Driving in France - any top tips?

I'm driving down to La Rochelle in France this weekend for a couple of weeks holiday. What kinda speed can i get away with...or not? In fact, what is the speed limit? Are the toll roads free of policemen, or full of camera's?

130kph; 110kph if raining on most motorways. 110kph on others... You will read a lot about being timed between toll booth, not worth the risk...get out to Germany or Isle of Man to practice high speed drivings IMHO

1 You will need your vehicle registration documents (V5) 2 You have to bring your full licence documents with you (ID card as well as the paper counterpart) 3 You must carry a warning triangle 4 It is illegal to talk on a mobile phone while driving, even with a hands-free headset 5 If you are driving a foreign registered vehicle, a sticker showing the country of origin, must be attached to the vehicle. 6. You now need to carry a reflective vest when driving in France 7. Headlamp beam adaptors: failure to adapt your headlamps at any time, day or night, will render your vehicle unfit for use on the road and could invalidate your motor insurance. 8. A complete set of light bulbs: all lamps, including lenses and reflectors must be in working order, even during daylight hours. Failure to be in a position to replace an exterior bulb could result in temporary cessation of your journey and/or an on-the-spot fine. First Aid kit and fire extinguisher: The European Good Samaritan Law requires every driver to stop and provide assistance when an accident is encountered, providing it is safe to do so. This may require a first aid kit and fire extinguisher and it is advisable to have these items when driving in France but not a legal requirement. Speed Limits (the second figure indicating the reduced speed limit in rainy conditions) o Motorways: 130/110 km/h (81/69 mph) o Route nationales/departmentales (usually dual carriageway): 110/100 km/h (69/62mph) o Other roads: 90/80 km/h (56/50mph) o Built-up areas/towns - 50 km/h (31mph) or as signposted See http://www.go-to-france.co.uk/pages/Driving.htm Bet you wish you're staying at home now eh? [ ]

If it's La Rochelle will you be visiting http://www.bar-andre.com/ ? (Antidote to the hassle flagged up in Rodney's reply).

No, I need a holiday, looking forward to a holiday & driving down in the porker is gonna be a great start to it. Glad I asked, rain speed limit...thats news to me. re timed between tolls...is that right?

Being timed between tolls isn't new and does happen but I've never known of anybody who's been caught out by it. I guess you'd have to be fairly tanking it to get caught and, besides, stopping for fuel should sort out your average speed. One thing to watch for, though, is being careful about the countdown speedlimits when approaching tolls; the police do check speeds.

The toll thing is actually that the police will laser you some time before the toll, radio ahead and arrange for you to be pulled over by their colleagues waiting at the toll. You will get no warning, and they will often hide to zap you. Happens a lot more during the run down to Le Mans week (and back), and will often happen close to the ports to catch the people late for the ferry.

Honestly don't worry about most of the guff I posted. Those are the rules which we looked up on a recent trip to France. Personally I borrowed most of that stuff from a friends BMW (warning triangle, first aid kit etc), and the spare bulbs you can either keep or give back to the shop unused, or not bother. You can get flashed by cameras but they can't send the fine back home. You will need to carry cash in case you get stopped by the police for speeding etc Yes we got timed between tolls so had to rest-up for a while on a lay-by. Be careful of the French style of parking, they only know if they are in position if they hit your bumper! But driving in France is beautiful and the roads are great. Enjoy! Go to the place Mercurial suggested, looks great, and is making me hungry![ ]

Yes, I have a mate who took his Ariel Atom down to Le Mans couple of weeks ago and was fined 90euros after being zapped. Maybe just take a fist full of euro's and pay any fines. Any idea at what speed they will take the car away? I'm not gonna Tank it, don't want to bugger up my holiday at the start, but its good the know the rules of the game, just in case i need to...... overtake or something[ ]

-not gonna bother with first aid kits n triangles. -Cameras can't send home pic's. good!

