Travelling around France

Jim Stynes

Looking to do a bit of cycling for 4 or 5 days around either the Alps or Pyrenees next July or Early August then the wife is going to fly over and meet me to do a bit of travelling after I finish cycling.

Probably be flying into Biarritz or Toulouse for the Pyrenees or if we decide on the Alps then fly to Geneva. Plan on renting a car and taking a few weeks to head down to Nice or somewhere to make the return flight home to Ireland.

What area is best to rent a car from and make our way to somewhere like Nice for the return flight home and is it easy enough to get around? I'm sure it would be pricey but would maybe look at staying in a few AirBnb sort of places mixed in with a few hotels.
Is it easy to drive in France?
Is accommodation easy to get at that time of year?

I've been to Annecy for a day trip one time and I thought it was lovely. My wife would love it.

Would be interested in hearing if anyone has done anything similar and what advice or ideas on things to do and what places to stop at etc.

schemingbohemia

I think one-way car hire is going to add a decent cost to your trip.

Going in July will be cheaper and easier to get accommodation than in August - everyone in France goes on holiday in August. I'd fly into and out of Biarritz and maybe head to San Sebastian afterwards.

You might get more cycling related tips in that thread.

coylemj

schemingbohemia wrote: »

Going in July will be cheaper and easier to get accommodation than in August - everyone in France goes on holiday in August.

And even if they don't, bear in mind that the catholic church holidays are public holidays in France so August 15th (feast of the assumption) is a holiday and is on a Monday in 2016 so mark that down as a bank holiday weekend which means the entire country will be heading to the seaside.

Got caught out by that one a few years ago, was driving around Brittany & Normandy taking any old accommodation we could get in each town but on Aug 15th we had to head inland to Rennes to get a bed for the night, it's a university town so on a holiday in August the place was like a ghost town!

Spanish Eyes

A couple of years ago we flew into Carcassonne and drove over the Pyrenees to Puigcerda in Spain, then went to Andorra and back up through rural Cathar country to Carcassonne.

It was magnificent. Absolutely, and no hordes of tourists, mostly French. Great craic with lots of festivals and Le Rugby too! That was late June.

I wanna go back! Just thought I'd mention it since you want to go over the Pyrenees. It is totally stunning really. Andorra has many alpine like peaks too FWIW. Major ski resort in Winter....Judging by the vertigo inducing hairpin bends in Andorra and the Pyrenees, your cycle would be very enjoyable.

Everyone goes to the Alps lol. Be different!

Car pick up and drop off at Carcassonne airport but I am sure you could do car hire anywhere in that region. I think France would be best as I am not sure of the pick up in one country and drop off in another regarding price etc.

Accommodation was easy to find. Basic but the real deal if you get me!

Jim Stynes

That is a great shout as well. Something a bit different but then the wife wants to go to Annecy in the Alps.

Once I finish my cycling end of the trip I want to stop at some nice towns and chill out. Do a bit of walking about and chilling out in the sun the odd time as well. A nice restaurant and a few quiet drinks. trying to learn a bit of french at the minute as well but I am totally crap at it. Wouldnt mind trying to improve that. We are both only 30, I sound like an old man ffs.

Jim Stynes

schemingbohemia wrote: »

I think one-way car hire is going to add a decent cost to your trip.

Going in July will be cheaper and easier to get accommodation than in August - everyone in France goes on holiday in August. I'd fly into and out of Biarritz and maybe head to San Sebastian afterwards.

You might get more cycling related tips in that thread.

Never thought of this! How much more expensive? I must look at some prices etc here.

Spanish Eyes

Jim Stynes wrote: »

That is a great shout as well. Something a bit different but then the wife wants to go to Annecy in the Alps.

Once I finish my cycling end of the trip I want to stop at some nice towns and chill out. Do a bit of walking about and chilling out in the sun the odd time as well. A nice restaurant and a few quiet drinks. trying to learn a bit of french at the minute as well but I am totally crap at it. Wouldnt mind trying to improve that. We are both only 30, I sound like an old man ffs.

Ah but you said IF you go to the Alps you would go to Annecy.....:p

There was talk about Biarritz and such lol.

Anyway, check out Carcassonne and the Pyreness/Andorra on the g maps and make your choice to suit yourselves.

