Hi Barry ...... it's Alsa, yet again!
Try putting your routes into http://www.viamichelin.fr. It should give you a choice of three - the fastest, the most scenic and the cheapest ............... it will also tell you where the toll points are!

It will also give you details of the amount of fuel consumed for each route if you tell if what sort of a monster you are driving ............

A good satnav (I have a Tomtom) would select a route that avoided tolls.

Peter

Thanks peeps. It would appear that I can reduce the tolls by about €150 but it increases the drive time by over 12 hours.

Not worth the trade off IMHO.

BarryD wrote:

I suspect the answer is "Tough..."

I'm bound from the Eurotunnel to Evenos St Anne, and then from Evenos to Litteau (near St Lo.) this summer, around 1,500 miles and GULP €350 in tolls. Now I really like the French autoroutes but that's half my drinking money for the fortnight...

I'm driving at night, solo, and with a pretty good SatNav. Would off the beaten track be a better bet, or would I just lose so much time (anything plus 5 hours is a drag) and burn more fuel that it would be self defeating?

Any suggestions? :rofl

What the heck are you driving?????
anyway this is what I got from Mappy calculated at class 1 (car) Class 2 (big car and caravan)

Distance : 1126.72 km, dont On motorway : 1113.92 km

Vehicle : Sedan car Petrol : 154.56 € (97 l) + Tolls: € 81.20
Vehicle : Luxury Car with caravan Petrol : 177.86 € (111 l) + Tolls: € 122.50

so not sure where you get 350€ for tolls

Hurrah thanks Madcaravanner - I set up some of the options on viamichelin and got a more sensible toll number - €81 southwards, and €70 northwards.

I can cope with that!

Bear in mind that compared to driving on the UK's free motorways the French ones are good value for the money!

Hi De Hi wrote:

Bear in mind that compared to driving on the UK's free motorways the French ones are good value for the money!

How does that work out then Hi De Hi? I pay £185(ish) to drive on the UK roads, and over the 16 day holiday I paid around €250 in tolls. Including €5 to go over the Pont De Normandie bridge which seemed to be about the same length as the £1 Dartford crossing.

Mind you the roads are better being less busy in France, and yes I know I could go everywhere on N roads but I'm trying to get from A to B via C - C normally being a great place for lunch.

I had a great time, really enjoyed the road trip, the countryside and the wine; and re-affirmed my intent to retire to France, eventually

Because even paying for a French road is better than the 'free' potholed and clogged up rubbish we have to put up with over here. Perhaps I should have used the tongue in cheek smillie?

LOL... Ive been there myself when on holiday in france.... they are one of the fastest ways to cross france but we found that there is normally a minor road running pretty much parralel to them all the time... use your map to head towards the autoroute you require but when nearing it look for the minor road, often this is more enjoyable as they pass through towns and villages which the motorway obviously miss out....

That's true, and even the minor roads seem to be well maintained. But the bulk of my autoroute "work" is the long run at the start or end of the holiday. AND then it is just time to haul a*s...

But a road trip idea - B&B (F1 hotel) to B&B will be undertaken in the future but not until the kids are grown up.

lol... indeed, when you gotta move you gotta move... just have to suffer the premium like the rest... i must admit i have done the same, and i have also allowed for extra time to travel the minor roads but by the time youve stopped for coffee, snacks, sights and sounds, aswell as camping, the minor roads would prob run you the same as the autoroute... however as you may know they are often quite and with limited poilcing if find them just as fast...

happy travells barry