My wife and I will be vacationing in France this summer with our 2 children ages 12 and 17. We%26#39;ll be spending a few days in Paris, then renting a car and driving to the Normandy area and then Mont St. Michel. From there we are currently planning to return to Paris (return our rental car), take an overnight train to Nice and spend a few days in that area. I%26#39;d appreciate advice and opinions on 1) driving from Paris to Nice (instead of taking the overnight train... how much fun and how memorable would the drive be?) and 2) should we have a rental car while in Nice for 3 days (vs. taking buses, taxis, tours)
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Driving from Paris to Nice can be a memorable drive, but in the summer it can get very busy, particularly as you get closer to the South of France.
The Automobile Association Route Planner website gives a total distance of nearly 1000km (600 miles) and a journey time of nearly 10 hours. However, that is based on autoroutes (I suppose the equivalent of Interstates in the US) with a high average speed and no stops, which really is not a very pleasant way to travel. Bear in mind that off the autoroute the roads are more interesting but much slower!
Having driven from the English Channel to the South of France on several occasions, to make it interesting and enjoyable I really think you have to leave at least 3 days, and preferably longer if you want to stop along the way.
Last year I drove from Zeebrugge in Belgium and stopped for 2 days in Champagne which was great. We spent time there visiting the cellars and seeing Epernay. Your kids would enjoy the underground train journeys through the cellars, for example at the Mercier Champagne House, and you no doubt would enjoy sampling the product!
Then we did a night in Burgundy, staying just outside Beaune and visiting the wine Chateaux. From there we drove down the Rhone valley to Condrieu for one night and then followed the inland route via the Alpes Maritimes through Digne, Sisteron and Grasse to Nice. The driving here is pretty spectacular.
We used autoroutes for some of the time but tried to find more interesting country roads where possible. However, we did spend several hours each day in the car.
When you arrive in Nice, you will find that in the summer, a car can be a real headache. The traffic can be very heavy and finding somewhere to park next to impossible. Last year I had pre-booked a space in a valet park and when I arrived I left the car there and only took it out twice during the ten days I spent in Nice.
Public transport along the Riviera is pretty good and not expensive. That said, again you should expect it to be crowded with tourists like yourself in summer.
Regarding driving in France, if you have not done it before you may find it a bit of an ordeal at first, especially coming from the US. Speeds on the autoroutes are pretty scary, with cars mostly cruising at 80-90mph. People in Porsches and BMWs will regularly pass you at well over that speed. Those behind will happily drive a few inches from your rear bumper and flash their lights if you don%26#39;t pull over. Mind you, the French driving pales into insignificance beside what you will see in Italy, which is the one European country in which I have sworn never ever to drive again. But then, this could be a whole string of correspondence on its own...........
Hope this is of some help. Final thought is you should specify a car with SatNav or bring one of your own.
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I don%26#39;t see the advantage of driving back to Paris. If you drop the car in Caen, you can catch a train to Paris at about 6pm that you can use to connect with the overnight to Nice.
As to Nice, therte are plenty of trains serving towns up and down the coast.
Driving routes, time estimates:
viamichelin.fr/viamichelin/…MaHomePage.htm
http://www39.mappy.com/
France rail map, schedules, tickets:
…raileurope.com/map_of_europe/france.html
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en
www.voyages-sncf.com/dynamic/_SvHomePage…
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Deramore -- Where did you stay in Beaune, if you don%26#39; t mind? Our family is driving from Paris to Provence the 2nd week in July and we are looking for a place to stay about mid-way. Any special chateaux you%26#39;d recommend, especially for our 11-year-old son?
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I totally agree with Deramore: It is nice to drive from Paris to Nice only if you can allocate a minimum of 3 days to the trip.
If you have only one day, it will be tiring and with no interest (you won%26#39;t see anything interesting from the highway). You%26#39;d better taking a plane or a train to Nice.
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Mezz%26#39;Italiana, I am not sure that the %26quot;chateaux%26quot; Deramore was talking about will be of any interest for your 11 years old, as they are wineries %26quot;chateaux%26quot; not castles!
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Hi Mezz%26#39;Italiana, we stayed at the Chateau Andre Ziltener in Chambolle-Musigny. I can%26#39;t remember who I booked it with: I think it may have been Inns of France. In any case, you can easily Google it and have a look.
It is a beautiful Chateau and evening wine tasting is included in the price. There is no restaurant but the reception staff will book you into the excellent restaurant across the road in the lovely village of the same name.
Beaune for kids should be good. There is a Dotto train tour around the town and neighbouring vineyards and I think you can do hot air balloon trips as well.
Regarding the Champagne %26quot;chateau%26quot;, yes they are not castles, more like factories! However, as I said the underground cellars are impressive and teenagers should enjoy the trip. Epernay is a pleasant, town, if a little quiet like a lot of provincial towns in France.
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Strongly urge you to take train from Paris to Nice. In Nice, use public transportation and/or taxis and walk. A car ( and parking it) in summer in Nice can be a nightmare. Wonderful walking trips to take and your children will get a sense of place
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