 Driving in France & French roadsAbout-France.com
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By car through France - the main routes for driving to the south or west of France: ► click map for enlargement and details.
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Quiet country roads....
Motorway driving in France is normally quite relaxed...
Related pages:
Public
holidays in France.
The following days are public holidays ("jours fériés") in France, when all or most shops tend to be shut.
Note that on public holidays, hypermarkets will generally be shut, so unless you have a chip and pin credit card that works in French automatic petrol pumps, you'll need to fill up on the motorway or in normal filling stations.
The following days are public holidays ("jours fériés") in France, when all or most shops tend to be shut.
- January 1st, New year's day
- Easter Monday (though not Good Friday except in Alsace),
- May 1st, Labour Day, Fête du Travail
- May 8th, Armistice Day
- Ascension Thursday
- July 14th, Bastille Day, Fête Nationale
- August 15th, French August bank holiday
- November 1st, Toussaint, All Saints' Day
- November 11th, Armistice, first world war.
- Christmas (though not Boxing Day)
Note that on public holidays, hypermarkets will generally be shut, so unless you have a chip and pin credit card that works in French automatic petrol pumps, you'll need to fill up on the motorway or in normal filling stations.
Photo above: Joe Schlabotnik
Licence CC.
DRIVING IN FRANCE, - Info and tips for motorists
► ► NEW driving rules & laws in France:1. ► ►SPEED CAMERAS IN FRANCE 2013 . Things have changed.....March 2013 : France introduces new invisible mobile speed cameras. 20 of these are now operating on board unmarked police cars, mostly on the main north-south motorways. Since recording speed from a moving vehicle is not quite a perfect art, there is a slight tolerance; but vehicles clocked at over 140 Km/h in a 130 stretch of motorway are liable to get pulled over. A hundred of the new cars should be in operation by 2014. Also see Speed cameras below 2. ► ► French Breathalyzer law (the farce ends)24. Jan 2013. French interior minister Manuel Valls has announced that application of the controversial new breathalyzer law has been postponed sine die - i.e. indefinitely.Supposedly it bacame obligatory, from last summer, for all vehicles (including motorbikes) driving in France to carry a breathalyzer or alcohol-level test. The law came into force on 1st July 2012. But no-one in authority had bothered to enquire whether the manufacturers of such kits could actually produce them in time. They could not! Consequently, though the law is there, the introduction of on the spot fines for not having a breathalyzer in the car was delayed until Nov. 1st. then it was postponed until March 1st 2013. Now the issue has been quietly swept under the carpet. ! Single-use certified breathalyzers are now becoming available in supermarkets, chemists and garages throughout France, at a cost of about 1 €uro each. So the cost is minimal. Contrary to information posted on some sites, the new law (Decree no 2012-284) does not oblige drivers to self-test after having a drink. But those who plan to self-test to be on the safe side should have at least two breathalyzers in the car, if not more. ► ► Beware of the "cheap ferries" scamSome internet sites that announce "cheap" ferry prices are actually charging more than the Ferry companies themselves. When taking a car to France, avoid dodgy websites by booking directly with ferry companies3. ► ► PHONING AT THE WHEEL BEWARE.... Drivers caught using a mobile phone while on the road in France are liable to an on-the-spot fine of 130 Euros – and 3 penalty points if they have a French driving licence. 4. ► ► STRANGE GANTRIES SPANNING MAIN ROADS In recent months, hundreds of strange gantries have been erected over French roads. Contrary to popular belief, they are not average speed cameras, but HGV eco-tax cameras. As from July 2013, all HGVs, including foreign ones, will be liable to this new carbon tax, also being introduced in other European countries. From July, HGVs over 3.5 tonnes entering France must be equipped with an "Ecomouv" electronic box. Further information on getting boxes can be found here BEWARE.... RADAR WARNING DEVICES These have been banned in France since late 2011. Drivers using radar detectors (speed camera detectors) are liable for a fine of 1500 Euros and 6 points off their license. This applies to specific radar warning devices, such as the Coyote, which must have their software updated to remain legal. With regard to TomToms and other GPS systems, which have speed camera locations programmed in to their software, the situation is confusing. These are not officially "radar detectors", but manufacturers are obliged to make new software available, and most have done so. Tomtoms and other GPS systems are technically in breach of the law if they still have radars listed in their Points of Interest software; and even if it is not clear how roadside police can stop and check for offending software, rather than hardware, drivers are warned to err on the side of precaution and download the latest map software for France. This is advisable anyway, since older software is not up to date with regard to new routes, new speed restrictions, and other changes. For both existing radar warning devices and GPS devices, current radar information is being replaced with warnings to announce "danger zones", many of which will be areas with speed cameras. ►
Car hire in France.
