Driving in France
 

I am going to be in Dreux for a week while my husband works, I am planning on renting a car and driving around. Is this feasible for an american who has never driven in France? What has been anyone elses experience? What, if anything would be my biggest problem?

My husband drove while I navigated us from Paris through Normandy, ending in Cherbourg. We travelled on secondary roads because we like to see the smaller towns in between. <BR><BR>Our only problems were with my vision which necessitated reading glasses for the map and sunglasses to see the signposts. I think if you plot out your route in advance and write down the key cities/roads/turns/whatever, you'll do fine and have fun.

If you are from NA here are some tips based on my experiences:<BR><BR>* Check out the manual first for the basics ---gas/diesel tank access, lights. turn signals and the like. They can be quirky.<BR><BR>* Yielding on roundabouts<BR><BR>* Car will probably be standard transmission<BR><BR>* Drivers go fast and they love to tailgate<BR><BR>* You will be passed on double lines and on curves. Get used to it and don't take it personally<BR><BR>* Act confident<BR><BR>* Drive with flair<BR><BR>* Have fun. We always try to.

Last year we drove from the south of France to Paris with no problems. People do drive really fast, so stay alert. You will be fine...

<BR><BR>People drive fast, but they drive well. Unless you're very timid behind the wheel, you will be fine.

Worst drivers on Mainland Europe.

Roads in France are very well marked, (MUCH better than here),even the tiniest ones. However, they are marked with the name of the next "decent" sized town, NOT necessarily with highway or road numbers as we are used to seeing here. If you take the time to study the names of the towns in the direction you wish to go, you will have no trouble. If you approach a city and wish to explore, simply follow the signs for "Centre Ville" (center of town). There is usually a tourist information center there with excellent English spoken. To exit the city, simply follow the signs for "Toutes Directions" (all directions) or the name of the next city in the direction you wish to travel. You'll get the hang of it in no time. Absolutely necessary: Purchase the yellow Michelin maps for the areas you intend to visit and keep them handy. It also pays to study them before you attempt to navigate on your own. Good luck

It's really not a problem if you've done highway & urban driving in the US. As has been suggested, check out the maps first. And you can save a lot of money if you learn to drive manual.

I think I'd be much more concerned about staying in Dreux than I would be about driving in France, which is pretty much a piece of cake if you accept that they drive fast but they observe all the rules - none of this lazy no-signal stuff you see in the States all the time. It's fast-paced but predictable, and you should get used to it pretty quickly.<BR>

Don't know about the part of France you will be in, but in Normandy, Brittany, and Loire and on into Paris area, you will find that traffic circles (round abouts) are quite common. Americans in general are not used to these but they are wonderful for traffic control, and really great if you are trying to figure which "spoke road" to take..just keep circling round and round until you figure it out. Overall driving in France is pleasant. You will find that the tolls can be high on the express highways but it is doubtful if you will use these much. I would say the biggest problem you will have is parking when you want to get out and explore some village on foot. Parking can be a problem. Be aware of the regulations and also be aware of the use of the cardboard "parking clock" you have to put on your dashboard in some areas. I don't want to get into the details here but if you get a good guide book it will explain it all. Not complicated but you must follow the rules when parking as the French have no reservations about clamping your wheel or even towing the car away.

What is the number one thing you need to look out for? Priority to the right. No signs, no lines = the person coming from the right (even if they are on a side street and you are driving down the main road) has the priority. I cover my brake at all intersections and have been fine. Good luck!

Hi<BR><BR>Might be worth adding that standard gas (l'essence) is expensive in France (up to USD4 per US gallon). Diesel gives more miles per gallon, and is much cheaper to buy.<BR><BR>And don't forget priority from the right !<BR><BR>Peter<BR>

We travelled by car from Paris to the Pyrenees then to the provence and on to Nice with no trouble other than an occasional getting lost. We were told that our map was not good as alot of highways weren't on it so make sure you have a good one. The people in France were wonderful to us in helping to get us where we had to go. Don't be afraid to ask for help. We spoke very little French but all were very kind to us.

