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Tell me more about these Toll roads? Are all their motorways toll roads?
What is France like to drive through?
- Thread starter Stonedofmoo
- Start date
Where are you off to Lopéz?
At the moment - no idea! We have a good tent, a Mk2 Golf and some clothes. Other than that I think we're pretty much winging it...
That will be a superb drive - I regularly drive from Calais to the Dordogne and around the Dordogne. It's a breeze compared to UK driving particularly if you are taking the toll roads (which I highly recommend).
Paris is on par with London in my experience - I.e. a total pain in the backside to drive in or around.
Paris is on par with London in my experience - I.e. a total pain in the backside to drive in or around.
The vast majority of them are on your journey. Great surface and total lack of traffic.
http://www.viamichelin.co.uk/viamichelin/gbr/tpl/hme/MaHomePage.htm
That is the site you want to use for planning.
Another thing to note is that although lane discipline is generally very good on motorways in France, if someone indicates to pull out into the outside lane they will pull out into that lane regardless of the speed that you are approaching them.
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No, the motorways (prefixed A e.g. A1, A10 etc) around big cities are often free. Between cities they are tolls though, first toll you get a ticket, next toll you have to pay - can be quite expensive but good value imo. Pay by credit/debit card to avoid getting a ton of change.
At the moment - no idea! We have a good tent, a Mk2 Golf and some clothes. Other than that I think we're pretty much winging it...
How long you going for? I'm off to the Nürburgring with a friend in June; we only have 9 days to use up so we're only spending a day there then going on a mini-euro trip. Friend is keen to do the Stelvio Pass, but that's a long way from the Nordschleife (just over 1000 miles from Plymouth!) and since we are going Plymouth-Dover, the days get used up pretty quickly when you include the return journey.
I want to go and see the Millau Viaduct some time, but can't do that and the Stelvio.
IMO it's worth having at least a rough plan to make the best of the time you have, and find camp-sites on your route that you can get to at a reasonable time etc. Ended up sleeping in the car twice on my last euro-trip, and it's really not pleasant (Recaros are great of sitting in, not for sleeping on).
Back to topic, the main autoroutes are fast and very well maintained, though frequently patrolled by coppers hiding behind barriers with speed guns etc. The more rural roads in the middle of France are ok, but some of them are so long and straight they get very tedious. The French don't have hedgerows (actually most European countries don't), and I found it very weird having fields that just end next to the tarmac road. Good news if you have an 'off' I suppose
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The Millau Viaduct is truly gobsmacking - had a nice meander from Bordeaux through the Dordogne down to Montpelier last May and we stopped off to see it (actually went about 150 miles out of our way but don't tell the GF
). It's a truly awesome sight, pictures just don't do it justice.....France is a complete dream to drive through.
We often go from Calais or Cherbourg to Biaritz roughly 10hours driving with stops. The toll roads are worth taking and if you're sensible you can pretty much travel a reasonably speed (90 - 100ish) with minimal risk of getting caught.
The roads are super smooth and just seem to be seemless tarmac. I can never spot the joins when driving along it. Beautiful scenery too.
Towns and villages can be annoying but in the main they are fine if you have some common sense about you.
Enjoy
We often go from Calais or Cherbourg to Biaritz roughly 10hours driving with stops. The toll roads are worth taking and if you're sensible you can pretty much travel a reasonably speed (90 - 100ish) with minimal risk of getting caught.
The roads are super smooth and just seem to be seemless tarmac. I can never spot the joins when driving along it. Beautiful scenery too.
Towns and villages can be annoying but in the main they are fine if you have some common sense about you.
Enjoy
Associate
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I stayed just south of Tours last year, and this year we are off all the way down south to Frejus, and driving was easy, stress free. The tolls will add up, but are worth it, smooth moorway, fast, no traffic, we drove for nearly 45mins on the motorway without seeing a car in either direction, but this was about 6am, you could never say that in this country.
They never hog the lanes, just pull out latish to pass you, and pull close to the front of your car back in, the outside lane is just for overtaking, nothing more, nothing less, its brilliant, we could learn a lot about how to drive on motorways from the French.
They never hog the lanes, just pull out latish to pass you, and pull close to the front of your car back in, the outside lane is just for overtaking, nothing more, nothing less, its brilliant, we could learn a lot about how to drive on motorways from the French.
TBF it's easy to spot where their radar is, and they post warnings which mean they are in use, not like here, plus the zone 1 hour from Calais is teeming with them.
It's also easy to spot the mobile units in their dark blue cars and nice uniiforms.
As stated I've driven 10's of thousands of miles at least in France, and I ony said slightly negotiabe in dry and not at all negotiable in wet.
Good point re hi viz jacket, warning triangle, spare bulbs, all car ownership docs - original not copies, do I need to go any further?
Well the first time I went I drove a bright red Volvo 740 Estate, and the last time I went I drove my current Silver Shadow, and I got cut up by 206s and Clios in both of those
I'm surprised re the Volvo, but in the Silver shadow you wouldn't want to collide - plus it is the way they drive, it can look like you're being cut up, but they just cut in dangerously early.
I lived between Nice and Monaco for a time and always found French drivers most accomodating as I (barge) oops pull out of turnings
Also note that if you're in the outside lane and someone ahead indicates to pull out, whereas here you might flash them to say ...ok, I'm letting you out, over there it means the opposite, basically f orf I'm coming through.
