Driving through France............

08/26/2014 - 07:14

Driving through France............ i recently got back from my 3 week trip from Italy, i stopped over nite at Cernobbio at Lake Como which broke up our trip from the South of Italy nicely. So I am still interested in the routes you fellow car tourers take through France.I used the route from Metz to Nancy cutting across to Colmar and down to Mulhouse and on to Basel.So i am interested to know whether without paying a toll (going the Metz strasbourg route) there is a more direct route to take as opposed to going through Colmar? I find driving the colmar route is not fuel effiecient and i am pondering whether the amount of fuel you use driving up the mountain means your probably no worse off if you go Metz - Strasbourg. I havent done any other routes than Colmar so i am interested to understand what you guys think?Also on the motorway travelling towards Nancy i was flashed by a camera. The camera was situated in an area where the speed limit was reduced from 110kph to 70kph. By my reckoning at the time i was travelling the equivalent of 60mph in a 50mph zone.Should i expect a ticket, i assume so seeing i was flashed? ThanksTony 

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You could do Nancy to Mulhouse direct - but still the same problem [if that is what it is] of going over the mountains - but to me that is a very interesting part of the trip, and a nice break from motorway/dal carriage way drivingThe Colmar direct route is the shortest - its about 25 miles further via Strasburg, and 20 direct to Mulhouse, but the timings are about the same.  I do think that you save a little fuel on the Colmar direct route - but its probably not a great deal Flashed by a speed camera in france?  See;-You might be lucky - opinions differ on how good the French are at getting the fines paid [Google it]

thanks Alan, As always you provide very useful knowledge! So the direct route, where does that go through, as when i google Nancy to Mulhouse, it shows the route which goes through Colmar?Theres a route which goes through the (D430) road i can see.....Tony

Route from Nancy is E23/N57 to Remiremont then E512 to Mulhouse - a delightful run, but I think the Nancy/Colmar direct route is easier [Doing it at the end of October - Calais to Mons [1st overnight stop] then on to Colmar [2nd stop, in Mercure in Town centre] - then on to Lake Maggiore area for a10 days before returning via Pontarlier and St Quentin [using french toll roads]

thanks Alan,  I wish you all the best for your upcoming trip.  I can see that this alternative direct route - passes through Epinal, is this the famous alternative epinal route many do as an alternative?

Using toll route for variety.  We've been driving down 2 or 3 times a year for the last 10 years, so occassionally we like a changeAlso, now we have a dog, we do shorter 'hops' [3 overnight stops], and are seeing if this route is OK for avoiding an overnight stop in Switzerland  [No dog this time]