We spent New Year 2025/26 on a road trip through southern France with our kids, Damian (12) and Marc (9). We drove from Barcelona in our electric car, met my sister’s family and my parents in Marseille (they drove over from Turin), and the nine of us ended the year in Montpellier. Six days, four places, two hotels, and one very cold wind.
This is the whole route, night by night, with what each stop is like with kids, what the drive involves, and what I’d change. Each place has its own full guide, linked as you go.
Our route at a glance
- When: 29 December 2025 – 3 January 2026, 5 nights.
- Route: Barcelona → Marseille (2 nights, with an evening in Martigues) → Montpellier (3 nights, with an evening in Sète) → Barcelona.
- Driving: about 1,050 km in total. The longest leg is Barcelona–Marseille, about 5 hours.
- Tolls: none in Catalonia (the AP-7 has been toll-free since 2021). France’s A9 from Montpellier to the Spanish border is €23.10 for a car in 2026.
- Weather: cold and windy in Marseille, milder in Montpellier. Pack winter coats.
Where we stayed on our southern France road trip
Campanile Marseille Saint-Antoine – just off the motorway north of the city. Free parking, an EV charger and Superior rooms with a separate living room.
Hotel Belaroïa – a 4-minute walk from Saint-Roch station. Our Junior Suite fitted four.
Novotel Marseille Vieux-Port – if you’d rather walk to the Old Port than drive in.
Our southern France road trip, night by night
| Day | Where | What we did | Night |
|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Dec | Barcelona → Marseille | About 5 hours’ drive, then check-in and dinner | Marseille |
| 30 Dec | Marseille + Martigues | The Old Port, Notre-Dame de la Garde, sunset in Martigues | Marseille |
| 31 Dec | Marseille → Montpellier | About 2 hours’ drive. Christmas market, New Year’s Eve in the old town | Montpellier |
| 1 Jan | Montpellier + Sète | Parks, the Faculty of Medicine, an evening in Sète | Montpellier |
| 2 Jan | Montpellier | Montpellier | |
| 3 Jan | Montpellier → Barcelona | About 3.5 hours’ drive | Home |
Stop 1: Marseille in winter (2 nights)
Marseille was our meeting point, halfway between Barcelona and Turin. It was the coldest stop of the trip: the mistral blew the whole time, so we saw more of the city from the car than we’d planned. We drove around the Old Port and stopped by the water, then drove up to Notre-Dame de la Garde for the view over the whole city. Paid underground parking in the centre made it easy.
Read our full guide: Marseille in winter with kids →
Where we stayed in Marseille
Two nights at the Campanile Marseille Saint-Antoine, north of the city by the motorway. It isn’t a Vieux-Port hotel, and that was the point: free parking, an EV charger we used twice, Superior rooms with a separate living room and sofa bed, and three rooms side by side for our three families. Our full review of the Campanile →
Stop 2: Martigues at golden hour (an evening from Marseille)
Martigues is 35 minutes west of Marseille: a canal town on the Étang de Berre with colourful houses and boats, called the Venice of Provence. We arrived for the sunset, parked by the canals and walked while the kids watched the boats. After a windy day in a big city, it was the calmest hour of the trip.
Read our full guide: Martigues, the Venice of Provence in half a day →
Stop 3: Montpellier at New Year (3 nights)
Montpellier was the surprise of the trip, and the place I’d recommend most to families. The old town, the Écusson, is pedestrianised, so New Year’s Eve felt festive rather than chaotic with kids, and the Christmas market on the Promenade du Peyrou was still open when we arrived on 31 December 2025. In 2026 it closes on 30 December, so plan to arrive a day earlier if the market matters to you.
Read our full guide: Montpellier with kids at Christmas & New Year →
Where we stayed in Montpellier
Three nights at the Hotel Belaroïa, a 4-minute walk from Saint-Roch station, in a Junior Suite that fitted the four of us. Everything in the old town was walkable. Our full review of the Belaroïa →
Stop 4: An evening in Sète
On 1 January we drove half an hour to Sète, the working fishing port on the coast. It’s less pretty than Martigues and more real: canals, fishing boats and the hill of Mont Saint-Clair above it all. It’s 20 minutes by train if you don’t have a car.
Read our full guide: Sète, an evening from Montpellier →
Driving from Barcelona to the south of France
- Barcelona → Marseille: about 510 km and 5 hours on the AP-7 and A9, crossing the border at Le Perthus.
- Marseille → Montpellier: about 170 km and 2 hours.
- Montpellier → Barcelona: about 340 km and 3.5 hours.
- Tolls: the AP-7 in Catalonia has been toll-free since 2021, so you only pay in France. The A9 from Montpellier to the Spanish border costs €23.10 for a car in 2026, and the Marseille legs add more. Check exact prices on the French motorway operators’ simulators.
A road trip in an electric car
We did the whole trip in our Tesla. The thing that made it easy was booking hotels with chargers: we charged twice at the Campanile in Marseille, which is one reason I chose it. On a winter trip, cold weather cuts the range, so plan your charging stops before you set off rather than after.
What the trip cost
Is southern France good for a road trip with kids in winter?
Yes, if you pack for the cold and keep the drives short. What worked for us:
- Short legs. After the first day, no drive was more than 2 hours.
- Evening trips from a base. Martigues and Sète were both done as evenings from the city hotel, so nobody packed a bag twice a day.
- No crowds. Notre-Dame de la Garde, Martigues and Sète were quiet in late December.
- A Christmas market after Christmas. Montpellier’s runs a week longer than Barcelona’s.
What didn’t work: Marseille’s wind. We’d packed for “the south” and needed proper winter coats.
What I’d change next time
- Arrive in Montpellier by 30 December if you want the Christmas market (in 2026 it closes that day).
- Stay by the Old Port in Marseille if you’re not driving everywhere. For a road trip, the motorway hotel was the right call.
- Take Sète by train from Montpellier (20 minutes) so the driver can relax.
Planning the same route? Compare family rooms in Montpellier →
Southern France road trip with kids: FAQ
How many days do you need for a southern France road trip with kids?
Five or six days is enough for Marseille, Martigues, Montpellier and Sète. We did it in 5 nights from Barcelona: 2 in Marseille and 3 in Montpellier, with Martigues and Sète as evening trips.
How long is the drive from Barcelona to Marseille?
About 510 km and 5 hours via the AP-7 and the A9, crossing the border at Le Perthus. The Catalan AP-7 has been toll-free since 2021, so you only pay tolls in France.
Is the south of France worth visiting in winter with kids?
Yes, with warm clothes. There are no crowds, Montpellier’s Christmas market runs past Christmas, and the evenings in Martigues and Sète were the highlights. Marseille can be very cold and windy when the mistral blows.
Can you do a southern France road trip in an electric car?
Yes. We drove the whole route in our Tesla and charged at our hotel in Marseille. In winter, plan your charging stops in advance, because the cold reduces the range.
Where should you stay on a southern France road trip with kids?
Pick two bases and do day or evening trips from them. We stayed at the Campanile Marseille Saint-Antoine, which has free parking and EV charging, and at the Hotel Belaroïa by the station in Montpellier.
