Calais to Paris by Road

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NortonExile

Well-known member
Has anyone driven this route recently?

I’m looking to go the A16 route both times rather than the A1, stopping at Amiens on way in, and at Boulogne-Sur-Mer or Le Touquet on the return journey. I was wondering if there is anything else worth seeing on this route, and also how easy are the tolls to use and how much?

Any info is greatly appreciated.
 
NortonExile said:
Has anyone driven this route recently?

I’m looking to go the A16 route both times rather than the A1, stopping at Amiens on way in, and at Boulogne-Sur-Mer or Le Touquet on the return journey. I was wondering if there is anything else worth seeing on this route, and also how easy are the tolls to use and how much?

Any info is greatly appreciated.
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Arras is a must stop especially if you are interested in WW1 history and its square is delightful. . Lille has a fab old town square too. The chateau at Chantilly is definitely worth a visit.
 
NortonExile said:
Has anyone driven this route recently?

I’m looking to go the A16 route both times rather than the A1, stopping at Amiens on way in, and at Boulogne-Sur-Mer or Le Touquet on the return journey. I was wondering if there is anything else worth seeing on this route, and also how easy are the tolls to use and how much?

Any info is greatly appreciated.
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Going to the Olympics?
 
NortonExile said:
Has anyone driven this route recently?

I’m looking to go the A16 route both times rather than the A1, stopping at Amiens on way in, and at Boulogne-Sur-Mer or Le Touquet on the return journey. I was wondering if there is anything else worth seeing on this route, and also how easy are the tolls to use and how much?

Any info is greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
It is a few years since I was in Boulogne-Sur-Mer but it isn't a place I would want to visit again. Further along the coast and ten minutes away from Boulogne-Sur-Mer is the small coastal town of Neufchâtel-Hardelot which is a better place to stay and easy enough to get into Boulogne for a visit. Also ideally placed for your return journey.

We stayed in the village of Condette which is on the outskirts of Hardleot.

I would also second visit to Arras (I'm going to the Christmas Market this year) and sitting in the square having a plat de jour is a must. Amiens is also a nice town and worth a visit.

The Emovis Tag is a must and will be delivered within days, it prevents you from scrambling for change or the regular arguments the tolls can cause with your partner - anyone used the tolls will have had these.

Many towns in France require you to have a Crit-Air sticker for your car and again these take days to come.

entreprendre.service-public.fr

Apply online for a Crit'Air sticker (air quality certificate) for a vehicle registered in France (Online service)

The approach is available in English, French and German. Carte grise carte grise carte grise Steps to follow: 1- Prepare the vehicle's registration certificate (c) and a credit card2- Enter the requested information3- Pay €3.77 (sticker price + postage price)4- You receive a confirmation email...
entreprendre.service-public.fr entreprendre.service-public.fr
 
NortonExile said:
Yes. 2 days in Paris and 3 days staying about an hour outside Paris to the South-West
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What are seeing? I’ll be at the Rugby 7s finals on the first Saturday and the hockey the following morning. Also have Mountain biking finals and a swimming session.
 
How does the payments for a toll tag work?
Does it debit your account for the amount you use, do you pre load it or is it a direct debit? The website doesn't really explain payments. TIA
 
The_Tiler said:
How does the payments for a toll tag work?
Does it debit your account for the amount you use, do you pre load it or is it a direct debit? The website doesn't really explain payments. TIA
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When you sign up for your account you set up a direct debit to your bank account.
 
There isn't a lot worth seeing just off the A16 itself, though it's an incredibly fast way of getting to Paris. Not sure on the recent toll prices.

Very close by though: At the end closest to Paris, there is a village called Auvers-sur-Oise which has quite a history of art -Van Gogh lived there for a while. The Oise river is also lovely.

At the top end, the village of Montreuil-sur-Mer (not on the coast) is somewhere we would always stop in the motor home. There is a really good bakery there as well as loads of restaurants.

You could also go up the A1 to Lille, where it's worth stopping at Cassel, a hilltop town with a fantastic brasserie overlooking miles of countryside (L'estaminet de Kasteelhof). Tolls slightly cheaper that way as it's toll free from Lille to Dunkerque. The Belgian town of Tournai is a gem also (think York but with free parking!)

Pretty much anywhere in France, if you take the D-Roads, you will find lovely villages with pretty architecture and good food. We used to take the D901 from Boulougne all the way down to Paris
 
The_Tiler said:
So how does that work for a one off 2 week holiday? I don't want to have a monthly payment taken out of my account, I'd rather just pay off what I use.
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they don’t charge the monthly payment if you don’t use it. If you don’t fancy the DD system just use your card although tap and go infrequently works. I find you need to put your card into the slot to pay.
 
The_Tiler said:
So how does that work for a one off 2 week holiday? I don't want to have a monthly payment taken out of my account, I'd rather just pay off what I use.
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For the Emovis Tag you pay a monthly fee for every It is activated and you also pay a yearly fee. We came out here in June and have received our bill for travel down to Bordeaux for the end of July. I noticed it’s increased by around £20 on the same journey we made last year.

I will get an activation fee for both July and August and payment for what ever tolls we’ve used. July’s payment in August and Augusts in September.

When you approach the toll you can use any lane but most tolls have a 30 k sign. You can drive through these doing 30 without stopping.
 
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Zoophonic said:
What are seeing? I’ll be at the Rugby 7s finals on the first Saturday and the hockey the following morning. Also have Mountain biking finals and a swimming session.
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We are going over to the football and Roland Garros on Fri 2nd Aug, and in the Olympic Stadium for the Saturday sessions.
 
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