davidman820

Hi Everybody

My wife and I are flying into Paris next week, and driving from Paris to Marseilles for a wedding.

Any suggestions about places to explore or see or stop on the way?

Thanks

ParisAmsterdam

You'll be covering almost the length of France. Much depends on how much time you have ...

StCirq

How many days do you have to do this. IMO, that's a ghastly drive if you're just using the autoroutes and don't have a week or more. Can't you just fly to Marseilles and then tool around there for a few days before the wedding?

kerouac

While the traditional A6/A7 autoroutes the normal way to go from Paris to Marseille, the A71 that goes from Orléans to Clermont Ferrand through the Massif Central is a delightful alternative that can be used part of the way -- and most of it is toll free. The Puy de Dôme and Vulcania should be seen if you go that route.

If you could use at least three days to make your trip from Paris to Marseille, that would be excellent.

If not, take the train -- driving would be a waste of time and money.

Gretchen

Wasted time on the road. Take the TGV and enjoy seeing the areas--you could stop in Provence before Marseille.

kerouac

Looks like some people here don't like the concept of road trips. I have always loved them myself. I even drove US 50 across Nevada "the loneliest road in America" and loved every bit of it.

kerouac

Actually only about 15 years ago. Does that make a difference?

Man_in_seat_61

If you have 2-3 days, do the road trip, the Puy de Dome suggestion is good. Use small roads and stop off.

No point in merely driving direct on an autoroute, that's a nightmare, acres of tarmac and traffic, not a road trip - in that case, take a train, it's faster more scenic and you experience the TGV.

dwdvagamundo

We love road trips too. I can easily see why the OP would want to make that drive and why kerouac would want to drive across Nevada. We once drove from Salt Lake City to Elko, partly to see the Bonneville Salt Flats and party to see where the highway went.

But unless Davidman comes back to tell us how long he has and what sorts of things he and his spouse like to do, we can't help much.

flanneruk

Ignore the whingers and the railway obsessives.

They've got no interest in what you want. The idea of getting a train is exceptionally odd. If you're in central Paris anyway, getting a train to Marseilles is - just - a more efficient way of getting there than the plane, but as a way of seeing France it's just as useless.

If you're not in central Paris, the ONLY ways of getting to Marseilles from CDG or Orly that make any sense are a direct flight or a several-day drive.

The whingers have one sensible point: drive straight south from an airport on the motorways and you really will be better off flying. You can, if you want, visit en route places like Chartres, the vineyards of Burgundy, many of the prettiest towns in Provence (like Avignon and Arles) and the restaurants of Lyons. But they all take time (at least hours in every case) - and the scenery from the motorways themselves is as tedious as the catering in its service areas.

You can make a few useful side-trips in three days, but I've had no problems filling a whole week on this trip - and, having done it several times, I've yet to visit the same place (except of course the better restaurants in Lyons) more than once.

But do you have the five days or so it really takes?