If you travel to France by car or you want to rent a vehicle to explore the country at your own pace, you will be happy to hear about the fact that there are various interesting driving tours that you can consider. It is hard to find information about them since locals are the ones that know them better but you can think about the following as a great starting point for your driving adventure in France. The country does offer wonderful scenery so it is a guarantee that you will not be disappointed.
La Route Des Cretes – Alsace To Lorraine
The Vosges stands out as one of the oldest of the country’s mountain ranges. At one time it was the boundary between France and Germany. The area is filled with firs and hardwood trees, skirting right on the Rhine’s western edge and similar to the Black Forest. The name of the route means The Crest Road and it was originally built right through mountains in order to serve as a necessary supply line, starting at Colmar. The main points you want to catch include Col De La Schlucht (some wonderful panoramas here), Munster (if you love cheese) and Markstein. Make sure that you stop along the scenic driving route to enjoy the scenery. Some hiking trails are also available if you want to combine driving tours with hiking trail exploration.
La Cote d’Or – Burgundy
This is, most likely, the most well known scenic driving route that the country has to offer. It only covers 60 kilometers from Dijon to Santenay but if you are a wine lover, you will adore it. There are so many terraced vine rows that are arranged in tiers in the background and you actually get to go through many other driving routes that you can delay your trip on for more wine adventure. You can always travel at a highly leisure pace and stop at many locations to enjoy some wines and cheeses. Just make sure that you do not drink and drive.
The Gorges Of The Ardeche – Rhone Valley
The valley was carved by a Rhone tributary, Ardeche, which is known as the most temperamental of the country’s waterways. The flows and ebbs basically created France’s Grand Canyon. Along the way, you get the opportunity of seeing and exploring (if you want to, of course) canyons with a depth of 285 meters, grottoes, caves and alluvial deposits. The geological spectacle here is unusual but highly attractive. If you want a more panoramic experience, consider the D290 road. It runs right alongside canyons. As with the other path mentioned before, there are various walking trails that you can also incorporate into your adventure.
Route Des Grandes Alpes
Just as the name implies, this is a driving route that takes you through the French Alps, being a highly panoramic choice for those that love such scenery. It is actually quite renowned in the western part of Europe, connecting Nice with Evian. On this route you will get a chance to see larch forests, Alpine uplands, Mont Blanc foothills and even glaciers. Keep in mind that this is a route that covers 740 kilometers. Because of this, you will want to arrange a trip of 2 to 6 days to experience everything that the route has to offer, including the welcoming towns of Megeve, Chamonix, Morzine and Avoriaz.