Sarlat to Carcassonne - via Millau?

[DoubleSix]

Hi Guys,

I will be driving Sarlat to Carcassonne as part of this year's summer hols.

Firstly, after suggestions for a scenic route as we aren't in a hurry and don't need to stick to motorways, I like to try and see the country as much as possible when driving in France...

Secondly, would a detour (D840 - D911? roads looks dull) to the Millau Viaduct be worth the extra couple of hours it would add? I've always wanted to see it but cannot judge if it's worth the effort or if my kids will just be like "Yeah great, can we go now"...

Lastly, haven't had much success finding good stop-offs for the main stretch (Calais to Sarlat). We normally try and make a stop around Tours but am yet to find a really nice place for a simple lunch and leg stretch. Not after fine dining, but also want more than a dusty baguette by the roadside.

Appreciate any input from you knowledgable lot.

Edited by DoubleSix on Wednesday 17th July 08:53

[blue_haddock]

We regularly pass it as we use the A75 down towards the Languedoc region and there is no way i'd make a 2 hour divert just to see it.

[paulwirral]

It’s ok to look at from underneath but a complete non event to drive over , Millau itself used to be nice and the road down to it was great but I did read somewhere that the town has gone downhill a bit because of the bridge .

[blue_haddock]

paulwirral said:

It’s ok to look at from underneath but a complete non event to drive over , Millau itself used to be nice and the road down to it was great but I did read somewhere that the town has gone downhill a bit because of the bridge .

We usually stop off in Millau for a break and from our limited experience it seems a nice enough town but cant compare to what it was like before the bridge as that is before our time.

[paulwirral]

Wife and I took 6 months out and travelled through France and onto southern spain 20 odd years ago or so , we stopped at millau overnight and I asked the waiter what the tall concrete pillars were for , I genuinely thought he was taking the piss when he said “ they’re for the bridge “
It was a lovely little town but even then there were concerns that the passing traffic was going to go straight over the bridge .

[Lotusgone]

We came back from Sarlat only last week. I'm not sure if you are planning on doing the whole C-S trip in one go; we split the journey over two days. Last year we stopped at the Hotel Le Boeuf Couronne in Chartres and had a very good evening meal. This year, we dropped into Issoudun (NE of Chateauroux) and had lunch at the Brasserie de la Paix - good food, sensible prices and very welcoming. Our chambre d'hote SW of Paris was very good too.

[mikef]

I did the D911 to the Viaduc de Millau this weekend. You’re right that it’s a bit boring. I can’t think of a better route though - the motorway past Toulouse must see some of the worst driving west of Mumbai

[gtidriver]

We traveled over it a few times now, and it's a great bit of Engineering, what's not great is the toilets at the information/rest area is the old hole-in-the-ground jobbie, who the hell thinks that's the way to take a st these days????

[blue_haddock]

gtidriver said:

We traveled over it a few times now, and it's a great bit of Engineering, what's not great is the toilets at the information/rest area is the old hole-in-the-ground jobbie, who the hell thinks that's the way to take a st these days????

The french obviously do!

And thats why we stop in Millau itself, there is a big supermarket and shopping centre as you drop into the town and we always use the loos there and get some lunch before carrying on down to the coast.

[littleredrooster]

We've been in-over-through and off (in knitting-speak) many times over the years, from well before the bridge was built.

The approach from the South is slightly more spectacular than that from the North, but both have a 'Wow' factor. The best view - and biggest 'Wow' is the view from underneath, it never ceases to amaze me. There's a tree-lined car park underneath which shows it off to best effect. Don't eat the cherries on the trees though, they made my mate ill!

The visitor centre/viewing area off the main route is - as has been said - very poor IMO. Tacky souvenir shop, poor toilets and a restaurant which is overpriced, limited choice and takes an age to serve food.

Millau itself is still (2022) a lovely place with loads of nice places to stay and eat. I haven't noticed any significant degradation since the bridge, but can definitely say that the town is better for not having a constant five-mile traffic jam into and out of it due to the twisting roads in and out!

[JuanCarlosFandango]

Fair detour to Millau. One problem with French motorways being so good is that there is a massive penalty for taking a detour, but if that's not such an issue I'd just cut across country through Rocamadour and Haut Languedoc. More pleasant than dramatic, and you can pick up the motorway for a spell down to Montauban if you get a bit pleasanted out.

[DoubleSix]

Thanks guys. General view seems to be not worth adding two hours for a specific detour for the bridge.

I will likely take Juan’s suggestion of a cross country drive from Sarlat to Carcasonne though…

Anyone got any shouts for good stop offs around half way between Calais and Sarlat? (I know everyone raves about the quality of French services and food in general but I think its a bit over blown and you can quite easily be eating sub par food without a bit of planning!)

Any tips for Carcasonne also welcome

[NDA]

Villeneuve-sur-Lot is probably not massively out of your way - pretty town. Albi is also worth a look.

There are some interesting towns near Carcassonne too, I was there last year.

[littleredrooster]

DoubleSix said:

Any tips for Carcasonne also welcome

We had a week in Carcasonne in June - it is now one of my favourite cities! Meals at the Longchamp restaurant (Place Carnot) were excellent and reasonably priced and the staff were lovely, too. We ended up eating there three times.

