Just did Calais to nr Limoges on Sunday, towing a horsebox full of furniture. Pretty much of a doddle via Rouen, Chartres and Orleans. It is the new bit of N154 after Chartres that is now fully dualled and open. As others have indicated, the A28 is the relatively new motorway from Rouen to Alencon (and then on to Le Mans and Tours) Recently, I've usually gone back up to the channel ports that way, via Poitiers. Longer but quicker for me than via Orleans. If heading for Bordeaux and then Spain, it's quicker (but more expensive in tolls) than the A20. If going to Spain via Toulouse, I'd probably still use the Orleans route. I've never had much joy going via Paris itself - seem to end up lost in Versailles, or stuck on the peripherique (even on a Sunday)