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Hitchhiking Journey to the French Town with the Longest Name

Departure from Marseille

We are Matt and Med, two friends from Marseille, and we decided to hitchhike to Saint-Remy-en-Bouzemont-Saint-Genest-et-Isson, the town with the longest name in France. Our adventure began on June 29, 2024, a sunny Saturday. We chose to start from the A55 highway entrance at La Joliette, with a sign reading "Lançon."

First Leg: Marseille to Mornas les Ardets

We didn't wait long to find our first ride, only about 20 minutes. Two coworkers, still excited from the Top 14 final the night before in Marseille, picked us up. Despite their post-party state, the atmosphere was cool, and they took us much further than expected, dropping us off at the Mornas les Ardets highway rest area.

Second Leg: Mornas les Ardets to Saint Rambert d'Albon

At Mornas les Ardets, we held up a new sign, "Mâcon." After just 15 minutes, we met Charles, a surgeon who had also attended the Top 14 match in Marseille. Charles drove us to the Saint Rambert d'Albon rest area, more than 130 km away, where we decided to take a lunch break.

Third Leg: Saint Rambert d'Albon to Dijon

After our break, we were quickly picked up by a man working in the wine industry, who took us to the Taponas rest area. There, we met Julian, a young German heading to Saarbrücken. His vehicle, an old car with over 400,000 km bought for 500€, amused us. He dropped us off in Dijon, our destination for the evening where a couchsurfer was waiting for us.

Evening in Dijon

After 7.5 hours of travel, we arrived in Dijon. Our host for the night welcomed us warmly, showed us around the city, and shared many anecdotes. It was a memorable evening before hitting the road again the next day.

Towards Saint-Remy-en-Bouzemont-Saint-Genest-et-Isson

The next day, we set out for our final destination. We started our journey from the Europe Simone Veil tram stop, under pouring rain. It was a Sunday morning, election day, and the conditions were far from ideal. After a stop at Carrefour to buy plastic wrap to protect our signs, we returned to our spot.

Intermediate Leg: Langres to Saint Dizier

A young couple picked us up and took us to Langres. From there, we had a series of short rides: an Italian truck driver drove us a few kilometers, followed by two young men who dropped us off in Chaumont. In torrential rain, we decided to eat in Chaumont before resuming our journey to Saint Dizier.

Village Hopping

In Saint Dizier, we made several short trips from village to village: Brethenay, Bologne, and finally Clara, a journalist covering the legislative elections for the Journal de la Haute-Marne, picked us up and took us to Saint Dizier. Our sign was what made her stop.

Arrival in Saint-Remy-en-Bouzemont-Saint-Genest-et-Isson

At the exit of Saint Dizier, we met Myriam, who joined in our silly challenge. She made a 40-minute round trip detour to drop us off at our final destination: Saint-Remy-en-Bouzemont-Saint-Genest-et-Isson. Our adventure, which started 7.5 hours earlier in Marseille, ended in this small town with an endlessly long name, filled with many memories and new friendships.