Routes from Calais/Dunkerque to the South of France

From Calais to Auxerre

• Stage 1 Calais or Dunkerque to Amiens Distance 96 miles 2½ hours 
  • From Calais ferry, join the free A16 motorway west for one junction, exit at 46 onto the D943 south to St Omer. From Eurotunnel, join the motorway east to junction 46. From Dunkerque, drive towards the motorway and go straight on, taking the D300 which joins the D943 as it by-passes St Omer and Arques. The aire at Arques (Aire or Campsite N50 44 48 E2 18 6 Aire take 15 vans on gravel. €4 per night, Service machine.) makes a good first night stop. It’s easier to reach from the eastern end of the by-pass and turning towards the centre. In 1½ miles turn right and follow the campsite signs.
  • Continue on the D943 for 14 miles towards Béthune and, at the roundabout just before Lillers, turn right towards the A26. At the next roundabout, exit onto the D916 to Doullens, and then the N25 to the Amiens ring road, and go clockwise.
• Stage 2 Amiens to Soissons 66 miles 1½ hours
  • Leave the ring road at J34, turn right off the slip road. At the first roundabout turn left, the left again on the D934 to Roye, At the roundabout for the A1 go straight on. In 2 miles, turn right onto the by-pass and the left onto the D934. Go through Noyon and, at Blérancourt, take the D6 to Soissons by-pass. The municipal site at Soissons is just 1Km fromthe centre. To reach it leave the D6 in Pommiers onto the D91 signed Les Hardrets. At the roundabout, turh right across river, continue to the T-junction and turn left. The campsite will be on your left.
• Stage 3 Soissons to Auxerre 140 miles 3½ hours
  • Take the D1 to Château-Thierry, go anticlockwise round the centre and past its motorhome park. Continue on the D1 to Montmirail, go straight on at town centre crossroads, past its municipal site, and right at the roundabout onto the D933. In 2 miles, turn right onto the D975 to Courgivaux, join the N4 for 3 miles the south on the D403 to Jutigny. Keep south on the D412 to Pont-sur-Yonne. Here turn left onto the D606, following the river Yonne, past Sens and Joigny to the Auxerre by-pass. Best to use the aire at Gurgy (Aire N47 51 15 E3 33 3 25 flat gravel pitches. Quiet area beside river. €7.60 inc sevice and elec. Cycle track to Auxerre )north of Auxerre, or the campsite at Vincelles (Camping Les Ceriselles N47 42 19 E3 38 3 Flat pretty site with small hedge pitches.ACSI. Cycle track to Auxerre).