No matter where you go in France you will enjoy it. The French are great fun once you are friendly too and say Bonjour.

Hope you have a great trip whatever you decide to do. Sounds great either way.

Jim Stynes

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Ah but you said IF you go to the Alps you would go to Annecy.....:p

There was talk about Biarritz and such lol.

Anyway, check out Carcassonne and the Pyreness/Andorra on the g maps and make your choice to suit yourselves.

No matter where you go in France you will enjoy it. The French are great fun once you are friendly too and say Bonjour.

Hope you have a great trip whatever you decide to do. Sounds great either way.

Cheers!

You know what women are like lol! I would love to see the Pyrenees as I have been to the Alps before. Will need to get planning and saving!!

poollad

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

A couple of years ago we flew into Carcassonne and drove over the Pyrenees to Puigcerda in Spain, then went to Andorra and back up through rural Cathar country to Carcassonne.

It was magnificent. Absolutely, and no hordes of tourists, mostly French. Great craic with lots of festivals and Le Rugby too! That was late June.

I wanna go back! Just thought I'd mention it since you want to go over the Pyrenees. It is totally stunning really. Andorra has many alpine like peaks too FWIW. Major ski resort in Winter....Judging by the vertigo inducing hairpin bends in Andorra and the Pyrenees, your cycle would be very enjoyable.

Everyone goes to the Alps lol. Be different!

Car pick up and drop off at Carcassonne airport but I am sure you could do car hire anywhere in that region. I think France would be best as I am not sure of the pick up in one country and drop off in another regarding price etc.

Accommodation was easy to find. Basic but the real deal if you get me!

Hi Spanish Eyes!

I am planning a 2 week trip to France in July / August. Fly into Carcassonne and plan to drive from there down to Andorra. Andorra to Perpignon and then make my way up to Nice (fly back to Ireland from Nice).

Driving from Carcassonne to Andorra is slightly out of the way (in view of the overall route) but if it is worth seeing the Pyrenees (and other parts of the country), I'll do it. What is your view?

Also, what is the road like to drive - is it dangerous (the OH is concerned!)? Is there any particular route you would recommend?

I would appreciate any other advice and tips you could give me!!

Thanks a mill

Spanish Eyes

poollad wrote: »

Hi Spanish Eyes!

I am planning a 2 week trip to France in July / August. Fly into Carcassonne and plan to drive from there down to Andorra. Andorra to Perpignon and then make my way up to Nice (fly back to Ireland from Nice).

Driving from Carcassonne to Andorra is slightly out of the way (in view of the overall route) but if it is worth seeing the Pyrenees (and other parts of the country), I'll do it. What is your view?

Also, what is the road like to drive - is it dangerous (the OH is concerned!)? Is there any particular route you would recommend?

I would appreciate any other advice and tips you could give me!!

Thanks a mill

Hi poollad.

If you have the time in your itinerary I would recommend it highly. Such an experience. We took the following route from Carcassonne, you can obviously have a look at Google maps.

D118 from Carcassonne to Mont Louis via Quillan (Quillan is a charming spot, really gorgeous).
N116 from Mont Louis to Puigcerda (Spain). A stunning town.
N260 Puigcerda to Andorra La Vella (capital). Amazing drive through Spain to Andorra.

Bear in mind that you could always take the D33 at Saillagouse on the N116 to get into Andorra quicker by avoiding going into Spain and around that way, if that helps timewise.

At this point our itineraries change, we went back up through Foix, Mirepoix, Bram and back to Carcassonne, but you will be heading East!

There are some spectacular hairpin bends up in the Pyrenees, but once you take it slow you will be fine. Not much traffic around either which helps! To be fair my OH did most of the mountain driving and I did the straight stretches now and then! He said he enjoyed the challenge of the hairpins, and tbf, I wasn't in the least bit scared of it all, the scenery was spectacular. The roads are narrow enough but in great condition for somewhere so remote. Bring grub and drinks, there are often big stretches between villages and they shut down dead after lunchtime! But it's great to stop and have a break to look at the stunning scenery.

Given your itinerary, only you can decide if you can fit in the side trip over the Pyrenees. You will be doing a lot of driving even without this. :eek:

I hope you don't mind me saying this, but your trip is going to be over 500km without the Pyrenees. It is high Summer aswell and road traffic will probably be mental. We went early June (in my post above I said late June, but that's wrong, just after June Bank Holiday!) and it was fine traffic wise. I hope your itinerary is not too ambitious....

