East - West driving route advice please

[Pierre ZFP]

I reckon this it technically the correct heading as I will be starting outside of France - just, Luxembourg to be precise, around 20Km from the border.

I'm thinking of a week or 2 hols on the Atlantic coast down near Biarritz.  It seems to me that the French autoroutes are very good north/south but east/west is not so well served.

If I plug Luxembourg to Biarritz into Google Maps it gives me a route via Paris of some 1,170 Kms (Gosh France is a big country isn't it) but I don't want to go via Paris if I can help it.  An alternative is to head south to Dijon then across to Clermont-Ferrand then to Bordeaux and down to Biarritz.  About 40Kms longer but much more driving on 'A' roads, not autoroute.

Any views on which way to go based on personal experiance please?

 

[andyh4]

Can only help with the first bit Pierre as far as Dijon.

 

You're probably aware that this bit of motorway has a very high density of fixed speed cameras.  It is also well policed by les flics.  I have a lot of sympathy with these guys, having to stand on an over-bridge or by the side of the road all day in the baking sun or howling wind - which is why they tend to shelter in bushes or behind the crash barrier.  This is definitely a stretch of road to put the cruise control on.  I reckon on a minimum 2 mobile controls per journey - and almost always well hidden as suggested above.

 

I am sure there is nothing racist about it, but I do see a lot of NL, L, B and D registered cars pulled over.  The locals I am sure just know what goes on and stick to the speed limits.[;-)]

[Pierre ZFP]

Yes you're absolutely right about the speed controls, something had to be done as that stretch of autoroute was a real crash-fest. Now if only there were a way of getting the motorcyclists to follow the rules too.

On the odd occasion I've been down that way I always set my speed to 1 or 2 Km/h below the limit (by GPS) and turn on cruise control.

The part of my planned trip that concerns me is between Dijon and Clermont-Ferrand which looks to be about 300Kms on minor roads.

Perhaps I'll go via Paris after all [:(]

 

[Cerise]

Pierre - go to my favourite site www.viamichelin.fr and look for your route.  Shortest route gives only 807 km Luxembourg to Biarritz (saves a bit of mileage) or there is the route découverte which will take 15 hours (overnight stop somewhere?) but goes the "pretty" way.  Alternatively, you can put in your own towns for étapes and it will find the wat for you.

Bonne route

[Pierre ZFP]

Hmmm. I tried that and it gave the same route as Google but Michelin says 1121Kms not 807.  Even selecting 'shortest route' gives 1046Km but as you say, 15 hours.  How do you get 807Kms?

[Cerise]

Don't know[:$][:$]   Honestly - it said that, now it has changed!!

[Maricopa]

[quote user="Cerise"]Don't know[:$][:$]   Honestly - it said that, now it has changed!![/quote]

Did you have it set to miles first?