France connects so much of Europe, and if like us you are driving from the UK, it is likely you will have a stopover in France en route.

We always have a stop over when heading to the south of France to Provence or the Cote d’azure, or to other countries such as Spain, Switzerland, Austria, or Germany. 

Being the huge country it is, France is the logical place to stop-over for many trips by road and train, as you have to go through it to get to a number of European destinations.

We love these little stopovers, it feels like holiday within a holiday and the chance for us to explore a new village or town that we might not have ever seen.

Some families prefer to stay in ultra convenient hotels near to the main roads to make it easier to continue the onward journey, but we have discovered we like a proper town or city, where we can go for a walk in the evening and have a choice of places to eat for dinner and breakfast. Sometimes we will plan to stay a few days so we can explore the area, and sometimes just one night to rest our head and have a nice meal in a pretty town.

If you are new to driving in France and continental Europe, check our Driving in France guide for an overview of the essentials you will need to know.

When you had added up the ferry crossing, tolls, and hotel costs, it is often the same cost as flying! However, we still normally drive as we like to drive our own car. It still is marginally cheaper than flying and hiring a car (for our family), but more than that, we love to discover new places in France on every trip.

We listed some of our favourite stop over ideas below.

East France route: to Alsace, Switzerland, the alps and Provence

Beaune

Beaune is a historic walled town with cobbled streets and beautiful buildings. It is located in Burgandy in Eastern / Central France and is one of the key wine making regions. It’s a great place for a beautiful.stopover on the way to the South of France towards Nice and the Cote d’azure.

Time Calais – Beaune: 6 hours

Time Beaune – Aix en Provence: 4.5 hours

Time Beaune –  Nice: 6:15 hours

Reims

Reims is a beautiful mid sized city in the Champagne region of France. It has a stunning cathedral and, of course, plenty of restaurants, bistro, and cafe to explore on a stopover in eastern France. Situated 80 Mike’s northeast of Paris, it’s a good choice for anyone who wants to break up the journey to the alps or the Alsace regions, as well as the South and the Cote d’azure.

Metz

Metz is one of our favourite stopovers on a trip to the alps, being about halfway between Calais and Interlaken, Switzerland. It’s a small and compact city, pleasant to walk around with a lovely cathedral, historic buildings and a large square in the centre of town filled with restaurants for a lovely meal and a stroll.

Annecy

Annecy is so wonderful and relaxing with so much to do. It really is a great place for a dedicated full holiday in its own right. However, if you are driving to the southeast coast, this alpine lakeside town is absolutely worth adding a day, or two, or three, to explore. The lake is surrounded by lush green mountains, and the rivers and canals that flow through the medival centre are a stunning crystal clear turquoise blue. The impossibly pretty town is full of lovely cafes, restaurants, and bistro, with wide open parks with gorgeous lakeside views. It is touristy, but that does not take away from the charm of this must visit town in the French alps.

Troyes

This town in the Champagne region of east France is characterised by tall, timbered, multicoloured buildings and narrow alleys filled with the hustle and bustle of the lively var and restuarnt scene. We love this picturesque stop over and often come on the way to or from the alps as a halfway point from Calais.

Central southern route: to central and Southwest France, and France through to Spain.

Limoges

Limoges is located in western central France, roughly 4 hours south of Paris. It is a pretty and compact city, and makes for a perfect stopover if you are driving to the Spanish border, or to the southwest coast of France.

Time Limouges – Bilbao 6 hours 10 mins

Time  Caen –  Limouges 5 hours 15 mins

Time Limouges – Carcassonne 3 hours 50 mins

Borges

A lovely cathedral town, in the Loire Valley, another option to stop over on the way south or to the Dordogne. It has medival, half timbered houses, and a castle: it is also reknowned for lots of quality restaurants, making this another great choice for somewhere to explore in the Loire Valley on your trip.

Avallon

The burgundy region in central-east France is a prominent wine making region and the village of Avallon is stunning pretty and a great place to visit on a stop over. It’s a lovely medival town with some great restaurants to try.

West France route: Brittany and Southwest France, France through to Spain.

Amboise

Amboise is a lovely town in the Loire Valley. There are three chateau’s in the town, including the manor where Leonardo de Vinci used to live! It’s very pretty –  a perfect stopover on your way down south. Amboise is 2 hours southwest of Paris.

Nantes

Located in western France on the Loire Rover is the beautiful Nantes. It has the beautiful river to walk, historic buildings, cafe, bistro and restaurants and beautiful gardens. Highly reccomeded to visit on a journey to the west/ southwest of France.

Le Mans

Le Mans, in the Pays de la Loire region of northwestern France, is a charming stopover with a rich history. The  medieval old town, Saint-Julien Cathedral, and ancient Roman wall makes Le Mans an ideal pause on any journey through France.

Hi! I’m Lizzie, a mum of two living in the Cotswolds. Here on Travel Happy Family, I document all of our travels for you, where we’ve been, how we got there, and how much it cost!

If you are looking for ideas on where to travel with your kids, inspiration for new destinations, or just want to follow us on our journey, welcome, and I hope you enjoy what we share.

Happy travels! Xxx