How long you going for? I'm off to the Nürburgring with a friend in June; we only have 9 days to use up so we're only spending a day there then going on a mini-euro trip. Friend is keen to do the Stelvio Pass, but that's a long way from the Nordschleife (just over 1000 miles from Plymouth!) and since we are going Plymouth-Dover, the days get used up pretty quickly when you include the return journey.
I want to go and see the Millau Viaduct some time, but can't do that and the Stelvio.
IMO it's worth having at least a rough plan to make the best of the time you have, and find camp-sites on your route that you can get to at a reasonable time etc. Ended up sleeping in the car twice on my last euro-trip, and it's really not pleasant (Recaros are great of sitting in, not for sleeping on).
Back to topic, the main autoroutes are fast and very well maintained, though frequently patrolled by coppers hiding behind barriers with speed guns etc. The more rural roads in the middle of France are ok, but some of them are so long and straight they get very tedious. The French don't have hedgerows (actually most European countries don't), and I found it very weird having fields that just end next to the tarmac road. Good news if you have an 'off' I suppose
2 weeks - we will do a rough route and plan when we go, we just haven't got round to it yet!
They tend to be except near cities - the locals protested in thet gallic way and so you'll find the toll bit for a while then pay, then it's free.
The RN roads (route nationale) are great for a slower drive, no tolls but towns everywhere.
TBH the tolls ain't bad - maybe £30ish Calais to Antibe on the Mediteranean coast.
Diesel is cheaper than petrol, and off the motorways many filling stations are unmanned/automated some/all of the day, make sure your plastic works in France as cash isn't an option in these.
Soldato
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The train is expensive this year, compared to last.
We paid £56 each way last year, more like £76 this year
Pack one per occupant, as one token Hi vis vest isn't enough to satisfy many a French plod.
Don't forget your GB sticker either as they'll fine the ass off you for that too.
It felt like my wallet was on a bungy cord as I had to get the thing out so often to pay the cheese eating surrender monkeys.
True.
IIRC from sometime in 2012 you won't be fine as all euro cops will be networked electronically and your fine will come home to greet you.
And never EVER ignore a speeding fine from the swiss, unless you plan never to go back and you don't mind appearing in court anyway.
How do you find out if your plastic works in France? I've been led to believe that the automated stations won't accept Visa or Mastercards, only Carte Bleus - which is some sort of French government run debit card or something that you can only get as a resident? Is this right? Fortunately never needed to try them before.
I've only driven to just south of Dijon, but it was a dream. The motorways are fantastic, but a fair whack were single lane due to roadworks.
I don't believe the Toll Booths act as average speed cameras, as if they did them myself, and SL55 AMG (or something similar), new shape M3 and Bently Continental GT would have been quite a bit lighter in the pocket after convoying at speeds I shan't mention.
I'd also imagine the group of cars I was chatting with at the Eurotunnel (consisting of a Phantom, SLR, couple of Astons, GT2, GT3 and loads more along those lines) would have been done likewise as they left Monaco but a few hours before they arrived at the Eurotunnel...
As far as static speed cameras go, they can't get you but if there is a Gendarme with them then be prepared to lose a fair chunk of spending money!
If anybody flashes you from the other side of the road, there's a speed trap up ahead - I like to think I saved a Bentley driver's wallet as he was leaving Calais at a fair rate and I alerted him to a few Gendarmes around the bend (Saw his brake lights come no, so presume he caught on)
The French do have a tendancy to tailgate you though, which can be quite unnerving - but you get that all the time here so it's nothing new tbh.
I can't comment on town driving as I didn't do much of it (although I managed to go on the left at a T junction, thankfully it was a Sunday afternoon and not busy lol)
I don't believe the Toll Booths act as average speed cameras, as if they did them myself, and SL55 AMG (or something similar), new shape M3 and Bently Continental GT would have been quite a bit lighter in the pocket after convoying at speeds I shan't mention.
I'd also imagine the group of cars I was chatting with at the Eurotunnel (consisting of a Phantom, SLR, couple of Astons, GT2, GT3 and loads more along those lines) would have been done likewise as they left Monaco but a few hours before they arrived at the Eurotunnel...
As far as static speed cameras go, they can't get you but if there is a Gendarme with them then be prepared to lose a fair chunk of spending money!
If anybody flashes you from the other side of the road, there's a speed trap up ahead - I like to think I saved a Bentley driver's wallet as he was leaving Calais at a fair rate and I alerted him to a few Gendarmes around the bend (Saw his brake lights come no, so presume he caught on)
The French do have a tendancy to tailgate you though, which can be quite unnerving - but you get that all the time here so it's nothing new tbh.
I can't comment on town driving as I didn't do much of it (although I managed to go on the left at a T junction, thankfully it was a Sunday afternoon and not busy lol
)
Soldato
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Don't know where you heard that, Visa and Mastercard worked in all the places I went to.
I don't think this is true, my LTSB debit card works throughout France, the HSBC one didn't, most credit cards do except Amex - they've had chip and pin for well over 15 years, from memory it's to do with that.
The standard of lane control on the continent is generally excellent, people are simply expected to move out of the way of faster traffic and generally do so, or face a car 3mm from their rear bumper.
The embarrassing thing is that if you see people hogging lanes and generally driving like jerks, then 99% of the time the car will have UK registration plates