The Route Nationale 7, stretching 996km from Paris to Menton on the Côte d'Azur, is experiencing a revival among lovers of slow travel seeking offbeat France. Once the emblem of French summer holidays after the 1936 paid leave law, the road fell quieter when the Autoroute du Soleil opened in the 1970s, but is now regaining popularity.
Thierry Doillon, a vintage car enthusiast who helped restore a 1950s petrol station on the RN7, recalls childhood trips in his parents' 2CV. 'We would set out at 3am and by 10am, around Lyon, my father would need a break. My mother would set up a deckchair for him under a tree by the side of the road and he would sleep before driving the rest of the way to Toulon.'
Starting from Paris's Place d'Italie, the journey passes through towns like Barbizon, Nevers, and Moulins. The route is marked by simple red-and-white bornes rather than large signs, and features faded ghost signs, Relais Routiers restaurants, and the soundtrack of Charles Trenet's 1955 song 'Nationale 7'. Historic stops include the Hôtel de Paris in Moulins, which hosted Coco Chanel and Edith Piaf, and Le Petit Louvre coaching inn in La Pacaudière, dating from the early 1500s.
Doillon notes that there were sometimes as many as 12 garages in a 6km stretch, due to small petrol tanks and frequent breakdowns. Today, the RN7 offers a slower, more subtle alternative to the Autoroute du Soleil, with attractions such as the biennial traffic jam party called Embouteilla in Lapalisse.
