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Motorway
service areas - Les
aires d'autoroute
- Info
and tips for motorists
Page
guide: click the links.
French
Motorways are very well provided for in terms of Service Areas,
known as "Aires" or "Aires de service". Distances to upcoming service
areas, together with pictograms indicating the services provided, are
indicated at regular intervals on the motorways. So too are fuel costs
at service areas to come.
The first point to note, however, is
that full service areas are not the only points at which drivers can
stop for a break on the French motorway system. Far more frequent than
full-scale service areas are much smaller "aires de repos" which are in
essence just off-road parking areas where drivers can pause for a
break, a picknick or other essentials. But whatever the type of "aire"
that is coming up, the services provided are always clearly indicated
in advance, with standard pictograms.
Here is a guide to what you can expect to find at the different
stopping points along French motorways.
a) Full
service areas.
 Well indicated in advance, full service areas
provide a wide range of
facilities for motorists. As well as offering a filling station
(petrol, diesel and sometimes LPG), full motorway service areas have at
least one restaurant, maybe more, a snack bar, a café, at least one
shop selling a range of products for the traveller, including
sandwiches, drinks, newspapers, and maybe more. there are also of
course toilets and sometimes shower facilities. In tourist areas, there
is often a shop selling local specialities and guidebooks, and there
may well also be a tourist information point. Examples are the Aire du Poulet de Bresse,
near Bourg-en-Bresse on the A39, or the Aire de l'Aveyron,
north of Millau, on the A75 motorway. More and more full service areas
are now equipped with free access wi-fi.
All big service areas have ample parking
facilities,
and often a landscaped area with chairs and tables for picnicks. Most
have an outdoor children's play area. Some even come with tourist
attractions included; one such example is the Archeodrome, located on
the main A6
Beaune-Tailly service area,
in Burgundy, which has replicas of neolithic huts, a group of
medieval dwellings, a Gallo-Roman house, and other historic
reconstructions.
French motorway Service areas with hotels:
A small number of service areas have hotels. Here
is a selection of usefully located service area which actually have hotels on the service area.:
| Motorway and region | Service area and hotel: | | A6 northbound only (Lyon-Paris) - Burgundy | Auxerre sud Aire Soleil Levant Ibis
hotel (**) |
| A6 (Paris Lyon) : Burgundy |
Macon - St. Albain All
Seasons hotel
|
| A36 (Mulhouse - Beaune): Franche Comté | Besançon Marchaux Ibis
hotel (**) |
| A39 (Dijon - Bourg en Bresse) - Burgundy |
Cuiseaux - Aire du Poulet de Bresse Etap
hotel (**) |
| A40 (Macon- Bourg - Geneva) - Rhone Alpes | Bourg en Bresse - Jasseron Ibis hotel ** |
| A75 (Clermont Fd. - Béziers) - Midi Pyrenees |
L'Hospitalet - Aire du Larzac - Balladins hotel ** |
| A9 (Orange - Spanish border) - Languedoc |
Montpellier-Fabrègues Ibis
hotel (**) |
| A9 (Orange - Spanish border) - Languedoc |
Aire du village Catalan, s of Perpignan. Hotel |
| A10 (Paris - Bordeaux) Poitou Charentes |
Aire Poitou-Charentes nord. Hotel les Ruralies |
For hotels very close to motorway exits but not necessarily on the motorway, click for the following motorways: A10 (Paris-Bordeaux) A26 (Calais-Troyes) A71 / A20 south from Orleans
b)
Smaller service areas
As well indicated as the full service areas, but with less pictograms
on the advance information signs, smaller service areas are similar to
large (or even not so large) petrol filling stations on other roads.
They are essentially just fuel stops, with a snack bar / café, toilets,
and usually a small shop selling essentials such as snacks, busicuits,
and drinks.
c)
Parking areas - rest areas (aires de repos)
Designated in advance as "Aire de .....", these parking areas are
situated on average about every 25 kilometres. They are usually
unmanned, and are just places where drivers can have a pause on their
journey. Facilities are limited to toilets, generally unheated. They
are designated with the standard P pictogram for parking, + the toilet
(or for Americans, washroom) pictogram, and perhaps the picnic area
pictogram. They may or may not have a telephone kiosk.