I know you have probably RTFM, but to change the digital display to kph: With the ignition turned on, turn the button (marked with a clock face - to the right of the rev-counter) anticlockwise for about 5 seconds. This will set the digital speedometer, odometer, and trip counter to kilometers. Repeat the process to switch back to miles. There are some headlight masking templates in the workshop manual. Let me know if you would liks a copy. If you have Litronics, you can set them to right-dip though.

I was so excited when i took delivery i did actually read the manual cover to cover[8|] but all forgotten now, so thanks, good thinking Batman. "Headlight masking templates" - ummmmm. no. "Litronics" - yes i have them, is that simple & idiot proof ? or maybe RTFM?

It's a great place. If some other suggestions of places in the Charente-Maritime would be helpful, please say (it's a great area - many happy memories).

Here you go: I don't think it is shown in the owners manual.

You wouldn't say that if you'd ever broken down on a busy motorway. Triangles and hi vis vests are a life saver. Go to halfords - you only need to buy them once.

I would recommend getting a Telepeage unit for the peage Autoroute sections. Makes life a lot easier!

Other snippets I've picked up over the years ... french police will enforce a short-term driving ban if you're doing over (i think) 30kph over the speed limit. If there's no other driver available, car will be taken to compound and you have to continue journey by foot, or get a relief driver. This happened to one of the evo magazine's testers last year! Also, speed camera detectors are banned and big fine / confiscation is in order even if they find it switched off in the glovebox.

First thing you will notice is how quiet your car is, all the road noise in the UK due to poor roads in absent. The motorways are empty compared to the UK, driving is so laid back and generally the Frogs are better disciplined and less agressive than the UK. Get your route directions from via Michelin as it tells you how much you need to pay at the tolls and also the location of all the fixed cameras on your route! I drove to Nice and back last year and hardly saw any Gendarmerie, only mobile camera was about 30K out of Calais hoping to nab those running late for a ferry. We stayed in a posh hotel near Beaulieu sur Mer for a couple of nights and it was amazing to have the 996 washed overnight by the junior concierge guys and brought round the front the next morning for the head honcho to OK their efforts before departure. I am sure they see loads of exotic motors down there but they made us feel special. I am sure you will find some empty road to open her up and do what she was made for....have fun.

Also:- http://www.frenchleave.com/autoroutes.asp

Thanks Richard, you are a Tech Guru. However "3. Release and open the cover with control module" does not sound idiot proof to me, but i will have a poke around inside and report back. triangles - ok, i'm sure my BMW has one. i will look it out. Telepeage unit - can i buy one on the day? at a petrol station or in the Tunnel? i'm going on sturday, so unlikely anything can get to me in the post that quickly. Thanks Diesel: 30kph - Lovely

yes, i have been using www.mappy.co.uk which seems better than www.Multimap.com all the cameras listed and better instructions. however it did not understand my postcode in UK, which was a little strange. I also have to test out the Porsche Satnav tonight. I have the europe CD's but want to make sure it understands what is required. Also bought 9 new CD's for the journey too[ ] Cleaned my sunglasses[ ] Not doing any work this week at the office[ ] Holiday preparations going just fine....

Too late for the Telepeage unit - from memory I think they take about a week to come through.

I noticed driving down here last week, that the telepeage thingy now appears to be free of charge which is fair enough as they`re going to eventully lay off all the people in the tollbooths and save a whack of money. I think you can apply at the offices on the side at the peage stations, but you won`t be able to use it immediately. Take care re the speed limits as a night in the cells and a morning court appearance is a possibility if you`re really tanking on and in my (bitter) experience les flics are humourless bastards.. I`d recommend the routes nationales, as the driving is more interesting, there are better places to eat, and oncoming motorists flash their lights if you`re approaching a speed trap. bon voyage!! jr.

