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Hi   Northern Italy/south of France is roughly same distance and time, Spain is a bit further but you wouldn't want any further down than Tarragona in June with young children( will be quite hot).

Roads in France and Spain are considerably better than in Italy as is the driving. However tolls in France are very high the A roads are very good and free but add about 25%/30% to your time.

We generally travel to Italy in May, route would be Dunkirk, Belgium, Luxembourg,  France (most of this toll free), then Swizerland (one year motorway toll payable) then into Northern Italy.  You then have the choice of Med, Lakes or Adriatic- probable stopovers 3 nights - try to get through Switzerland in one go, very expensive. We also go to Spain in September.  A few weeks in France then down as far as Alicante back on the Bilbao ferry.  Although the ferry appears expensive fuel/tolls/stops etc do not come up far short of ferry price.  Route would be Calais, Orleans, Millau viaduct (toll), South of France most of the route is toll free until you hit the Med, probable stopovers 3 nights.

Travel on Sunday is a good idea as lorries are not allowed on motorways.  However, the motorway service areas are full of lorries!

Sites in Spain and France are good for children, sites in Italy are excellent for children.  However, if this is your first time you might try first site a hour south of Paris - weather in June is usually excellent.  If weather not so good keep heading South!  Notice someone has mentioned Vendee - this has the most amount of Summer sunshine next to Corsica.

Hello Kim C,

We went to Italy in Aug 2008, we stayed at a site in Lake Garda and then one in Bibione ( not that far from Venice ), we loved it there and are hoping to return next year.

My husband did the driving and he found it fine and had no problems.

I can recommend the campsite that we stayed on in Bibione - it was, Camping Campalonga, very nice, right on the beach ( a lovely beach ), lots of things to do, the ' kids ' clubs were very good and the security was good at night too, the guards would come round checking that all was ok and making sure that people were not being too noisy when it got past 11pm ( which I personally thought was good ).

I am sure you would be fine and as you say, you can have lots of stopovers on the way down.

Enjoy. Best wishes, Jonah.

Thanks for all this info folks.

Itll give me something to plan over the coool winter months when I cant do anything else!

Cheers Kim