davidg Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 Just wondering if anybuddie on here has taken the Eurotunnel and driven in France? Thinking of doing something different next year and quite fancy driving to Disneyland Paris followed by a week or so in France. Any advice? Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2becks Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 I've never taken the tunnel but I have driven in France a few times. It's not that different really, the only time it's tricky is when the roads are quiet, your concentraition can wain and you forget which side to drive on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidg Posted July 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 (edited) I've never taken the tunnel but I have driven in France a few times. It's not that different really, the only time it's tricky is when the roads are quiet, your concentraition can wain and you forget which side to drive on! Cheers, Driven plenty of times in America and the Canaries but they were left hooker rental cars. Taking my own and haven't driven a right hand drive on the right hand side of the road though, might be tricky.. Edited July 22, 2013 by davidg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pozbaird Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 Watch out for lycra-clad fannies in yellow jerseys weaving all over the Champs Elysses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AllyM Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 Driving in France in your own car is not too bad. I live in Kent so I go across the channel pretty regularly on booze cruises etc. Coming up to a junction with no other cars around can be a bit confusing at first, but you soon get the hang of it. You should put a strip on the lights to stop the main beam blinding folk coming the other way and you need to have (legally) a visibility jacket and a warning triangle with you. You used to also need to have a spare set of bulbs but they've discontinued that, although you can be fined if you have a broken bulb. There was talk of needing a breathalyser kit too (really!) but not sure if that is enforced yet. I think it is currently the law that you need to carry one, but that there are no penalties that can be enforced if you don't . It only costs a couple of quid at shops near customs, although I've never actually bought one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isle Of Bute Saint Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 Have had five drive holidays in mainland Europe Holland, Germany, France ,Austria ,Italy, Switzerland ,Liechtenstein. Personally would miss out on the long drive south and get a ferry from ether Newcastle or Hull. The road net work in Europe is excellent going from country to country city to city. It also does not feel so tiring as everything around you is new and interesting. Best to look up the rules for driving in France and what you need to carry- Warning triangle - spare bulbs - first aid kit- breathalyser kit these are just some of the items you have to carry by law. You will also need to tape up or adjust your head lights for driving in Europe .Driving on the other side of the road is not hard just make sure you use your wing mirrors. Have also found drivers on mainland Europe polite Take it you have young ones ? Done drive any longer than 5 hours another reason for taking the ferry. It's a personal choice we much prefer not to book stop overs rather stop and stay when we feel like it which also gives you the option of staying in a place longer. This type of holiday for me beats sitting on a burning sandy beach , would rather be in the Alps with it's breathtaking scenery and fresh air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidg Posted July 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 (edited) Long drive doesn't bother me bud, drive a lot with work. Planning on driving through the night to get the 6 am train across the channel. Only around 7 hours drive through night. Midnight train on the return. Yeh, my son will be 4&1/2 so we're doing 4 nights at Disney Paris. Then see where it takes us after that. Any nice places in the north of France?? Edited July 22, 2013 by davidg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluto Posted July 22, 2013 Report Share Posted July 22, 2013 As noted above, get the things they say you need to carry, including the breathalyser. I f you stop/are stopped and don't have those things it WILL be costly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KennyS Posted July 23, 2013 Report Share Posted July 23, 2013 Have driven to Paris a few times as well as west coast and down to Pyrenees. My French mate advised taking A16 to Paris rather A1 as it's seemingly not as busy /crazy. Whatever way you go be prepared to pay for the toll roads. If you've got time the you may seek out the smaller roads but it's a big place and you'll find yourself looking for the motorways at some point. Never been but plan to visit http://www.parcasterix.fr/en/home at some point as well as revisit to Disney parks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salmonbuddie Posted July 23, 2013 Report Share Posted July 23, 2013 I've driven through France three times, and driven to and from Normandy, Brittany & Haute-Veinne (in the middle) but always crossed by ferry, evenly split between overnighters and Dover-Calais. Paying the motorway tolls is worth it (unless you've got the time and you're planning to take a leisurely drive), the motorway network is very good. If you're going to Paris, Normandy is accesible and not outrageously far away. Rouen is worth a visit, iirc it was the home of the Cluniac monks who founded Paisley Abbey and Rouen Cathedral and the Abbey share some structural similarities. Not too interesting for a 4 year old, mind, but the town centre's well worth a wander. When we went to Normandy the first time we visited Wiliam the Conqueror's castle in Caen and my son (aged 11 at the time) spent a few hours outdoors in the castle with a supervised group, none of whom spoke English (although the supervisors did). He built a model car from all sorts of rubbish - he loved it, and it gave us time to have a wander. Apart from the castle, there's not too much to see in Caen itself, it was heavily damaged in WWII and rebuilt, but you're not far from some important WWII sites, and not too far from Bayeux if you fancy that. Might be a bit too far from Paris for you, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest somner9 Posted July 23, 2013 Report Share Posted July 23, 2013 Cheers, Driven plenty of times in America and the Canaries but they were left hooker rental cars. Taking my own and haven't driven a right hand drive on the right hand side of the road though, might be tricky.. Drive with complete diregard for your fellow road users, cut up old ladies, wind up truckers, run the feckin MAMILS (Middle Aged Men in Lycra) right aff the road, drive on whatever side you like, don't worry about being a bit hungover from the night before... just charge some wine down. And ignore most traffic lights/signs... People will assume you are a french guy in a uk car! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest somner9 Posted July 23, 2013 Report Share Posted July 23, 2013 Long drive doesn't bother me bud, drive a lot with work. Planning on driving through the night to get the 6 am train across the channel. Only around 7 hours drive through night. Midnight train on the return. Yeh, my son will be 4&1/2 so we're doing 4 nights at Disney Paris. Then see where it takes us after that. Any nice places in the north of France?? Borrheid..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shull Posted July 23, 2013 Report Share Posted July 23, 2013 Barrhead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TPAFKATS Posted July 23, 2013 Report Share Posted July 23, 2013 Long drive doesn't bother me bud, drive a lot with work. Planning on driving through the night to get the 6 am train across the channel. Only around 7 hours drive through night. Midnight train on the return. Yeh, my son will be 4&1/2 so we're doing 4 nights at Disney Paris. Then see where it takes us after that. Any nice places in the north of France?? Were they not talking of starting up the motorail again - would that be an option to get to eurostar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oaksoft Posted July 23, 2013 Report Share Posted July 23, 2013 Cheers, Driven plenty of times in America and the Canaries but they were left hooker rental cars. Taking my own and haven't driven a right hand drive on the right hand side of the road though, might be tricky.. Actually I did this when I was 21 and again 12 years ago. You'll find you take to it very easily. You'll feel weirdly alert and will probably drive more safely than you normally do. I loved driving out there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest somner9 Posted July 24, 2013 Report Share Posted July 24, 2013 I learned to drive in Germany, so for a few years after returning to these shores I could be susceptible to questioning if I was on the right (correct) side of the road on an early morning. P.s. it was usually the insane flashing of headlights/honking of horns by traffic coming at me on motorways that helped overcome it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stlucifer Posted July 24, 2013 Report Share Posted July 24, 2013 I learned to drive in Germany, so for a few years after returning to these shores I could be susceptible to questioning if I was on the right (correct) side of the road on an early morning. P.s. it was usually the insane flashing of headlights/honking of horns by traffic coming at me on motorways that helped overcome it. I know what you mean. All those idiots on the wrong side of the road gets to me too!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herbie Posted July 24, 2013 Report Share Posted July 24, 2013 I've always found it much easier driving your own car on the continent. You don't need to worry about the gear stick being on the wrong side etc, so you can concentrate more on the road. Done it a few times and I've always enjoyed it (apart from that feckin mental square roundabout in the middle of Paris). Just make sure you get the stuff mentioned above and you'll be fine. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingscot Posted July 24, 2013 Report Share Posted July 24, 2013 People will assume you are a french guy in a uk car! Parisian more likely! Used to be that a car with a 75 in the registration was from Paris, and therefore the rest of France assumed he couldn't drive. Actually, I've driven in right hand drive cars through France, Germany, Switzerland and others. It's easy on Motorways however cities can be intimidating/stressful (France more so than the others). Metz and Amiens were interesting experiences to say the least- as for Paris I'd say forget it! Couple of things I noticed were overtaking on a single carriageway if you are stuck behind a tractor or something is tricky. 2nd is roundabouts, the vision is more obstructed as you are on the wrong side and are looking across the passenger seat. I guess this depends on the car but some roundabouts were tricky angles. France is easy to drive through and very quick on the autoroutes as they are tolled and empty really. Don't go attracting the police attention doing silly speeds on them through unless you have plenty of Euros to spare. They love to sit on the A16 and A26 and clock the rosbifs rushing for the ferry/train. Get a good sat-nav too. Vital if you head into a city centre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoogy1 Posted July 24, 2013 Report Share Posted July 24, 2013 Just wondering if anybuddie on here has taken the Eurotunnel and driven in France? Thinking of doing something different next year and quite fancy driving to Disneyland Paris followed by a week or so in France. Any advice? Cheers. Tunnels good and the roads are nice and smooth. Too many tolls and don't drive at night if you can help it they all drive with full beams on. And Paris is a pain in the star too drive in or around. Hope I've helped Sent from my HTC Wildfire using Black & White Army mobile app Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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