Cherbourg Perpignan

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Karrie
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Cherbourg Perpignan

Post by Karrie »

Anyone got experience of driving down from Cherbourg to Perpignan?

Would you go Rennes, La Rochelle, Bordeaux, Toulouse or

Caen, Le Mans, Tours, Borges, Clermont Ferrand, Montpellier?

Secondly anywhere that you'd recommend to stay overnight close to the motorways about 4 hours from Cherbourg on either route.
Thinking of doing this for the first time in 17 years of flying over! Any other advice very welcome. Live close to Poole ferry terminal hence Port of Cherbourg is only option.
alan
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Re: Cherbourg Perpignan

Post by alan »

We are thinking about driving again after many years of flying over and had looked forward to reading recommendations.

Anyway, we would probably travel via Bourges and stay at the hotel now called The Originals City, Hôtel Le Berry which according to Booking.com was renovated last year. We stayed there some time ago mainly because it had secure garage parking and the back of our car was full of personal belongings. The hotel was perfectly adequate for an overnight stay and well located. We had one of the best reasonably priced meals we have had in France in Bourges but sadly cannot recall the name of the restaurant. It was this time of year and there was torrential rain so we just wanted to get inside anywhere so it was a very lucky find.

At the time, some French friends of ours who travel between the North and South very often recommended a stop over at Massiac, and eating at la Poste.

Hope this helps and still waiting to hear from others who have done the journey recently.
Karrie
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Re: Cherbourg Perpignan

Post by Karrie »

Thank you for your reply and recommendations. Having said we would only consider Poole because we live 15 mins from port we are now considering the channel tunnel train. Although a 2.5 hour drive from home we could go the night before stay in a hotel over night and get an early train. That way we'd be a good way down France the next day. The Poole Cherbourg ferry departs 8.30 and takes 4.5 hours plus an hour time difference plus disembarkation, so don't get on road till 2.30 in Cherbourg. As we don't drive in the dark we would only do a few hours before night stopping. What we don't want to happen however is end up going through Paris enroute from Calais to Perpignan. Google maps and satnavs seem to route through there. Lots to think about!
The other point is the return Cherbourg ferry takes all night. I presume you board and go nowhere for half the night which seems odd.
The train route is also a little cheaper but not enough to sway it alone.
nickiwynne
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Re: Cherbourg Perpignan

Post by nickiwynne »

Hello,
We drove down from Calais to Amelie last year (our first time driving in nearly 20 years!) after the Eurostar was cancelled ( this would also have been a first as we’ve tried most air routes over the years....)
We avoided Paris by driving via Rouen and Le Mans and then cut across country to pick up the autoroute to Toulouse, staying overnight in Loches between motorways. This route had been recommended and everything was perfect....Loches was so beautiful we stayed there on the return journey in order to explore a little more. Lots of charming town centre hotels to choose from but we stayed in a functional modern place 10 mins walk from the centre. What it lacked in charm it made up for in cleanliness and had secure parking. The whole journey was very enjoyable and we plan to repeat this year if we can come over - but I suspect there will be more traffic and queues at the tolls this year. Fingers and toes crossed!
Nicki
Karrie
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Re: Cherbourg Perpignan

Post by Karrie »

Thanks Nicki. I'll have a look at the route.
alan
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Re: Cherbourg Perpignan

Post by alan »

Using the route Nicki suggests you might consider the Newhaven / Dieppe crossing which we have used before now - a good crossing in our experience. We visited Monet's garden at Giverny, about 1 hour drive south of Rouen, which was lovely. Alan
SteveB
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Re: Cherbourg Perpignan

Post by SteveB »

I use the Newhaven-Dieppe route regularly, usually stopping overnight in or near Bourges. There is a charming chambre d'hôte there run by an elderly couple in a old "manoir", near the cathedral. The autoroutes take you near Paris but you can avoid it by going on slower roads through Évreux, Dreux and Chartres. I normally do it in 2 days,
which means long drives, but you can of course spread it over 3 days and enjoy leisurely stops at the many beautiful places en route.
alan
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Re: Cherbourg Perpignan

Post by alan »

On this route a visit to Chartres Cathedral is a must; a World Heritage Site with stunning stained glass windows. We were there when a wedding was taking place which was quite lovely.
Karrie
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Re: Cherbourg Perpignan

Post by Karrie »

Thank you everyone. Am currently looking at the euro tunnel option and the suggested routes avoiding Paris.
Lescr31
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Re: Cherbourg Perpignan

Post by Lescr31 »

We have a house in Amelie and have completed this journey several times, using the Cherbourg route and the Dieppe and Le Havre route.

The ferries on these routes take about three hours of the journey as opposed to the tunnel, and also saves on the toll charges.

We have found the best route is from Dieppe to Orleans or Bourges then down to Clermont Ferrand - Beziers and then along the coast to Perpignan. The autoroute from Clermont Ferrand to Beziers is free, other than crossing the Millau Bridge. Depending on the time of the ferry we have stayed in Orleans (Ibis Budget) Bourges (Hotel D'Angleterre) and Clermont Ferrand (Ibis). We found this was the cheapest route.

