Car rental worldwide - OrangeSmile Tours
Hire your car online cheap
You are here: Car rental » France » Advices for Car Trips
Language:
 

Advices for Car Trips through France

Previous tips
49. At night and in conditions of a poor visibility people are allowed to get out of a car to a road only in a special reflective vest. The fine for breaking this rule is 135 euro.
50. Drivers are recommended to use special winter tires on some mountain road sections in cold weather. These road sections have a special mark – “Pneus Neige”. Winter tires can be used starting from the last Saturday before November 11 and up to the last Sunday of March.
51. If a roundabout crossing has the “Cédez Le Passage” sign or the “Vous n'avez pas la priorité” sign, then vehicles that move along the circle have the priority. If there are no signs, the priority is given to the vehicles that are about to enter the crossing.
52. It’s very easy to determine the type of a road in France. There is always a corresponding letter next to the number of each of them: “A” is for highways, “N” means national roads, “D” is for departmental roads, and “C” is for utility roads. The latter have a speed limit of 30 km/h.
53. It’s also very simple to determine the type of parking - the "blue zone" parking is an area where you can leave your car for no longer than 1.5 hours, the "green zone" is intended for a long-term parking, and in the "red zone" parking is prohibited.
54. The parking disc and parking tickets bought in special machines should be placed on the inner side of the windshield so that they are clearly visible.
55. When entering a toll highway, all cars need to move to a special tunnel with a barrier. In order to make the barrier open, simply click on a special green button. After this you will need to take a ticket from the machine. This ticket will be used to pay at the exit from the highway.

Renting a Car in France - Recommendations

If you need a car with an automatic transmission, it is recommended to book it in advance. Cars with automatic transmissions are often sparse in France, so the rental confirmation may take a longer period.

When selecting a specific model for traveling throughout France, we recommend to take into consideration some practical apects. If you are going to drive mostly in the cities, then a car of a small size is preferable, while for long distance trips (and trips in the mountains) we recommend to choose a larger and more powerful car.

Prior your car retrun, please clean the salon from a garbage, and do not forget to take away all your belongings from the passenger compartment.

At the car return time, please ask the officer to make a visual inspection of the vehicle for defects and to sign the acceptance report. Keep the invoice and the acceptance report for next few months.

For a car rental options in France, we advise you to check OrangeSmile.com actual offers in the orange search form at the top. We guarantee that you would not be able to find better rates anywhere else!
56. If your car breaks down on a highway, you can always call the emergency service through special telephones, which are installed on every kilometer of the road. Moreover, on toll roads technical assistance services are located every 40 kilometers.
57. If a breakdown happened on other types of roads, you will have to wait for help for a long time. In this case drivers are recommended to call the police that will say the phone number of the nearest technical assistance service.
58. In Paris, in addition to usual vehicles, one can often see Autolib and BlueCar electric cars in the streets. They are an ideal solution for people who mostly make short distance rides. Stations for charging such cars are installed every 100 meters in the city.
59. There are many roundabout crossings at the entrance to big cities. As a rule, these crossings connect several roads. In order to continue moving to the city of your choice, drivers should choose the road, which is labeled as the "main" or "principal" one.
60. Local drivers are very polite and responsive. If there is a sudden breakdown, then simply turn on the alarm signal, get out of the car and raise your hand. There is no doubt that the first car that passes you by will stop, and there will be a huge number of people willing to help.
61. Local drivers also help tourists who get lost among numerous interchanges. If a driver goes in the same direction, he will certainly propose an inexperienced driver to follow him, and, thus, will “take” him to the right place.
62. The quality of fuel in the local gas station is approximately the same. However, the prices can be very different. Thus, the difference in the cost of a liter of gasoline can be up to 20 cents. This is very noticeable, especially when you make frequent and long rides.
63. Savvy drivers are recommended to pay attention to gas stations located in the territory of major shopping malls. Gas stations near such shopping centers as Auchan, E.Leclerc, Carrefour, Intermarche and Casino are considered the cheapest. When tucking a full tank at them, you can save up to 15 euro.
64. If your way implies driving through numerous crossroads with circular movement, you should consider checking whether you have enough fuel in the tank. The situations, when foreign drivers move in the circle a dozen of times before leaving it are not uncommon – the traffic in large cities is really dense and rapid. Of course, it’s extremely undesirable that a car will stall because it has suddenly run out of fuel.
65. Fans of traveling to unusual places are recommended to visit the tunnel of Mont Blanc as this is one of the most interesting local roads. The tunnel is made under Mont Blanc Mount and its length is 11.5 kilometers. The tunnel connects France and Italy, so the road is a paid one.
66. Drivers can purchase a one way ticket for a single ride in the Mont Blanc tunnel. It will cost approximately 39 euro for a standard passenger car. The two way ticket costs approximately 48.5 euro. It is also possible to buy a pass for 10 rides. Its cost is approximately 120 euro.
67. The Eurotunnel is a real attraction of the country. This tunnel is laid under the English Channel and it connects the continent to Britain. The length of the Eurotunnel is approximately 50 miles. Drivers also have an opportunity to purchase several different types of tickets to use the tunnel.
68. Viaduc de Millau is one of the most beautiful destinations for car trips. It is located in the southern part of the country and starts near the town with the same name. This is a bridge construction over the Tarn River. The length of the viaduc is 2460 meters, and its highest point is located 270 meters above the ground. The bridge features truly unforgettable views of the region.
69. The cost of a ride on the bridge is about 6.7 euro for an average car. In summer, special tariffs are applied (approximately 8.6 euro). All payments are made in the only point on the bridge, which is located 4 km to the north of the entrance to the viaduct.
70. A ride on Pont de Normandie will also leave many memorable impressions. This bridge connects Le Havre and Honfleur. The length of the bridge is 2143 meters, and the cost of one ride for a car is approximately 5.2 euro.
71. Without a doubt, the road N85 (the 85th national) is one of the most beautiful roads in the country. This road is better known to travelers as the “road of Napoleon”. There are many interesting attractions and iconic places, picturesque towns and suburban areas along this road.
72. Tourists, who wish to make unforgettable rides to beautiful mountain regions, are recommended to think of the time of a trip in advance. Thus, it may take a couple of hours to overcome a 30-kilometer long road made in winding mountains, but the reward for your patience will be an incredibly beautiful view of the region.
Popular cities in France with OrangeSmile.com rental points


    
AVIS 
 
ALAMO 
 
BUDGET 
 
DOLLAR 
 
RENT-A-CAR 
 
EUROPCAR 
 
NATIONAL 
 
PAYLESS 
 
SIXT 
 
THRIFTY 

OrangeSmile.com travel services
 BEST PRICE GUARANTEE
 100.000+ SATISFIED CLIENTS
 WIDE CHOICE: 25.000 HIRE POINTS
 BOOKING IN 3 SIMPLE STEPS
 INSTANT CONFIRMATION
We accept
American Express Visa
MasterCard DinnerClub
Top destinations
Berlin
33 rental points
Chalkidiki
9 rental points
Gothenburg
6 rental points
Gran Canaria
9 rental points
Lisbon
11 rental points
Manhattan
11 rental points
Mallorca
19 rental points
San Francisco
7 rental points
Montreal
22 rental points
Vienna
9 rental points
Cars to rent in France
Car rental in France