ira

Hi all,

Am setting up a motor trip through Acquitane, etc.

Using www.mappy.com and www.viamichelin.com I have noted various places where the roads I will be on wiggle and squiggle through towns and cities.

Will the signs show route number or name of the next town, or both?

(I'm assuming that there will be road signs. Am I correct?)

Michael

Ira, while road numbers are posted, they are not prominent. You usually follow the signs to the next major town, whose size and distance depends on the type of road you are on. The main <i>Nationale</i> might give you the large towns, the <i>d&eacute;partementale</i> will give you the next village.

Underhill

ira,

send me your address and i'll send you the article my husband wrote on driving in france. mine is

[email protected].

Dave_in_Paris

Ira has it right. The best &quot;route information&quot; you can have (taken from a map) is the name of a couple of the fairly decent-sized towns that are next on your itinerary. They're what are most likely to appear on the road signs. Otherwise the &quot;toutes directions&quot; signs will save you.

Dave_in_Paris

Sorry, that's Michael who has it right!

StuDudley

Also remember that the road numbers will often change when you go from one department into another. Many times, this is not reflected on the Michelin map, making it very confusing.

On smaller roads, the route number may be indicated on concrete &quot;nubs&quot; (can't think of a better word), that sticks up about 1 1/2 feet from the ground on the side of the road. They indicate both the route number and the number of kilometers to the next or last town.

The Michelin Red Guide is invaluable in navagating in/out of towns that have &quot;city plans&quot; in the guide. One-way streets are shown, and on routes leading out of town, they will indicate the specific town/village name(s) that will appear on the road signs.

Are you going to the Pays Basque??? We enjoyed 2 weeks there in Sept 03. Beautiful area.

Stu Dudley

laverendrye

The little highway markers seen on secondary roads in France (&quot;nubs&quot are called &quot;bornes&quot;. I don't think that there's a compact English term for them--perhaps &quot;mileposts&quot;, except that they are &quot;bornes kilom&eacute;triques&quot;.

laverendrye

Also &quot;milestone&quot;, of course.

ira

Thanks to all for your help.

I shall watch the bornes, memorize the names of the towns, look for the triangles, and get a cell phone for when I am utterly lost.

StCirq

ira:

You really shouldn't get lost. Everything is well signed; you just have to have advance knowledge of the towns and villages that lie between where you are and where you're going. I don't know what your route is, but be careful on the main road out of Bordeaux toward the P&eacute;rigord (D 934) and the main road from P&eacute;rigueux to Sarlat (D 710). As you'll see from the &quot;markers&quot; (life-size black figures with a red slash on the head, denoting dead drivers), there are an unusually high number of traffic fatalities on those roads.

ira

Thanks for the heads up, St Cirq.

PalQ

And don't forget the archaic Priority on the Right rule that my ex-wife always reminds me about before i drive her car (she's French) - though it's often used in round-abouts where the priority is on the right - the opposite of the UK - it comes into play at unmarked intersections where the priority is on the right - even if the street is much tinier than the main road you're on. Now it seems most intersections are being marked with a yield signs (indicated i think on the main road with a sign with a yellow box on it indicating you have the right of way, not sure about this) - but it has happened, mainly in towns where a car has darted out in front of my, unexpectedly to me but rightly so from his point of view. Rarely encountered but always possible. Otherwise every main intersection does have a directional sign on it for nearby towns so you really only need a crude map to get by - follow 'centre ville' signs for town center or otherwise the toutes ('all) directions signs may route you on a round-about 'truck' route way through town. In crowded areas driving during the usual noon-2 lunch period can be much more relaxed. for scenic routes get the Michelin maps and follow those highlighted in green. I prefer the IGN maps/atlas. Maps are sold in most petrol stations and cafe newsstands.
In busy times there are 'bison flute' (sp?) routes that direct you away from clogged main roads onto secondary routes. There are special maps for this. bon route!

RJD

It is perfectly alright to be lost in France. In fact, based on my experience, I recommend it.

ira

&gt;...forget the archaic Priority on the Right rule ...&lt;

Thanks, Pal.

Michael

I have yet to come to a round-about that does not have a <i>vous n'avez pas la priorit&eacute;</i> sign for cars trying to enter it. It has been a long time since I have come across a &quot;right of way&quot; situation where the smaller street on the right has the right of way.

Patrick

And don't be shocked when you see a couple of directional signs for the next town pointing in different directions. Routes are color coded -- minor roads are white signs, major roads are green signs, and autoroute or express roads are blue signs (someone correct me if I'm wrong here).

PalQ

Yes priority on the right is getting to be more rare thank God but it recently happened to me on the route nationale in Orleans when a car from a side street went out in front of me - when i went back and looked at the intersection there was no yield sign on his street. And some French drivers may still think priority on the right even if they don't have it. I agree it's becoming more rare but still possible. I know it happened to me recently.

wren

But the challenge is fun...and if you mess up, just keep going around the roundabout till you get it right!

Ronda

I found this thread very helpful:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34533995

and this one

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34534090

But Ira, you have probably already seen them.

marcy_

Ira,
I saw that you've already booked your hotels for this trip-- Have you booked your flights, too?