Prices:
As one might expect, prices in motorway service areas tend to be more
expensive than in equivalent locations elsewhere. But even in motorway
service areas, one can shop around. In one service area visited
recently (on the A 40 Alpine motorway), the cost of coffee and a
sandwich was almost 30% less in the small café attached to the
filling-station part of the service area, than in the café area of the
main service area. Different franchises, different prices ! (Or is it
reasonable prices for the regulars, who know; high prices for the
passing tourists?)
Wining and driving
Wine
is available with meals in French motorway service areas - a fact that
surprises a lot of visitors. But don't forget that the drink drive
limit in France is lower than it is in the UK. The best advice is the
same everywhere; don't drink and drive.
Motorway from Calais to Lyon:
Main
Service areas on the A-26 - A5 - A 31 - A 39 - A 42 (Lyon).
(Click here for a choice of hotels close to
motorway exits on this route)
Most
restaurants are self service, some have waiter service
Location
|
Name
|
Eating
facilities
|
| A
26 at km 55 |
Aire
de Rely |
Small
restaurant |
| A
26 at km 179 |
Aire
d'Urvillers |
Restaurant |
| A
26 at km 239 |
Aire
du Mont de Nizy |
Small
restaurant |
| A
4 (A 26) 22 km after Reims |
Aire
Reims Champagne |
Restaurant |
A
26 at km 336
(After Chalons)
|
Aire
de Sommesous |
Restaurant |
| A
5 at km 200 (after Troyes) |
Aire
Chateauvillain Val Marnay |
Two
restaurants |
| A
31 before Langres |
Aire
Langres Perrogney |
Restaurant |
A
39 at km 25
(after Dijon)
|
Aire
Pont de Saône chêne d'argent |
Fast
food |
A
39 at km 79
(after Poligny)
|
Aire
du Jura |
Restaurant,
self-service, snack. Viewpoint, many facilities, nature trail,
activities in summer |
| A
39 at km 115 |
Aire
du Poulet de Bresse |
Restaurant,
self service, viewpoint, play area, Etap
hotel (**) |
| A
42 20 km before Lyon |
Aire
Lyon Montlue |
Self
service |
Motorway from Calais to Rouen and
Tours:
Main
Service areas on the A-16 - A 28
(Click here for a choice of hotels close to
motorway exits on the Rouen route)
Location
|
Name
|
Eating
facilities
|
| A
16 before Abbeville |
Aire
de la Baie de Somme
|
Self
service restaurant
|
A
28 at km 68 before Rouen
|
Aire
de Maucombles
|
Self
service restaurant
|
A
28 after Exit 15 for Broglie, Aigle
|
Aire
les Haras
|
Restaurant |
A
28 - A11 by Le Mans
|
Aire
la Sarthe Le Mans
|
Self
service restaurant, fast food restaurant
|
| A
28 after exit 26 |
Aire
Sarthe Touraine
|
Restaurant,
Self service restaurant
|
A sample selection of Motorway tolls in
France: Jan 2010 (for cars)
(For Car + caravan;
add about 50%). |
Calais
- Paris, via A 16: 18.7 €
Calais-Marseilles, via Paris: 73.2 €uros
Calais-Bordeaux, via Rouen 64.8 €
Calais-Toulouse, via Paris 51 €
Calais-Toulouse via Rouen, Dreux: 34.2 €
Calais - Perpignan via Rouen, Chartres & A 71: 49.4 €
Calais-Nice, via Reims, Dijon & A39: 95.4 €
Calais-Grenoble, via Reims, Dijon, A39: 67 €
Le Havre - Bordeaux, via Alençon: 58.3 € |
Le Havre - Montpellier via Chartres
& A 71: 45.7 €
Roscoff - Toulouse via Bordeaux: 43.3 €
Bruxelles / Brussels - Marseilles, via Valenciennes and Reims: 71.3 €
Strasbourg - le Perthus (Spanish border): 64.9 €
Freiburg im Breisgau / Mulhouse - Perpignan: 63.5 €
Freiburg / Mulhouse - Montpellier, via Lyon: 51.1 €
Paris - Nice 68.8 €
Paris - Bordeaux: 50.7 € |
When
driving in France, don't forget to carry a fluorescent jacket...
All vehicles travelling on French roads must now carry a yellow
fluorescent jacket, that can be put on if the driver has to get out in
an emergency. The jacket must be carried in
the car, not in the boot (not in the trunk), and be readily accessible.
Drivers not carrying the obligatory jacket may receive an instant fine
of up to 130 Euros, if stopped by police. |
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