Cars can be hired throughout France, at airports, in city centres, at mainline railway stations and other locations. The big names in car hire all have their operations in France, but there are also a number of cheaper suppliers. Visit our car-rentals page and get your quotes from a range of companies. Click for car-hire in France ►FRENCH ROADS:It is generally accepted that today's France has an excellent road and motorway network; compared to the UK, France has the same population spread over twice as much surface area, which tends to mean less congestion on the roads, easier driving than in the UK, but longer distances to cover. Up to 12%
off
travel insurance: quote code Flex512 Click to visit "Before driving to France - a checklist". ► Children in the car, seatbelts. Children under 10 years old are not allowed to travel in the front seat of a car, unless there are no back seats. Children under 10 years of age must travel in the back, using an appropriate child seat or booster seat. Babies are allowed to travel in the front passenger seat, but only when placed in an approved rear-facing baby seat and the airbag is turned off. Seatbelts must be worn at all times when driving in France, by both adults and children, and both in the back and front seats. Rear passengers can only travel without seatbelts in the back of older cars in which they are not fitted (Article R412-1 of the French Highway code). ► Avoiding problems. When driving in France, in spite of the cost, it is generally worthwhile taking motorways (autoroutes) unless you have time to go at a more leisurely pace. However, there are some useful tips to help you cut down on the cost of your trip across France. a) Petrol (gasolene) (fr. essence): don't fill up on the autoroute! Wait until a major intersection near a town or city, and come off the autoroute. You will almost certainly find a hypermarket / superstore within a kilometer or so of the exit, offering cut price fuel. The saving can be us much as 15 centimes per litre. b) Anyone who intends to do lots of driving in France could find it in their interest to have a diesel car, particularly a modern fuel-efficient model. Diesel fuel in France (often called gasoil, pronounced gaz-warle) used to be about a third cheaper than unleaded, but that is no longer the case; today - 2013 - diesel retails for about 20 centimes a litre less than unleaded, but it also goes further. Very few service stations now stock the old leaded petrol, known as "super". See petrol prices in France below for recent updates. c) Use free autoroutes or dual-carriageways where they exist. See below for details. ► French road signs: Signs indicating a motorway route (whether on the motorway or pointing to it) are indicated with white lettering on a blue background, as in the picture below left. Signs indicating a non-motorway main route (route nationale or other) are indicated with white lettering on a green background, as in  ►FRENCH MOTORWAYS:French motorways, known as autoroutes, are designated with numbers preceded by the letter A (for Autoroute). Thus, when driving to the south of France from Calais, you can either take the A16 autoroute towards Amiens and Paris, or (normally an easier solution) the A26 motorway via Rheims. Most French autoroutes are toll motorways, and entrances to them are marked as such with the word "Péage" (pronounced pay-arje). The normal procedure is to pick up a ticket from a booth as you enter the autoroute (just press the button); tolls are paid either when you leave the autoroute, or else when the toll section comes to an end. In a few places, there are fixed toll points on the autoroute, notably in urban areas or toll bridges. Signs on French toll gates: Red cross: closed - Green arrow: open, all methods of payment  Blue CB
rectangle or credit card pictogram : debit or
credit cards only
Orange T : Télépéage – slow down only, no stopping - only for vehicles fitted with toll charging sensors. Frankly, for occasional French motorway users, subscribing to the Liber-T system is a waste of money - unless you think that 20 € a year is worth paying in order to save perhaps a total of 10 minutes at the tolls, or are only travelling at very busy periods. On normal days, you can be through a credit-card payment booth in a minute or less. The "Liber-T" charging sensor is available in the UK, but Sanef, the French motorway operators' company, charges higher rates for users applying via its English language website than for applications from its French website - which can only be used by people having a bank account in France. 2013 Motorway tolls in France - Tolls valid as of Jan 1st. 2013 The cost of motorway travel for a car without caravan or trailer is about 1 €uro for 10 miles. For example, in January 2013, motorway tolls on the 1060 km trip from Calais to Marseille, via Reims, almost all of it on toll motorways, cost 82.40 €uros, about £67. Tolls may go up slightly before the summer. Here are the toll costs for a selection of other common journeys that use toll motorways over long distances:
