What is it like for driving? Do you have to have a car ideally? I only passed my test this year and am reluctant to drive there. Although I will if I have to.

You can get some cheap ( well could last year for this ) flights for Nice and Perpignan if you don't want to risk driving the whole way.

Can i Also recomend Perpingan
My parents live in a smal Village 30 mins away and love the whole area
can I recomend carcassone ( they used this castle and town for the castle scenes in Robin Hood Prince of thieves)
If you go over into Spain vist http://www.salvador-dali.org/eng/fmuseus.htm
It's not that far from the border
Also take the time to visit Andora it does get busy BUT it is worth it to stock up on a few bargins
Hope this helps
ben

Thanks Ben, but with all these recommendations, I'm even more confused!

You can take RyanAir to both Perpingan and carcassone
Driving can be fun ( LOL)
but it's Autoroutes most of the way
BUT if you are a new driver you might have to ask your insurer if you are covered
Whichever way you go
Have fun
Ben

we drove from dover to port Grimaud in May this year- this was 1st time driving in france for me - a bit scary at first but u get used to it in no time!! We stayed at praries de la mer campsite in Port Grimaud- lovely site, great mobile home (thomson)beautiful beach, fantastic for the kids- the old village of Grimaud well worth a visit using the little train that goes from the campsite daily.Port Grimaud is beautiful espeacially at night,although the market that is held there is also great.The sunset cruise to st.tropez highly recommended!!
i recommend the drive as opposed to flying as we got to see so much more that we would have missed if we had flown.its not as daunting as it seems - if i managed it with 3 kids and a hubby who isn't so clever with giving directions!!i.m sure you can!!
we enjoyed our time there so much - im just booking up to go again next May!!
Good luck - i hope this has helped!!

oopps! i mean't We drove from calais!!

Thanks Tara. We're still deciding!

I am not sure but think you may not be allowed to drive in France I think there is a time limit and an age restriction, I passed my test late in life and know I could not drive in France on one holiday , I have done since the lats time in August this year and must say I enjoyed the quiet roads in France we drove from Zeebrugge down to the Pyrenees taking 3 days down then 2 days back to the tunnel we shared the driving and it was absolutely no hassle

Driving through France to Provence is hard work but absolutely worth it, and I say that as the sole driver, and a non-too-confident one at that. The trick is to prepare your preferred route in advance with the help of 2 websites: http://www.mappy.com or viamichelin.com. These allow you to decide on your route, avoid the worst travel hot spots and choose the places you would like to discover. Remember that in July there is a lemming-like rush of manic French drivers on the motorways. We avoid them and stick to the routes nationales. I have also learned to avoid mountain passes where said lemmings do not decrease speed.

Thanks for the tip Kilcoe!

We went to the same place as tara123... It was so good we've booked to go back again this year (August). Last year we stopped off in Valence on the way down and Reims on the way home. In our opinion the journey only adds to the interest of the holiday - but for me, I don't enjoy flying but I do enjoy driving.

There are loads of places to stop over for the night, plus there are 'AIRES' about every 10km on the motorways. These (I think the spelling is right) resemble areas of rest and most have a toilet (Ideal for kids)...

If I recall, there is less traffic on the roads on a Sunday and therefore is a good introduction to driving abroad for the first time.

John

Hi! If you are renting in France you need to have at least 1 year's driving since passing test before you can rent..no exceptions! Age limit ..there is a supplement for young drivers under the age of 25 but over 21. If you are planning a route use http://www.iti.fr and select option without autoroutes/express as this will bring up the national routes which are free and more scenic! If you are still looking for the braslia here is the website!

http://www.brasilia.fr

Bonnes vacances

Thanks all!

Luckily I have had my licence over a year now. Also, I'm over 21!!! However, it's probably going to be next year when we go as we are saving for Cuba at the mo - but I'll remember everyone's tips.

You may not be aware of the Languedoc Roussillion region, has more vineyards and loads to do. If you want some ideas of the activities have a look at my website it is free and no adverts etc. Great links to the regional tourist offices, airports etc. You can get two holidays for the price of one by poping over to Spain a short drive away.

I've been all along that Riviera coast-St Trop, Antibes, Juan les Pins,Cannes, Nice, Monaco, Grasse and yes we even took the train to from Cannes to Ventigmilia in Italy-stunning scenery around Monaco -and market day was on a friday.

Some really lovely places-just gets very crowded in August-especially that coast road -you can go along there for hours bumper to bumper.

Thinking of it brings back such happy memories-wish we were going this year.

If you are going to around Perpignon and you enjoy science/tech then drive into the mountains and take a look around the Solar Furnace at Odello. It is not expensive, the visitors centre has special English guide books and films shows (The put on the show just for us when we went, even though we could probably have understood most of the French). The area around is spectacular as well. Its a very 'James Bond film set' sort of place.

Hi,

Camping La Sirene in Argeles sur Mer, 20 kms south of Perpignan is a fantastic campsite. Great for fly-drive holidays. Fly to Girona, Perpignan or Carcassonne. I'm sur if you ask around, you will find someone who has heard of this site, it's probably the most popular one in the area. We have been holidaying in France for 10 years now & have done most areas. This is now the one that we keep going back to. It's a beautiful area with loads to do, plenty of sightseeing & also loads for the kids. if yo go around Easter time you can be at the beach in sunshine in the morning & in the snow in Andorra in the afternoon - great shopping also. Happy holiday hunting !!

My friend and I are thinking of going here - Heyres - as it has been recommended. It is near Toulon I understand. We would like to go in September but is everything still open then as I heard they start packing up the outside cafes etc, in September. If so, can anyone recommend somewhere two stay. Thanks