South France trip

[Footy69]

Hi, heading down to South France next week, St Tropez. . Plannnig stop midway , any recommendations. Stopping at Anneccy on return . Never drove through France before so any tips be appreciated. Calais-St Tropez-Lauterbrunnen ,Switzerland. then back to Calais. Thanks.

 

[Perfectos]

Enjoy the smooth un congested roads and lack of pot holes.

 

[sidepod]

Hi, heading down to South France next week, St Tropez. . Plannnig stop midway , any recommendations. Stopping at Anneccy on return . Never drove through France before so any tips be appreciated. Calais-St Tropez-Lauterbrunnen ,Switzerland. then back to Calais. Thanks.

Just back from the exact same trip.
We stopped at Arc en Barrois on the way down.


It all depends on how big your first stint is.
This time we were on a 9am tunnel so didn’t get too far.
Also depends on how many nights you want to stop en route. Normally we just do a quick stop so just Google a nice village off the motorway way with a bakery and pitch up for the night.

It also depends on where you cross the channel?

Been to St Trop before? If you come off the A8 at J36, add an hour for the traffic around St Max !!!
It never gets any better!

 

[RockinNRollin]

We travelled around France the other week, including staying at Annecy. The municipal site isn't brilliant - more like a car park with double size gravel spaces than a campsite. You'll be right next to your neighbours and you'll need levelling blocks unless you aren't slope-averse. It's close-ish to the town, but there's a very steep hill to tackle! No views from the site. If we returned, we'd look at the other sites I think, even if it meant having to be more inventive about getting into Annecy.

Toll roads are brilliant, but don't underestimate how far it is from the top to bottom of France - it's a big country! The Aires (service stations) on the motorways are fantastic, but pay attention to the signs telling you what facilities they have - some are literally a picnic area and toilets, they don't all have cafes (but most do). Watch out for the speed limits; motorways drop from 130km/h to 110km/h when it rains, urban areas are 50kp/h and you're looking for a place name with a red border to tell you where that speed limit starts - there's no big "30" like we get here. Speed cameras are much lower profile than the UK too - best advice is pay close attention to the speed limits and don't speed!

Enjoy it - France is a wonderful country to drive in, so much more pleasant than the UK.

 

[pluc99]

Leaving from Annecy and assuming you don't have a specific interest in visiting Geneva, you might consider the route on the southern side of Lake Geneva with interesting stops in Montreux and Gruyere on the way to Lauterbrunnen.

 

[calibusje]

France is made for campers (calforina’s of all kinds ) Use the Park4night app and you will find nice places to sleep (avoid those along payages). The roads near St. Tropez are indeed busy to very busy with long queuing at walking pace, but once you are there it is worth seeing (gendarmes de St-Tropez). Above all, enjoy the many villages and towns that you will pass and cross, unless of course you opt for pay-per-use highways. Have fun.

 

[Footy69]

Just back from the exact same trip.
We stopped at Arc en Barrois on the way down.
View attachment 125165

It all depends on how big your first stint is.
This time we were on a 9am tunnel so didn’t get too far.
Also depends on how many nights you want to stop en route. Normally we just do a quick stop so just Google a nice village off the motorway way with a bakery and pitch up for the night.

It also depends on where you cross the channel?

Been to St Trop before? If you come off the A8 at J36, add an hour for the traffic around St Max !!!
It never gets any better!

Thanks , will give this a look over. nice stop to re charge batteries for next morning.

 

[Footy69]

We travelled around France the other week, including staying at Annecy. The municipal site isn't brilliant - more like a car park with double size gravel spaces than a campsite. You'll be right next to your neighbours and you'll need levelling blocks unless you aren't slope-averse. It's close-ish to the town, but there's a very steep hill to tackle! No views from the site. If we returned, we'd look at the other sites I think, even if it meant having to be more inventive about getting into Annecy.

Toll roads are brilliant, but don't underestimate how far it is from the top to bottom of France - it's a big country! The Aires (service stations) on the motorways are fantastic, but pay attention to the signs telling you what facilities they have - some are literally a picnic area and toilets, they don't all have cafes (but most do). Watch out for the speed limits; motorways drop from 130km/h to 110km/h when it rains, urban areas are 50kp/h and you're looking for a place name with a red border to tell you where that speed limit starts - there's no big "30" like we get here. Speed cameras are much lower profile than the UK too - best advice is pay close attention to the speed limits and don't speed!

Enjoy it - France is a wonderful country to drive in, so much more pleasant than the UK.

will keep to speed limits for sure , we stopping in Annecy on way home.

 

[Footy69]

Leaving from Annecy and assuming you don't have a specific interest in visiting Geneva, you might consider the route on the southern side of Lake Geneva with interesting stops in Montreux and Gruyere on the way to Lauterbrunnen.

sound s a good plan , thanks

 

[calibusje]

You’re welcome

 

[flymartin]

Hi, heading down to South France next week, St Tropez. . Plannnig stop midway , any recommendations. Stopping at Anneccy on return . Never drove through France before so any tips be appreciated. Calais-St Tropez-Lauterbrunnen ,Switzerland. then back to Calais. Thanks.

Where are you staying in St Tropez? We are going to be touring in the Alps and thought to come down to the coast afterwards. 15 years ago we stayed at a campsite above Eze with insanely good views of the sea and Cap Ferrat, but it seems not to be there any more.

 

[sidepod]

We have been going here for 15yrs.
Love it. Easy cycle into town. Right on the beach. Dog friendly.
Bit of music from the beach bars but banned after 7-30pm.

