A 500-metre-deep limestone canyon carved by a turquoise river, a plateau of stone shepherds' huts above it, and the tallest bridge on the planet on the way home. This one needs a real charging stop and a real plan.
The Tarn river has spent millions of years cutting an 800-metre-deep canyon through the limestone Causses, and the result is genuinely one of the most dramatic landscapes in France: sheer cliffs, turquoise swimming holes, medieval villages wedged into the rock, and — up on the rim — the vast empty limestone plateau of the Causse Méjean, a 340 km² steppe at 800–1247m altitude, dotted with dolines and dolmens. Base yourself in Sainte-Énimie (44.144°N, 3.417°E), the prettiest village in the gorge, roughly midway between Florac and Le Rozier — river, canoe bases, shops, and the road up onto the causse are all within a few minutes.
Meudon-la-Forêt → Sainte-Énimie is about 607 km, roughly 6–6.5 hours of driving via the A10/A71/A75. That's beyond a single charge on this car's realistic ~330–370 km real-world range, but it now takes just one solid stop rather than two: the Tesla Supercharger at Aire de l'Aveyron in Sévérac-d'Aveyron (12150), directly on the A75, about 30 km north of the Millau Viaduct. It's a 20-stall, up to 250kW V3 site, open 24/7, open to non-Tesla CCS cars too. A mid-route Ionity/Fulcrum-style stop on the A71 corridor is no longer needed with this car's range — keep it in mind as a buffer only if you're running low for other reasons. From Aire de l'Aveyron it's under an hour down to Sainte-Énimie on the D907/D986 gorge road.
Long driving day. Charge fully at Aire de l'Aveyron Supercharger, then detour 15 minutes off the A75 to see the Millau Viaduct from the Aire du Viaduc viewpoint — at 336.4m at its tallest point (pylon P2), it's the tallest bridge structure in the world, opened in 2004, spanning 2,460m across the Tarn valley. Then drop down into the gorge itself via Le Rozier and follow the D907bis along the river to Sainte-Énimie — this stretch of road, hugging the cliff with the river below, is a destination in itself.
Rent a canoe or kayak from one of the bases at Sainte-Énimie (e.g. Canoë Méjean, right by the bridge) — routes from 3km to 24km run April–October, all with return shuttle included, prices starting around €8 for short/family runs and scaling up with distance. This is the best way to see the gorge: turquoise pools, cliffs rising 400–500m either side, and swimming stops wherever the current allows.
Take the D986/small causse roads up out of the gorge onto the Causse Méjean — a completely different world: open limestone steppe, dry-stone shepherd huts (burons/caselles), dolmens, and the strange rock formations of the Chaos de Nîmes-le-Vieux. A 25km signed loop covers the classic scenery; road cyclists also do a much bigger ~116km loop that climbs from the Tarn up onto the causse and drops into Florac. Bike loaded inside the car per usual (front wheel off, no range hit). In the evening, treat night in Sainte-Énimie or Florac: aligot (whipped potato-and-Tomme cheese, a genuine Aubrac/Lozère specialty) or a trout dish — both are the real local thing to eat here.
Optional short hike (e.g. the Point Sublime or Roc des Hourtous viewpoints, both looking straight down into the canyon) before the long drive back north, charging again at Aire de l'Aveyron.
Paid fallback: campsites line the gorge road between Sainte-Énimie and Le Rozier. Typical pricing in the area starts around €21/night for a pitch for two people (e.g. sites like Camping Taranis near Mostuejouls, or Huttopia Gorges du Tarn), with cabins/mobile homes from roughly €60–65/night if you want a treat night instead of the tent. Book ahead in July/August — this is a popular canoeing destination and sites fill.
The gorge road itself is narrow, busy with tourist traffic and canoe shuttle vans in summer — not great cycling. The Causse Méjean above is the real riding: quiet, near-empty single-lane roads across open plateau, either the easy 25km loop or the demanding ~116km route that climbs from the Tarn up onto the causse and descends into Florac. Bike travels inside the car per the Car Camping & Bike Guide — no range penalty, unlike a roof or hitch rack.
| Category | Cost |
|---|---|
| Tolls (A10/A71/A75 sections) | ≈ €35–45 |
| Charging (2 stops, ~130kWh round trip) | ≈ €45–60 |
| Lodging (3 nights campsite, ~€21–25/night) | ≈ €65–75 |
| Canoe rental (half-day) | ≈ €20–30 |
| Treat meal (aligot or trout) | ≈ €18–25 |
| Food (self-cooked, rest of trip) | ≈ €35 |
| Total | €150–220 |
Sources: Aire de l'Aveyron Supercharger location (Tesla/PlugShare/Chargemap); Millau Viaduct height per Guinness World Records / tourisme-aveyron.com; canoe pricing from Canoë Méjean / gorges-du-tarn-canoe.com; bivouac ban per cevennes-gorges-du-tarn.com; campsite pricing per camping-taranis.fr.