Hmm......glad I read this So as my Dad has already got a jacket, I've got to get one than and a warning triangle.

Warning to all - after holidaying at least twice a year for the last 13 years I today made an expensive mistake.

I DID NOT quite stop at a stop sign coming of the A25 near Dunkirk and unfortunately for me the Gendarme were waiting just round the corner. I know I should have done and was down in first gear but the road was clear as I got to the junction......€90 later I was on my way. Luckily for us we had €95 left, although lunch ended up being forfeited

Let this be a warning to others. STOP means STOP.

This discussion is supposedly about 'Driving in France'. Several other posts of off topic discussion, including insulting and offensive remarks, have now been removed.

Please stay on topic, and keep it friendly.

David

Hi, apologies if this has already been mentioned quite a lot of posts to go through, but I live in the Languedoc and last year I experienced the 'prioritie a droite' rule. Basically this means if you are on a main road, any car exiting a side road on your right has priority. For a while I wondered why I was being cut up, then I noticed the sign at the entrance of this particular village warning 'you are entering zone priority on the left'. It can happen on roundabouts too, but I must add it's the exception not the norm just something to look out for.
Also whilst on the subject of driving we have noticed the French police have got a lot more strict on drink driving, please don't think you can hide behind your foreign plates! The drink driving rules here are not as leniant as the UK

Apart from the above France is a total joy to drive in, you can go for miles in the countryside without seeing another car, outside the major cities you will rarely see a traffic jam (avoid motorways certain dates in Aug) and they have a sensible speed limit.

Tip - food stops. Don't expect a hot meal on a motorway service station 24 hours. The French eat en masse and lunch is 12 - 2. be warned!

One last tip - yes the N roads are picturesque and free but if you have a great distance to cover just take the autoroute. Or be selective - we find the scenery in the north quite boring so often motorway the first half then take the N roads when there's something worth seeing, ie rivers, vineyards etc

Happy to answer any questions! We live near Beziers in the Languedoc

Hi , driving down to the languedoc this summer. would like to know if the petrol stations supply a LPG fill adaptor or am i better buying one beforehand. Also any preferences on which route to take - Paris or Reims ?

Which route are you considering? Via Lyon, or down via the Millau bridge. Having travelled down the Millau route via bus this year (but hopefully via car next year!) i have to say i enjoyed the scenery, it is a shorter route, and it is cheaper (the A75 is free ... for the mo - with the exception of the bridge toll)

I have to admit i don't understand the logic in the 'prioritie a droite' rule myself. I know it's been how things were historically, but in all my time driving around Brittany, i think i saw it once!! If it's the exception to the rule these days, why not just totally bin it and save some money on putting up thousands of signs telling you that you don't have the priority if joining!!! I always think of France as being a far more sensible country than the UK, but this is one exception!

Leave on Sat 27/06/09 and still have not decided. It will probably be down to how i feel coming off the ferry. I bought an adaptor for my LPG just in case. My oldest daughter is begging me to go over the Millau bridge and my youngest pleading for me not to.

The Millau bridge is stunning. However, you actually see very little from the bridge itself, so tell your youngest not to worry!!

If you do cross the bridge, pull over at the service station just before the bridge, and walk up to the viewpoint, this is the pic i took in May



Well worth it, believe me! Plus, the A75 is still a free autoroute ... that's always a bonus in France!

Can someone please advise, I thought I read somewhere that you have to have a fluorescent jacket for every person in the car and not just the driver is this correct?

I thought it was only 'per person' in Spain, i'm pretty sure it's only one in France and you HAVE to make sure you can access it whilst in the car ... don't keep it in the boot

Personally i think it's a law we should copy, i always keep a yellow hi-viz in the back of my car in case of breakdown even in the UK*, and if they are selling them in Poundland then why not buy one for everyone
* of course i just borrow mine from work

Do the tolls take the major brands of credit card, or is it better to pay in cash?

Some take credit cards - look for the symbol of a card above the lanes, but you might find it easier to pay in cash. If you google PEAGES AUTOROUTES DE FRANCE you may get some idea where the toll booths are for your particular journey and how much you will need to pay.

NB AVOID Télépeages which work on a pre-bought card/detector system. You will find it's not worth buying into the scheme if you are only there on holiday.

Don't forget to look for alternative routes using BISON FUTE (crafty bison) and the site also tells you what special activities (including those for kids) are available at motorway service areas/

Good tips, thanks

No kids, but i want to see what's on for myself!!

Via Michelin is great for giving you a rough idea of road tolls. I think i will be taking a more back route from the channel tunnel, down through Droux, Chartres, etc, towards Orlean, and then mainly Autoroute

hi we are driving down to Dordogne (Champs Romain) via the channel Tunnel sat nav and via michelin all want to take me via Paris having driven in and around London I would wlecome any advice ie should i avoid paris at all costs ? many thanks Jfn25

Not from personal experience, but i've spoken to a few people who 'hang a right' at the chunnel and go Boulogne, Rouen, Evreux, Dreux, Chartres, before joining back onto the Autoroute at Orleans (A10). It's certainly a route i'm looking at for driving to Spain next year

Plug a few of those into Via Michelin using the 'add a stage' feature, and see what route it gives you

Hello,

Avoiding Paris or not is all a matter of timing. I would say that along as you avoid travelling on the Paris ringroad between the hours of 6am to 10am and 4.30pm to 8pm, you have a pretty good chance of moving smoothly with few slow moving traffic spots. The other point is whether you are travelling on the "French holiday week-ends" as such the worst two week-ends of the year are mid-July and the first one of August. If you travel any of these dates, then avoid Paris at all cost.
Now, I have done a quick viamichelin itinerary search for you and it suggested me a different route that I would personnaly take.
I wanted to add the link below but the forum system refused it as I am a new member but basically, you follow the north motorway from Calais to Rouen, then national roads to Evreux, Chartres, Orleans to rejoin the A20 to Limoges and then to Dordogne.

Hope it helps.
Good luck and have a safe journey.

Les Biquets

We have also found the Rouen route by far the best.

Patka

Lots of really useful tips here - leaving next week so will put them into practice!

Hi we are driving to la sirene camp site languadoc-roussilion argeles sur mer from calais can anyone find me a route with toll and petrol prices please,have read on here to go a75 way which is a free road is this right,thanks