Hi,

Has anybody done this drive and provide me with an idea of how long the trip would take?

Thinking about driving to the Monaco GP in May and was set on driving to Nice and back but given that the day we plan to return (Monday after the race) is a UK Bank Holiday, I don't really want to be sitting in traffic on a French motorway all day.

Thanks
Jas Current RRS: MY18 SVR
Previous RRS: MY15 RRS 5.0L Autobiography

Surely it would be less tiring, less costly and more interesting to take the Eurostar to Paris and then the TGV? And miss all the hassles like speed limits on the French roads too. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

I did this in summer of 06 and 07 took me 2 days with young kids - 1st day Yorkshire to tunnel and across with overnight nr Lens or Reims. 2nd day down to Nice - traffic used to get heavier the further south we got - about 10 hours a day travelling with stops for toilet/fuel/food - preferred it to flying  Wanted a Series 2 LR since childhood but previously owned MY16 Disco Sport HSE TD4 Auto, MY13 RR Sport Black Edition TDV6 Auto, MY10 RR Sport HSE TDV6 Auto, 2007 Freelander 1 Freestyle TD4 Soft Top, 2009 Freelander 2 GS TD4 Auto, 2007 Freelander 2 GS TD4, 2004 Disco 2 Metropolis Auto, 2002 Disco 2 GS, 2000 Freelander 1 SE TD4 SW

Still hoping for a S2 one day!

Monaco is great - Jag sat nav wouldn't work though due to high buildings and cliffs so had to use map to get out  Wanted a Series 2 LR since childhood but previously owned MY16 Disco Sport HSE TD4 Auto, MY13 RR Sport Black Edition TDV6 Auto, MY10 RR Sport HSE TDV6 Auto, 2007 Freelander 1 Freestyle TD4 Soft Top, 2009 Freelander 2 GS TD4 Auto, 2007 Freelander 2 GS TD4, 2004 Disco 2 Metropolis Auto, 2002 Disco 2 GS, 2000 Freelander 1 SE TD4 SW

Still hoping for a S2 one day!

Thanks for the replies.

My two grown up children and another adult will be travelling with me and 3 of us sharing the driving. We can leave central London very early and get a Euro Shuttle around 6:30am.

We plan to travel on the Thursday and return on Monday. Outward flights are pretty reasonable but return flights are more expensive. I have also considered trains and will do some research for connections from Paris to Nice.

I am a little torn between driving there and using other means of transport as my lovely RRS hardly clocks up any miles and this is the kind of trip it would be superb for. But having said that, there is no fun in sitting in traffic for hours on end.

Cheers
Jas Current RRS: MY18 SVR
Previous RRS: MY15 RRS 5.0L Autobiography

Just remembered we came back on motorail 2nd time but wouldn't do it again as we hardly slept and no food on train

We were there 2-3 weeks which made driving worthwhile

Done Eurostar to Paris and thoroughly recommend it  Wanted a Series 2 LR since childhood but previously owned MY16 Disco Sport HSE TD4 Auto, MY13 RR Sport Black Edition TDV6 Auto, MY10 RR Sport HSE TDV6 Auto, 2007 Freelander 1 Freestyle TD4 Soft Top, 2009 Freelander 2 GS TD4 Auto, 2007 Freelander 2 GS TD4, 2004 Disco 2 Metropolis Auto, 2002 Disco 2 GS, 2000 Freelander 1 SE TD4 SW

Still hoping for a S2 one day!

