I've actually done it both ways. I live in the Netherlands, so my plan, a few years ago, was to drive to Lyon, spend the night in a small town just south, then continue to the coast the next day. Little did I know that Saturday, the next day, was called "Black Saturday" by the French. We got onto the colourfully named "Autoroute du soleil" the next morning and waited. And waited. Finally, in desperation, my wife found a country route at the next exit that would get us to our destination on the far eastern side of the coast.

The drive was very nice, but since it was a country road, we could not go very fast. We did not make it to our destination until after dark.

We now go by train. Locally, we travel by bus or train. Very locally, we rent bikes or walk. While it is true that autos give its users a sense of freedom, they also have a high cost, not only in money. You can waste more time with an auto - sitting in traffic jams, looking for a place to park, finding and filling your fuel tank, waiting what seems like hours at toll stations, etc. - , while buses and trains usually are moving and you need not worry about parking, tolls, tanking, speed limits, etc.

The hardest part about giving up the auto was finding alternatives. Getting from home to the southern coast is easy - TGV. Locally, I find it not too difficult to ask at a tourist office or at the local city hall about buses and schedules. I've found sites on the Internet which take me to local transport sites. And my French is not very good. But, I've found that just using "autobus" and the name of the town or village very often works. For the larger towns, btw, they even often offer the information in English and other languages.

And finally, buses, even in the south of France at the height of the tourist season are very cheap. For example, I just downloaded the price table for Nice. One bus trip costs €1.50. One day (unlimited use) costs €5. A package of 10 trips costs €10. A one-week pass (unlimited daily rides) is €15.

I could be wrong, but I'd imagine that you'd pay more than €15 in tolls from Paris. But, the more important point is that while you're waiting to pay the toll outside Lyon, I'll already be on the beach at my destination relaxing.