The average cost per kilometre depends on what proportion of the journey involves free motorways or other roads. Drivers wanting to avoid French motorway tolls should remember that it is not necessarily the best solution to avoid all tolls, particularly in fairly populated areas. using other roads, with their traffic lights, speed restrictions and roundabouts will mean longer journey times and more stress. ... even if you have a satnav to help you along... Alternatively, check out this low-tolls or no-tolls route to Southwest France and the Spanish border. ► TIP
: Ways to save on motorway tolls when driving to
southwest France
Though it is usually easiest and in the end worth it to take direct motorways and pay the tolls, there is one journey where you can make an appreciable saving for just a few extra kilometres. If driving from Paris to Bordeaux and southwest France, do not follow the A 10 motorway all the way. Leave the A10 at Orleans, following A71 > A20 Toulouse. At Limoges, follow N141 > Angoulême. At Angoulême, follow the N10 for Bordeaux. All but about 60 km. of this alternative route to Bordeaux is on autoroutes or dual carriageway, but after Vierzon, it's all free. Saving: about 36 €uros less in tolls, for a distance of about 15 miles extra.... and cheaper off-motorway petrol if you need it. Alternatively, check this low-tolls or no-tolls route to Southwest France and the Spanish border. Click here for a zoomable detailed road map of France. For more information on French motorway tolls, follow this link to the French motorway network website in English: this site provides a form to fill in, to calculate the cost of a motorway trip through France. For a detailed route, use the route-finder map and distance calculator page on About-France.com. ►Free motorways and routes avoiding tollsThere are a few free motorways in France, and some long-distance dual carriageways that are up to motorway standard. It is even possible to drive right through France avoiding all tolls - though this is not necessarily the best nor the most economical solution. The two links below show our recommended routes to the South of France avoiding most tolls - and alternatives avoiding all tolls.
Among free motorways note in particular
► TRUNK ROADS :These in France are still popularly known as "routes nationales". However, in the framework of "regionalisation", responsibility for most roads has been devolved to local authorities, and the concept of "routes nationales" has largely disappeared. The only "N" roads that now survive are ones that - in the absence of an "autoroute", form part of the strategic national road network, such as the N21 from Limoges to Tarbes, or the N13 from Cherbourg as far as Caen.Road numbering in France"A" roads, such as A71, are motorways, or Autoroutes"N" roads are strategic trunk routes - the National network. "D" roads are roads whose upkeep is paid for by the local Department, or county. They can be anything from busy local routes or former National routes now downgraded, to the quietest of country backroads. When driving in France, it is always best to follow destinations rather than road numbers. Following the regionalisation of responsibility for many roads, the result - if you want to travel by following road numbers - is a classic state of confusion; Drivers following the N13 south from Cherbourg lose it at Caen, as it becomes the D 613 thereafter! From Evreux to Mantes the "N 13" signs reappear, but after that it's the D 113....For another example, anyone wanting to avoid the toll motorway and drive along the old "route nationale" to the southwest corner of France, from Chartres to Biarritz, will follow three disconnected sections of main road known as "N 10"; but in areas where the old N10 is now close to a parallel motorway, the road is now signed as "D 910" or the "D 1010". Some old "N" roads now blithely change their number each time they pass from one department to another !! This is all very confusing for foreign visitors driving in France, but not so much for the French, since with the exception of motorways, they follow a destination, rather than a road number. Destinations via main trunk routes are indicated by the names of towns in white letters on a bright green background, as shown above.  Note that France also displays European
route numbers where appropriate; these are marked with a white number
on a green background, and are in addition to the French road number.
