Destination: France

LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL ITINERARY INFORMATION

Itinerary: Port to Port

The Atlantic to the Mediterranean in two weeks – 2500km in all – is no mean feat, but one that rewards with stunning vistas, superb coastal motoring and sensational seafood. For those with more time to play with, activities abound in, on and out of the sea – and there’s always Corsica for the truly coast crazy.



Step off the boat in Calais and there’s 40km of stunning cliffs, sand dunes and windy beaches – not to mention great views of those white cliffs of Dover across the Channel – on the spectacular Côte d’Opale. Speed southwest, taking in a fish lunch in Dieppe, a cathedral-stop in Rouen or a picturesque cliffside picnic in Étretat on your way to your overnight stop: the pretty Normandy seaside resort of Honfleur, Deauville or Trouville.

Devote day two to the D-Day landing beaches and abbey-clad Mont St-Michel. In Brittany, flop in an old-fashioned beach tent in Dinard then follow fairy-tale forest trails around Huelgoat to art-rich Camaret-sur-Mer.

A long drive south along the Atlantic Coast rewards with chic La Rochelle and its lavish seafood and oyster feasts, from where it is simply a matter of wining your way through the Médoc to bustling Bordeaux. Next morning, continue south through Toulouse and Carcassonne to the Med. The Camargue – a wonderful wetland of flamingos, horses and incredible bird life – is a unique patch of coast to explore before hitting gritty Marseille, immediately east.

Travelling to France?
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