Was driving in France a problem for you if you don't speak French?
 

Hello. I am helping my brother with a trip in June, and was telling him that it's NO problem to drive in the countryside in France. (He's from San Diego). But I'm basing this on my own experience, and my husband and I speak a moderate amount of the language. We've driven all over the place (got LOST, but didn't have any scary incidents).

So...did you encounter any problems, or should I keep on saying, "Go for it!".

Thanks.

Since I don't talk when I drive, it's not a problem. ;)

Seriously, I don't it a problem at all. Well, maybe when finding a place to park on the street and you can't figure out when it is allowed, when it is not; or how to pay for parking.

Can't think of much else that's directly related to language.

Hi lw,

He ought to learnthe French for things like, detour, enter, exit as well as know the road signs.

Other than that, I think that driving in France (after the first few hours) is much easier than in the US.

((I))

well, I do speak French so it wasn't a problem, but I sure can think of how it would be a problem if you didn't --like reading signs. Besides, one I got lost (sort of), and had to stop at a roadstop on one of the big A highways to ask directions, and the folks in there did not speak English. Another time, I had a tire with an indicator that kept flashing inside the car about some problem, and I was in the countryside, but pulled into a local garage and talked to the mechanic about the feu for the pneus, and got it fixed with no fee -- he didn't speak any English either. Not to mention all the people who whine about their traffic tickets because they don't read road signs and drive in restricted areas or ignore traffic warnings. It's true being able to read directions helps a lot in parking garages, and other places, too.

One can get by, but don't claim it is NO problem. I got really mad at a friend of mine who told me how it was going to be no problem to go to some city where I didn't speak any of the language, and I got by but had some problems (unpredictable) and was a nervous wreck. She knew that language pretty well and lived in a neighboring country, so I'm sure that's why it seemed no problem to her.

I agree, you should know some words pertaining to cars, signs, roads, directions, etc. They are not hard to learn and you can keep a cheat sheet in the car. All in case something goes awry which may happen.

I have driven all over France, after learning the above and speaking pidgin French and I got along fine. It is a wonderful experience so go for it but be prepared too.

If you want to get them familiar with French road signs... there are many
websites:

http://www.alltravelfrance.com/Franc...Road_Signs.htm

Millions of Europeans drive through France annually without speaking a word of French, and survive. Often in cars that are far older and more poorly maintained than the average hire car.
If he learns the road signs he'll be fine.

I was amazed that all the motorways seem to lead to the town of Sortie.

I certainly wouldn't discourage them from driving. They might benefit from using a gps and also make sure they are familiar with the toll system on the autoroutes, if they will be using them. They might get a little flustered if they went to an automated booth and couldn't pay the toll with a US credit card. For us driving in France is one of the pleasures of travel, not knowing the language shouldn't stop your brother. Deborah

We've driven in France and didn't find it a problem. My husband has 40 year old high school French and I have old high school Spanish. We've also driven in Germany, Italy, Czech Repulic and the ONLY place we had a problem was Czech Republic because of the alphabet.

Otherwise it was pretty easy to read the signs to figure out which direction to go. We even drove into Paris on one of our trips and had no trouble there. The hardest part for us is understanding some of the signs for parking. I try to have a cheat sheet to see what symbol means no parking, limited parking, pedestrians only, etc.

We drove specifically so that we could get off the beaten track so we were often in places where there was no English spoken. Lots of half French, smiles and apologizing got us through any small problems. And even "getting lost" is all part of being somewhere else, so we don't see that as a problem per se.

One thing that I do swear by is having a good navigator. That is usually me. I do study the maps and print out directions from viamichelin.com. I continually check to be sure that I've got it right so we've never gone more than 20 minutes in the wrong direction (well, again, except for Prague where it took us 2 hours to leave the city!). We love driving and I'd also say "go for it"!

I was really scared about driving around France but after doing it last May, I can't wait to do it again. It was so easy to get around because the roads were well marked, they have great lane discplined and no potholes! I wish I could say the same about our Hawaiian roads. I recommend getting a car with a GPS.

Tell your brother to have a great time and eat lots of delicous french food! You are a nice sister.

I think our only moments of panic were at toll booths. After passing through a couple we were able to figure it out.

"I was amazed that all the motorways seem to lead to the town of Sortie."

Funny...all the metro trains in Paris do, too. ;)

I second the advice about having a GPS device, I love my Garmin unit, and would never drive again in France without it!

The main problem I had driving in France was with the placement of traffic lights. They are on the immediate curb to the right of where you are stopped. They are not (usually) hung in the air or located on the opposite side of the street. I was always stopping too far out in the intersection to be able to see the light.

And it's true, all roads do lead to sortie.

Not a problem for me. Signs are easy enough to figure out. Get a GPS. And keep a credit card handy for the tolls.

I'd get a good map, I purchased the Michelin maps for the Loire before going. I also liked the MIcheline Green Guides, apart from all the torusit info, they also suggest driving routes.