For example the A
6 motorway from Paris to Lyon is also marked as E15
- E15 being a European route running
from Inverness to Algeciras.In the motorway sign on the right, the A43 autoroute is also indicated as being the E70; the main towns it leads towards are indicated in normal lettering; other destinations, such as airports, are indicated in italics. The word "Péage" at the bottom indicates that this is a toll motorway. "Bison Futé" and the backroads of France Photo: In bygone times many great "alignements de platanes" - or avenues of plane trees - were planted to give shade to travellers on French roads, specially in the south of France. Though the plane-lined road remains one of the iconic images of France today, few remain, except for short sections on country roads, such as here in Languedoc. Sometimes you may see direction signs starting with the word Bis, in italics. These are the equivalent of the British "HR" (holiday route) itineraries, using less crowded main roads. Thus a sign saying "bis Lyon" is an alternative route avoiding the main roads, and generally with less lorry traffic. Bis, in French, means second (as in the prefix bi-). The "Bison futé" (in English the cunning bison) is the motorist who does not follow the crowd, but seeks out less crowded easier roads, the "routes bis", thus the "bis-on". If you see a bison futé sign, it will be directing you either to alternative routes themselves or to an information point. On summer Saturdays, being a cunning bison is often well worth it, unless you love driving in heavy traffic or sitting in traffic jams. Driving on the backroads of France requires a good map - or a Satnav that allows you to wander off the beaten track; but in many places, it can still make driving a pleasure, rather than a chore ► Avoiding Paris This is a good idea on most days. When driving from Calais to the south of France, use the A 26 motorway via Reims, Troyes and Dijon. If driving to south western and central France, avoid Paris going via Rouen, Evreux, Chartres and Orleans. There is no motorway between Evreux and Orleans, but the road over this section is currently being upgraded to dual carriageway, and over half of it is now complete. Avoiding Paris- click for details and route map ► Avoiding peak periods If you can avoid travelling on Saturdays between July 10th and August 30th, this is very advisable. On these days, many French autoroutes - and in particular all the main arteries to the south - are liable to reach saturation. The worst bottlenecks are in the Rhone valley south of Lyons, along the south coast, and around Bordeaux. In January and February, Alpine motorways can get hyper-snarled up with traffic. Check out the busy holiday weeks for 2013 However, outside these periods, Saturday and Sunday are the best days for driving in France, on motorways and arterial roads. Indeed, on these days, HGV's - lorries or trucks - are banned, meaning that unless you get stuck behind caravans or camper vans, combine harvesters or other various slowdowns, driving is relatively hassle-free. ►HGV restrictions in FranceMost heavy goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes are banned from the French road and motorway network every weekend between the hours of 10 p.m Saturday and 10 p.m Sunday.Summer weekend HGV bans in France. This weekend truck ban is longer from early July to mid August, when HGVs are banned from Saturday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and then from Saturday 10 p.m. to Sunday 10 p.m. In other words, during these July and August weekends, there is a 3 hour window of opportunity on Saturday from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. for HGVs to reach their destination or get out of France to a country without weekend HGV bans (unless the Saturday in question is a public holiday - see below.) HGV's are also banned on public holidays, normally from 10 p.m the night before, until 10 p.m on the holiday itself. The two big summer public holidays in France are 14th July and 15th August. When these public holidays fall on a Saturday or Sunday, HGVs are banned 24/24. This the case for 14 July 2013. Paris area: Further restrictions apply for HGV access to the Paris area, (Mondays and day following a public holiday, from 6 a.m to 10 a.m), and for HGVs leaving the Paris area (Fridays and days preceding a public holiday, usually from 4 p.m). This means that trucks cannot transit via the inner ring road of Paris (boulevard périphérique) during these hours. HGV restrictions on Alpine motorways There are also extra weekend lorry bans on Alpine motorways in February - though given the traffic jams that are possible here at the time, these routes are best avoided by anyone not needing to use them - lorries or cars, ban or no ban. Other parts of Europe: Note that trucks are also banned on summer weekends in Italy and Germany (full ban Sundays, part ban on Saturdays). Trucks are banned in Switzerland on Sundays. ► Petrol (Gas) stations in FranceAlmost all petrol stations in France accept Visa and Mastercard; however take care with 24h automatic pumps in supermarket forecourts. Many of these do not accept credit cards without integrated chip and PIN number. Most UK cards now have integrated chip and pin, so the times when UK cards did not work in French petrol stations are now history for most travellers. However, if you think you may need to fill up in an emergency while driving in France, check your card out at a supermarket self-service pump well before you run out. If it doesn't work, nip round and join the queue for the pay-at-the counter pumps. Make sure that you don't have to fill up in an emergency using an untested card at an unmanned filling station at night or on Sundays.France Fuel price watch:Compared to the UK, there is not a big difference, except for diesel which is much cheaper (about 15%) in France. In mid May 2013 typical supermarket fuel prices in France were :
E10 graded fuels (containing 10% of ethanol bio-fuel) are a couple of centimes cheaper, where they are available. These are compatible with most modern cars; if in doubt check with your supplier. (There are 3.79 litres to 1 US gallon; but generally speaking cars in Europe are smaller and consume less fuel than cars in the USA.) ► Speed limits and other rulesHere are the normal speed limits for driving in France:
Over the limit? Generally, there is a small tolerance for drivers who exceed the speed limit - but be advised that it is best to observe speed limits which are there for a reason. Until recently, speed cameras tended to be stationary and visible; nowadays, the gendarmerie are using more and more mobile radars, in unmarked cars. Be warned ! Otherwise you may face an on-the-spot fine or - if your are caught driving more than 50 km/hr over the limit - an instant ban and an impounding of your vehicle. Speed camerasThere are now well over two thousand stationary speed cameras on France's roads and motorways.Unfortunately, the official French radar speed camera map was removed from the Internet in May 2011, following a government decision to stop warning drivers of upcoming speed cameras. A lot of the warnings haven't really gone - just changed : but others have really gone, and have not been replaced, so take care !
