France Information
France is the most visited country in the world, and for good reason. It is a country filled with spectacular attractions, perfect for a driving holiday. It is renowned for great food, great wine, cultural attractions of all kinds, art, and film. It is also a country steeped in history, with many areas virtually unchanged over the centuries. Besides all this, France is a country of spectacular natural beauty, from the Mediterranean coastline to the Alps. In short, France has every type of attraction a visitor could possibly ask for.
But not all of France is the same. Each region has its own distinct scenery, history and culture. Exploring the entire country on a driving holiday will yield much reward for the traveller.
Paris
Paris, the City of Light, is well-renowned as a capital of culture, romance, history, art, fine dining and design. It is full of must-see landmarks and attractions. Landmarks include the Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe and many museums and galleries. Events include Bastille Day celebrations on July 14, the French Tennis Open, Six Nations rugby in February, and the Tour de France.
The Alps
The Alps are perhaps the world’s premier winter sports region, and also great for hiking in summer. Albertville, Grenoble and Chamonix have all hosted the Winter Olympics. The Alps features many picturesque towns such as Chambéry, Annecy and Grenoble.
Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur
Also recommended for your vacation is Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur. Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur has many attractions, including the famous Riviera with its sophisticated resorts, Grasse, the perfume capital, stunning scenery inland, the port town of Menton, Nice, Antibes, St Tropez, Grimaud, Frejus and Cannes. Monaco is nearby. Whether you want beaches, glitz and glamour, history dating back to Roman times or dramatic scenery, this region has it all and is tremendously popular.
Lyon
Lyon is France’s second largest city. The city of Lyon is a must-visit destination for food lovers, as it is the French capital of good cuisine. It is also chock-full of cultural attractions and historical sites and is a centre of fashion and the silk trade. If that wasn’t enough, world-famous snowfields and ski areas are at Lyon’s doorstep.
Brittany
Brittany features a spectacular rugged coastline, many historical sites and picturesque villages.
Alsace, Lorraine, Franche Comté and Burgundy regions
The eastern part of France consists of the Alsace, Lorraine, Franche Comté and Burgundy regions, featuring gentle scenery and many beautiful cities. It is also a renowned wine region, producing pinot noirs and chardonnays famous the world over.
Lorraine, which borders Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany, was the site of many of the most ferocious battles of the First World War. Many visit the area to remember this chapter of history.
Alsace is a heavily forested region with ruined castles and attractive medieval villages.
Franche-Comte contains a mixture of forests, open country and quaint villages
The Aquitaine region is reputedly home to 1001 castles.
The Auvergne region was features the former capital of Vichy France. Nowadays, it features river and mountain activities, centred around several dormant volcanoes.
The Burgundy region contains beautiful scenery, Roman remains and is the home of Dijon mustard.
Central France features the Loire valley, which has many great castles and picturesque towns. It is one of the most popular regions for visitors and has been listed as a World Heritage site.
Calais includes the Amiens, Lille and Somme battlefield sites and war cemeteries from the First World War. Some of the trenches have been kept intact to help visitors understand the conditions that the soldiers faced.
Champagne-Ardenne is the home of champagne, the Reims cathedral and the Ardenne forests.
Corsica is a Mediterranean island with a spectacular coastline and a rugged mountainous interior.
Languedoc-Roussillon features long beaches, fine wines, the Millau bridge, dramatic landscapes and medieval architecture. The spectacular Millau bridge will be a driving highlight of your holiday.
Limousin, off the beaten track, features villages, woodlands and the village of Oradour-sur Glane, which was destroyed by the SS during the Second World War and its inhabitants killed. It has been preserved as a monument to this tragic chapter in history.
Pays de la Loire has long beaches, marshlands and the popular Puy du Fou theme park.
Midi Pyrenees, featuring the Pyrenees mountains, is popular for skiing and has dramatic mountain scenery and sheer cliffs.
Normandy has beautiful countryside, the Cider Route, the Alabaster Coast, the Rouen Cathedral and the Normandy beaches, known as the landing point of the Allied invasion of World War II.
