Driving from Paris to Nice
 

Next weekend I will be flying into Paris and driving to Nice; I understand nobody can know for sure what the weather is like but lets say it is still cold and snowing, how much snow can I expect and where. I know it rarely snows in Paris and probably never in Nice but are there any mountains in between? I will be driving to Lyon-Aix en Provence and then Nice on Saturday and Sunday.

No real mountains on the main route to Nice--I assume you will be taking the Autoroute.

But, IMHO, it is better to take the TGV to, say Aix, and rent a car there. Much faster, less stressful, and probably cheaper with the high price of gas and very high tolls.

Also, no worries about the weather.

Or, why not just fly into Nice?

I am afraid the Rhone valley and the Southeast are suffering among the worst snowfalls in recent history. I would certainly not drive this weekend, but fly. Next week-end could still see temperatures below freezing. Worst case scenario would be waiting at the airport, not on the road or in a stranded train in the middle of nowhere.

Hi There...

There is the French Alps in between...roughly located near LYON. I drove this route once and I hit snow from Lyon to Marseille...got there though so it wasn't too bad.

Adrian

The Alps are East of Lyon and are not on the main route to Aix and on to Nice. That route takes you through the Rhone Valley, not the Alps.

I agree. I've taken both the train and flown (EasyJet) from Orly and then rented cars, just as you suggest. Unless there is somewhere the op needs to stop enroute, I can't see driving.

I am guessing just toll fees could have costed as much as one iDTGV ticket in this case.

It is fun to see everything in Provence and the cote d'azur, but driving from Paris to Aix is the pits. Even if the weather is good, and it isn't now, the traffic will be bad and the driving costs are horrendous. I'm with biggestbopper on this one.

Thank you for all your comments; despite your advice we rented the car in Paris Orly and drove to Lyon; spent the night in Lyon and then went on to Nice; The drive is nothing special, the toll fares are steep and the gas prices.... well, we know about that.
Next time I will most definitely either fly into Nice or just take the TGV from Paris.
The only nice thing about the long drive is that we got a chance to stop in Lyon; I had been there before but this time I had probably one of the best meals of the week; Herring with potato and onions for first course and veal kidneys with cream sauce and mustard for the main dish; The kidneys were amazing and perfectly done.