I done this trip a couple of years ago. A bit of a stretch from South Wales so booked a hotel in Folkestone and then train over in the morning, train was simple and even got on the one earlier than booked no problem.
Train was 10ish and arrived in Dijon early evening. Stayed off the toll Motrways as much as we could as the sights are much better on the Nationals.
Then made our way to Nice for a couple of days. Got to Nice early afternoon after leaving Dijon at about 9:30/10:00am.
We travelled about 31/2 weeks before the Grand Prix so the course at Monaco was being built, barriers and stuff.
Took a visit to Monaco on the Saturday via train from Nice and then Sunday decided to do coast road up into Italy as we were booked in a hotel on Lake Como.
Drove down into Monaco which was quiet being a Sunday and actually did a full circuit of the course and also parked up outside the Casino and Hotel De Paris for some photos of my then RRS Supercharged 2010.
If your keen to do it in the car and you don't put much mileage on it anyway normally, I would thoroughly recommend it but be mindful of when you are travelling as the Grand Prix weekend will be crazily busy on all roads to and from Monaco/Nice.
Personally I only really done this trip to let the car stretch her legs and obviously clinched the deal with the boss that we would take in the sights and do some shopping
From Italy after a couple of days there we travelled up to Mainz in Germany for the night. Then drove all the way back to South Wales using the train again not before stopping in Brugge Belgium for chocolate and other essentials that "you can never get back in the Uk" according to the boss

Used to do East Sussex to South of France every year for a few years. Diesel was cheap and Eurocamping made it a great holiday for the kids. Company car then was Peugeot 405 estate so didn't mind putting the miles on it. If Eurocamping is an option for you (tents or mobile homes), and if you've got the time, then you book your 14 nights (or whatever) and then swap a few of them with some of their sites halfway down to break the journey for no extra cost. Staying a couple of nights in burgundy country was always great.
Then take the Route Napoleon (http://www.ultimatedrives.net/top-10-roads/details.php?route_ID=100009) along the Alps and you end up in Grasse. Scenery was fantastic. However as others have said the F1 in Monaco will, I am sure, be very busy so the last bit of your journey might be fraught.
We used to stay in Roquebrune, just north of Frejus and we did take a trip to Monaco with no trouble. Robin
2008 Range Rover Sport TDV8
Gone:
Jaguar S-Type V8 4.2 Sport
MGZTT 190 2.5

Did this in November and off again next week.
If you're on the 6.30 Eurostar expect to hit Nice in about 11 hours. That's coffee and fuel stops included, cruise set at 80.
Tolls cost nearly as much as fuel though!

Violetpiano wrote:

I am a little torn between driving there and using other means of transport as my lovely RRS hardly clocks up any miles and this is the kind of trip it would be superb for. But having said that, there is no fun in sitting in traffic for hours on end.

This is the perfect type of trip for your RRS. It'll cover the miles beautifully - it really is a brilliant mile eater.

Did a similar trip back from northern Spain in September. Easy 2 days or could have been done in one long full-on day of driving. About 900 miles or so. No need to go near Paris. Traffic is light compared to the UK unless in larger towns/cities. Certainly the autoroutes are pretty easy driving. Peage can add up depending on the exact route chosen.

One benefit of driving down to Nice is that once there you can put your RRS in to daft mode and have some fun on, for example, the Route Napoleon. http://www.ultimatedrives.net/top-10-roads..._ID=100009  2012 SDV6 - it's missing a couple of cylinders
2008 TDV8 - it was a labour of love and is much missed

Reg the Route Napoleon, with a little bit of luck, you may meet this gentleman there:

Click image to enlarge

I did the reverse a few years back, after spending a couple day driving to the south of France, we decisde to do the return in one leg.

Left Cannes at 10:30 in the morning, over towards Marseilles then North. via Lyon, around Paris up to Calais and was on the 11:00pm Ferry.

No to bad only quickly stopping for fuel and food breaks.

Its the Toll roads to be wary of, Price and the tag your time at each booth to work out you speed. fuel up on a toll road

Thanks everybody.

We won't have time to tour and the trip will be just for the GP. As there are 3 of us driving and we should be able to get a Euro Shuttle for 7am I think we will drive and hopefully get to Nice not too much later than around 8pm the same day.

Cheers
Jas Current RRS: MY18 SVR
Previous RRS: MY15 RRS 5.0L Autobiography

Sounds like a plan

Perhaps a few pics could be posted on your return together with a summary of your trip? Robin
2008 Range Rover Sport TDV8
Gone:
Jaguar S-Type V8 4.2 Sport
MGZTT 190 2.5