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travelling to - and in - France

contact details for all ferry,rail and air operators serving France from the UK here

If well planned, your journey to and from your campsite will be as much fun as being there. The best rule is to allow plenty of time: for the UK part of the drive take into account the many ways in which traffic hold-ups occur here, especially around London and major towns, especially if you are travelling between 7.30 and 9.00am, or 4.00 to 6.00pm. France can’t compete with the UK when it comes to traffic jams (with the exception of Paris, of course) but it is a very big country; much larger than the UK – this means that it takes a lot longer to get from one end to the other, so check actual mileages from ferry to destination rather than making your judgement based on a glance at the map. Break your journey as much as possible: after a long crossing you won’t enjoy eight hours of driving so if your eventual destination is a long way from the port, consider spending the first night in a cheap hotel (a chambre de famille, or family room, is a great inexpensive French tradition) if camping under canvas, or at a campsite near the port if using a caravan or motorhome.

Ferries
The crossing can be part of the holiday or part of the journey. Long crossings mean big boats, the best of which are floating palaces with cinemas, restaurants and entertainments for children – and the bigger the boat, the less it rolls! Conversely, short crossings in fast vessels get you there sooner, but are bumpier rides with more minimal facilities: some find six hours in comfort less tiring than two hours on a fast craft, others want to get there quicker – if your departure point and destination allow it, choose the one that suits you best.
You should arrive at the ferry terminal an hour before sailing. For overnight crossings, or even long daytime crossings, book a cabin so that you are rested when the French part of the journey begins. If you don’t have a cabin, first on board gets the pick of the seating when it’s crowded – another reason to arrive early, as is the fact that on-board cinemas fill up quickly. So to benefit from a merciful couple of hours without bored kids, be there first! In any event, children will exhaust the entertainment possibilities eventually so don’t leave the games, toys and books in the car. Also carry all of your travel documents with you on the ferry. Large ferries offer a choice of self-service cafés and restaurants, even the smallest will have a cafeteria – if any members of your party have special dietary requirements then take a picnic instead as the choice of food might be limited. If you have a serious problem on board, ask to speak to the Purser – he’s the boss as far as passenger services are concerned.

Driving

for route-planning, visit viamichelin.com

Everyone knows that the French drive on the right, and you’ll be acutely alert to this as you leave the ferry and drive the first few kilometres. However, most mistakes occur after a break when you’re feeling more relaxed: write a sign saying “drive on the right” and hang it on the steering wheel every time you stop. Roundabouts are initially confusing: they work just the same as ours but anti-clockwise instead of clockwise.
Please note that French speed limits are rigidly enforced (no margin for speedometer error) and offenders are zealously prosecuted so don’t even think about speeding: their blood-alcohol limit is lower than in the UK so to be safe don’t drink at all if driving.
Routes are generally well-signposted, but don’t try to do without a large scale, recent road atlas and if in doubt, stop to consult it: if you keep driving in the hope of seeing a sign you could end up a long way off your route.
Non-toll-charging major roads (Routes Nationale) offer the best view of France at speed, as they pass villages and sometimes go through towns, but for long journeys they aren’t the quickest route. Luckily French autoroutes are everything UK motorways were meant to be but aren’t: adequate for the volume of traffic that they carry and offering a rapid route between regions. Autoroutes are toll-charging: carry enough small currency to get you where you are going. En-route facilities are of a high standard: service areas (Aires de Service) every 40km offer petrol, often quite good restaurants and other facilities, and Aires de Repos are elaborate laybys which will probably be screened from the road and have picnic tables and toilets. You will have to buy petrol during normal opening hours by the way: 24 hour facilities are card operated and won’t accept UK bank cards of any kind.
Some Aires are equipped to offer overnight stops, particularly for motorhomes: these are popular with the French and some regular tourers from the UK swear by them. Our experience is that some are wonderful and some can be quite rough – choose with care; if you see a few touring motorhomes in situ they’re probably OK, and haulage lorries are a good sign – lorry drivers will know a good aire when they see one.