Avoiding Paris on the way to Wurzberg

[JohnnyRoyal]

We are off to drive down the Romantic Road in September.
We are getting the ferry from Portsmouth(where we live) to Caen. Then driving to Wurzberg with a overnight stop on the way.
Can anybody recommend the best route for us to go, avoiding Paris, with a overnight stop nighter on the way.

Thanks

John

 

[carolyn]

We would go North, Amiens, Mons, Liege before heading Southwards through Luxembourg. Can’t really advise on stopovers without knowing which crossing .

 

[PlacidoD]

If you have not already booked I would consider taking the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry rather than Portsmouth-Caen then head for Mons and down through Luxembourg and on to cross the Rhine somewhere north of Karlsruhe.

 

[JohnnyRoyal]

Thanks for the advice both of you. I will have a look and see what to do

 

[Orion]

If you have not already booked I would consider taking the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry rather than Portsmouth-Caen then head for Mons and down through Luxembourg and on to cross the Rhine somewhere north of Karlsruhe.

And don’t forget the 60+ discount available for the Newhaven-Dieppe crossing if applicable - you have to make a phone booking not via the website.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[peterc10]

If you have not already booked I would consider taking the Newhaven-Dieppe ferry rather than Portsmouth-Caen then head for Mons and down through Luxembourg and on to cross the Rhine somewhere north of Karlsruhe.

Agree with that. And probably cheaper if one of you are over 60, as they have a 20% discount for us oldies.

We would go North, Amiens, Mons, Liege before heading Southwards through Luxembourg. Can’t really advise on stopovers without knowing which crossing .

From Caen this would be the easy route. Going via Paris would actually take you out of your way.

France have a very good road network. The only problem is that most of their motorways have tolls, but they have good alternatives. And once you are in Germany there are very few toll roads.

 

[Raul]

If you mean Wurzburg Bavaria, then your route should be A3 entering DE at Aachen, picking A3 just south of Koln.
My route to Regensburg is something like this:
Calais, Oostende, Gent, Bruxelles, Liege, Aachen, Koln, Montabaur, Frankfurt, Aschaffenburg, Wurzburg etc. This is the straightest line, after I check trafic at Bruxelles, and sometimes I detour via Antwerp, instead Bruxelles.

 

[nicholsong]

We would go North, Amiens, Mons, Liege before heading Southwards through Luxembourg. Can’t really advise on stopovers without knowing which crossing .

I agree with Amiens, but then there is the alternative of Reims, Saarbrucken, Heidelburg. It depends on how much you want to spend on French Autoroutes compared with more free Belgium and German M/ways.

 

[carolyn]

The OP lives in Portsmouth so I think travelling to Dover is a pain in the bum!
We have done Newhaven to Dieppe which is OK but for those of us in the West Country Brittany Ferries from Poole or Portsmouth is so civilised.

 

[PlacidoD]

Belgium, Luxembourg and German motorways are free - No tolls. A few only are toll free in France. You can Google to locate those. Part of your run across to Mons can be on those.

P.S. I agree Portsmouth to Dover would not be pleasant but basically you have to track east one side of the Channel or the other. At least you can feel you are properly on holiday once you are on the other side!!

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[cyberyacht]

Forget Dover. I'm only fifteen minutes from the ferry but now drive to Newhaven. It's cheaper, less crowded and, unless you are heading to Brittany, no difference in overall mileage. Going eastwards it's a no-brainer.

 

[Sheddy]

We dit the Romantic Road last year. There is a nice Aire in Redu Belgium not far off the road to Luxembourg from Namur. It's twined with Hay on Wye as it's a "Book Village".
After Redu we went to the large Stellplatz in Trier before heading to the top of the Romantic Road eventually getting down to Füssen.
Best advice I can give is arrive early at the stops on the way down, 11 am is good as other folk are leaving. You then have the rest of the day and evening to visit the sights. My abiding memory of the trip apart from the wonderful sights was the number of motorhomes driving around the many Stellplatz looking for impossible spaces in the late afternoon or evening !!!
Enjoy

 

[Brains]

We live within an hour of Dover.
Never use it unless we are going to north eastern France and possibly Belgium.

We are regular visitors to Germany.
Our route is drive to Harwich.
Overnight ferry with cabin.
Arrive Rotterdam in the morning.
You could be in Wurzburg in time for a late lunch, (500km) next day

Portsmouth to Harwich is 161 miles - 3hrs
Not only do you save a day, the miles are lower and no tolls.
Leave lunchtime on one day, be there lunch time next day with one night in a cabin.

Your route via Caen is a ferry crossing (overnight with cabin maybe??)
Then a two day 1,000 km drive across France.

If we both left your house one lunch time, one via Caen other by Rotterdam.
The Rotterdam van would arrive a day and a half ahead.
(And the same on the return, three extra days of holiday and probably costs less)

 

[suavecarve]

Having done the Paris circular I wouldn't be bothered by it. M25 is worst

 

[Brains]

The route to Wurzburg avoiding Paris is via Koln (Cologne)
It's not much further and may well be faster.
(Which ever port you use)

Koln is well worth looking at.
And the best bit of the Rhein is the section from Bonn to Bingen
You could take a couple of days to drive that short section, or do what we have done in the past.

Camped south of Bonn, caught the train to Bingen and then come downstream in a pleasure boat, takes most of the day and you get to see all the sights from the deck

OR

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Lenny HB]

Having done the Paris circular I wouldn't be bothered by it. M25 is worst

Can't agree with that, last time I went around the Périphérique I was doing a job in Southern Paris it took me longer to 20 miles on the Périphérique than the following 120 miles to Dieppe.

 

[grasscutter]

Forget Dover. I'm only fifteen minutes from the ferry but now drive to Newhaven. It's cheaper, less crowded and, unless you are heading to Brittany, no difference in overall mileage. Going eastwards it's a no-brainer.

Agree and about £200 cheaper.

 

[suavecarve]

Can't agree with that, last time I went around the Périphérique I was doing a job in Southern Paris it took me longer to 20 miles on the Périphérique than the following 120 miles to Dieppe.

I think 4 times we have gone round Paris.

One time was a nightmare as the new satnav purchased just north of Paris was set for no motorways and being an eejit I followed it which wasnt great but self inflicted, otherwise we found it just like a busy motorway. We go on the eastern side when travelling north south. The more I think about it, far far easier then the M25.

 

[JohnnyRoyal]

The OP lives in Portsmouth so I think travelling to Dover is a pain in the bum!
We have done Newhaven to Dieppe which is OK but for those of us in the West Country Brittany Ferries from Poole or Portsmouth is so civilised.

Yes that is the plan because we only have 10 mins of driving on the roads of England and the rest in the continent, which I have enjoyed better!

 

[JohnnyRoyal]

We dit the Romantic Road last year. There is a nice Aire in Redu Belgium not far off the road to Luxembourg from Namur. It's twined with Hay on Wye as it's a "Book Village".
After Redu we went to the large Stellplatz in Trier before heading to the top of the Romantic Road eventually getting down to Füssen.
Best advice I can give is arrive early at the stops on the way down, 11 am is good as other folk are leaving. You then have the rest of the day and evening to visit the sights. My abiding memory of the trip apart from the wonderful sights was the number of motorhomes driving around the many Stellplatz looking for impossible spaces in the late afternoon or evening !!!
Enjoy

I will take that onboard Thanks for the advice

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}