# First trip to France.



## justjane (Sep 7, 2010)

I wonder if anyone can give me any advice on our first trip to france. Myself and my husband are going for 5 weeks, end of July into August( I now know this is called the mad season!) We want to stay away from tourist areas and toll roads, I just cant seem to decide which route to take. I was thinking of going down eastern france across the south and back up the western coast???? Also our gas for cooking is LPG will that be a problem!! Any help would be most welcome, as I dont want to spend 5 weeks stuck in traffic,and my husband is not the most patient of men!! thanks jane and dai


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## joedenise (Jul 20, 2007)

If you've got All the Aires book (from Vicarious Books) loads of aires down eastern France. We were going to go the the South of France last year and didn't get beyond Champagne. Suggest you get to a new aire early afternoon, if you're planning on using them, as they do fill quite early.

As for the gas, we now use Gaslow so can fill up when we want. If you've got 2 large cylinders you should be OK for 5 weeks cooking and hot water only at that time of year.

Good luck and have fun.

Joe


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## DTPCHEMICALS (Jul 24, 2006)

Don`t try to do too much at once.
Take it easy and enjoy the countryside.
Toll roads can be expensive but get you a long way pretty quickly.Watch the weather forcast before you go.

Cheers

Dave p


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## hogan (Oct 31, 2006)

First L.P.G is not a problem most garages sell it.

Have a look here 
http://www.campingcar-infos.com/index1.htm 
or here 
http://www.i-campingcar.fr/accueil.htm 
For places to stay,if you have a tomtom the second site has a link to poi downloads for aires 
You could get a copy of All the Aires France. 
Have a read up on this site about aires and municipal campsites


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## The-Cookies (Nov 28, 2010)

no advice, just envy you as we can not make our trip till next year, watching with interest , enjoy yourselves .


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## justjane (Sep 7, 2010)

*thanks*

Thanks for ur quick replies. Think il go down the east take our time and see where we end up!!! Have got the aires book so will give it a good study!


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## blondy (Aug 23, 2007)

WE carry many books on sites,Airs etc, but we use the(caravan club europe 1) book most, it has over4000 sites, many municipals which we mostly use as they are the right price usually, All the best on your trip,
we always find it so relaxing in france.


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## me0wp00 (Jun 2, 2010)

take your time, chill, enjoy the local food, the life which is yes, louder and more populated in July/August and go with the flow... 8)


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## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

Avoid Paris to begin with.

Travelling in France, off the Autoroutes is a joy. Less traffic and delightful villages. My only concern is that around Lyon at that time of year, can get quite hectic with all (seemingly) of Germany. Belgium and the Netherlands trying to go south at the same time, as their holiday weeks come around.
My favourite areas are in the Massif Central, south of Clermont Ferand, the Tarn Valley and everything south of there. Or the Alpes or... heck! You will find it all for yourself if, like everyone else says, you take it easy and enjoy it all. Absorb all of the differences; the flora, fauna and food.

Oh yes and try to remember to drive on the right! :lol: :lol: :lol: 
Alan


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## Morphology (Jul 23, 2010)

hogan said:


> First L.P.G is not a problem most garages sell it.


There is a possibility that this might be misleading. Yes, garages & supermarkets sell LPG, but don't expect to be able to exchange or refill Calor Gas cylinders.

If you are only going for a few weeks and if you can carry a spare, you might not run out.

You'll find many many threads on here about the relative merits or legality (questionnable) surrounding re-fillable bottles, but what a lot of people do is buy a French cylinder once in France, and either use adapters to connect it to a UK regulator or, alternatively, buy a French regulator.

This thread is worth reading: French Gas Bottle

Morph.


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## me0wp00 (Jun 2, 2010)

you canbuy a red tank thats fibreglass, much lighter to lug


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## tony645 (Sep 26, 2010)

We are off to France as well, tunnel booked 30th july, back early september, nothing else booked, using Aires, muni`s, campsites, no routes or destinations, all ready. Taking 2 x full 11kg and will buy a french bottle and reg for the bbq when we get there. Ooops! Just checked my passport, runs out 29th August, off to the PO tomorrow order a new one, will have to pay the extra £8 odd for the checked service


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## toojo (Dec 4, 2008)

If not in a hurry stick to the D roads and you will see the real France,and they are generally in excellent condition.


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## HeatherChloe (Oct 18, 2009)

justjane said:


> Also our gas for cooking is LPG will that be a problem!!


I went on a six week trip and didn't do much of a dent to a bottle of gas.

You're not exactly going to cook 1 hour long stew every day are you?

What's wrong with French cheese and a baguette? It'll be hot (hopefully) in July and August and so you'll eat salad, meat that takes moments to cook or barbecue, and you'll no doubt eat out plenty too.

So I wouldn't worry about the gas, and even if you were to run out, it would hardly be the end of the world.

Have a fab time!


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## Drew (May 30, 2005)

"What's wrong with French cheese and a baguette?"

It adds inches to the waistline in only a few days?????

Just go and enjoy yourself, have a great time exploring the small villages and markets that are well away from the beaten track. Meet and talk to the local people in a language that everyone understands, (A big smile and hand gestures).

You will have a great time.

Drew


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## Drew (May 30, 2005)

"What's wrong with French cheese and a baguette?"

It adds inches to the waistline in only a few days?????

Just go and enjoy yourself, have a great time exploring the small villages and markets that are well away from the beaten track. Meet and talk to the local people in a language that everyone understands, (A big smile and hand gestures).

You will have a great time.

Drew


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## justjane (Sep 7, 2010)

*lpg.*

The gas bottle we have has been converted so u fill it up at a pump.just like u would if your car runs on lpg. only very small bottle though. and as for cooking stews for hours,i wouldnt put it past my husband! lol!


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## bambi2 (Oct 19, 2007)

*First trip to France*

When driving through some towns, you must be carefull and keep an eye out for vehicles approaching at a right turn, as they have the right of way 8O, you normally see a yellow triangle sign with a black line running through it as you approach the town, that tells you vehicles on your right have the right of way, this drives me nuts as in our local town even if there is a stream of traffic coming straight down the road on the left, you will get some idiot pull in front of you from the right and block you til the left hand lane clears and he/she drives off leaving you fuming at the front of a traffic jam :evil: Bambi 2


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