My first piece of advice - relax; "you've nothing to fear but fear itself". It's so easy to let the worries overwhelm you and what should be a relaxing ride through a great part of the world becomes a flight from danger where the only place you feel safe is on the bike at 60mph.

Assuming you've got a reliable bike, riding down through France (probably the best route if you're heading for the west side of Italy) on a sunny day is one of life's great pleasures. I head down that way often (we have a rental flat in the French Alps about an hour from the Italian border) and over the years I've used a whole load of routes. They've all got good bits and bad bits but in general the southern half of France is more interesting than the northern half (in my opinion) - but of course you've got to get there first!

If you're going to be a bit apprehensive when you first get off the boat / tunnel it might be a good idea to do a few miles on the autoroute first. The A26 will get you to Reims in about 3hrs and by then you'll probably have got the hang of riding / overtaking etc on the right and how French service stations work. You'll have to pay for it (take a ticket at the "peage" about 20 miles out from Calais and pay when you come off). After that I'd suggest sticking to the regular (= free) roads.

From Reims I head for Epernay, Sezanne and down to Troyes. From there there's a great 100 mile ride via Chatillon sur Seine to Dijon. After Dijon you've got a choice of routes but the Route des Grands Crus (the wine route) along the valley of the Saone river is an easy cruise if you're not in a hurry. It's hard to get lost as you have the river and the autoroute over on your left.

Lyon is a city best avoided. It's got a great centre but it's easy to get lost on the outskirts so from Macon I head for Bourg en Bresse and then via the D1075 to Grenoble. As you approach Grenoble you'll see the mountains rearing up in front of you and Grenoble sits in a valley overlooked by the huge presence of the Vercors national park.

You can go right through Grenoble on a short section of (free) urban motorway and then take the N85 (junction 8!) towards Briancon. That's a great ride through the mountains in the summer months with no heart stopping edges to worry about - although if that's your forte there's a turn off to the Col de Galibiar (misspelt but I get an auto icon if I do it correctly) about half way along. At Briancon you're on top of the Italian border and about an hour from Turin.

Meeting people, especially when you don't speak the language, can be difficult. Make the effort though. Riding along just using automated fuel pumps, buying food from self checkouts in supermarkets and staying in credit card hotels (like Ibis Budget) is no way to see the country. Relax, accept you'll make a fool of yourself now and again and remember - ride on the right!