Driving from Caen to Aix-en-Provence

skipbee,
Your plan sounds like fun. My thoughts are.....
1. Are you thinking 2 weeks France, I week Italy? How many total days do you envision for Normandy, how many in Aix, and how many between the two? Also, how many in Italy?
2. If you rent a car in one country and drop it in another you will incur a hefty drop-off fee (500-1000 euros). It's not like picking up in one US state and dropping in another. Returning the car to its origin is not a simple process, and you pay for it. Best to leave the car in France and take the train or fly to Italy (depending on where youy are going in Italy). Rent a car in Italy for that leg, or just use trains there.
3. We almost always drive in France. And we always use a paper Michelin maps to plan our drives. It is much easier to see the overall possibilities for the trip in one place than scrolling through a screen, even on a large desktop. We use the GPS or map systems on the car while en route, but for preplanning we like the paper map. (Plus, I trace our routes with a marker on the map and voila, a souvenir!)
4. A good source for drive times between places is ViaMichelin.com. They usually offer different options fort routes (fastest, cheapest, most scenic, etc.) I always add an hour or so to their time because they (and other websites) don't allow for gas/food/comfort stops, and on a longer drive I add two hours, just to be safe. If we get there earlier, so much the better.
5.You will need an International Driving Permit. There is no such thing as an International driving license. The permit is an accompaniment to your regular driver's license (make sure it won't expire while you are in Europe). The IDP is available at AAA for about n$20.00, You will need a photo for it. Most AAA offices can do the phot for about $8.00. (They do passport photos too.)
We hardly ever use the autoroutes (A roads.highways). The D roads are much slower but much nicer, IMO.

6. Caen to Aix is almost 1000 kilometers. Using the A roads will take about 10 hours (not counting gas stops, etc.) There are various routes you can take between them, so where to stop for a couple of overnights presents many options , depending on your route.
7. We used Avis last time (in 2023), but have used other companies as well, and never had a problem.

We find out cars through Autoeurope. They are great for comparisons and have excellent customer service. (They have an American office too.)
I hope this has helped a bit. Happy travels!

Fascinating drive. You are going to get into mountains because you cross the dormant volcanoes of the Massive Central and the national parks in this area. You absolutely need paper maps and don’t rely completely on a GPS. They can mislead you in this area. Personal experience.
For the second night Le Puy en Velay would be a much more interesting place to stop. Finally, if the departmental and national roads in the Massif Central and Cévennes become too winding and full of log trucks and tailgating locals, you can get onto a north-south autoroute. But if you study the maps closely, you’ll see that you don’t have many large east-west routes once you are into the Massif Central. Your other choice would be to spend the second night in Clermont-Ferrand or Sainte-Étienne and take the winding old autoroute down to Lyon and once you’ve gotten through Lyon, just drive the autoroute down the Rhone Valley to Aix.
The posters here who can give the most detail in this area are jolui, balso, and a gentleman who is a retired geographer. Bonne route.

one thing that your plan will do is put money back in your pocket. I did a similar route, Calais to Nice, by autoroute a few years back and the autoroute tolls were in excess of 100€ each way then.

Careful to have current maps - the old ones will have the old higher rural speed limits on it in the travel km/time table. Lots of cameras enforcing the lower limits.

I'm opposite to your wife. I love the autoroutes. Lean back, put the cruise control on 130, and relax. No hidden cameras, fewer trucks, especially on weekends, no roundabouts (I get enough of them every day at home), no speed humps, and unless Bison Futé has red or black, smooth driving. I make a long detour to drive on French autoroutes to avoid some of the western Germany autobahns, and I'm willing to pay both money and time.

Because the D and N roads in France go through or just around the cities is why I prefer the autoroutes.

To each their own.

Aix-en-Provence is a really nice place.

Just saw you will be late May.

Best to become familiar with Bison Futé. Yes, it is the crazy buffalo, it is a French play on words.

It has the official predictions for traffic throughout France, paying particular attention to school holidays and national and regional holidays, as well as traditional vacation times.

They have an annual traffic calendar (the 2025 one is current, the 2026 isn't out yet but doesn't vary much) which is colour coded by region and direction. Also up to date alterations and issues.

https://www.bison-fute.gouv.fr/previsions,10741,langen.html If it goes back into French click on the British Union Jack flag and it will go back into English.

Thanks to all! Lots to consider.

Judy, thanks for suggesting Michelin maps. I'm wondering if there's anything similar to the Thomas Guides the US has with a book of detailed maps instead of one giant foldable map? Will have to Google that.

Elizabeth, thanks for the heads up about the Massif Central. We're now thinking of heading to Lyon as you suggested then heading to Aix. Only adds about 1-1/2 hours of drive time. Easy to spread out over a few days so my wife enjoys the trip a bit more.

Nigel, the Bison Futé site sounds very promising. I checked and it look like they only forecast 4 months or so out. I'll be sure to check back in few months to check out our travel dates.

Elizabeth, thanks for the heads up about the Massif Central. We're now thinking of heading to Lyon as you suggested then heading to Aix. Only adds about 1-1/2 hours of drive time. Easy to spread out over a few days so my wife enjoys the trip a bit more.

Lyon to Aix is invariably an unpleasant drive on May weekends and holidays.
Also, you really don't need a car to visit Lyon and the main towns of the Rhone Valley. I would really take advantage of the car to visit the Massif Central; the roads aren't bad at all if you plan things right.

Day 1 can take you from Caen to Bourges (via Le Mans & Tours), you could easily stop in e.g. Chenonceau along the way.

Then, day 2 can take you from Bourges to Le Puy, you could see Chavaniac-Lafayette near Brioude (birthplace of Lafayette, with his chateau!).

Finally, day 3 would be Le Puy to Aix via Aubenas, Vallon Pont d'Arc, and the stunning rim road of the Gorges de l'Ardèche, joining the motorway in Bollène for the last stretch to Aix. This day would have the worst roads, the descent into Aubenas is steep and winding and so are, of course, the Gorges de l'Ardèche (which you can skip if you'd rather shorten the drive a bit).

If you have 4 days, even better; I'd add a night in Besse or spend two nights in Le Puy.