Picardy features cathedrals, open fields, hills and forests.
Poitou Charentes is the home of Cognac brandy and the historic town of Saintes. The coastline, on the Atlantic, is very popular.
Driving in France
France has a well-developed system of highways. Most of the freeway (autoroute) links are toll roads. Some have toll station giving you access to a section, others have entrance and exit toll stations. Don't lose your entrance ticket or you will be charged for the longest distance. All toll stations accept major credit cards, or you can use the automatic booth, but only if your card is equipped with a chip.
Roads range from the narrow single-lane roads in the countryside to major highways. Most towns and cities were built before the general availability of the automobile and thus city centers tend to be unwieldy for cars. Keep this in mind when renting: large cars can be very unwieldy. It often makes sense to just park and then use public transportation.
France drives on the right.
Priorité à droite - the old French system was to give priority to all traffic coming from the right. This still applies at unmarked crossroads in the countryside, in small villages, as well as minor streets inside cities etc. Most other road crossings have some kind of priority system implemented. Yellow square signs (rotated 45°) indicate that your road is prioritary (all other roads must yield); a yellow lozenge with a bar shows ends this. Watch out; for drivers from other countries this is one of the most confusing aspects of French driving.
France uses many roundabouts. In the old days, roundabouts were signposted by a round blue sign, and drivers inside the roundabout had to yield to incoming traffic (which came from their right). This changed 20 years ago, and almost all roundabouts have been converted to a system, marked using a triangular sign and "yield" signs, in which drivers from outside the roundabout have to yield to drivers inside the roundabout. Though many American drivers seem to fear roundabouts, there is actually nothing to them: just yield to the traffic inside the roundabout, and turn right at the exit you wish. Two advantages to roundabouts: if you are unsure of the road to take, you can simply go round the roundabout until you have decided; and they make it easy to make a U-turn.
Signposts used in France are patterned according to EU recommendations and use mostly pictograms (not text).
Law enforcement forces (depending on the area, Police Nationale or Gendarmerie) may stop you in order to check that you have a valid driving license, valid insurance, and that your vehicle has passed safety tests. In the case of rental cars, the insurance and safety documents are provided by the rental company. If you have your own motor vehicle, you'll have to show the European "green card" proving you have insurance.
If you park illegally, law enforcement forces or traffic wardens will put a ticket under your dashboard. You can pay it by personal check drawn from a French bank (not very useful for tourists) or by buying a "timbre fiscal" (tax stamp) from a tobacconist, stick it on the ticket, and mail it to the authorities. If you actually see the law enforcement agent, you can also pay him directly in cash on by check to the Public Treasury, in exchange for a receipt. Technically, you can also challenge the fine in court if inappropriate, but this is probably to be left to people with lots of time on their hands. If you commit a traffic offense using a rental car and you do not pay it directly (e.g. speeding tickets by photo radar), the rental car company will bill you for them and may apply a surcharge.
The government has for the last 5 years increased the repression of speeding. Law enforcement sometimes read your ticket at the toll station to see how long you took since joining the autoroute: (as of 2005) they are not allowed to use that info to give you a speeding ticket. On the other hand, be aware that there is a new automatic photo-radar system that is being implemented throughout France. For the moment, this system is most commonly found along major highways, and near major cities, but it expands quickly. Large brown rectangular signs warn when you are entering an automatic photo-radar area.
Drunk driving is a very serious offense. The tolerated limit is 0.50 g/l (0.05% BAC) in blood, being above this limit is thus illegal and can entitle you a fine up to 750€ and 6 demerit points. If you are found above 0.80 g/l (0.08% BAC), or if you refuse to pass the test, the fine may reach 4500€ followed by an immediate withdrawal of your driving license; jail sentences and confiscation of the vehicle are also possible.
All passengers are required to wear their seat belt and children under 10 must use the back seat (fine 135€ per persons not wearing a seat belt, 1 demerit point if the offender is the driver.)
Being caught with a radar detector, even in your luggage is a serious offense and will result in the device being confiscated and a fine of at least €2000.
Talking on a hand held mobile phone while driving in France is forbidden.