Best Route From the UK to The South of France

[@leftlifegolfsaga9105]

I live in the south of France, and am lucky enough to drive these roads quite regularly. I recommend to anyone visiting to do Classic Mercedes Hacks did and get off the autoroute and enjoy the french D roads, spectacular views, excellent road conditions and limitless options for places worth visiting

[@sugs1191]

Hey I'm from London. Is it easy to drive in France. I've always wanted to do it but a but nervous about doing it

[@Croydonjohnny]

I'm a bit nervous about it too but it looks great fun instead of the Eurostar.

[@egran2150]

france is so beautiful in any part of the country !!! we know why france remains the first world turism county for decades now !!!

[@Ulysse-xw9xo]

Quand tu sors de castellane au lieu de descendre sur grasse tourne à droite et passe par les gorges du verdon. C'est un endroit magique tu vas en prendre plein les yeux 😉

[@TravelingisFREEDOM]

This seems to be a very charming region, I hope I can visit sometime in the future when all this is over. Seeing and sharing places like this is why I love traveling and make videos so much!

[@peterdavidson3268]

Drove the Route Napolean back in 1982 (on our honeymoon) we stopped overnight in Digne - very scenic - oh and by the way, Reims is pronounced RONCE locally!

[@Arfabiscuit]

I have lived in the south of France for 10 years it's a super fascinating place to explore

[@minitune7285]

Done this so many times but the via the 'Autoroute du Soleil’ which is pure motorway and obviously best for getting down their in 11 hours+ depending on vehicle and time of year non-stop from Calais. Even did the 'run’ once with a bunch of MINI’s - Calais to Paris Bercy, eventually persuading the station master to let’s us drive our lowered MINI’s onto the AutoTrain as he refused to let his staff do it! Overnight stay in Paris then the morning flight down to Nice to collect our cars at Nice Ville rail depot. Unfortunately SNCF no longer run the AutoTrain on the grounds of cost. There has always been a plan to follow your vastly scenic route over a 3 day period also the route via Avignon, Maussane and Marseille is on the cards apparently a gastronomic delight and something to be savoured with the missus. Thanks for the great video!

[@kpopfan674]

How much did it costs you on the motorway, as France charges for the use of the motorway?

[@davidmatthews3093]

Autoroutes and motor-rail? Yawn.

[@howardatherton3889]

Many thanks for posting. Very interesting

[@brianmason9803]

Woooaaaahhhh! Pass the seasickness tablets. Could have been such a great film clip.

[@constructioneerful]

I think this is a great idea. Can I persuade you to do second version, for the journey back but with even more detail and stops?

[@classicmercedeshacks8492]

I’ll do my best!

[@MrStephen777]

Look a great route always wanted to drive on these roads

[@RaviVerma-xp4sm]

Thank you so much for very nice video, Im planning to drive my discovery suv from Ireland to continental Europe , I would like to know what to mind and navigate and your tips driving British/Irish car on otherside of the road Many thanks 😊

[@Doozifier]

most informative, thank you!

[@Mick_English]

Ty for your upload.

[@rossmurrayfam1568]

thinking of doing a route trip like this :)

[@emilys997]

Hey! I really enjoyed your video. How did you get Google maps to display your exact route?

[@classicmercedeshacks8492]

Thank you! I used a mixture of the ‘add a stop’ feature & just dragging pins around to stay on certain roads.

[@AlainNaigeon]

@Gavin Slaugenhaupt SPAM from fake account 1

[@AlainNaigeon]

@Prince Jon SPAM from fake account 2

[@natalialab666]

Can you name the lakes you have been to on that route, especially with suspension bridges. Many thanks

[@jeff30795]

Beautiful....Would I be able to drive my small motorhome through this route? 2.2m wide x 3m high? would love to experience this. thank you for the inspiration.

[@classicmercedeshacks8492]

Fundamentally, I think you'd be fine. However, the narrow section through the rocks could be worth taking another route to save the stress. Glad to inspire!

[@robincook2471]

Hi I seem to recall you did an extended version of this video, is this still online on another channel or do you still have the content?

[@bertiewooster3326]

Don't worry about the emmision zones I just put a bit of duck tape over 2 letters front and rear no problems also UK plates confuse the cameras and they won't write to the DVLA anyway.

[@willisgreate9699]

If you get arrested by the Gendarmerie with this you are in serious trouble !

[@bertiewooster3326]

@@willisgreate9699 You are joking!! the Gendarmerie don't have a clue in rural France they are all posted to the cities to control yellow vests and immigrants I know.As for getting arrested 200€ notes of which I have plenty will always clear the way to being let off.I know.

[@willisgreate9699]

@@bertiewooster3326 the Police have in charge the french cities and the Gendarmerie are meant to deal with "rural" France historically . Now do as you please with your car plates you ll have been warned ;- ))

[@bertiewooster3326]

@@willisgreate9699 Municipal police to whom you refer are really uprated traffic wardens the Gendarmerie a para army force is the hand that keeps the population under control.....if required.As for my plates don't worry because I don't or indeed care !!