Route 1 Auxerre to the Côte D’Azur

• Stage 1 Auxerre to Beaune 93 miles 2½ hours
  • Leave Auxerre on the D606 through Avallon and St Magnance where the road becomes the D906 to Saulieu and Arny-le-Duc. Leaving the town, turn left joining the D17 to Bligny-sur-Ouche and then the D970 to Beaune. Beaune has a lovely centre including the hospital founded in 1443, now an interesting museum. For the campsite, exit the one-way inner ring road north towards the A6. in 400m, turn left.
• Stage 2 Beaune to Annecy 138 miles 4 hours
  • Leave on the D970 and , at Mervans, turmn south to Louhans. Exit the town south towards A39, continue to Cuiseaux and take the D1083 to Bourg-en-Bresse. Two miles after A40 motorway junction, at the roundabout, turn left onto the bypass signed Ceyzériat. Continue to end and turn left onto the D979 to Nantua. Drive through the town and continue on the scenic D1084, to Bellegarde-sur-Valserine and then follow the signs to Annecy. At its outer bypass, turn right, follow the signs for centre and lake, and go south towards Sr Jorioz.
  •  Annecy is a lovely city, but its aire is busy, so you need luck to get in. There are several lakesidwe campsites towards St Jorioz with buses or a cycle track to the centre. From the aire at Lake Balme-de-Sillingy, there is a 1km lakeside walk to the city bus stop.
• Stage 3 Annecy to Sisteron
  • From Annecy, there are routes closer to the Italian border but passes get higher, some over 8000ft, and may not be open until mid June. Superb scenery, but slow progress, multiple hairpins, cliffside roads and right hand drive making this a demanding stretch.
  • This area is a great destination and the route passes through some stunning scenery.
  • Leave Annecy on lakeside (D1508) south to Ugine, turn right to Albertville and, at roundabout entering the town, follow signs for the motorway to avoid the centre. Join the motorway towards Grenoble and, in two miles, before the payage, exit onto the D1090, in two miles turn left across the river, then right onto the D925 to Pontchasrra and take the D523 south towards Grenoble. At Le Champ, turn right joining the free A41 motorway section for Grenoble. Shortly after junction 26 follow “Autre Directions” onto the southern by-pass and continue to the end. Go south on the A480 to junction 12 and exit for Vif, just after the tunnel, onto the D1075. This scenic road now takes you all the way to Sisteron, which is know as the gateway to the Provence region.
• Stage 4 Sisteron to Coast
  • Leave Sisteron south on the D4085. Follow signs for Digne-les-Bains through Chateuu-Arnoux-St-Auban to the n85. Just before Digne, follow the signas for Nice to take you across the river Barrême. The route now depends on your destination.
  • Nice: Turn left at Barrême onto the N202, a dramatic drive through Entrevaux. To visit Nice, stay in Cagnes-sur-Mer or Vence, a lovely hill town and use the bus.
  • Cannes: Continue from Barrême on the D4085 through Castellane to Grasse, then follow the signs.
  • Fréjus, St Tropez, Cavalaire: Contiue towards Grasse but, 17 miles after Castellaine, turn right onto the D563 to9 Fayence, then the D4 to Frejus. Continue along the coast to Ste-Maxime, Port Grimaud and Cavalaire. To visit St Tropez stay on at Port Griaud from where a ferry crosses the bay, so you arrive in style.

Route 2 Auxerre to Languedoc Coast

• Stage 1 to Vichy
  • Lerave Auxerre on the D606 to Vincelles, turn right onto the D85 and join the N151 south to Varzy. Take the D977 past Prémery to the Nevers by-pass and south on the N7 past Moulins Aire – (N46 33 31 E3 19 26) Flat Grass/Gravel for 90 vans to Varennes-sur-Allier. At The roundabout as you leave town, take the first exit, through Billy to the D67 junction. Take this road west, crossing the river and turning south. At the D1093 junction signed Clermont-Ferrand, turn left over the river, the right onto the inner ring road. Follow signs for the D906 to Thiers. Vichy – Camping de la Croix St Martin (N46 6 28 E3 26 12) Small site Grass hedges pitches
• Stage 2 Vichy to Le Puy-en-Velay
  • This stage is all D906. Leave Vichy south to Thiers, cross the motorway and contiue on a scenic riverside drive to Ambert and Le Puy-en-Velay.
  • Le Puy has unusual rocky outcrops and an interesting Cathedral. The municipal site is in a good spot by the ring road and close to the centre.
• Stage 3 Le Puy-en-Velay to Millau
  • A beautiful stage, scenic panoramas and spectacular gorge drive. Go south on the N88 through Pradelles and Mende. In the village of Balsièges, cross the river and turn right onto the D986. Descend into the Tarn Gorge to Ste-Enimie, an old stone village worth visiting. The Tarn Gorge has narrow sections, which can be busy, so care is needed. Allow plenty of time; there are many photo stops along the way. Drive west along the gorge through La Malène to Le Rozier. Then take the D907 to Aguessac and south to Millau.
  • Millau, with its viaduct motorway bridge is worth visiting. There is an aire and several campsites near the river to the east of the town.
• Stage 4 Millau to the coast
  • Leave Millau south on the D809 for 12 miles and join the A75 motorway at junction 47, toll-free all the way to the coast. The route now depends on your destination.
  • Béziers coast: Leave the motorway at junction 59 for Balaruc-les-Bains, a popular spa resort, 60 for Adge, which has aires and many campsites, and 64 for Valras-Plage with many more.
  • Narbonne coast: Leave the motorway at junction 63 taking the northern by-pass around Béziers, exit onto the D609 and D6009 to Narbonne. Follow signs for motorway junction 37 and continue on for Narbonne Plage and Gruissan.
  • Perpignan coast: Continue on the D6009 around Narbonne, past Sigean towards Perpignan. In seven miles turn left to Leucate and follow the coast roasd south.