France and hols and ferries

[bobinbelgium]

Hi , we are travelling to the Vendee this summer.
I would really appreciate any hints and tips on tolls, hotel stopovers, why the speedferry is not showing to be 55 mins but 2 hours (Dover- Boulogne) when you go to book, and any other advice.
Muchly appreciated. x

[Buenchico]

Have you forgotten that France is one hour ahead of the UK? I've just tried some random dates and times on the Speedferries websites. It showed, for example, that the 1040 sailing (BST) arrives at 1235 (CET+1). That's a crossing time of just 55 minutes.

The best way to plan your route is to use the ViaMichelin site:
http://www.viamichelin.com/

You've not said exactly where in the Vend�e region you'll be travelling to but, taking La Tranche-sur-Mer as a typical example, ViaMichelin quotes the distance from Boulogne as 661km (411 miles) and estimates the driving time as 6 hours 13 minutes. Total toll charges are quoted as �37.10.

If you live close to Dover, you might not need to include an overnight stay in your journey plans but, either way, you need to stop somewhere between Boulogne & your destination. The obvious choice has to be Rouen. (It's the capital of Normandy and well worth exploring):
http://www.rouentourisme.com/default.asp?ext=e n

If you do decide on an overnight stay, I'd strongly advise finding a local hotel in somewhere like Rouen - just use the 'Accommodation' link from that website above - but if you simply want to find a really cheap room for the night, directly on your route, check out what Formule 1 can offer:
http://www.hotelformule1.com/formule1/index.ht ml

Chris

[bobinbelgium]

Buenchino yes I had forgotten! Thankyou for all the good advice, I will stick the websites in my faves for reference.
Bob

[lafrancaise]

I must tell you to be prepared for mosquitoes. Vend�e has loads of them. I use repellent cream and carry one of those high whistle mosquito things and am fine. If you don't you might find they'll spoil your holiday which is such a shame as it's a lovely region. It's great for bike riding as it's so flat. If you want a really good day out, take the ferry from Fromentine to L'�le d'Yeu it's beautiful. You can hire bikes there. Hope you have a lovely holiday