For those who have driven in France...

[annette]

How easy (or difficult) is it for a first-timer to drive in France? We're considering renting a car in May/June for a day or two, mostly because the train and shuttle service doesn't line up with the hours of the candlelight nights at Veax le Vicomte, but also because hubby thinks it would be fun to drive around and do a little exploring. I'm a little apprehensive about this, even tho I am usually pretty adventurous about things like that! I know a lot of you have rented cars and driven many miles from town to town, and was wondering about your first experiences. Did you find it difficult to follow the roadsigns, etc? Are there any major differences from driving in the US? I'm sure it will not be a big deal, I'm just letting the unknown play with my head! Another thing - does anyone know if a Tom-Tom (navigation device) will work in France?

[luvparis]

Annette,

If you go to Tom Toms web site, you can purchase European maps and download to your device. I don't remember how much it is but when I researched it, at the time I thought it was expensive.

[sunshine817]

Driving in France (so long as you stay outside the Peripherique) isn't hard at all -- just a few things to recall:

* Directions are always in terms of where that road goes -- similar to the Metro - directions are dictated by the terminus on each end. The nearest towns are at the top of the list, furthest at the bottom.

* Incoming traffic from the right has the right of way. Sometimes. I've been here for several months now, and had friends try to explain it to me, but just be alert that incoming traffic MIGHT have the right of way. A white sign with a yellow diamond means that YOU have the right of way on the main road, and that incoming traffic must yield. A triangular white sign with a red border and a black X in the middle means that incoming traffic has the right of way, and YOU must yield.

Stay vigilant on these -- they're sneaky.

* beware of radar -- it's photo-triggered here, and you can be photographed and fined before you even realize it. The speed limit has teeth -- stay to the posted limits and you'll be fine.

* Roundabouts -- the traffic on the circle has the right of way, in most cases -- you'll see a white triangular sign with a red border, stating "Vous n'havez pas le droit"

* trust the directional signs in towns and villages -- they might not be the most direct route through town, but they're usually the most expeditious.

It's actually much more like driving in the US than you'll realize -- but stay alert, and remember that the authorities have absolutely no sense of humor about driving under the influence -- anything more than one glass of wine could result in you testing as intoxicated. Don't take chances.

[Becky (Berkeleytravelers)]

It's not a problem at all. I echo the thoughts about directions, etc., and I doubt you need a nav system. Mainly, especially on major highways, you just need to know the large cities that are in the general direction you're going so you can head that way until the turnoffs, etc., become more refined for whatever area you are trying to reach.

You will see much more of France by car, on small roads, than you ever thought possible (and getting lost is part of the fun, as you're never really "all that lost" even when you're unclear where you are. Traffic circles take getting used to, but once you adjust to the basic concept they are great - if you miss the directional signs for the exit you want, you just go around again (and again) until you get it right.

It will be much easier having both you and your husband involved - we have always found it works best if one person acts as navigator and keeps a close eye on a detailed map (i.e., "where EXACTLY are we right now, and what town names are coming up in the direction we are going") and the other drives. Good luck with it! (One thing you do need to be aware of - the roads are not banked the way they would be in the US, especially secondary roads, so the car will handle a bit differently from what you might expect.)

[Katharine]

Annette,

I absolutely second everything you read here. We rented a car this summer and drove from Provence to Loire Valley and then to Normandy. We returned the car at CDG. We had a blast. The freedom cannot be underestimated...we went whereever we wanted.

The navigator needs to really have a good feel for where you are going. A good kowledge of the maps is also a must. Michelin maps are the best....but the best ones are those that are available in France (orange cover) as they are more detailed (including noting gas stations). I love reading maps so I am a shoe-in for the navigator. I was well-prepared and only got us lost once (which, as Becky pointed out, can actually turn out well).

As for the round-abouts. We went around several of them several times just to be sure we were getting off at the right exit. Other than a little dizziness, it was a piece of cake!!

