I will be traveling by car from Avignon to Millau and after googling suggested routes on the net, they seem to sugest the main roads to Montepellier and then back up to Millau.
I'm actually thinking of driving to Nimes and using road number D999 instead. I believe the tolls can be quite expensive and am thinking the alternative route would be a bit more scenic at the expense of extra time. Can anyone advise of any tips when pre planning routes and what I can expect to pay for toll roads.
I have the AA 2011 road map of France for reference and am also looking at this site

http://www.maplandia.com/france/lang...igan/le-vigan/

Thanks in advance

Try using the http://www.viamichelin.com site for planning... it will not only tell you the toll cost but estimate fuel costs as well.

The good news is the A75 is toll free aside from the Millau Viaduct. At least it was in 2008 when I was on it.

If you have the time, taking the D roads is a much more enjoyable way to travel. It will take you about double the time though. I prefer to use http://maps.google.com to spy out a proposed route and then use ViaMichelin to refine it... the latter will also propose hotels, restaurants and the most scenic routes.

I hope you'll have time to go north from Millau through the Gorges du Tarn... it's an amazing drive.

Have a great drive!

We drove there last fall. And I think it was still "toll free" except to go over the viaduct (which is a MUST!) and DO visit the Tourist exhibit on the other side. We also enjoyed the city of Millau, itself.

You can take D999 for part of the way, if you like.

If you have the time, go up the Gorges de l'Ardèche and then down the Gorges du Tarn to get to Millau.

The D999 is a picturesque, fairly fast and quiet road from Nimes to Le Vigan :
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=le+vig...23.25,,1,10.38


It then narrows and becomes more tortuous as it follows scenic valleys : http://maps.google.com/maps?q=le+vig...14.67,,0,-1.11

The A75 is still free, with the exception of the bridge itself.

Photos of the area : http://the-languedoc-page.com/photos

Peter

I just drove from Millau to Avignon today, mostly on the D999 which is okay but which would not have been my first choice. Actually, I went to Roquefort first to visit the cheese cellars (and saw the very last cheese of the year because ewe milk production stops at the end of June, then starts up again in November).

I was in a hurry to get to Avignon to get myself set up for the festival, but if I had not been in a hurry, I would have made a point of routing myself through the gorges of the Tarn.

Well now, kerouac, you'll just have to go through on your way home, then, n'est ce pas?

>If you have the time, go up the Gorges de l'Ardèche and then down the Gorges du Tarn to get to Millau.<

I agree.

I picked up the car in Montpellier and I'll be leaving it at Avignon-TGV, so the gorges will have to wait for my return visit another time.

Thanks for the replies, links etc.
I have three nights in Millau to explore the area, so gorges du Tarn etc are certainly on the list after arrival.
kerouac , may I ask how long your drive was from millau to Avignon using D999? The highway route through montpellier appears to be a bit over 2 hours so am thinking atleast 3 hours.

Thanks again

Hello mpprh,

just having time now to look at the links you sent, great info/photo's on the roads one will encounter.
How do you get the two dimensional photo's of the road to appear when searching google maps?

greenerpastures,

Do you mean Streetview? While using the map view pull the yellow stick figure onto the map... if a road turns blue you can drag and drop the figure onto it and you'll be able to take a 'virtual drive' along the road.

If Streetview is not available you'll see some small squares appear instead... they are user taken still photos of the area.

Rob

Yes, thats what I meant, Thanks ParisAmsterdam

GP, yes, I would estimate the drive at around 3 hours, perhaps a bit less -- or considerably more if you have the inclination to take a closer look at some of the lovely villages. For quite a bit of te way along the D999, you will have the French army to keep you on the straight and narrow, though, because the Larzac military terrain is right there, with lots of artillery ranges and a signposted promise of going straight to jail if they catch you off the road.

My wife and I were in France this Spring. We picked up our Renault Eurodrive car at the Montpellier airport (BTW, Renault's lease program is great!) and drove to Millau for the night - it's about 1.5 hours with no tolls. She's been after me forever to cross the viaduct so we took lots of pix. If you're interested, you can see photos and the town on Millau, with a brief writeup, on her blog ... www.graciamc.wordpress.com.

Thanks kerouac ,I'm leaning towards the longer scenic route on the D999 as opposed to the shorter highway trip.
nice pics mobilemc

If you go see <u>Caves of Forgotten Dreams</u>, you might decide to drive via the Gorges de l'Aveyron.