I wonder would you consider flying home from Marseilles instead of Nice. The area around there is amazing Aix en Provence, Nimes, Arles, Avignon. And it is a lot less expensive than the Cote d'Azur, and would give you more time to explore! Anyway, it's none of my dam business, (you probably have the plane tickets already sorted!)..... sorry if I am butting in.

I hope you have a ball.

ncmc

Jim, my husband and I spent two weeks in Annecy last year and are returning this year as we loved it so much. We went at the very end of august/start of September and it wasn’t overly busy. If you don’t have school going kids, it’s a great time to go, the weather is still warm, but it’s a lot quieter than the middle of August. If you do choose Annecy, you should price your wife flying into Lyon instead of Geneva, we found the flights a bit cheaper, but the big difference was the cost of car hire, it was hundreds cheaper than Geneva and if you’re dropping it back to Nice, you may be liable for fees for dropping in a different country. Lyon is about 90 minutes from Annecy, Geneva is about 45 minutes, so not a massive difference.

We had our baby with us, so we stayed in one spot, but we did a lot of day trips. Chamonix is a must to see Mont Blanc, and we loved Yvoire, a picture perfect town on the French side of Lac Lamen. There are loads of amazing places closer to Annecy and the cycling would be fab. There’s obviously the hilly cycles, but there is a lovely flat cycle around the lake.

It’s very easy to drive in France as long as you keep your wits about you, the French can be a bit nuts on the road so you have to prepared to stop at short notice!
As for accommodation, there is plenty of options from hotels to Airbnb, but in early August, you’re likely to be paying a premium. We booked our apartment through Homeaway and it was fab.

Jim Stynes

I have already booked places to go in Morzine, Annecy, Chamonix and Evian.
Im cycling for 5 nights in Morzine then collecting my wife and going to Annecy for 3 nights, 3 nights in Chamonix and then 4 nights in Evian. We wanted to leave Evian to the end so that we could relax before going home. Going to start looking at places to go to and things to do. I have heard of some of the places you have mentioned in your post. I can't wait, still nervous on driving in France though!!

ncmc

Sounds lovely Jim, maybe you could report back on Morzine? I'm looking for new places to visit as a day trip so interested to hear what you think. 4 days seems a long time in Evian, we carried on there the same day we went to Yvoire, felt a bit dead to me. There wasn't a huge amount going on. Would you consider going a bit further along Lac Leman to Montreux? It felt a lot more lively to me. Although I know it's a lot more expensive being on the Swiss side of the border.

You'll be fine driving around, honestly it's not that bad. It's like anywhere, once you keep your wits around you, you'll be fine. The roads are are great and it's very well signposted.

A couple of short drives I recommend near Annecy are Semnoz, which has amazing views over to Mont Blanc and Col de la Forclaz which has stunning views over Lac d'Annecy. You could try your hand at hang gliding from there if you're feeling brave!

Jim Stynes

One thing I am struggling with is finding a place to rent a car from.Geneva on the french side or maybe transport from Geneva airport to Annecy and rent a car out from there. I have also been surprised at how expensive it is to rent a car. What's transport like between Annecy, Chamonix and Evian? I will be in Morzine with mates from 12th to 17th and then meeting the wife from Geneva Airport from 17th - 27th July.

We have booked a good hotel to stay in Evian and the plan is to do very little, sunbath and go to the spa. Maybe take a drive to Montreux or even around the Lake.

ncmc

Renting a car is crazy money in Geneva, we would have paid €300 more for a people carrier for the fortnight if we'd flown to Geneva rather than Lyon. I think you can take a bus from Geneva to Annecy, but don't think there's a direct train. Bear in mind, to drive in Switzerland you need a vignette, which costs €40, if you rent a car on the Swiss side, it will come with the vignette, if you rent on the French side it won't. And you'll need it if you want to travel to Montreux, so by the time you add the cost of the vignette and your bus or train to Annecy, it might just work out as cheap to rent your car in Geneva and a lot less hassle too.

I find booking through the Aer Lingus website to be the cheapest for car hire. Even if you're not flying with them.