Les Eucalyptus - Camping in Ramatuelle Plage de Pampelonne

Just 100 meters from Pampelonne beach in Ramatuelle, enjoy a magnificent eco-friendly stay at our campsite Les Eucalyptus and... Reconnect with the essentials.

www.leseucalyptus.com

 

[CaliforniaSeb]

We have been going here for 15yrs.
Love it. Easy cycle into town. Right on the beach. Dog friendly.
Bit of music from the beach bars but banned after 7-30pm.

Les Eucalyptus - Camping in Ramatuelle Plage de Pampelonne

Just 100 meters from Pampelonne beach in Ramatuelle, enjoy a magnificent eco-friendly stay at our campsite Les Eucalyptus and... Reconnect with the essentials.

www.leseucalyptus.com

Looks awful. It's on our list now.

 

[sidepod]

Looks awful. It's on our list now.

Keep it a secret. Don’t let it go outside of the internet!

 

[larrylamb]

We have been going here for 15yrs.
Love it. Easy cycle into town. Right on the beach. Dog friendly.
Bit of music from the beach bars but banned after 7-30pm.

Les Eucalyptus - Camping in Ramatuelle Plage de Pampelonne

Just 100 meters from Pampelonne beach in Ramatuelle, enjoy a magnificent eco-friendly stay at our campsite Les Eucalyptus and... Reconnect with the essentials.

www.leseucalyptus.com

*friendly post. Looks great but how do you manage the heat with your dog? Isn't it baking at the moment?

 

[Corradobrit]

Looks awful. It's on our list now.

What a dump. Stay well clear. Bookmarked so I avoid.....

 

[sidepod]

*friendly post. Looks great but how do you manage the heat with your dog? Isn't it baking at the moment?

It was perfect last week. Low 20s.
Dog is fine. He loves it. So much easier as it’s a dog friendly beach (the only one we’ve ever found in the South of France). I don’t get 5 minutes peace as he’s permanently wanting to swim!!
There is usually a nice onshore breeze too.
We have the obligatory sun shade/tent thing for him.
Back there in September.

 

[larrylamb]

It was perfect last week. Low 20s.
Dog is fine. He loves it. So much easier as it’s a dog friendly beach (the only one we’ve ever found in the South of France). I don’t get 5 minutes peace as he’s permanently wanting to swim!!
There is usually a nice onshore breeze too.
We have the obligatory sun shade/tent thing for him. View attachment 125204
Back there in September.

Man's best friend, fab. Thanks for that, i guess the beauty of the campervan is you can just move on if the weather gets intense.

 

[sidepod]

Man's best friend, fab. Thanks for that, i guess the beauty of the campervan is you can just move on if the weather gets intense.

I think , with a hound, as long as you have sea or a lake.
2022 we got stranded in Eguisheim no where near water. It was 40deg! We just couldn’t leave the shade. Constant trips to the tap to refresh cold towels to wrap him in.
In the end we had to head up into the hills.

 

[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

If you like water sports and surfing (all levels) highly recommend you stop by in Sion and check out Alaia Bay:

Home - Alaïa Bay Switzerland

alaia.ch

 

[Footy69]

France is made for campers (calforina’s of all kinds ) Use the Park4night app and you will find nice places to sleep (avoid those along payages). The roads near St. Tropez are indeed busy to very busy with long queuing at walking pace, but once you are there it is worth seeing (gendarmes de St-Tropez). Above all, enjoy the many villages and towns that you will pass and cross, unless of course you opt for pay-per-use highways. Have fun.

Love the smaller places as well, thanks for info, off on Sunday

 

[sidepod]

As a complete (and appalling contrast) to our Euro trip of the last two weeks, I’ve just been to the nearest urban post office to the village where we live.
In order to enter I had to step over a pi##ed up midget lying on the pavement grasping a vodka bottle.

Grim and hilarious all at the same time.

Get me back across that channel!!

 

[calibusje]

There are several people who appreciate the region as it is wonderfully beautiful: for example, one can follow the Route des Grandes Alpes to Menton and feast your eyes on the mighty views you will have along the way. You can visit Monaco (easy to drive in and park dirt cheap underground with the cali). Then simply follow the coastal road past Nice and Cannes and take a short detour to Grasse, definitely worth it. Then Saint-Tropez and if you want even more, continue to Gruissan. Enjoy a delicious meal at 'Le Paparazzo' there with a great beach atmosphere. There is a simple camper pitch adjacent. You will encounter so many more beautiful places along this route. I've done it several times and enjoy it every time. Sure, some places will be busy, but enjoy that too. And don't forget that your cali is a very suitable companion for this trip

 

[Julian 'Gringo' G]

We did the Saint Tropez trip a few weeks ago. Got an EnvoisTag, it was great to jump all the cue's at the toll booths, what a joy! I think Bip & Go are even cheaper (I suppose it depends on how much time you have) https://www.bipandgo.com/en/promoti...j92r35hgMV7ZBQBh3x5Qo1EAAYASAAEgL_x_D_BwEStop Half way there and back in we stopped at, the lovely town of Beaune but not in the Cali.

 

[Corradobrit]

We did the Saint Tropez trip a few weeks ago. Got an EnvoisTag, it was great to jump all the cue's at the toll booths, what a joy! I think Bip & Go are even cheaper (I suppose it depends on how much time you have) https://www.bipandgo.com/en/promoti...j92r35hgMV7ZBQBh3x5Qo1EAAYASAAEgL_x_D_BwEStop Half way there and back in we stopped at, the lovely town of Beaune but not in the Cali.

Beaune is a very pretty town. Was there last Autumn in time for the grape harvest. Discovered a great France Passion stopover nearby. It was so good I made sure to stay in the same location when I looped back around.