We have taken the Cherbourg route before, via Rennes and either stayed in Nantes, La Rochelle or Limoges on the way down - again depending on the time of the ferries. We found this was the most expensive route and with the most summer traffic.

We have only completed this trip once by the tunnel and found this was the most expensive route.
Karrie
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Re: Cherbourg Perpignan

Post by Karrie »

Thankyou. It's good to compare all the ideas.Having priced it all up including tolls and petrol, at the time we are looking for in September the train is slightly cheaper, but there's not that much in it to sway.As I'm not a big lover of boats, we will probably opt for the train or a shorter ferry crossing, all ofthis covid permitting of course!
alan
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Re: Cherbourg Perpignan

Post by alan »

Hello again

It's interesting that you are considering travelling down by train. I have been thinking recently about a trip involving dinner at Train Bleu at Gare de Lyon, before strolling over the Seine to Gare d'Austerlitz for an overnight train to Latour de Carol,  The next day we would take the Petit Train Jaune to Villefranche-de-Conflent and then on to Perpignan. I think Matthew Parris talks about the sleeper to Latour de Carol in his book “A Castle in Spain” but I haven't read it for sometime and my copy is at our house in Port Vendres.

Alan
Karrie
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Re: Cherbourg Perpignan

Post by Karrie »

Hi Alan, sounds interesting and worth a read.

The train I was referring to,is in fact the channel tunnel, rather than a train right down, which would be fun but I expect extremely expensive. If we stay at our house for several weeks, we will need our own car to cut down on car rental costs.
Karrie
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Re: Cherbourg Perpignan

Post by Karrie »

Hi Lescr 31- you mention having done the Poole- Cherbourg route, what does the ferry do overnight? I'm assuming it sits in Cherbourg or Poole for some of the time as the crossing is 4 .5 hours but the overnight return to the UK is many hours longer.
Lescr31
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Re: Cherbourg Perpignan

Post by Lescr31 »

Karrie, we have only taken the Portsmouth - Cherbourg ferry - never the Poole - Cherbourg ferry. Ferries are usually slower at night , and generally arrive around breakfast time, so that passengers have the chance of sleep and a breakfast before disembarking. I have spent a couple of hours at the Quay before being allowed to leave, but not always.
Lescr31
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Re: Cherbourg Perpignan

Post by Lescr31 »

Most of the extra time is spent at sea and not the port
Karrie
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Re: Cherbourg Perpignan

Post by Karrie »

Thanks. Not my idea of fun then :D
Karrie
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Re: Cherbourg Perpignan

Post by Karrie »

Well in the end we flew!!! Arrived Friday last into Toulouse. Got through immigration very quickly, using the tousanticovid app which accepts and recognises the NHS QR vaccination codes. and the funds to We weren't asked for any other we had prepared to prove we have accommodation here, and the funds to keep ourselves. We weren't asked for the covid declaration either!!!!!
The experience at LHR was different. We were invited to check our bags in at T5 the night before, which we were able to do. It took 45 minutes to get to the top of a queue of 8. In the morning we sailed through security and our bags arrived in TLS with us. We're now in Finestret for a month; first time in two years!

At the moment as it stands we will need a covid test for departure, and can use a lateral flow, which is cheaper. The chemist in Prades does them and I assume prepares the required certificate for travel. However, it sounds from the UK news today that it may change and we won't need the test at all, which will be great.
alan
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Re: Cherbourg Perpignan

Post by alan »

We have recently returned from a holiday which involved flying to Biarritz and spending a very enjoyable time on the Atlantic coast before travelling the length of the Pyrenees to our second home in Port Vendres. We flew back from Montpellier and used public transport throughout including Flixbuses to Toulouse via Pau and trains elsewhere. Paper copies of our vaccination passes were accepted everywhere including at restaurants and at a concert. We obtained our pre-departure test at a local chemist in Port Vendres and our Day 2 test at Gatwick. Everything was remarkably easy and there were no delays nor difficult enquiries at passport control. We are looking forward to our next trip out in October, hopefully, after some further relaxation in the testing requirements.
SteveB
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Re: Cherbourg Perpignan

Post by SteveB »

A late response to Karrie about train travel to the south of France: I have done it quite a few times and have found it a pleasant and relaxing way to travel. Not too expensive either, French rail fares being much cheaper than British ones: between 50 and 75€ from Paris Gare de Lyon to Perpignan. Takes about 5 hours. The only thing is having to get from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de Lyon - it's 2 stops on the RER or you can get a taxi (better to book in advance as the queues at the Gare du Nord can be quite long).
Karrie
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Re: Cherbourg Perpignan

Post by Karrie »

Thanks Steve. B. I will bear that in mind fora subsequent trip. We are currently enjoying the sunshine and 29 degrees in the Conflent near Vinca! Son left us today to go back to UK from Toulouse via Carcassone Castle where it is only 20 degrees and windy!
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