The gendarmes have fallen in love with speed cameras (or radar as its known in France). Many unmarked camera cars are in use. As in England you can drive like an idiot as long as you are not breaking the limit!! Some links http://english.controleradar.org/ http://english.controleradar.org/driving-in-france.php http://www.securiteroutiere.gouv.fr/infos-ref/regles/csa/csa.html Even though you will not be pursued for a camera 'flash' remember that the more fines they can't collect, will be used as evidence to press for pan-european/cross border speed control. Imagine getting points on your licence for an incident 2000 miles from home with an impossible chance of contesting it. Do not drink and drive. Random testing is in place, and the limit is lower than in England. You don't have to be involved in an accident to be breath tested. Most motorways in France are tolled. The French word for toll is peage. For short sections there is a fixed fee, paid by cash or credit card. Longer sections are priced by collecting a ticket at the start of your journey then paying when you leave either onto a non-tolled section or at a junction. Payment can be made by cash or card. There are lanes at the toll booths with an orange "˜ t' above them, this stands for tele-peage. These are for cars equipped with a sensor and should not be used. Credit card lanes have a blue CB (carte bancaire) sign above them. There are always manned booths, usually on the right. Automatic cash lanes take credit cards as well, and usually give change. Press the big red button for a printed receipt. If the machine starts to "˜talk', you have probably put either the ticket or your card in the wrong way. No need to mess around with a pin number.

Hi Mike, Good point about the unmarked cars. The first time I got weighed up, the radar equipment was in the back of a motorway maintenance van driving on the bande d`urgence ( hard shoulder) and I was collected by a motorcycle cop a bit further down the road, led to the next Aire, and the motorway van arrived a few minutes later. Incidentally the motorway van was also breaking the speed limit, but not as much as I was. jr.

If you have any form of radar detector you'd be well advised to leave it at home. You are not allowed to use one or even have one in your car, and if the Police pull you over and spot one, they'll fine you and confiscate the device...

Oh, have just noticed that Diesel has given you that advice already... (note to self - must remember to read threads from start to end ...)

as in another thread about this i got well and truly stuffed last summer by les flics north and south doing very marginal over limit-first thing they greeted me with was -GB-porsche[ ][ ]dont risk going over at all and definately have lots of euros in the car have fun which you will if you remember the above!!france seems almost completely covered in radar traps now so nowhere is safe to blast it

Whenever I go on holiday, I always always get mega busy in the office just before I go away. All I want to do is sit around planning & chillin' & getting in the right state of mind"¦..but as usual I'm rushed off my feet. Thanks for all the advice; I will let u know how many times I got stopped, but hopefully none now I have been warned. Richard. I did have a look at the headlights, but I think that's best left to the pro's, I am not a technical person. The last thing I need to do is balls anything up before I get going. Had a play around with the Porsche Sat nav and it seems to understand where i need to go & all works fine. Destination is saved and the route looks good compared with the michelin route suggested. 889 kilometers each way. Happy dayz[ ]

Hi, are you back yet? I am off to South of France (Near Montpellier) next Friday for 6 days. Its a 650 mile drive from Cherbourg but I thought I would take the scenic route rather then the auto route. It's same distance although slower but the French A roads are very good and I wont have to pay tolls or have the hassle of getting out of my car at tolls. cheers Jamie

Having been to France zillions of times I agree with Mark. The toll tickets are often stamped but I have never seen or heard of anyone's ticket being measured for speed! They do however laser you a couple of miles from the toll and then wait for you. I think us Brits have just pushed it too far, as we have completely ignored the speed limits and now we are paying the price for it, me included. Be careful around the ports especially on ur return, stay under 30mgh above the speed limits as this is now instantly bannable but go enjoy lovely quiet French Roads. I am driving down to Biarritz in a couple of weeks, can't wait! Shame its in my BMW and not my Turbo!

I got done at the tolls back in 1991. Fined 900 Francs for doing an average of 190 kph from Paris to Calais. These days they are far more strict and far heavier with the fines. On the Autoroutes, generally if you see a sign, there is a camera pointing at you, shortly afterwards. They don't seem to use signs just as a deterrant.

Definitely not. Everybody else will start slamming on the anchors as soon as they've seen the sign.

if you have a jammer (sorry garage door opener) remove the head unit, they get VERY upset if they find one!

"Total sense of humour failure" comes to mind.