[@willisgreate9699]

@@bertiewooster3326 No they are not the Municipal Police are not even allowed to check your ID or stop a car in the Traffic. If they notice something wrong they have to call the.......Gendarmerie that will proceed to the checks!

[@Manc-fh5we]

I'm considering a similar trip myself. Did you drive solo? If so how did you manage the toll payments in a right hand drive car?

[@classicmercedeshacks8492]

Thankfully I had a co-pilot for this trip, however, you'd be fine solo take your time at the toll booths. This said, if you have time to plan ahead, there is an auto-payment transponder you can buy which just automatically opens the barriers and bills you directly, looks slick, but is also a game changer for us right-hand drivers. I'll be aiming to do this drive again this year solo and I'll likely try out the transponder path.

[@cgarden23]

Are the overnight accommodations enroute expensive?

[@knowles2211]

Could this route be done in a motorhome?

[@classicmercedeshacks8492]

Depends on size, but I'd say most of it would be fine. For the sake of staying relaxed, I'd probably opt for a few main roads in places if I were driving a motorhome.

[@jshrubb]

Can you put a link on here of your route on google maps?

[@classicmercedeshacks8492]

Sorry for a slow response! There’s actually too many stops for a google map so it can’t be put into just one link. I’ll look into what I can do! If you have any questions about the detail of the route I’d be happy to answer them.

[@oliverashworth3429]

I would be interested in this as would like to do the trip next year

[@Veshremy-p5h]

I went from Watford to marsellie

[@paulthetford2004]

I think I recognise your voice. Are you a biker?

[@hollyrobertson579]

Do you come across any tolls? If so how much did they cost you?

[@classicmercedeshacks8492]

There were a lot of tolls on the trip, but most were on the autoroutes and not the scenic D roads. I think I spent somewhere in the region of £150 on tolls on the way down, however, you could pick a toll-free route. For me, it was a slightly time-sensitive visit so I opted for a few faster yet toll-heavy roads in less scenic areas.

[@daverigby23]

Reims is pronounced Rance. Yes, I know, I live in France

[@classicmercedeshacks8492]

Aha it’s good to have a solid source for this! I have heard it pronounced in so many ways and have always wondered.

[@PianoGuy954]

No, it's pronounced Rince like the verb "rincer" (rinse). I'm French.

[@daverigby23]

@@PianoGuy954 Yes, and rince is pronounced rance, just like prince is pronounced prance. I actually live in France

[@daverigby23]

@@PianoGuy954 And France is pronounced Fraahnce

[@feraudyh]

Ran as in Also Ran

[@davidstewart2694]

Do u have gpx file for this route?

[@classicmercedeshacks8492]

I don't but I really should make one

[@elizabethmcintire7885]

What was that lake called?

[@barnabywhicher5958]

There are images of a few different lakes in this Video, the lake with the bridges is Lac de Monteynard-Avignonet. The others that are also in this video are, Lac du Saulet & Lac de Castillon. Hope this helps!

[@Theactivepsychos]

I've done that route! Twice.

[@classicmercedeshacks8492]

Aha! Great to hear! The Route Napoleon is a treat isn’t it!

[@Theactivepsychos]

@@classicmercedeshacks8492 that's one of my favourite things I've done in life. Forst time I did the route was literally my first drive after passing my driving test. I passed I'm Cornwall, got the train back to London, slept, woke up and set off. It was a little different that time as I went to Calais but basically the same route. Then having fallen in love with Gap area I ended up adding another week to th3 trip and discovered the gorge du verdon proper. That place is what I think of when people ask what's your favourite place?" Absolutely love it. Have you done the West coast yet? And then cutting in across Carcassonne area. Absolute beauty.

[@classicmercedeshacks8492]

@@Theactivepsychos That is quite an impressive first drive! Yeah without doubt the most memorable areas are around Gap & Castellane! Yeah so after this trip I drove along the coast stopping a few times at various places like Antibes, Cap-d’ail, Nice, Hyères & Cassis, then carried on to Bordeaux via Toulouse, then up to La Rochelle, Nantes & Normandy. So many beautiful towns and villages in between!

[@Theactivepsychos]

@@classicmercedeshacks8492 amazing. My grandpa used to do it on his little Nissan car and I've taken the torch and now do it regularly myself. One thing about my first trip I was totally ignorant to was that it's illegal to drive in some roads in France as a freshly qualified driver. I was worri3d slightly after o found that out. The trip back was a little less bold haha. .

[@glendonhorne7196]

@@classicmercedeshacks8492 Hi, I’m considering doing your exact route in my Porsche 924S, how long did it take you out of interest? I’m thinking of allowing 2 weeks. Great vid, cheers 👍

[@Jeffybonbon]

Do I need glasses

[@Arbitrator207]

Nah, 45 minutes to Luton airport then step off in Nice!

[@liamsxa]

Route de grande alps is much nicer