Don't let any fear of driving deter you. Driving in France is simple and easy, very much like the US and Canada.<BR>It would probably be best though not to drive in Paris. If you plan to go to Paris find a place to park near an RER line ( Versailles perhaps near the palace) and take the train into Paris.<BR> I really enjoyed driving near Dreux. One trip involved following the Eure river passing through Maintenon. There is a chateau, church and an enjoyable cafe in the town centre with free parking! <BR>Dreux is also very near Chartres and as you approach Chartres from the north in the distance the sight of the cathedral is impressive.<BR>Houdan a small town 12 km east of Dreux is world famous for it's chicken.<BR>In the town centre of Dreux most mornings is an open air market, farm goods and other merchandise available.<BR>Have fun.

Security-In or out, always lock all doors. Be sure windows are up. All packages, etc., in trunk. Don't leave documents in car. <BR>Navigation - small binoculars to read signs.<BR>International Driving permit plus USA license. Insurance/Green card.

One more caution. All prices in France are quoted including the VAT (you pay what is quoted). The only exception I found was the price for car rental at CDG. They did not include the VAT. Be sure to ask if the price quoted includes taxes or not.

We did the drive through Normandy last year and here are my suggestions:<BR><BR>Get a copy of the road signs and their meaning - there were some we just couldn't figure out<BR><BR>Watch out for the round abouts and the "next decent sized city" signs. You may have to make a lap or two around the round about to get the correct exit.<BR><BR>Use a credit card to book your car and your insurance will be included. Your US auto policy does not cover you in Europe<BR><BR>Get a good map

Freeways may have more than one road number (e.g. A26/A16 Calais to Paris). Also, has anyone mentioned the road tolls? They can be quite high. Also the police may check how quickly you travelled between tolls. If your average speed is greater than 81mph, you may be fined. Be aware that French fines are "on the spot" - the police will drive you to an ATM to collect the money, and may leave you to take a taxi back! Also, no money and the car is impounded.<BR>All hire cars will be manual transmission - so make sure you can drive one. As for yielding on a roundabout, this is no longer the case as when you arrive at the roundabout you are told "Vous n'avez pas la priroitie" - you don't have priority over cars on the roundabout, therefore give way to the left. And yes, you may be on a freeway overtaking with nothing in your mirrors when suddenly a Renault will appear from nowhere travelling at speeds that would make Captain Kirk proud!

The "Vous n'avez pas la priorite" is important to know and lots of roundabouts have them.

The traffic lights are mostly in a camouflage color (sometimes difficult to see when the sun is shining on it) and not at the other side of the street (what we found very confusing while we were in the States).<BR>So you stop just before the light.<BR><BR>You can do 130 km/h but when it rains the speed is limited to 110 km/h

I forgot to mention something in my previous message: turn and no turn on red does not exist in France. Always stop at red lights.<BR><BR>

When one states "French drive well", "Italians drive well" etc, on what basis are these statements made?<BR><BR>If the fatalities per km driven (which include all factors, drivers, road conditions, etc) is used as a guide, then the US road seem to be safer than the European roads except in Scandinavian countries, Netherland and UK.<BR><BR>Data found at:<BR><BR>http://www.bast.de/htdocs/fachthemen...glish/we2.html

Tolls and Signs<BR><BR><BR>What threw me the first time I drove in france were the toll plazas on the freeways. There were no tollbooths and no signs explaining how to pay (at least none that we saw). I was afraid that we had missed getting a mileage ticket earlier or something, and basically I panicked thinking that I was going to hold up traffic while people yelled at me.<BR><BR>Fortunately there was an attendant not too far away. My wife asked how we got through. It turned out to be very simple-- you just swiped your credit card through the slot on the gate and the toll was added up automatically. I'm glad that I didn't try to run the toll with the car ahead of me (I thought about it)!<BR><BR>An earlier poster made me laugh-- the signage in France-- especially away from the freeways-- is often just terrible. Having a good map is essential if you go off the beaten path. Try to leave extra time for missing the right roads several times on any lengthy trip. Road signs are often vague, ambiguous, or just not there at all.<BR><BR>Otherwise, France is easy to get around. The drivers are perhaps a bit more aggressive than I am used to, but no problems that you wouldn't find anywhere else.