I also noticed that the road signs will point to the next town, not necessarily the next big town (another reason to have a map). And...some of the most fun I had was getting lost in the backroads of France and going places I might not have chosen to go.

As others have mentioned...get a quick overview of the signs and some of the words that may apply. Driving is such a great way to see the country.

We drove in France, Germany, Belgium and Austria for seven weeks and never really had a problem. We had a GPS, which I would suggest. It was a life saver, but we still got lost on occasion, which in my opinion is part of the experence. Just pull over and find yourself on the map or ask the locals. We spoke no French, except for the basic phrases. You can read about our experance here:

http://www.slowtrav.com/tr/tripreport.asp?tripid=1259

Wow. I went to get an oil change and came back to all of this! How cool is that.

gardyloo, I burst out laughing with the "sortie" bit.

I'll tell them all the Fodor's folks said it's fine, give him my cheatsheet of European street signs, a good (new) Michelin map, and wave him off (figuratively, not literally). And tell him to eat lots of food for me :)

I speak French but on our trip before last we encountered a mother and daughter couple from the States who found it tough. They had been having some trouble for a number of days and asked if we could translate a few they'd encountered several times.

I confess I was gobsmacked when they asked me to translate Centre Ville (I swear I'm not making this up) although Autres Directions was a little more understandable. I could not believe they couldn't work out Centre Ville given that Center is practically the same word and Ville is a common enough word for town in the States.

I'd suggest getting some translations worked out in advance.

And GO FOR IT!

oh, I think they can do just fine -- as long as they are good drivers and pretty competent. But you never know about some people (like above). I've had people ask me a lot of questions that baffled me also (including tourists where I live).

It probably wasn't the Centre, but the Ville. That isn't a common word for a city in the US that I can think of. It is common to add it onto the end of some other words for a city name, but I don't think some folks can make those kind of linguistic connections (and probably never even thought of the ending -ville at the end of city names as meaning anything) -- like Rockville which is a town not too far from me.

Hello Iwan, possibly because your brother lives in California something like ville would click with him..as you know California has so many nonEnglish town and city names..although in Spanish not French.

I think the answer lies with your brother..is he comfortable driving in France? When we went to Italy for the first time (the 1970's) for two months we had reserved a rental car. Even friends here in N California that spoke Italian thought we were crazy. My husband who loved to drive did just fine, even in the large cities such as Milan, Rome, Florence and Naples. He did not speak Italian but three years of Latin helped. But a lot of people I know wouldn't have considered it and still won't even though they know some Italian. So I think the bottom line is how your brother feels about driving in France.

Michel_Paris nailed it. First, you must get good LOCAL maps, (i.e., the yellow Michelin maps), plus a road map for France generally (the red Michelin map). Second, have a good navigator (either a GPS or co-pilot). Third, there are very few highway signs to "I-101 North." Instead, it will say, "Avignon" or "lyons." You will have to study the maps in advance to know the cities close by, even though you do not plan to stop at them, so that you can recognize the general direction you want to go. Fourth, don't sweat it: some of the best times are when you get lost!

Okay you wiseguys: If driving in France is so simple, please provide me -- instantaneously -- with translations AND explanations for the following VERY common signs:

1. Sauf riverains
2. Un train peut en cacher un autre
3. Stationnement interdit sur les deux bords
4. Attention: fauchage
5. Le paiement s'effectue uniquement par carte bancaire

I drove for 12 days in France (Burgundy and Provence) and found the roads were generally in excellent condition and they were very well marked.

Our little VW diesel did an excellent job on the highways (easily cruising at about 140kph). It's only issue was the acceleration was horrible. Crossing a major road was a bit of an adventure.

Only real issue we had was that some of the autoroute toll booths refused to take our credit card. At one, the person manning the other booth actually got out and let us thru manually (without having to pay).

In general, I wouldn't worry at all.

Ok tedgale, here I go (remember I only took one year of French and I only know present and future tense. When I wanted to indicate past tense, I used present, waved my hands and said, "hier". (and they usually understood!)

1. Sauf riverains = no rvs?
Seems to me it was something like that (the only sign I actually recall even seeing)

2. Un train peut en cacher un autre
One train is catching up with the other one?
One train needs...something else. Hopefully not a conductor.

3. Stationnement interdit sur les deux bords
a. Stationary (vehicles?) are not permitted on these two lines
OR b. don't cross the double line?

4. Attention: fauchage
Watch out! (for what, I have no idea. not a cow, I know that's vache). :)

5. Le paiement s'effectue uniquement par carte bancaire
This unique and effective pavement accepts credit cards.
No, must be something like you can only pay with an (effective) credit card. In a toll booth?

Ha! Now you know why I only point. My husband does the actual driving (and reacting).

FYI: We will be driving this year only in Spain. You're safe.

<i>Un train peut en cacher un autre</i>

Something about one train may be hiding (or blocking?) another. So maybe there are two tracks?

<i>Stationnement interdit sur les deux bords</i>

Parking is prohibited on the two borders. Meaning, I'm guessing, that there's no parking on the shoulder? Something like that. Don't park!

