We're all going on a summer holiday....

[thebluefox]

...no more working for a week or two!

In June, me and the Mrs are taking the S3 to Bilbao, then through Spain, the Pyrenees to the South of France (Carcassonne), and then back through France via Normandy to Cherbourg.

Very much looking forward to it, but is there any advice you wise folk have? I've driven abroad before, albeit in a left hand drive.

Headlights? What about the V5?

Also, if anyone knows anywhere we should go let me know! We're keeping everything fairly loose and will be camping a lot I think.

 

[RO65ERS]

What headlights are you fitted with?
I have adaptive xenon and I can go into the mmi menu and set them to the wrong side of the road.

And I was looking forward to driving from Plymouth to Scotland in the s3.
You'll have a great trip!

 

[sidibear]

If you are going to Normandy to do the D-Day beach thing I have a friend who runs a B&B in Arromanches, central to everything and about an hour and half from Cherbourg.

 

[Hartwell]

<-------- Yes, go see this bridge

 

[pburv]

You need loads of stuff for your car by law driving in France...High vis. jacket/fire extinguisher/spare bulb kit and I think you need a first aid kit...You are not allowed to use any kind of speed gun detection device at all...They really do come down hard on this!!.... Enjoy your European tour ....

 

[Andrew D]

You need two breathalysers too, as if you only have one and are required to use it you can be booked for not having one, apparently!

 

[Gixxer123]

That's answers a few of my questions, we are taking our s3 from sunny Scotland down.to Portsmouth then ferry to bilboa then heading to Madrid for few days and finally malaga for three weeks. Was wondering about Audi assists, if I need to amend the insurance, headlights etc etc before we go.

Only have standard s3 headlights, and Sd nav so not sure if the maps cover Spain.

 

[Jassyo06]

Rather do the dreamliner than the S3 but yer holiday sounds epic really something to look forward too

 

[Daveotto]

If you are going to Normandy to do the D-Day beach thing I have a friend who runs a B&B in Arromanches, central to everything and about an hour and half from Cherbourg.

+1 for D-day beaches

We went to Arromanches museum last year and was very good hour or so for something like 12euro. Would also recommend Bayeux for the Tapestry. We stayed in Churchill Hotel in Bayeux, very nice but not cheap and fitted in Bayeux Tapestry and Arronmarches in just over half a day before a 6 hour drive south

 

[Daveotto]

<-------- Yes, go see this bridge

As that the bridge on the outskirts of Le Havre?

 

[Hartwell]

Its the Millau Viaduct (http://about-france.com/millau-viaduct.htm) and should be an easy drive from Carcassonne.

Carcassonne is stunning from a distance. I found it a bit Disneyish when you got inside but still well worth the visit. Book accommodation as the town can get really busy in the summer. There are a lot of pensions and small hotels in the new town - best to be near the river and get a view up to the old city. There are some hotels right inside the old city but I think car access and parking would be an issue and/or impossible.

 

[Simon L]

Its the Millau Viaduct (http://about-france.com/millau-viaduct.htm) and should be an easy drive from Carcassonne.

Carcassonne is stunning from a distance. I found it a bit Disneyish when you got inside but still well worth the visit. Book accommodation as the town can get really busy in the summer. There are a lot of pensions and small hotels in the new town - best to be near the river and get a view up to the old city. There are some hotels right inside the old city but I think car access and parking would be an issue and/or impossible.

Certainly test out yer vertigo it's the tallest bridge in the world..............I'd be crying like a baby!! lol

I'm with J.................bring on the Dreamliner!!

Have a great trip though bluefox

 

[thebluefox]

Thanks for the replies all!

What headlights are you fitted with?
I have adaptive xenon and I can go into the mmi menu and set them to the wrong side of the road.

And I was looking forward to driving from Plymouth to Scotland in the s3.
You'll have a great trip!

Ahh thanks, I'll check the MMI when I'm next in the car, could be useful!

If you are going to Normandy to do the D-Day beach thing I have a friend who runs a B&B in Arromanches, central to everything and about an hour and half from Cherbourg.

The Normandy beaches/WWII stuff was the original reason for the trip, then it grew into a 2 week summer holiday haha. If you don't mind popping me some details of their B&B Sidibear that'd be ace.

<-------- Yes, go see this bridge

Millau is already on the list for this reason! Whereabouts did you stop to take that photo though Hartwell!? Would quite like a matching one!

