I thought it might be a good time to produce a  Guide to Driving in France and the implications for anyone travelling around France this coming spring/summer.  This post is aimed at the beginner but I’m sure there will be some value to more seasoned travellers.

Planning Ahead

When we first went to France in our Motorhome I planned the trip down to the last detail and I must admit that I still do.  I had prebooked the main sites we would be spending a few days at and any stopover sites on route.  I also decided to primarily use the autoroutes (motorways) because even though they are quite expensive they do have a great deal of advantages, especially for the beginner.  It was easy to determine the travel time between stopovers for example.

I also knew that there were plenty of excellent service stations on the autoroutes where you could stop for food or a sleep if need be and they always cater for larger vehicles such as Motorhomes.  There are other rest stops called “Aires” but these are unmanned and ok for a short break but are not advisable for a long stay and certainly not overnight.  I also find autoroutes much quicker to get from A to B if that’s what you are intending to do and that’s important if you want to get say to the South of France and you are on a 2 week break.

This may seem a bit overkill but I create a travel book containing all the site information including addresses and phone numbers all highlighted.  I have maps with the camp site position and the access road highlighted, autoroute exit numbers noted and the map page number written on the site information page in my book for quick reference.  I also use a TomTom SatNav and always preprogram this with either GPS or address information but I also double check this against the map to make sure it’s correct.

One of the key things to note is that in France their postal codes do not work in the same way as ours so just putting that into the sat nav will not give you a correct location.

Now why am I so fussy you may ask. The simple reason is that you have enough to think and worry about without suddenly realising you don’t know where you are going, and believe me, the last 10 miles or so once you’re off the motorway is always the worst.

The Drive

We always go across the channel nowadays through the Eurotunnel which we find excellent although we have used the ferries but I don’t get on with boats.  I don’t have a problem going under the water but going on top of it is a big deal for me.

Driving in France is generally very easy but you do need to be aware of certain travel requirements and basic information to ensure you have a good trip. I have highlighted the legal requirements in a previous post.

There are regular petrol stations on the autoroutes and on the other main roads in France but in rural France you will see less of them and they will have restricted hours.  On the autoroutes and main trunk roads you can expect them to be open 24 hours but otherwise they may close for a couple of hours across lunchtime and close altogether on Sundays so my golden rule is to fill up before you really need to.

Unleaded fuel is known as Sans Plomb and Diesel is either Gas-Oil or just Diesel.  It’s also worth noting that the large hypermarkets always cater for Motorhomes so don’t hesitate to use them and their fuel is usually the cheapest.

If you have never driven on the right before, please don’t worry.  French signposting is very good and quite easy to understand and you’ll soon get the hang of it.  The TomTom always gives you a “please drive on the right hand side” reminder when in France and this does help.  Mapwise I use the wire bound Michelin France tourist and motoring atlas, its quite large to handle but full of invaluable information.

Road Network

France has a fantastic network of autoroutes that rarely suffer congestion and have the great advantages that I spoke of earlier but that comes with a price.  When you enter the autoroute you do so at a Peage.  Take a ticket at the barrier and then when you come to the end of that portion of the autoroute you enter another Peage, hand in your ticket to the attendant and then pay the fee. They always accept credit cards if that’s how you want to pay but you cannot go through the credit card only barrier because it is height restricted, you should always choose a barrier with the person/change sign.

Autoroute signposting in France is excellent and it’s pretty easy to get from A to B but you do need to make sure you know the names of the larger towns on route so you head in the right direction.

The other main roads in France are ‘N’ or ‘RN’ designated.  These are very good roads but they are more scenic and therefore much slower.  Smaller roads are designated with a ‘D’. You will usually find these when you get nearer to your destination and they are generally suitable for Motorhomes.  As in the UK the sites themselves will usually give you the best route in to them and you should always follow this.

One thing to be aware of is that French rural roads can sometimes be very narrow and you do have to be very careful of oncoming traffic and must always be prepared to move onto the verge in order to pass by.  This is usually during the last 5 miles or so of your journey.

If you do enter a town and want to pass right through then look out for the “Toutes Directions” (all directions) sign and this will take you around the outskirts or along the ring road.  Another common sign is “Autres Directions” (other direction) and this will always appear with a second sign indicating a specific place eg. if you see a sign saying “Dijon” plus a sign saying “Autres Directions” then unless you want to be in Dijon follow the other sign.

Speed Restrictions

Legal speeds in France do vary with weather conditions and there are a large number of speed cameras.  Fines are usually heavy and have to be paid immediately and you will be escorted to a bank machine if you do not have enough cash to pay.

Major warning coming here; speed camera detectors are illegal in France whether in use or not.  If you are caught with one in your Motorhome you will face a very heavy fine, confiscation of the device and maybe even confiscation of your Motorhome.  If you have one of these devices leave it at home.

There is no embargo on warning systems such as those within your SatNav so you do not have to worry about these.

French Speed limits in dry weather:

• Autoroute (toll road) : 130kmh/81mph
• Dual Carriageway : 110kmh/68mph
• Other roads : 90kmh/56mph
• Built up areas : 50kmh/31mph
• Specific speed limits will be separately signed eg. school vicinity

French speed limits in wet weather:

• Autoroute (toll road) : 110kmh/68mph
• Dual Carriageway : 100kmh/62mph
• Other roads : 80kmh/50mph
• Built up areas : 50kmh/31mph
• Specific speed limits will be separately signed eg. school vicinity

French speed limits in poor visibility of less than 50m/55yards

• All routes : 50kmh/31mph

I do hope this has been helpful to you and please don’t let me put you off in any way, it really is very easy and thoroughly enjoyable to drive in France.  Believe me, you will soon get used to the road systems and France is probably the most Motorhome friendly country in Europe.  Once you’ve driven in France for the first time then the next time will be plain sailing.