“Where do you stop when you drive south?” is possibly the number one question I get asked… and it’s so good to have dozens of suggestions up my sleeve. Whether you want to just enjoy a bit of luxury and switch off at a beautiful boutique hotel, or have a more adventurous stay in a tree house or glamping cabin, France has it all.
One of the best ways to make the most of the journey is to have several mini-adventures along the way, as we did in 2020 for this article in The Telegraph. Starting in Calais, we saw its incredible robotic dragon, we cruised through the golden plains of Picardy, then into the Loire Valley. Then it was into the incredible Massif Central, where we climbed a volcano. The next highlight was the amazing Millau Viaduct. And then it was down into the Languedoc. This article on the Sawday’s website details more of the brilliant accommodation we stayed in en route, and another article about the routes you can take.
In 2019, I wrote this article here Fun places on the drive south for The Guardian. When you have kids in tow like I do (and who whinge A LOT about being in the car too long, despite major investment in in-car-DVDs, iPad, puzzle books, Spotify downloads, and in times of desperation – I Spy), then stopping overnight in a treehouse or glamping cabin can be a bit of adventure. We once stayed in the brilliant Zoo La Flèche, and loved every minute.
This article from The Times rounds up the best ’boutique’ stopovers, for those with a bigger budget: Best boutique stopovers. My two favourites being the Chateau de Saint Paterne and Chateau des Briottieres , which are frankly extremely difficult to tear yourself away from. They’re owned by two brothers of the same family and there’s a brilliant story behind both places (I’ll write it up here when I get a chance) but if you do stay there, do ask Francois de Valbray to tell you how he came to own it. Both brothers, and their wives Segolène and Hedwige, are wonderful hosts.
This article was the best ‘foodie’ stopovers but the foodie element somehow got a bit lost in the headline, but it explains why many of the places are on the pricier side: Best stopovers for foodies.
And this is an older article from The Independent, but it has some useful points about making the long journey south.
There’s also this little round up I did for British Airways Six Epic French Drives
Bonne route!