 

[Hartwell]

OK, I am pretty certain I was on the west side of the viaduct heading east on the D992 toward the viaduct and the town of Millau beyond (we stayed there the night - not very inspiring overnight in an anonymous modern hotel, probably give it a miss). I stopped off on a small road (dirt track?) off the left of the D992 to take the photo looking east. The sun was vey low which is why the car was illuminated a weird translucent sort of colour. The direction of the sun makes a big difference to the view of the bridge. There is a small visitor centre if you turn left at the roundabout on the D992 almost immediately under the viaduct. We crossed the viaduct going north the next day. It is the only bit of the A75 with a toll (French politician, Giscard d'Estaing I think, promised a free motorway to open up the south west - but he didn't say anything about free bridges!). There is a big visitor centre on the A75 which has a good exhibition on how they built it (I am an engineer- the wife stayed in the car).

 

[sidibear]

The Normandy beaches/WWII stuff was the original reason for the trip, then it grew into a 2 week summer holiday haha. If you don't mind popping me some details of their B&B Sidibear that'd be ace.

http://www.normandybeach.co.uk/
Ask for Karen or Adrian, tell them I said hi.

 

[pburv]

OK, I am pretty certain I was on the west side of the viaduct heading east on the D992 toward the viaduct and the town of Millau beyond (we stayed there the night - not very inspiring overnight in an anonymous modern hotel, probably give it a miss). I stopped off on a small road (dirt track?) off the left of the D992 to take the photo looking east. The sun was vey low which is why the car was illuminated a weird translucent sort of colour. The direction of the sun makes a big difference to the view of the bridge. There is a small visitor centre if you turn left at the roundabout on the D992 almost immediately under the viaduct. We crossed the viaduct going north the next day. It is the only bit of the A75 with a toll (French politician, Giscard d'Estaing I think, promised a free motorway to open up the south west - but he didn't say anything about free bridges!). There is a big visitor centre on the A75 which has a good exhibition on how they built it (I am an engineer- the wife stayed in the car).

Didn't this bridge appear on one of the Top Gear trips .Ferrari /Ford Gt40 and Peganni Zonda ?Might be worth searching for this episode...

 

[h5djr]

...no more working for a week or two!

In June, me and the Mrs are taking the S3 to Bilbao, then through Spain, the Pyrenees to the South of France (Carcassonne), and then back through France via Normandy to Cherbourg.

Very much looking forward to it, but is there any advice you wise folk have? I've driven abroad before, albeit in a left hand drive.

Headlights? What about the V5?

Also, if anyone knows anywhere we should go let me know! We're keeping everything fairly loose and will be camping a lot I think.

Have a look at the AA website. It gives all the details you need for driving abroad. Quite a lot of people are quite worried about driving in Europe. Personally I've been doing it for years, France(just passing through), Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria. I tend to prefer the 'Germanic' countries. Mostly the roads are much better than UK roads and I've found the standard of driving is better as well. I still go at least a couple of time a year and really look forward to it.

 

[Daveotto]

Have a look at the AA website. It gives all the details you need for driving abroad. Quite a lot of people are quite worried about driving in Europe. Personally I've been doing it for years, France(just passing through), Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Austria. I tend to prefer the 'Germanic' countries. Mostly the roads are much better than UK roads and I've found the standard of driving is better as well. I still go at least a couple of time a year and really look forward to it.

Been driving through Normandy once or twice a month for the last 2-3 years and ......

Driving on French motorways, especially if you keep on the toll roads is a breeze, rarely congested and road quality is very good. You can push on fairly rapidly just beware of the speed cameras which are out there to catch you rather than deter you. French motorists driving on motorways are generally very polite and non aggressive.

But........

Once you get into towns and cities the mentality changes, lane discipline is a nightmare and French drivers have not a clue when it comes to roundabouts, no wonder French cars always have a number of dings, knocks and dents..drive very defensively to save getting your own collection of knocks

P.s in some towns remember "prioritie a driote" which gives cars joining a major city road from the right priority over you...they will pull out on you !!!

 

[h5djr]

That is one of the main reasons I only ever drive through on my way to other countries and only ever on the Autoroutes. Belgium is not much better - perhaps because they mostly speak the same language. Paris and Brussels certainly don't have very much appeal at the moment. Will London be next!