Troyes, France - June 2026
- Jun 6
- 2 min read
Our journey began shortly before 6am one Saturday in early June from the Fens in Cambridgeshire. After packing up our Nissan Qashquai the night before with all the camping equipment we would need for 2 weeks, we drove down to Folkstone on very quiet UK motorways, a perfect time to be on the M25!
As we had arrived at the Le Shuttle terminal in plenty of time, we were able to catch an earlier train which was fantastic. After a very smooth transition through passport control and onto the train, we departed on time and 30 minutes later we were in Calais.
Our first destination was Troyes in north eastern France, which had been recommended by friends as a great stopover and Paul had already visited for a short time on a prior cycling trip. The journey time was 5 hours, with stops (400km) and it did rain for much of the way, but luckily cleared up an hour from Troyes.
We found the motorways in France quiet and easy to use with regular aires to stop and stretch our legs. The majority had toilet facilities, picnic tables and even washing up sinks! We met a young British couple in a BMW who were on their way to Monte Carlo via Geneva. They were also camping for some of their road trip, but their equipment was stored neatly in their very small carboot! Our boot AND back seat were full….we like to pack for every eventuality.
We had booked accommodation in Troyes via Booking.com - £48 for the night in a
presentable house about 20 mins from the city centre. There was a small courtyard where we enjoyed our first holiday drink before strolling the easy walk into the city. The centre was very quiet and we were able to wander the old medieval streets with ease, it was very picturesque. Using Google reviews, we found a bistro restaurant, La Brasserie which had tables outside so we could enjoy the early evening sunshine. The waiting staff spoke very little english but we managed to order drinks and food with no difficulty. Paul had steak hache without realising it was raw meat, but thankfully he enjoyed it......he ate it anyway! There were lots of locals in the restaurant with their families which is always a good sign.
After a good nights sleep, we had a quick stop to pick up our fresh breakfast and rolls for lunch (boulangeries are open every morning including Sundays) and were on our way by 8am.
See my post on Lauterbrunnen for the Swiss part of our trip. https://www.earlyretirementroadtrip.com/post/lauterbrunnen-switzerland
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