Tight on the right, loose on the left – European roads pose little to no problem to drivers, according to Delwyn Sinclair, Manager for Peugeot Drive Europe NZ. Delwyn answers all questions surrounding self-driving in France. Here is her epic 2-week itinerary, along with 7 tips at the bottom of what you'll need to know before you go: “Who would have thought?” That’s me selling Peugeot leasing solutions in Europe for 20 years and me never having actually driven the product. Instead, I’ve lived and learned through the experiences of my clients to become what new clients think I am: an “expert,” and what regular clients think I am: “friendly. I should hope so. This changed recently when my 17-year-old went to France on a one-year exchange program, and it was absolutely essential that Mum got to come. Then I could not resist my 14-year-old, so it turned into a girls’ road trip. In this post, there are some recommendations for activities and attractions for a weekend in Paris. This will help you discover the best things to eat in Paris. This will include the best French foods like escargots and macarons. Uzes Next stop, Uzes. It was a highlight of our holiday. We arrived the day before Bastille Day and checked into a chateau less than five minutes from town, just down the narrow road from the Haribo museum. Bastille Day included a wonderful lunch at Le Tracteur, eight kilometers from Uzes, after spending the morning at Pont du Gard. After a nice afternoon swim at the chateau, we went into Uzes for a quick dinner before heading back to the chateau to watch the Bastille Day fireworks. We were set to meet Peta Mathias the next morning. I had booked the three of us into one of her half-day cooking classes. Coincidentally, one of my Peugeot customers had booked the same day, so it was nice to connect with them and hear about their almost two-month holiday in the newly launched Peugeot 3008 SUV, which won European Car of the Year. Peta led us through the Uzes market, where we bought olives, fish, cherries, wine, bread, cheese, and more. We visited her favorite stalls and sampled many items to make sure they met our standards. My 14-year-old thought this was a great plan, especially at the wine stand. I had to explain that you don’t drink wine like water, which showed she was a novice in wine drinking but eager to learn! A few hours later, after much instruction from Peta and learning from her students, we enjoyed a five-course lunch in Peta’s Uzes home. We took a group photo upstairs before going our separate ways. The rest of the day included a quick drive to Nimes, a tour of the Haribo factory on our way home, and a late afternoon swim. Cassis We woke up early the next morning. Our destination was the charming seaside town of Cassis, but we took a very long route. I wanted to see iconic villages like Gordes and Roussillon, which appear on almost every French travel brochure, including my own over the years. We drove through many little villages that we wanted to explore, but due to time constraints, we only stopped once at the Lavender Museum in Coustellet. My 17-year-old had a two-hour reunion with an exchange student she had met on a tour of Europe the month before, just outside Apt. This gave us time for a search for fuel, a quick bite to eat, and a brief visit to the beautiful village of Roussillon. We snapped a few photos in a lavender field before picking up the navigator. The highlight for her? She had frogs' legs for lunch! The Luberon and surrounding areas deserve at least a week, and next time, that’s what I’ll do. I’ll rent a villa with a pool and plan easy day trips starting early in the morning before the tourists arrive and fill every available space. The afternoon drive into Cassis was lovely. It took us four tries to find our centrally located hotel since the streets were blocked for holidaymakers. Eventually, we showed the police our booking confirmation, and they let us through. What do I think about Cassis? Honestly, it was beautiful, but it was overcrowded, and I was ready to leave the next day. I believe it would be nicer to visit in June or September, outside the usual summer holiday period. I still wonder how the middle-aged British man arrived in Cassis with milk-white skin—his stomach was that color. I wonder how he felt the next morning. Around 5 PM during our walk, his back looked more like the color of my red Peugeot. Ouch. The next week was filled with more driving, eating, and exploring. We visited Sete, Aigues Mortes, Carcassonne, Bordeaux, La Rochelle, and Nantes before leaving my 17-year-old with her final host family and returning the car to Paris Orly Airport. Thankfully, we returned it without a scratch! I lost track of how much I spent on toll roads. I paid for them all with my Visa credit and debit cards, so I could look it up if I wanted. But honestly, I don’t want to know. It was necessary for the distance we needed to cover in such a short time. We drove over 3,000 kilometers in just 15 days. Crazy? Yes, absolutely. Next time, I’ll choose four different regions and stay a week in each at a villa with a pool, doing morning trips and leaving the afternoons for lazy lunches, swimming, and relaxing. I completely missed the Lot region, so that will be at the top of my list next time, along with the Luberon. I’ll also try to avoid the motorways—necessary for this trip but incredibly boring. I might also include a bit of Spain or Italy next time, and return my car there since a one-way rental between countries is surprisingly cheap with Peugeot Drive Europe. 7 things to know for self-driving in France • If you remember nothing else, remember this: The best way to ensure you have programmed your GPS correctly is to enter the zip code of the city or town in the City field. Instead of entering “Bordeaux,” if your hotel address reads “33520 Bordeaux,” enter “33520” in the City field.