1. Sauf riverains - (Access prohibited) except residents

2. Un train peut en cacher un autre - one train may hide another (if there's a train standing on the tracks, beware of another that you can't see coming down another track)

3. Stationnement interdit sur les deux bords - no parking on the sides

4. Attention: fauchage - watch out for mowers

5. Le paiement s'effectue uniquement par carte bancaire - payment can be made only with a bank card

Well, that was no fun. I missed the one I thought I had and got the last one. sort of.

No worries, Iwan2go:

The signs follow international standards, so a no passing sign looks the same in France as in Italy, Norway...

Road numbering and sign posting is great in France: even the tiniest one-lane country road is numbered, which makes it very easy to stay on scenic byways.

But you cannot say it too often: you need a decent map. Not a &quot;US state map&quot; type of a map of France, or of &quot;Southern France&quot;, but one from Michelin for that very specific region. It's much more fun to drive when you can also find the byways on the map...

But even with my 5 yrs of French in high school, and living in a country neighboring France, there have been situations when I had to guess.

The only traffic sign in French that left me speechless when I saw it the first time was in suburban Denver, Colorado: Cul-de-sac.

If your choice is to drive and see French countryside or not drive and not see it, I would drive. And the suggestions are good. Learn a few signs in advance. Study your maps so you know the cities and towns along the way to follow signage. And here are a few more. In a roundabout, go around however many times it takes until you figure out which exit you want. At a gas station, if you can't figure out how the pumps or your car works just stand there by your car. Eventually someone will come out of the station, you shrug your shoulders and then they will put the gas in for you. Overall, just use a modest measure of caution, drive defensively, expect that you will do something wrong, hopefully not too dangerous, and enjoy the trip.

Our only problems were finding our way out of Paris in the direction of the Loire Valley after picking up a car at the train station and returning the rental car to Charles de Gaule airport. We didn't know the rental return is in the airport building/parking structure. We had assumed it would be on the outer edges of the airport with good signage. So here are the tips to make it go better:
1) If starting from Paris, train out to some place like Versailles and pick up the car there.
2) Yes, good detailed maps. You can buy at Barnes and Noble.
3) Usually the back of the DK Eyewitness Guides for that country will display photos of common road signs which should be reviewed in advance.

No one has mentioned the round abouts. These large circles at intersections allow you to go around and around until you are sure which exit you want. The drivers in/on the circle lane have the right away, so you have to kind of sneek in. We were a little shy the first time we encountered them in France, but after getting used to them, we think they are a smooth way to get to your destination. Our town is building one now at our biggest intersection, and it is great except for those who have never encountered one. We drive all over France except in Paris where the drivers are almost as bad as the native Italiens in Rome.

Incidentally, note that credit cards are normally referred to as &quot;CB&quot; on signs, i.e. carte bancaire or carte bleue.
Although a previous poster hinted that a foreign credit card couldn't be used to pay autoroute tolls, my experience (with an Italian credit card) has been that it is accepted.

As UK visitors we find we can use our credit card to pay for petrol or tolls if there is an attendant who puts it through much as a merchant in a shop would.

However, our cards are not accepted by the pay-at-pump machines common in 24/24 petrol stations.

This can be an issue on Sundays as many regular petrol stations are closed and you're usually restricted to the 24/24 ones that accept credit cards only.

These days we always ensure we've a full tank on Saturday afternoon but once in the past we had to rely on the kindness of a stranger who allowed us to use her credit card and pay her in cash.

On our last trip we did find a few regular petrol stations open on Sunday but most were not.

Can you rent a car with GPS? I don't own/need a car here in New York, so I would rather not have to buy a GPS for an upcoming trip to Provence . . .

I had no real problem driving in France. The only exception was when I was trying to return the car to the return place at the airport. Usually I can figure that sort of thing out in most languages, but the French for car rental return had me stumped. Finally got a gendarme to lead me to &quot;Voiture du location.&quot;

I may not have that completely correct, but it was something similar.

My trip to France was the first time I'd had experience with roundabouts. I had no idea who had the right of way, and I made a few enemies...

About 2 years ago I went to Provence and the Riviera, with the exception of a few days I was on my own driving all over the place. I don't speak French ( although my car did) and really had no problems (well no major problems). Found it quite enjoyable. A link to my report which includes a bunch on the driving part.


http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34769220

I notice that this thread goes way back 6 weeks,, however:
Gardyloo: FUN-NY !!!!

OriginalPoster....shouldn't be a problem IF your brother studies some basic French at home and learns road signs!!! AND some greetings etc. Driving in FRance is fun , and usually rental cars are in good shape. (We , have however, experiences this to not always be true, but we speak a certain amount of French and it helped.(lived 3 years in French speaking W. Africa,,and it pops back into the head even after 25 yrs)

lwan2go: You yourself can be a good testimony to your brother about the ease and fun of driving in France...IF he learns some words and signs.

<i>I was amazed that all the motorways seem to lead to the town of Sortie.</i>

which is twinned with the town of Umleitung in Germany.