Tips for Driving France

Photo by Joe Shlabotnik

French Connections have posted an interesting post about Driving in France. Here is an extract from their article about Tips for Driving in France ..

Driving through France needn't be as stressful as a long journey in the UK. Follow our tips to planning a swift and comfortable journey:

• On Autoroutes, or A roads, there are numerous attractive rest areas or Aires, ranging from picnic/toilet/petrol stops to full-scale service stations with restaurants and shops selling local produce. If you won't be arriving at your holiday property until the evening, when local shops are likely to be closed, services are a good place to purchase something for supper.

   

• Main non-motorway routes or routes nationales are identified as N roads. A good choice if you want a break from motorway driving or to see more small towns, villages and scenery. Road numbering can be confusing so best to follow destination signs.

   

• Avoid seasonal congestion at the beginning and end of August when most French people holiday en masse. Also avoid if possible the week around July 14th and around August 15th, both big national holidays. HGV's are banned from the roads on Sundays all year round so motorways are quieter on this day outside seasonal peaks.

   

• Direction signs starting with Bis indicate bison futé, a holiday route avoiding crowded roads. Worth taking at busy times like summer Saturdays. Maps showing these alternative routes are available free from garages.

   

• If your holiday property is situated in the west of France, you could save hours of driving time by taking the ferry to Cherbourg or Le Havre rather than the shorter Dover to Calais route. You'll spend more of your journey sat comfortable on the boat and less of it behind the wheel.

   

• If you have a long drive in the UK to reach the channel ports, break your journey and save money on your crossing by staying the night in the UK, then catch a lower priced ferry early the next morning. We've a wide choice of accommodation near to UK channel ports including Dover, Folkestone (for the Channel Tunnel), Portsmouth, Poole, and Newhaven.

They also have more about:

• Driving Laws in France
• Driving in France – Useful Products and Services
• Roads and Useful Travel Links

Read the full article: Driving in France

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