I’m planning to take my MX-5 to Provence in May, making a couple of stops on the way. Reims is a definite. Any advice on another stop-over? Best route to return different from way out? Useful info to keep me and my car safe.? Many thanks.
You could come back up the western side of France, over the Millau Bridge perhaps, Rocamadour is also a great village to visit. Then perhaps hit the west coast at La Rochelle and home via Caen.
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Route Napoleon on the way down and I agree Millau on the way back
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Depends on how long you have and where you need to cross the channel.
Alsace is worth seeing.
Castles, storks, choucroute, wines…
Annecy, the Venice of Savoie.
Carcassonne, Toulouse…
Safety in France? Remember that they drive on the wrong side of the road 
but do not tell them that 
.
I guess you plan on reading a bit about the french highway code, so I won’t go into the rules here.
The country is currently almost a dictatorship, thanks to covid, so overzealous gendarmes and policiers abound; therefore, do make sure you comply with rules (you might well have to wear masks outdoors), and do carry the warning triangles, high-vis jackets, and breath analysers required in your car.
And in Provence, you might get to eat some lovely strawberries.
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Breathalyser’s are no longer needed when driving in France. They never enforced them anyway but have now drop the requirement…
once the world gets back to normal (covid restrictions gone) i would really like to do a WW1 WW2 battlefield tour drive.
starting normandy then on to the ww1 british trench’s which take in both france and belgium and whilst im in the area it would be nice to take a peak at the waterloo battle field too.
BUT i think we are still a couple of years away from things going bck to pre covid normal!
most normal people realise that covid is now endemic and its never going away but sadly it seems that goverments are way slower on the uptake than the rest of us!
Oh thanks. It has been over 2 years since I went to France.
My family still carries the tests though…
The A75 is a spectacular drive down from Clermont Ferrand with amazing views . You can take in the Millau Viaduct on the way . There is a viewing point on the northern side . It’s well worth the effort! It is also a free motorway!
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get the michelin map and look for the roads with green line down the side, presume you want to avoid motorways? some of the old RNs are good fast and empty if there is a newish motorway nearby
Thanks everyone for your responses and suggestions. Although I’m very familiar with the Provence region, my usual means of getting there is Fly/Hire. I’ve bought the Michelin map which is much better to plan a route than Google Maps. The Millau Bridge A75 looks the best possibility for the return trip. Further north we are familiar with Chartres, Evereux, Rouen, some 10 years since we last visited so it will be nice to revisit. I hope to post some pics later.
Four of us, couples, are touring the Loire valley in May. Three NC’s and one NB. Give us a wave if you see us if you drive through!
Have a look at this link for excellent routes and views. I can recommend the tool MyRouteApp having myself a subscription and I use it to plot the monthly drives for the SWM OC region for uploading into satnavs.
Col du Mont Cenis Col de la Bonette en Col de L Iseran | The largest verified route archive thanks to MyRoute-app RouteXperts](Col du Mont Cenis Col de la Bonette en Col de L Iseran | Het grootste gecontroleerde routearchief dankzij MyRoute-app RouteXperts)
Food for thought and some ideas.
THAT SOUNDS GREAT. I would have loved to go in a convoy, but I don’t think my mate in Provence would have been too happy if four car loads of us had turned up. I’ve done the Loirs and its Chateaus a couple of times. Stunning area and the weather has always been kind. Have a great time - I’ll look out for you.
Great food for thought Captain and I’ve had a look at the app from the link you sent. I don’t know whether it could justify itself as I’d already done quite a bit of work with the MICHELIN map and got a pretty good trip planned, with the tips the other guys sent me. However, I note there is a two week free trial so it might be worth running the two in tandem. Thanks for your suggestion.
Have some friends that have done the battlefield tour and also the Military Graves. They said fascinating, but very moving. Have done Normandy a few years ago. The weather was so awful we packed up early and came home. Maybe Global Warming will have improved things.
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