France

Autoroutes
There are 8000 kilometres of motorways of which most have tolls and are called autoroutes des péages. The speed limit is 130km/h which reduces to 80mph (110km/h) in adverse conditions. There are eight privately owned networks where you pay as you leave. French autoroutes are excellently maintained and allow high average travelling speeds, though you can attract suspicion if you get from A to B too quickly!

Toll Payments
Tickets are issued as you join each motorway network. Payments are calculated on the distance travelled and are paid when you exit. Payments at the péages (toll gates) can be made by all major credit cards or cash. A journey from Calais to the south of France will cost around £50. Tolls vary depending on the vehicle driven, with different price bands for: cars, vans, cars with trailers, lorries and motorbikes.

Route Nationales
France has an excellent network of trunk roads which is a more relaxed and interesting way to travel. These are marked as N-roads or routes nationales.

Rules of the Road
Remember to drive on the right and overtake on the left! The most dangerous time is when you are entering a road from a petrol station or private road as you will not be guided into the correct lane. Driving with dipped headlights is compulsory in poor visibility, so make sure you have headlight beam adjusters. You should also take a red hazard warning triangle. On-the-spot fines can be demanded for not wearing seat belts (compulsory front and back); drink-driving offences; and driving on a provisional licence.

Speed Limits
130km/h on autoroutes (110km/h during adverse driving conditions); 110km/h on non-toll dual carriageways (both dry and in the wet); 90km/h on other roads (80km/h when wet); and 50km/h in all towns.

Service Stations
On autoroutes there is a service station every 30-50km which is 24-hour. These are very comprehensive, offering rest areas, shops, food etc. There are two varieties of aire: (service station) one with fuel, restaurants and shopping facilities; the other type is a picnic area with WC facilities.

Petrol
Try and buy your petrol for your hire car on normal raods. Prices are about the same as the UK, but there are savings on diesal.

French airports with car hire: (airport information number included)

Charles de Gaulle +33 (0)1 48 62 2280
Orly Airport +33 (0)1 49 75 15 15
Bordeaux Airport +33 (0)5 56 34 50 50
Lille +33 (0)3 20 49 68 68
Lyon-Airport +33 (0)4 78 26 81 09
Marseille Airport +33 (0)4 42 14 14 14
Nantes-Atlantique +33 (0)2 40 84 80 00
Nice +33 (0)4 93 21 30 30
Strasbourg +33 (0)3 88 64 67 67
Toulouse +33 (0)5 61 42 44 00


Travelling by sea
The most popular route from the UK is Dover-Calais, which can be reached ferry. Also a catamaran takes visitors from Folkestone to Boulogne. From Portsmouth, passengers can reach the ports of Cherbourg and St Malo, and Ramsgate ferries travel to Dunkirk. St Malo can also be sailed to via a catamaran from Weymouth in Dorset. Travelling from the northern half of England you can board a ferry to Zeebrugge from Hull, and take fast road links from Belgium into France. Ireland include services from Rosslare to Cherbourg and Rosslare to Roscoff (during the summer only) and Cork to Roscoff throughout the year. Visitors from Northern Spain can take a ferry to the south west ports of Bilbao, Santander, and Biarritz. We provide car hire from all these locations.

Specialist France car rental pages: Car Hire Biarritz airport Rental cars for Biarritz in France. Car Hire Dinard airport Rental car in Dinard airport in France. UK Car Hire Rental cars for France and the rest of the UK.

Useful French travel links include: Nice airport, the official airport website, http://www.aeroport.fr and Paris france for activities in the capital. Also try France for a selection of French car hire sites.

For general French sites about cars go to Voiture or Voiture France for specialist links.

Other pages for car hire include:

 
Heathrow London International airport Hire cars and car hire for London Heathrow airport. 
Manchester Airport Car hire for automatics and low excess insurance.