Someone (lost post, alas) recommended a VW diesel; how common is diesel in France? Will we find it as easily as regular gas?
From, say, Carnac to Lyon should we reserve ahead for rooms?
Any recommendations for particular places to stop, breaking up trip into about 4-5 hours a day driving?
We plan to spend 2 nights in Arromanches, 1 in Mont St Michel (both already reserved) then 5 nights up to Brest and down/over to Lyon, where we plan to drop car and take train to Milan.
All help--lodging, great but not over-the-top food--welcome.
PS I speak French.
Many thanks.
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As far as diesel is concerned... extremely common and preferable to gasoline. You%26#39;ll get better milage and the cost per liter will be less.
Look for the pump that says %26quot;gazole%26quot;. There will also be a sticker by your fuel filler cap to remind you not to put gasoline in...
Have a great trip!
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I see nobody has made any comments on your route so I%26#39;ll add one and get this back to the top...
I%26#39;d consider driving via the Loire and if you haven%26#39;t been there before seeing a couple of chateaux before either spending the night in Tours or thereabouts or pushing on to Bourges.
We have found that even in August as long as we have a cell phone and a hotel listing book or 2 we can always find a place for the night.
http://tinyurl.com/q2deez
Rob
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As mentioned, diesel or gazole are available in every gas station in France. The diesel cars these days are very good and I didn%26#39;t notice any difference compared to a gasoline-powered car.
You should be able to get rooms along your route. I had a GPS unit with me so I was able to search for hotels nearby quickly. I would then cross reference to the hotel directories I picked up earlier in the trip and called to make sure rooms were available and confirmed the rate before going there.
I agree with the Loire Valley crossover route. The area is very scenic and you can easily spend a couple of days there looking at Chateaus. Head in the direction of Tours.
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As there are very few %26quot;through%26quot; routes in Brittany, make sure you allow for plenty of driving time to get to and back from Brest. And expect to maneuver through more roundabouts than you can imagine--there seem to be more in Brittany than anywhere else in France. Of course, that can be part of the fun!
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I think I neglected to say that we%26#39;d be taking non-autoroute roads; will diesel be as easy to find in small towns too?
Also, when I check auto rental sites, I don%26#39;t see any references to diesel.
Many thanks.
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The majority of cars sold today in France are diesel. Something like 60%. You will not have a problem finding %26#39;gasole%26#39; anywhere, large town or small.
We rented a Passat turbo diesel wagon in Nice last summer and drove via the Pyrenees to Paris. It was a wonderful car to drive and if you think diesels are loud and slow and stinky... think again! The car was fast and smooth and quiet.
If fact, I own an older Passat diesel and a Dodge diesel truck and my wife, being used to the noises and clanking they make, initially couldn%26#39;t believe the rental was a diesel it was that smooth and quiet.
The 6 speed tiptronic transmission was amazing too.
So here%26#39;s hoping your rental is a diesel!
Rob
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