We're driving from le Havre to Forges St Marie or Lac d'Orient camp site leaving ferry at 8in morning. How horrendous is most direct route using via michelin and going clos to paris near Versailles? Prefer to go further round but it does add on hours.
------------- bridie
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Take the most direct route and go round the peripherique. As with all motorways, there's a chance that it will clog up (not a big chance if you avoid the rush hours) but you won't waste as much time as you would going out miles out of your way. It's certainly nothing like as bad as the North Circular or the M25.
The thing is to know which exit you're going to take and prepare yourself to exit by getting into the righthand lane (if travelling clockwise) - otherwise, stay out of the outside lane (or is it the inside, I'm much happier with left and right?) or you may be filtered off!
We returned from SE France to Le Havre, my wife driving, I 'navigating' and missed a turn and found ourselves on the Paris clockwise peripherique at 5pm on a Friday evening. Horrible - about 4 narrow lanes of traffic in a tunnel! Nearside lane so chocked with traffic we couldnt get over so missed our exit and the next took us to Arc de Triumphe (yes the very big roundabout). It was the first roundabout we had encountered in France and didn't know that those on the roundabout give way to joiners! It was mayhem!
Ended up in the Bois de Bologne in a long row of cars slowly cruising past the prostitutes. We stopped to look at a map and a man tapped on the window and asked me if I was finished with 'her' yet (easy mistake cos he didn't notice the steering wheel on the wrong side).
My poor wife didn't stop shaking for about a day; and didn't talk to me for a week.
Never again!
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we were directed off the periphique over easter as there were numberous roadworks going on in the exits. we were sent right through Paris in our motorhome, which, tbf probably set us up for life in confidence for driving anywhere(although nearly gave us a heart attack in the process!!) it was our first big trip. It does save a huge amount of time though!! just be aware that it might happen though!!!
------------- Wilsoncampers!!
Life's too short to put things off!!!
I wouldn't hesitate to go by the route you are suggesting. The périph is not as bad as some make out even with a van on the back - just know your exit, indicate in good time and go for it!!
But the via michelin recommended route isn't round the peripherique at all- it's A13 then A86 etc.etc and staying south of the perpherique. I think several of you are misleading Bridie by steering him that way much closer to the city centre.
But I agree that you need a good map reader or a good sat nav to get into the right lane well ahead. Roads swoop in and out in dizzying succession. I'd look at real time traffic web cams and see how the congestion looks at different times of day.
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The last time we went on the Peripherique was the last time we'll go on the Peripherique. It was really a nightmare, and we weren't even towing! We witnessed a nasty motorbike accident, the Pompiers and ambulances were everywhere, traffic was help up for ages, and before and after that the French drivers were ruthlessly pushing in everywhere and anywhere (including right in front of the poor biker).
Because it's so easy to find alternative routes around Paris now that the outer/and outer/outer ring roads are almost complete, we keep well clear. These days, actually, Rouen is about as near as we get!
But the via michelin recommended route isn't round the peripherique at all- it's A13 then A86 etc.etc and staying south of the perpherique. I think several of you are misleading Bridie by steering him that way much closer to the city centre.
But I agree that you need a good map reader or a good sat nav to get into the right lane well ahead. Roads swoop in and out in dizzying succession. I'd look at real time traffic web cams and see how the congestion looks at different times of day.
I apologise if you think I was directing around the périph, I wasn't meaning to.
As I said I wouldn't hesitate to use the route OP is suggesting.
I was merely also saying that I haven't personally found the périph to be that bad.
Well thank you one and all. I think the via michelin does direct much lower then the peripherique but having read out some of the replies I think we'll take a day dawdling round above Paris, as Val says, Rouen being the nearest we'll get and drop down via auto route round Rheims. We've got all day and will stop for rest and food several times and just acclimatise slowly!!
Hi Bridie - We are Lac d'Orient on 15th June for 2 weeks, staying in a static. If you not been before this a lovely campsite opposite the lake with lots of walking and cycling.
With regard to your journey from Le Havre I wouldn't know the best route but dont think I would go around Paris out of choice. Obviously for us coming from Calais the journey is very easy straight down A26 through Reims to Troyes, takes about 4 hours
We fancy a wander round Langres so hoping to stay at Lac de Liez a couple of nights. Then we're planning to go down to Coin Tranquille, Castellane site,then a week at L'Etoile d'Argens before dawdling back to Cherbourg via a few nights at end at Le Chant D'Oiseau....well that's the plan.....!!
We have been round Paris a few times on our way to and from the South of France via Dover in the last few years and can honestly say we have never had any problems though we do have sat nav which helps when you miss the turn off you are supposed to take!! I think the satnav actually takes us on the inner ring rather than the outer one but this has never proved a problem.
We did once go into Paris via a campsite coach as we were staying near and went for a day out) and did see some of the terrible traffic mentioned on here then.
For anyone going that way I would still say use it if it is the obvious route but just time things so that you are not on it in rush hour. Maybe stop for tea/breakfast just before to get your timings right if need be.
We have had many an adventure getting round Rouen though! In the days before we had satnav and did not think to download routes from the internet (if indeed you could actually do that in the 90s) we often got lost there and would spend hours trying to get out again! Yes I know there is a by pass so no idea why we kept ending up in there. We even managed to miss a ferry once due to taking a wrong turn in Rouen and then not being able to get off a long motorway! I am surprised our marrige survived the experience as there were many choice words going on in the car!
I would not worry now though but would use auto route guides and/or a satnav just to be sure.
its a bit daunting at first but its realy not that bad when travelling towards callais look for charles de gaule and going south head for orly or is it the other way round best to check on the map but if you follow the airports it seems to work its way easier than madrid now thats a challenge like all major cities best tackled in the early hours of the morning
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Topic: driving close to Paris?
