Getting Lost on a Road Trip in Southern France Is not Necessarily a Catastrophe
The New Year’s Eve was approaching. It was time to make a decision: spend the New Year in Nice in south-east France, or travel to the next planned destination in Perpignan near the Spanish border. Our work with the authors and photographers in Nice was completed, so we decided to make our move and drive to Perpignan two days before the New Year. Without problems the trip is easily done in a day, leaving time to have multiple breaks, a meal and a walk in a town along the way. Unless unintended detours change travel plans. Here is our story.
Nice
We were not alone on the roads in France two days before the New Year holidays. An early start helped us to leave Nice and Cannes behind before roads started to get crowded. It seemed that everyone had to travel somewhere to celebrate the New Year. The first ski centers had opened in the high Alps and Pyrenees, attracting many holiday-makers.
Aix-en-Provence
It was a sunny, crisp morning that showed the best of Provence and the Mediterranean climate. Our first stop was a coffee break well before lunch time at a café that was located in a beautiful location.
We didn’t visit Aix-en-Provence this time, but it is a highly recommended destination for tourists to stop by and to spend a day or two. Aix-en-Provence is a lively town that is teeming with cultural activities, cafés, shopping and French life.
After Salon-de-Provence, before Arles, a flat and dead-straight road section of about 20 km/13 miles long crosses marshland. Strong winds tend to blow there, bending trees and bushes along the road.
Arles
Maybe it was the uneventful road section before Arles that made us pay too little attention to navigation. So far, three hours on the road had gone so well that it felt nothing could go wrong. Then, the highway ended just before Arles. We intended to drive through Arles and stop for a walk in Nimes, a town about 30 km/18 miles from Arles. If you want to stop by at Arles, head to the old town and find the ancient amphitheater Arénes for a glimpse of the most famous part of the town.
A roundabout after roundabout followed as the main road led through Arles. At each roundabout, signs pointed to Nimes, Arles and nearby villages. It was probably the tenth roundabout when we lost the main road.
Although I could swear we followed the signs to Nimes, suddenly we were driving along the streets of Arles. We had no intention to admire the old town, but we wanted to get back on the main road. Instead, we were driving deeper and deeper into the old town where roads are narrow alleys. Even a bicycle leaning against a wall would have made it impossible to continue – that's how narrow the alleys were.
As long as the alley was straight, it was manageable, but ahead a 90-degree turn was waiting to test our driving skills. The only thing we could do was to continue driving and hope for the best. What a relief it was when the alley ended to the river bank. The river provided us direction that helped us escape the old town.
Finding the right direction was another matter. Somehow, we managed to drive out of Arles, but we found ourselves on a country road that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Yes, we were lost, but where? We didn’t have a GPS navigation system at the time.
Thanks to the French road numbering system we could identify the road. It was an old road leading from Arles to Nimes. Charming as it was, it was slow to drive. The road led through a number of villages and if nothing else was slowing us down, farmers’ tractors were.
It was a nice sightseeing drive in real Provencal farming region, but the detour episode changed our plans. We had to forget about Nimes (we still haven’t visited the town). Instead, we stopped for a brief break by a forest patch squeezed in between large fields.
Once we reached the expressway La Catalan and finally could head south, it was already afternoon — about 3pm. Since the daylight would start to fade after 5pm, we had to hurry in order to find the cottage we had rented before complete darkness would made navigation difficult.
We had to pass by Montpellier. Later, we made a trip to the fantastic medieval town of Carcassonne (a highly recommended destination), but that’s another story.
Perpignan
Despite a massive roadwork near Perpignan, there were no surprises to slow us down on La Catalan. We reached Perpignan quarter to 5pm, and decided to quickly shop for groceries for the night and the next morning. We made it to the cottage about 20 km/ 13 miles outside the city with the last rays of daylight.
Collioure
After a day of rest, it was the New Year’s Eve. We decided to use the whole day exploring the coastal villages south of Perpignan: Saint-Cyprien, Argeles-sur-Mer, Collioure, Port Vendres and Banyuls-sur-Mer.
One place stood out from the other pleasant places: Collioure. It was love at first sight. Steep slopes led down to the waterfront where the village center and chateau were waiting for visitors. Vineyards and houses built on the slopes were looking at the blue Mediterranean Sea.
Visitors had arrived in Collioure in numbers. We were in town more or less by accident, but French and Spanish visitors were there for a purpose: they spent the whole day strolling around the village, the port, having lunch or coffee at many bistros of the town, while they waited for the fireworks that were prepared at the port for the evening.
After the day in Collioure, the detour in Arles, and missing Nimes and Montpellier was only a distant memory. This is what traveling is all about, after all.
The Klaava Travel Guide to southern France: The Gems of Nice and the French Riviera shows you the best destinations of Cote d’Azur.