One big thing to note: If you do not have a "smart" chip credit card (most US cards are not "smart" chip cards), you may run into trouble gassing up after hours. We had some close calls because the 24 hour service stations are not manned 24 hours; you simply use your card to pay for the gas after hours. Be very aware of this and try to fill up earlier in the day before the attendants leave the stations. If you pay with an attendant, you do not have to have a card with a "smart" chip.

Go, drive and have a great time. We will never do it any other way.

Katharine

[Darcy]

On our first trip to France in 2004 (why did we wait so long : we drove about 2,500 km in almost a month and had no problems at all. Got lost a couple of times but only for a few minutes. You definitely need the maps that have a scale of 1/150,000. They are invaluable.

[Jody]

We;ve done 7 or 8 driving trips in mostly Northern France. I prefer driving there to driving at home. We take mainly the n and d roads. Their A roads remind me too much of our main highways here.

I have a very good sense of direction so usually serve as navigator, since David needs a map to find the bathroom at night. The only troubles we've had is near the Belgium border, since the names of towns are the Belgian names naturally, like Ieper and Ypres. It helps to know both!!

[annette]

Thank you all, SO MUCH! This is exactly the kind of information and encouragement I needed After reading this, my hesitation has disappeared and I'm getting excited about exploring by car. I looked up Michelin maps, and the orange ones look to be concentrated on a fairly small area--I'll need to figure out which ones we'll need--Ile de France for sure, but not certain what area Veax is. I've seen it on a map, but don't recall the department. I need to Google myself a map and figure it out. Ohhhh, I'm getting excited! 8 days will not be long enough if we get hooked on this!

[Anne]

Annette, you are not going to find much information on Google about Veax !

It is actually Vaux le Vicomte, in the Seine-et-Marne département :
www.vaux-le-vicomte.com/en/infos-pratiques-chateau.php

You must absolutely avoid to leave or enter Paris at the same time as the commuters crowd .

[annette]

You're right, Anne! I was lazy and didn't type out the whole name of the chateau, and misspelled it at that! I haven't thought this thru yet, but I do know I don't want to drive in and out of Paris. Maybe we'll pick up the car at Orly or somewhere else well outside the Peripherique. Thanks for keeping me on my toes!

[slowpoke]

I would just like to add a couple of things that took us awhile to realize, and would be helpful to know from the beginning.

As Sunshine said, directions are in terms of where the road goes eventually, like the metro. When you come to an intersection where you have to make a choice, it will help to know the big cities further along in the direction that you are traveling.

I wanted to add that white signs are the D (department) roads (lovely country back roads that may indicate the town that you want, but will be the slow way to get there), green signs are the N (national) roads (bigger than D roads, still scenic but will get you there faster than the D roads) and the blue signs are the toll roads (a great way to get there fast). I can't tell you how many times in our first few months in France that we took a white sign, say for Beaune, instead of waiting to see the green one and found ourselves mr. magooing along the back roads when we needed to get there faster than that D road would take us there.

Don't be afraid to drive in France. It is such a beautiful country, and you will love being out there exploring on your own.

Always plan on going around the round-about at least twice, as you can read all of the signs and make good decisions, but always remember that "céder le passage" means yield and that you must wait for a lull in the traffic to jump in.

The right of way on the right is also something to be aware of, as it causes many small accidents. Who would ever think that while driving along on a major road that the little road on the right would have the right to enter and you would have to slow to let them pull in front of you. Have a great time

[Jody]

And some of the routiers de France have cheap and very good food!

Annette we always pick up our cars at the airports, even then once we managed to get turned around and ended up on the peripherique, but just exited and headed to the place with the most familiar name. We've also gone round and round the roundabouts...but we do that in England too.

We've driven to Vaux le vicomte ...no problems.