I have to disagree emphatically about signage in France being "terrible." It is based on different principles from, but is far, far superior to, signage in the USA. It is almost impossible to get lost in France, even in the remotest corner. No, you will not see route numbers all that often, but you will always see the name of the next town, and the next biggest town, etc., along your route. If you have consulted a map, therefore, it is almost impossible to get lost. Coming into a town, there is always a sign for the Centre Ville. Leaving a town, there is almost always a Toutes Directions sign, which will be followed by signs with the names of the next towns along however many routes may be leading out from the town. Signage in France is so detailed that when you get out into the really tiny country roads, the names of people's houses will appear on signs by the lanes that lead to them.

"Far, far superior" to the US? Sorry, not even close. <BR><BR>--French signs never give directions (N/S/E/W). That just blows.<BR><BR>--there are very few roadsigns warning ahead of time of an intersection<BR><BR>-- instead, there is usually only one sign (if you are lucky) giving you route numbers at intersections. This sign is usually right at the intersection and easy to miss-- you can't see it until you are right on top of it or even past the intersection. These signs are often quite small, unlit, and hidden by foliage or other obstruction.<BR><BR>--At complex intersections (more than two intersecting roads) French signs are almost invariably vague about which road is which. Just an arrow pointing off in some random direction and you have to guess where it is pointing.<BR><BR>--There are very few route markers or mileage signs along the way; once you make a wrong turn you may not have a second chance to discover your mistake for miles and miles.<BR><BR>Sorry, but in the "everything is better in Europe than in the US" game, bragging about French road signs being superior is pretty amusing.<BR><BR>You can get to any town in the US without a road map. I wouldn't recommend trying the same trick in France. Unless you know the route, you had better have a good map handy.

This has been said, but no east, west type of signs. You will see a town or village name and then a small area that will say for example "D5" for the road.<BR>Priority is not always right. If you are on a priority road then you have the right of way. There are signs that mark this. Other signs will tell you to give right of way. Priorite a droite = traffic from the right has priority. Priorite a gauche = traffic from the left has prioity. Unleaded gas is San Plumb.

Hi<BR><BR>Re: "You can get to any town in the US without a road map"<BR><BR>Don't tell the AAA or Rand McNally !<BR><BR>Peter<BR>http://tlp.netfirms.com<BR>

Sorry for the hijack, but I'm wondering : what purpose exactly serve the N/W/E/S signs on american highways? If you're going to Littletown, what the point exactly, from a navigation purpose, in knowing whether the road is going north or west?

Clairobscur, I think it's a male/female thing. Men like to know the direction they're going, women like landmarks. It's good enough for me to know I'm going to Littletown, but my husband wants to know if we need to go north or west. ;-)

topping<BR>

On a purely practical level, as you will be driving on the right in a left hand drive car you will find that bit easier than if you were driving in the UK!<BR><BR>I would agree with most posts about the signposting in France - it can be terrible. I've been holidaying in France for over 20 years, mostly with my parents as a child and almost always driving, and one of our games used to be "spot the sign." Invariably it was in the bushes at the side of the road, hidden in the trees, or appeared at the junction but not before. The worst ones tended to be the directional signs in towns and cities, which vaguely point in the direction of the road but usually give you a couple of options to guess at.<BR><BR>The autoroutes, though, are generally pretty good - I'd say the signposts on these are better than in the UK.

What ever happenned to the "bornes kilom&egrave;triques"? I have driven all around France over the last 25 years and there were (or used to be?) these stone markings at every km with the road number and the name of the next town on them.

I've been wondering myself about the "bornes kilometriques". My guess is that they weren't of any actual use and are not installed anymore nor replaced. Anyway, it was extremely difficult to notice them, let alone read what was written on them. There are still there on some secondary roads.<BR><BR><BR>There used to be "bornes hectometriques" (a little white thing) too, but these seem to have totally dissapeared. I'm not sure what was the point of these "bornes" anyway (perhaps when you were walking? Or when people used very slow vehicles like ox-carts?

Topping for Bob