►
Speed camera
warnings - 2013.
Many of the big old signs that used to warn drivers of an
upcoming
speed
camera have been removed. More than half of the warning signs have now
gone, but many of those that have gone have been replaced by automatic speed detectors,
which flash up
the speed of each approaching car on a luminous panel.
It's best to understand what these are about: if you see a luminous panel flashing up, say 101 then 99, then 97 as you approach it while decelerating, that is your speed. So keep down or drop down to below the speed limit, as there is most probably - though not always - a speed camera coming up. Some speed detectors just flash up your speed in white lights, others in green or red lights depending on whether you are within or above the speed limit. Some show a smiley below the speed - grumpy if you're above the limit, smiling if you're within the limit. Latest news (2013) : the new government has decided to put the warning signs back again.... but it is not certain if this has happened yet anywhere.... New radars are being set up all the time, so any unofficial maps that may be available on the Internet are unlikely to be complete, and in any case cannot include the mobile radar cars or the movable stationary speed cameras, of which there are currently about 1000. So the best rule - not to say the most sensible one - is "Do not drive over the speed limit". Average speed cameras : The first average speed cameras, known in French as radars tronçon, have now been introduced on French roads and motorways. These cameras, already used in several other countries, calculate the average speed of a vehicle driving between two points. Contrary to a sometimes-heard myth, toll tickets are not knowingly used to compute a car's average speed between two points. Mobile phones: it is an offence to hold and use a mobile phone while driving in France. Hands-free use of mobile phones is not illegal. Though many drivers ignore this rule, traffic police are clamping down on drivers holding phones to their ears while driving, and drivers are liable to an on-the-spot fine. Minimum age: The minimum age for driving a car in France is 18; thus no-one under the age of 18 can drive a car in France, even if he or she holds a valid licence in another country. 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. ► Overnight stops.Motorway hotels or something else? France is very well equipped in hotels and other types of accommodation. Many of the chains , such as Novotel (3 stars) , Mercure (3 stars), Ibis (2 stars) , Etap (2 stars), and Formule 1 (1 star), have outlets clustered near motorway exits, notably near the exits from toll motorways and around towns and cities. The hotel links below list only the French motorway hotels that are really easy to find.Find and book an overnight stop
....
► Click here for hotels beside motorways to west and southwest France. ► Click here for hotels beside motorways to east and southeast France. ► For quiet B&B accommodation, check out the B-and-B in France website. ► Accident and breakdown informationDrivers taking their car abroad are strongly advised to have some form of breakdown cover that will ensure repatriation of the vehicle in the event of problem or immobilisation.► What to do in the event of a road accident in France If you are involved in any accident involving two or more vehicles while driving in France, you will be asked to fill in a "constat amiable" (an amiable declaration) by the driver of a French car involved. This is standard practice. If possible, call your insurance company at once on your mobile phone. They may put you in touch with a local French representative. If you are involved in an accident involving any sort of injury - even if it is not your fault - you MUST remain until the police have come. Click this link for further information about doctors, hospitals and using the French health service. Breakdown or accident: if your car is immobilised on or partly on the road due to a breakdown or an accident, you must set up your red warning triangle at a suitable distance behind the vehicle, to alert approaching traffic to the hazard. All cars driving in France must carry a red warning triangle, available from any motoring store, and also a yellow fluorescent jacket. Stop to shop... See the French shopping guide page for useful information if you are planning to stop to shop on your way back home... |
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