Finding my way back to the UK in the next week from Nice in France

[Mobilvetta]

Hi, I'm a little bit concerned, I met a fellow motorhomer today who says a lot of the passes through France are blocked if I didn't want to use the toll roads, were not sure yet whether we will be sailing from Calais or Zeebrugge, so we need to get to that vicinity. He said he came down to Nice through Germany and Switzerland and has covered about 1600 miles doing so. It's my first time in a motorhome, so I'm rather concerned, I was hoping to head towards Lyon when we leave Nice, I was going to set my satnav to avoid tolls as I have been told they are expensive if your motorhome is over 3.5 ton, mines been updated to just over 4 ton. Be grateful for input from experienced motorhomers who have covered this route as to what our best options will be.

 

[yeoblade]

You should be OK with Classe 2 tolls in france even though you're over 3.5t . But that adds up too
see https://www.autoroutes.fr/FCKeditor/UserFiles/File/ASFA CLASSE VEHICULE BD.pdf
I always have been ok at 4.1t and classe 2

 

[Mobilvetta]

You should be OK with Classe 2 tolls in france even though you're over 3.5t . But that adds up too
see https://www.autoroutes.fr/FCKeditor/UserFiles/File/ASFA CLASSE VEHICULE BD.pdf
I always have been ok at 4.1t and classe 2

Just done the Michelin route planner from Nice and it looks like the best option is to come back down to Marseille and then use the toll roads upto Lyon, from there we could probably get away from the toll roads and use other routes towards Paris, unless there are more mountain passes in our way.

 

[chablais]

we are in Girona, Spain and will be heading for a Zeebrugge ferry crossing mid April, you should have no problems travelling from Nice. We use a mixture of toll and non toll roads. it is worth paying the toll fees to get around the major cities, sometimes it is free around them. If you have the time, use non toll and take it easy, there are plenty of stop over opportunities along the way. We use ********** and have just spent our 90th night and only been on a site once.

 

[witzend]

I've just had a look on google and by their routes you'll save 5 hrs driving using tolls which is quite a saving on fuel. So that'll help off set the toll costs

 

[Deleted member 58274]

Tolls

Hi Mobil, we have just traveled up through France and used a toll road where the alternative was much further/over mountains and it cost 30 euro.....not too pleased with that !! However, was a one off and the time difference justified the cost on that one occasion. Been on the non tolls from below Lyon northwards ever since. Lyon's ring road is a bit daunting but....other than that have had no problems off toll ever since. We now at St Quentin with a 3 hour drive to Calais tomorrow.....Maja

 

[Channa]

North of Lyon the N7 runs alongside the autoroute If travelling to Zeebrugge route de napoleon is scenic or even Italy Switzerland Germany not a lot in it

CHanna

 

[Deleted member 58274]

Route

Yeah cheers Channa...depends which way Mobil decides to go spose.....Maja

 

[andyjanet]

Route de napoleon might still be closed this time of year, 2016 it was still closed mid April near gap
Mobil make sure if you do the toll roads they only charge class 2 some of the automated exits will charge a higher class because of your height just press the intercom and tell them camping car they should change the price for you

 

[Mobilvetta]

Thanks everyone for your input, that route De Napoleon sounds fabulous, but I have checked and it is closed until the 31st March, which is a little late for us, so it isn't an option. It looks like it would be better to take the autoroute toll from Nice to Lyon. What is the drive like then from Lyon to Paris if I was to stick to non toll roads at this time of year?. Does it encounter going over more mountain passes, don't mind doing toll routes, but I like to see a bit more of France as I make my way back to the UK. I will also watch that I only get charged for category 2 vehicle instead of 3, do they have cash pay booths on the autoroute from Nice to Lyon or are they mostly unmanned and you have to pay with a credit card.

 

[shaunr68]

Looks like your vehicle's original GVW was 3,500 KG?

Having previously travelled on the continent in a MH that had been uprated from 3,500 to 3,750, I always declared as 3,500KG for tolls and ferries. Realistically, who is to know? They're hardly likely to pull you over and check your VIN plates when using a toll road. Do they have real-time access to DVLA records and are vehicle weights automatically cross-checked against these records? Somehow I doubt it.

 

[TJBi]

I've just had a look on google and by their routes you'll save 5 hrs driving using tolls which is quite a saving on fuel. So that'll help off set the toll costs

But what do you save in distance?
The time that you save is presumably based on driving at motorway speeds, which will probably drink a lot more fuel. On the other hand, motorway driving at a constant 90km/h is probably a lot more fuel-efficient than driving on RN and RD with frequent braking, accelerating...

 

[Robina]

The A75 is free from where it starts in the south near Beziers up to Clermont Ferrand apart from about €12.50 for the Millau viaduct. It is a magnificent route across the Massif Central and you can avoid the viaduct by going through Millau itself. We travelled that way last week and it was clear all the way.