I'm just starting to plan a spring trip from Paris to the Dordogne. I think our fall trip might have to go by the wayside unless the economy makes a magic reco9very!~

[annette]

Thanks Slowpoke! I'm going to print all this off for hubby to read so the driver/navigator disputes along the way will be kept to a minimum! My husband doesn't think he needs a navigator, so I'll try to bite my tongue. hehe But he does like the idea of being able to download France onto his TomTom, so we'll probably do that. I'm really looking forward to getting out in the country on our own

[Becky (Berkeleytravelers)]

Our most trusted map source is a (very heavy) spiral bound book with very detailed maps for all areas of France. It weighs a ton so don't buy in advance and carry - you can find it (probably) in bookstores in France or at the service/rest areas along major highways, which is where we got ours.

[Laura (paris4)]

This is a great thread, thanks for all the great tips. And thanks to Annette for posing the question too! If we make it to Paris this year (which is by no means certain in the current economic climate ) we are considering driving down to Dover then then taking the ferry to Calais and driving to Paris. Much cheaper than airfare for four but a LOT of driving, plus the added complication of the final leg being on the 'wrong' side of the road. If we decide to go for it, Im sure many of the tips on here will serve us well.

Laura x

[susioz]

Annette, we have leased a car twice in France now, and are doing so again in May.
It is easier for you as you already drive on the right side of the road, that was the only thing that took time for us.
The first time we didn't have a sat nav and mainly stayed to the major roads for fear of getting lost and unable to get back on the auto route! After getting "misplaced" in Rome earlier and ending up driving through the suburbs, seeing the auto route but unable to find the entrance it felt like a real concern.
Last time we bought a Tom Tom and it was fantastic! We bought a French map from Tom Tom on line during a sale and it cost only about $AU70. Money well spent. It meant we could meander along back roads and still be sure we could get where we were going without hassles. The other great advantage was finding the hotels, apartments etc in towns without any trouble, even if we arrived in peak hour at dusk (As we invariably did ;D).
Using the smaller roads means you make wonderful "discoveries", and really feel like you're seeing the French countryside and less touristy villages.
Don't hesitate to hire a car, you'll love the experience. French roads are good, the signs are easy to understand, and there are plenty of roundabouts that you can go round and round and round until you're sure which exit to take.
We've done almost 8000km over 2 trips of about 6 weeks each and can't wait to get back.
It's handy to have maps also. There are many, many places in France with the same name, so you need to know which department you are heading for.
Have fun.

[sistereurope]

We've driven from Paris to Reims and back, all around Toulouse, and from Nice to Barcelona (with many stops in between). I can only echo the advice already given, except to stress that you REALLY need to be vigilant in the roundabouts! Especially in southern France - they can really mess you up if you take the wrong spoke!
But as someone who managed to drive from Avignon to Lourmarin after a day long wine tasting - if I can manage it, you can do anything!!! ;D

[sunshine817]

LOL @ Becky -- I'll bet it's the same heavy, spiral-bound book that I have -- you can tell what regions we frequent, because the pages are dogeared and falling out of the binding, much to hubby's ire.

I'm the navigator in our car -- and I'm proud to say I haven't gotten us lost yet. (Well, except the one time we ended up at the port of Genoa instead of on the motorway to Milan -- but I don't feel too bad because an Italian friend of mine said she did the same thing too -- and she LIVED THERE!)

Roundabouts are a love-hate issue for Americans -- we think they're eminently logical, and like the fact that if you're not sure which spoke to take, just go around again.

Other Americans we know simply cannot get their head around them, and panic every time they get near one.

[Katharine]

I love the roundabouts (easy to say - I'm not the driver... ;D) As navigator, they give me the chance to check out all the options before making a choice.

KH

[kerouac]

Driving in Paris or out of Paris is much less of a hassle than going out of the city to find a place to pick up the car. If you are feeling nervous, get an early start before traffic gets heavy.

The only little detail that I would add in terms of tricks of driving in France is that cars turning left nearly always make an "imaginary traffic circle" and go around the back of each other rather than turning in front of each other. There are some very rare exceptions to this and they are generally obvious due to local conditions.