We (two couples) are traveling by rented car in France together. From Oct.17-24, 2013, we will be arriving in Marseilles for a day then heading to Aix en Provence, then up towards Orange, Lyon, Macon thru Dijon and on into Champagne. We are wondering if we need to make hotel reservations and stop in pre-planned places or can we just wing it and stop and stay where we like. We prefer the "wing it" plan but really have no idea about how available hotels will be on that drive north during that time :) This is not our whole trip, the first part starts in Barcelona where we have a place to stay and it ends in Paris where we have booked a hotel already. We are taking the train from Barcelona into Marseilles where we will pick up the car for the driving portion of our trip. Thanks for any help or advice!
Caron Stajduhar
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8293 posts
Caron, it has been a few years but we have often done what you want to do, and we never booked ahead. There are so many small hotels in "la France profonde". In particular there is a group of family-owned inns operating under the name of Logis de France (logisdefrance.com) that we always looked for in each town along the way. October is a splendid time for your trip. I envy you.
Posted by
Elk Grove, CA, USA
6898 posts
Caron, we've done the Barcelona to Paris trip via Provence, Lyon, Chamonix and Burgundy. We rented our car in Nimes. I suggest turning your car in at Dijon and taking the high-speed run into Paris. As for winging it in mid-October, you should be just fine. Carry lots of coins and cash for the tolls on the highways. On some drives, we paid 20Euros. Stay to the right for the cash lanes. If you mistakenly choose the credit card lane (like we did), the machines will not accept your U.S. "swipe" credit card. Occasionally, you find toll booths that are not staffed. Better have cash.
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
If your party is reasonably flexible, I think you should be fine traveling unfettered that time of year. You might consider the program of reserving ahead the morning of.