Driving in France and Paris

wingman

wingman

wingman

Soldato
Joined
27 Dec 2011
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Hi all,

Booked an impromptu road trip via the Eurotunnel to Paris in less than two weeks and wanted to check if there's anything obvious I should be aware of before going, or any tips?

My insurance covers me for Europe and I've arranged breakdown cover also. I'm staying at an AirBNB location with parking, so the driving will consist of simply getting there and parking up for five days.

Any help and advice more than welcome. Only driven abroad once and that was Menorca, so even though I've driven on the right hand side of the road it was a doddle because of how quiet it was.

Cheers.
 
I'm going tomorrow and been given the following advice;
- Have the kit required for driving in France. (Google will give you options, RAC and the AA both sell kits with all you need). With UK plates, you are an easy target for on the spot fines.
- Toll roads are numerous. Do not speed as it records the time you enter the road and leave and can work out if you are speeding. You can of course take a break.

I'll report back with any other issues such as how clean the jails are, how accommodating the gendarme are, and how every vehicle made by Renault, Peugeot and Citroen is perfect in every way.
 
Bickaxe said:
- With UK plates, you are an easy target for on the spot fines.
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Have never ever been stopped by the police in the 12 odd years I've been driving to the Alps and back every year.

Bickaxe said:
- Toll roads are numerous. Do not speed as it records the time you enter the road and leave and can work out if you are speeding. You can of course take a break.
Click to expand...

Also never been an issue. In the past it was easier to speed however as the DVLA was under no obligation to pass over owner/driver details, I believe this changed a while back however.
 
The toll road timing thing isn't true, they do however have standard speed checks by police who then radio ahead to their colleagues at the toll, hence why many people think they've been timing it.

As for the Paris air sticker thing, you're highly unlikely to get stopped and if you do, you're not going to be in massive trouble anyway. Despite popular opinion, outside of events like Le Mans, the police tend to avoid stopping UK reg cars as they can't be bothered with the paperwork - I've lived here for over 2 years in total and do about 20-25k per year in a UK reg car. I've only ever been stopped when I've been excessively speeding, which is the same anywhere in the world really.
 
wingman said:
I've driven on the right hand side of the road it was a doddle because of how quiet it was.
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That's usually when it's most dangerous. It's easy when you're in traffic as you just go with the flow. It's when there's no one else around that you forget, like pulling out of a hotel car park early in the morning and driving down the road the wrong way until you see another car and scream :)

As for other things, I think France requires you to carry a warning triangle, hi-vis tabbard/jacket and and first aid kit. You should also take your V5 with you as many European countries expect you to be able to prove ownership if stopped.
 
Drove 6 hours from Calais to La Rochelle (more or less) today and i have to say it was very easy.
Roads are amazing.
Driver lane courtesy was very good.
Why can't we in the UK have 80mph speed limits?

But.

Its incredibly boring. I remember 2 views and thats only because of the bridges. Never noticed any built up areas and even the majority of services/rest areas are hidden from view.
Toll roads are expensive. Probably would have been cheaper to fly and hire a car.
 
Thanks for the info guys, appreciate it.

One last thing, on the RAC website they're suggesting I need to have beam deflectors whilst driving in France, but I have xenons, do I still need them?

Similarly I'll only be driving in the daylight anyway.
 
wingman said:
One last thing, on the RAC website they're suggesting I need to have beam deflectors whilst driving in France, but I have xenons, do I still need them?

Similarly I'll only be driving in the daylight anyway.
Click to expand...
With my car I can adjust my xenons for driving on the left or right side in the settings menu ....Check to see if your car has this option

I always find it far nicer driving at night....(Less traffic ;))
 
Petrol is expensive on autoroutes, so often better to check maps and refill at hypermarkets/Carrefour (and get some higher quality snacks there too)
 
wingman said:
Thanks for the info guys, appreciate it.

One last thing, on the RAC website they're suggesting I need to have beam deflectors whilst driving in France, but I have xenons, do I still need them?

Similarly I'll only be driving in the daylight anyway.
Click to expand...

They're not a legal requirement. I've driven a variety of UK cars in France and never bothered with them - never got flashed by anyone either so I'm pretty sure they don't bother anyone.
 
Like UK, you are under an obligation not to dazzle other road users though, so for the sake of a few pieces of masking tape (and checking against a wall)

If you did drive at night, and have an accident where that was raised , could insurance cover be impacted. ?
 
On deflectors, I did get pulled for not having them fitted (actually had them in the car so was okay just for got to fit them on the ferry over), and it's obviously much more noticeable at night. They checked I had a warning triangle, first aid kit and a hi-vis jacket too.....
 
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