If you're going to the old city (and you must), try to arrive early before the tour buses come in at 10:30 onwards. By lunchtime, the place was absolutely heaving.

[mikef]

DoubleSix said:

Anyone got any shouts for good stop offs around half way between Calais and Sarlat?

Do you mean somewhere to eat lunch or a hotel stop?

That's a pretty long run you're proposing, I doubt you'd have time for much more than a motorway services sandwich. As an alternative route, you might want to consider going round Paris and using the free A20 autoroute past Limoges

If you're looking for a stop-off between Tours and the Dordogne, we usually use one of the modern hotels at Futuroscope at Poitiers, they are cheap and decent, and there are a number of restaurants around Futuroscope - although if you're looking for cuisine, you'd probably head into Poitiers of the evening

Did this last week on our way down to Villeneuve sur Lot for the Tour de France. I've blasted down from Calais to Villeneuve a few times, but it/'s a long day and usually arrive around 9pm after an early shuttle crossing

Another good stop-off on the way to Dordogne is Angoulême (I used to live there so have a soft spot for the town)

Edited by mikef on Thursday 18th July 09:02

[paulwirral]

mikef said:

Do you mean somewhere to eat lunch or a hotel stop?

That's a pretty long run you're proposing, I doubt you'd have time for much more than a motorway services sandwich. As an alternative route, you might want to consider going round Paris and using the free A20 autoroute past Limoges

If you're looking for a stop-off between Tours and the Dordogne, we usually use one of the modern hotels at Futuroscope at Poitiers, they are cheap and decent, and there are a number of restaurants around Futuroscope - although if you're looking for cuisine, you'd probably head into Poitiers of the evening

Did this last week on our way down to Villeneuve sur Lot for the Tour de France. I've blasted down from Calais to Villeneuve a few times, but it/'s a long day and usually arrive around 9pm after an early shuttle crossing

Another good stop-off on the way to Dordogne is Angoulême (I used to live there so have a soft spot for the town)

Edited by mikef on Thursday 18th July 09:02

It’s 8 hours from Calais to sarlat at the speed limit , I used to do it at least 6 times a year , it’s a long and boring journey so I used to do it in one hit to get it over and done with . I was usually alone which made it seem even longer .

[DoubleSix]

Yeah, it is a slog (especially when travelling from SW UK), but I like a drive and we're pretty used to it, even with the kids.

We did an overnight stop once but it felt like a waste of a day's holiday - better to push through IMO. We will be stopping at some rather nice 5 star hotels on the way back to reward ourselves for two weeks of putting up with the kids squabbling etc

However, when stopping for a terrible ham and cheese baguette at the services I have this nagging feeling there must be a little French bistro just off the motorway where an old gent and his wife are serving superb onion soup with warm bread on the side and a demi carafe du vin

Yet to find one...

[Ussrcossack]

littleredrooster said:

We had a week in Carcasonne in June - it is now one of my favourite cities! Meals at the Longchamp restaurant (Place Carnot) were excellent and reasonably priced and the staff were lovely, too. We ended up eating there three times.

If you're going to the old city (and you must), try to arrive early before the tour buses come in at 10:30 onwards. By lunchtime, the place was absolutely heaving.

I much prefer the hussle and bussle of Chez Felix on the opposite side of Place Carnot

[paulwirral]

DoubleSix said:

Yeah, it is a slog (especially when travelling from SW UK), but I like a drive and we're pretty used to it, even with the kids.

We did an overnight stop once but it felt like a waste of a day's holiday - better to push through IMO. We will be stopping at some rather nice 5 star hotels on the way back to reward ourselves for two weeks of putting up with the kids squabbling etc

However, when stopping for a terrible ham and cheese baguette at the services I have this nagging feeling there must be a little French bistro just off the motorway where an old gent and his wife are serving superb onion soup with warm bread on the side and a demi carafe du vin

Yet to find one...

I broke down once on the way down to sarlat and we were towed off the motorway and stayed in a little place called Salbris , I think , just before Vierzon . We found a hotel to stay in that had a decent restaurant , I can’t remember the name but it was on the left hand side heading back up the road .
I’m pretty sure someone on here will be able to track it down , very nice gardens and a gravel car park . This is over ten years since so it may not even be there now but it’ll be worth a look just in case .
I always used to slog it out in one go , it’s even further from the Wirral , it was always a 16 hour minimum journey , it took 20 in an old Nissan cab star tipper but needs must !

[Shy Torque]

DoubleSix said:

Thanks guys. General view seems to be not worth adding two hours for a specific detour for the bridge.

I will likely take Juan’s suggestion of a cross country drive from Sarlat to Carcasonne though…

Anyone got any shouts for good stop offs around half way between Calais and Sarlat? (I know everyone raves about the quality of French services and food in general but I think its a bit over blown and you can quite easily be eating sub par food without a bit of planning!)

Any tips for Carcasonne also welcome

We’ve had a few enjoyable summer days here while staying in Carcassonne:

https://www.grand-carcassonne-tourisme.co.uk/the-d...