Every summer, thousands of UK families head for the South of France. The question is: what’s the best way to get there—drive or fly? On the face of it, flying feels quicker and easier, but when you’re a family of six, the costs add up fast. Driving takes longer, but is it actually cheaper once you factor in fuel, tolls, and overnight stops?
This summer, we drove from London to the South of France. I tracked every cost along the way and compared it to flight prices booked well in advance, so we could get a true picture of the price difference.
Quick Cost Comparison: London to South of France
- Driving (family of six):
- Cheapest option (with Tesco vouchers + 1 stop each way): £730
- More realistic (paid tunnel + 2 stops each way): £1,300
- Flying (family of six):
- Best-case (cheapest flights + transfers, no hire car): £1,350
- More realistic (flights + transfers/hire car): £1,600–£1,900
Verdict: For larger families, driving usually works out cheaper—especially once you factor in car hire. For smaller groups, flying may be more cost-effective and is certainly faster. We booked our crossing with Le Shuttle using Tesco vouchers, which makes a big difference in overall trip cost.
What It Cost Us to Drive to the South of France
Notes on Costs
- I haven’t included food, as this varies so much. We packed sandwiches and breakfasts for the road and stayed in self-catered Airbnbs where we could cook cheap dinners. This kept our food costs roughly the same as our everyday budget at home—and certainly less than what we’d have spent on airport food for six people.
- Annual leave is another consideration. Driving takes at least two extra days off work—more if you stretch it into a longer road trip.
- Adding big mileage to your car is also worth factoring in. While you avoid car hire fees, the extra wear and tear could have an impact on your vehicle’s resale value.
Total Driving Costs
- Cheapest option: £730 (Tesco vouchers + 1 stop each way)
- More realistic option: £1,300 (paid tunnel + 2 stops each way)
Flying vs. Driving to the South of France
Flying has clear advantages: you get there faster, need less time off work, and spend more of your holiday at your destination. The downside is that flights to smaller French airports aren’t always daily, so dates and times don’t always line up with school holidays or when you want to travel.
Flight Prices (Family of Six to Montpellier, booked 8 months in advance)
- EasyJet: £1,000 with 3 checked bags + 3 cabin bags
- British Airways: £1,300 with 3 checked bags + 1 cabin bag per person
Extra Travel Costs
- Airport transfer (1 hour drive): £350 return
- Car hire (7-seater): £600 per week
Total Flying Costs
- Best case: £1,350 (cheap flights + transfers, no hire car)
- More realistic: £1,600–£1,900
The Comparison
With Tesco clubcard vouchers for our tunnel crossing, we spent £730 driving—at least a £600 saving over flying.
Even if we’d paid in full for Le Shuttle and added two overnight stops each way, our total road trip cost would have been around £1,300—similar to the cheapest flights plus transfers. But driving also gave us:
- A car for the entire holiday (no hire fees)
- The ability to bring more with us (beach gear, food, extras)
- The chance to explore new places en route
- Four extra days of holiday, spread across the journey
For us, the real deal-breaker is car hire. Renting a large car in Europe is so expensive that it often makes more sense to bring our own.
That said, the cost gap between driving and flying isn’t huge. If you dislike long drives, flying is the obvious choice.
But we genuinely enjoy the road trip. Each time, we take a different route and stop in new places. For us, the journey feels like part of the holiday, not just a means to an end.
One last point: the bigger the family, the more you save by driving. For smaller groups, the maths shifts, since you’re buying fewer plane tickets and paying for less luggage.
If you’re considering upgrading before your next big trip, take a look at our guide to the most spacious 7 seater cars.
Driving vs Flying: What About Carbon Emissions?
Cost isn’t the only factor when deciding how to travel — environmental impact matters too.
We used the GoClimate travel calculator to compare emissions for our return journey from Calais to the South of France. Here’s what it showed for a 1,200 km trip each way:
- ✈️ Flight: 60 kg CO₂e per person (return)
- 🚙 Diesel car: 50 kg CO₂e total (return)
- 🚗 Petrol car: 54 kg CO₂e total (return)
- ⚡ Electric car: 18 kg CO₂e total (return)
So for our family of six, flying would generate 360 kg CO₂e in total, while driving would produce just 50–54 kg across all passengers — a much smaller carbon footprint.
Some other calculators (like MyClimate) give higher figures for flying, as they include extra climate impact from high-altitude emissions. But even with the more conservative GoClimate estimate, driving is clearly the lower-emission choice for a family group.
So, is it cheaper to drive or fly to the South of France?
The answer depends on your circumstances. For our family of six, driving saved us several hundred pounds and gave us flexibility, space, and the chance to turn the journey into part of the holiday. When we went to a family campsite in the South of France, being able to bring our own car made packing beach gear and bikes so much easier.
If you’re travelling as a couple or small family, flying might well work out cheaper and certainly faster. But for larger families—especially if you need a hire car at the other end—driving remains a strong contender.
Ultimately, it comes down to what you value more: speed and convenience, or savings and the freedom of having your own car. For us, the road trip wins.
Questions Families Often Ask About Driving to France
If you’re deciding between driving and flying, you’ll probably also have a few practical questions about what the journey is really like. Here are some of the most common queries families ask when planning a road trip to France with kids.
For larger families, driving usually works out cheaper once you factor in flight tickets, baggage, transfers, and car hire. Couples or smaller groups often find flying better value.
The journey takes around 10–12 hours of driving, not including breaks. Most families split it over two days with an overnight stop.
Bring your UK driving licence, V5C log book, and insurance that covers Europe. You must also carry a warning triangle and hi-vis vests for all passengers.
Yes — driving to the south can cost around €150 each way in tolls. Avoiding toll roads is possible but adds significant time.
You’ll need a UK sticker, headlight beam deflectors, and valid insurance. Some cities also require a Crit’Air emissions sticker.
Plan frequent breaks, pack plenty of snacks and entertainment, and consider early or overnight travel to maximise sleep time. If you need inspiration for keeping children entertained, here are our best car games for kids.
Yes, you can bring snacks and packaged food. Fresh meat, milk and some produce may have restrictions.
A toll tag (Télépéage or Liber-t) attaches to your windscreen and lets you use the fast “t” lanes at toll booths.
Most providers charge a €10–€20 setup fee plus €1–€3 per month when you use it. Normal toll charges still apply.
Yes — they’re much quicker than paying by card or cash, especially in busy holiday periods.
For one-off trips they’re a nice extra, but not essential. If you drive in France often, the convenience is well worth it.
Driving vs Flying to France: The Verdict
Whether you drive or fly, the best option depends on your family size, budget, and how much you value the journey itself.
Driving can be part of the adventure, while flying offers speed and simplicity. For us, Yelloh Village La Sérignan Plage in the South of France has been one of the best family-friendly campsites to arrive at after the long drive. If you’d like to see how we broke up our own road trip — including stopovers and family-friendly places along the way — take a look at our South of France road trip itinerary.
