Places to Go Whilst Driving in France
With the cost of holidays increasing, there has been a decrease in long haul holidays. It’s because of this that taking a car and driving around France has become so popular. But what route is the best to take? The majority of tourists only get a fortnight off work for their trip, so planning has to be made to fit into this schedule. First thing you will need to consider is what sort of holiday you want in the beautiful country, cheese regions, wine valleys or just a scenic drive. While there is some crossover (a tour of the wine regions, is home to spectacular scenery), work out the main reason for going and try to stick to the route.
Travelling on the wine route, you would travel from Paris to Lot. From Paris, the first stop is Bordeaux, the region where Bordeaux wine was first created. Therefore no trip would be complete without a trip to at least one of the wineries or cellars. From under ground in the cellars to high above, ascend the many steps of the Tower of Saint Michel for a not to be missed view. After Bordeaux, you will travel to the Dordogne, which boasts a not too shabby 1500 medieval castles. Then travel to Dordogne, where you can visit one of the castles, there are well over a thousand so you won’t be able to view them all. Visit Bergerac and sample some of the finest wines in France, the areas closeness to the Dordogne river mean the drainage is fantastic. Make sure you don’t miss the 2 statues of Cyrano de Bergerac. The final destination is the Cahors wine region which is famous for its black wine.
For the best cheeses France has to offer Travel to Aveyron and Normandy from Paris Paris is home to one of the most popular cheese in the world Brie. I am not going to mention anything else about the capital as I will be doing an article on it in the future. Then it’s off to try some Camembert in Normandy. As well as holding a lot of history, Normandy is well known for it’s food and drink. It’s famous for the birth of Calvados, Camembert, Bourssin and Brioche, quite a repertoire! Roquefort in the Aveyron department is specific to the region in the same way as Champagne of Cornish pasties. The story of the creation of Roquefort is fantastic. It states that a boy was eating his cheese in a cave he used to go to a lot, when a pretty girl passed, who he followed When he got back to the cave, mould had grown on the cheese, creating Roquefort.
I said there would be a mix. The scenic drive begins in Troyes in the Champagne region. As well as being famous for Champagne(if that is not enough for you) there are lots of fantastic architecture and museums in Troyes as well as it being a fantastic area to stock up on shopping. From Troyes, head to Dijon in Burgundy. Dijon is primarily famous for it’s mustard and Burgundy for it’s wines. The route is so picturesque, travelling down through small towns and vineyards. A short drive away, but a beautiful drive nonetheless is St Etienne. you have to visit the many historic and religious buildings in the area if you are staying here for a night or two.
While being far from a definitive list, hopefully this article has been informative of some of the more popular tourist drives.
Still haven’t decided where to go on holiday? Get ideas from our driving in France guide.
When you visit France give yourself peace of mind by travelling with a company that demonstrates a real commitment to corporate social responsibility. Look for businesses with ethical and sustainable practices, not just policies.
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