"Bust a blood vessel" comes to mind having been nearly locked up a few years ago for having a radar detector in the car![ ]Lost the radar detector and fined €750!

and yet the b****ards drive over here like their gallic pants are on fire[ ]

Just don't mention the Poles, Rumanians, etc., etc.

or the war[ ][ ][ ]

I'm back and apart from the lousy weather on the 2nd week I had a great holiday. Drive was about 9 driving hours each way. About 600 miles but I took my time and stopped plenty. Stereo was cranked-up big-style. Just me, myself and I and the mostly open road. Happy dayzzz[ ] I saw plenty of Les Flic's stopping plenty of people. At the tolls there was always some poor sod being pulled over but I didn't get stopped, fined, confiscated, or anything, which I would have done if I hadn't asked here, so cheers everybody[ ] Was great to holiday with the Porker too. Two important things I learned: 1) Richard "" changing the speedo to kph was inspired. A great idea that made the drive much easier, and prolly why I did not get stopped. But by far the most important discovery was"¦. 2) I have the Bose stereo, which I have been disappointed with since I took delivery. I really struggle to understand how the Bose can be an "upgrade," the sound is so flat & basic & just cr$p, but I'm an audiophile so I guess its my own fault. Anyway"¦whilst sitting in a jam for 45 minutes waiting to pay my 3euro's toll, I was pressing all the buttons in site, as you do"¦and look what I found! A special button that transforms the sound from unbearable to rubbish, then another button from rubbish to pretty damn good. Wow! Pretty cool. Made my trip MUCH better. Its unbelievable that Bose puts this function on the system, because the difference is black and white. If you press the "sound" button you get the options to change the bass, treble, balance, fader, audiopilot. Well"¦. there is another option within this option. If you then press "set" you get to "listening position" either left, symmetric or right. And what a world of difference it makes. Mine was set to symmetric and I was a pretty unhappy customer. Changing to left made the sound worse, but set to "right" and low and behold, musical bliss. Finally the Bose sounds like what a couple of grand hifi should sound like. Still not a patch on my home system, but that's a different kettle of fish. Why Bose put this option in, in the first place is amazing, and to hide it away like that is just not cricket. RTFM The Porsche performed like a dream, with zero problems, smooth and easy"¦.all the way. 4 x new Michelins pilot sport's performed as they should. Satnat was quirky but fine, although was 4 years out of date and a few new junctions caused.... some fast decision making[&:] I averaged 60mph @ 28.7 mpg, which sounds rubbish but does include plenty of waiting to pay the tolls. Q: would I drive down to France again? With the wife and kid"¦never. In any other car?......no way, no point. In my Porsche"¦yes"¦planning another trip in October. Happy dayzzz. I love my Porsche[ ]

I think this means you set it "Right" to optimise the setup for the driver. Your wife probably hated it even more than "Symmetric" [ ][ ] Glad you had a good trip [ ]

The Wife doesn't have any say in anything to do with my hifi's, could not tell the difference in any case and doesn't care anyway[:'(]100pct Boyz Toyz[ ]

Glad you enjoyed your trip. I am off on Friday going from Poole. Then driving down to a place near Montpellier in the South, I can't wait [ ]

Hope you have a good trip down. Are you going to be able to take in the Viaduc de Millau ? It's not out of your way, pretty much en route, and got to be worth driving.

Hi, I have driven over that bridge before, I did it last year. It's bl**dy big [ ]

Understand it's a great sight. Meaning to do it some time. Hope you have a good trip.

Don't know about France, but I've heard the Police in Spain like to stop you and ask you to get your hi-vis vest on. you go to the boot to get it and they fine you - it is illegal in Spain to be outside the car on the highway without it on. [&:]

Good game! [ ] Ditto Italy - and there has to be one for every occupant (i.e. if there are four seats then you must carry four vests, irrespective of whether or not there are as many individuals).

i`m flying everywhere from now on-b****y foreigners[ ][ ]

. . . but there's the check-in procedure . . .

as nothing compared to les flics[ ]9in my experience!)[ ]