around 60-70€ for a room taking three people. Have a look on the websites and look for special offers. I like Campanile especially, it's a franchise so is owned by the people running it hence every place is a little different and has it's own character. Never stayed at a bad one yet.
Another point worth thinking about is your statement re avoiding Paris. In general I'd half agree EXCEPT if you're travelling in August. If you are then I'd choose to go via Paris. Why? 'Cos August is when the Parisians go on holiday so it's empty and is a perfect time to visit the city. Last August my wife and I were driving back to UK, we'd actually stayed the night at a Campanile in Limoges funnily enough, and got to the outskirts of Paris at 11:30, just before lunch. Detoured in to the city centre, parked in a side street off the Champs Elysee and were eating lunch in a nice restaurant just down from the Arc De Triomphe at half twelve. Had a quick drive round the city, did a quick trip up the Eiffel Tower having parked virtually outside and we were on the 6 o'clock ferry from Calais. Got a lot of brownie points from SWMBO for that one though it spolied it a bit when the dog was sick from eating the moules she'd slipped him at lunch, but that's another story,
The point is, don't be scared of Paris. Just choose your time carefully, DON'T try to drive around Paris during the rush hours but most other times it's no worse than many other cities, just allow one-two hours to get round it say from Charles De Gaulle airport to south of the city round about the junction of the A10/A11 (a 58 mile section). And EVERYBODY should at some stage of their life drive round the Arc De Triomphe. You've never seen so many people with a bad neck who can't turn their heads or see any other cars. Great fun especially if you drive a bit of a wreck and don't mind too much about the odd scrape or dent. I might not do it in a Veyron though.
And if you do drive via Paris, and I'd seriously recommend it, there's a really good hotel complex one junction north of Charles De Gaulle aiport at Survilliers/Witz at junction 7 on the A1. There's just about every hotel you can think of and a Pizza Hut, Buffalo Grill (a national chain a bit like a Beefeater) and the ubiquitous McDo. Excellent location for a stop if travelling in either direction. Just about 3 hours from Calais so ideal stopping off point, but then I guess that's why they built it there.
Hope this helps.
Davel said:
Bugger!
Just too late.
We booked a couple of nights in Rouen to cover the trip each way.
May try and change the return trip to take in Paris - will see what the others think.
Cheers!
If you're staying there on the way down, just tell the hotel that you're going to visit Paris on the way back so want to cancel that stay. They'll not get upset or argue with you, you're giving them enough notice.Just too late.
We booked a couple of nights in Rouen to cover the trip each way.
May try and change the return trip to take in Paris - will see what the others think.
Cheers!
Well thanks all for the advice.
We spent one night at Rouen and whilst the old part near the cathedral is lovely, the roads aren't designed for a Range Rover and finding a car park near to the centre was a nightmare.
We ended up in an underground car park and it was bloody tight to say the least.
The sat nav was rubbish some of the time and got us lost several times over the two weeks in the Dordogne / Haute Vienne area.
We cancelled the second night stay in Rouen and drove back up round Paris, stopping over at Arras.
Driving was an absolute doddle, except for round Rouen and coming back up via Paris was no problem whatsoever.
I have to say that I was nervous about the trip but the whole experience was fantastic.
Getting on to the train couldn't have been easier and I'm really looking forward to the next time.
The worst bit was the two-mile tail back for the Dartford Tunnel this morning.
How do the people that use it regularly cope with this?
We spent one night at Rouen and whilst the old part near the cathedral is lovely, the roads aren't designed for a Range Rover and finding a car park near to the centre was a nightmare.
We ended up in an underground car park and it was bloody tight to say the least.
The sat nav was rubbish some of the time and got us lost several times over the two weeks in the Dordogne / Haute Vienne area.
We cancelled the second night stay in Rouen and drove back up round Paris, stopping over at Arras.
Driving was an absolute doddle, except for round Rouen and coming back up via Paris was no problem whatsoever.
I have to say that I was nervous about the trip but the whole experience was fantastic.
Getting on to the train couldn't have been easier and I'm really looking forward to the next time.
The worst bit was the two-mile tail back for the Dartford Tunnel this morning.
How do the people that use it regularly cope with this?
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