The reason there are so many toll roads in France is simply because unlike the UK the main roads are not owned by the government they are operated by different companies. The number and variety of the toll operators does mean that there is little consistency over pricing.
The fastest way to get there is on the autoroutes, which will cost €107 in tolls and take 12 hours. Alternatively, you could avoid the toll roads and take the scenic route.
On most autoroutes, you take a ticket when you enter the highway, and pay the toll when you exit. Look for a toll gate marked by a green downward-pointing arrow. The green arrow means all types of payment are accepted, including euro cash, credit/debit cards, and télépéage (electronic transponder).
Fully vaccinated passengers, and passengers under 12 years old, will not be required to present any forms, or negative COVID tests to enter French territory, but proof of vaccination status will need to be presented at border controls. You will not be required to quarantine upon arrival in France.
Do I need an emissions certificate to drive in France? Yes, you will need a Crit'Air sticker to drive in Paris. Central Paris is covered with a permanent low-emissions zone (ZCR) that means all vehicles need to display a Crit'Air vignette to be allowed entry during certain times.
You can pay for tolls by credit card or cash. Most tolls are now automated and unmanned but some of the really busy autoroutes do still have manned booths. The automatic tolls will accept all coins from 10-euro cents upwards and all notes up to 50-euro notes.
?Free motorways and routes avoiding tolls
- two thirds of the section on the A16 - A28 route between Calais and Rouen.
- the A 84 from Caen to Rennes.
- 275 km of the A20 from Vierzon to just south of Brive la Gaillarde (the longest stretch of free motorway in France, and the main Paris-Toulouse route).
Holidaymakers travelling through France will need to self-isolate upon return if they stop for a toilet break or to fill up their car with petrol. The Foreign Office states that you must self-isolate if you stop in a country not on the 'safe list' and you visit a petrol station or make a toilet break.
Motorway tolls between Calais and the Spanish border can vary between zero and over 100 Euros, (over 160 € for campervans) depending on the route chosen.
There are broadly three kinds of 'road user charging' in Europe – traditional road tolls paid at a booth after the journey; a vignette allowing cars to use some or all of the road network; and electronic tags that pay tolls automatically when passing through a barrier or control point.
SP98 is dearer, most modern cars will run quite happily on SP95.
The normal speed limit on French motorways is 130 km/hr (just over 80 mph). - or 110 km/hr in rain. The normal speed limit on dual carriageways (divided highways) is 110 km/hr. The normal speed limit on main roads is 80 km/hr (outside built-up areas).
To calculate the toll for a trip, select an entry point and an exit point on the network.
- Touch a marker icon on the map to see its name and any access restrictions.
- To view a close-up map, touch the "Show" button.
- Set the point as entry or touch a different marker on the map.
The only street names that are translated into French are: "boulevard", "avenue" and "street". Their French equivalents are respectively: boulevard, avenue and rue.
This price applies to two-axle vehicles with a height of more than 3 m. Such vehicles would pay 261.80 euros for a return trip. For larger vehicles (more than 3.5 T) with three axles which are over 3 m high, the price of this one-way crossing is 338.00 euros. For a return crossing, the ticket price is 530.90 euros.
A full, valid UK driving licence is required. You must be 18 or over to drive in France. Drivers will need additional proof of car insurance in the form of a Green Card. This is an international certificate of insurance - a physical document that drivers must take with them when travelling.
You may drive with a valid U.S. driver's license if it is accompanied by a notarized translation in French. It is strongly recommended that you carry an International Driving Permit. You must be 18 years of age or older to drive in France.
Highway tolls in France
| Hghway | Distance | Toll for cars |
|---|
| A8 | Aix-en-Provence - Nice | 17.40 EUR |
| A10 | Paris - Bordeaux | 55,80 EUR |
| A11 | Paris - Nantes | 36.40 EUR |
| A13 | Paris - Caen | 15.20 EUR |
It was his way of saying 'thank you' to Breton soldiers who fought in the war. Others believe that De Gaulle deemed that Paris was the great centre of Europe and the roads of Brittany led to nowhere of particular importance, therefore requiring no toll..
Tolling Overview. The A25 Bridge The Smart Link is a free-flow, fully electronic toll bridge, without any toll station, requiring no stopping or slowing down. Tolling is applied to both directions. The most effective option is to open a customer account with a transponder.
Autoroutes of France
The A88 motorway is a French toll motorway that connects Caen to the A28 for Le Mans for Central and Southern France.The design team was led by engineer Michel Virlogeux and English architect Norman Foster. As of September 2020, it is the tallest bridge in the world, having a structural height of 336.4 metres (1,104 ft).
| Millau Viaduct |
|---|
| Toll | from € 8.30 |
| Location |
| Wikimedia | © OpenStreetMap |
Between Amblainville and Boulogne it is operated by the Société des Autoroutes du Nord et de l'Est de la France (SANEF) and is tolled.
French toll roadsOn some holiday weekends (and all year round at many toll bridges), passage is free for bikes – look out for signs directing you towards a separate lane off to one side.
A roads (as in A6) are motorways, called autoroutes in France. N roads are national strategic truck routes. D roads are departmental (county) roads. They range from busy local routes and former national routes now downgraded (make sure you have an up-to-date map with the new road numbers) to tiny country lanes.
In Spain as a whole, tolls must be paid on about 20% of the motorway network; the rest is free. However, there are big variations by region, and in Catalonia over half the state motorway network is composed of toll routes.
In France, the vignette was abolished for private vehicles in 2001 and was replaced by a tax on toll-road operators at a rate of €6.85 per 1,000 kilometres travelled. In addition, a tax is levied on vehicles registered to companies.
All roads in Belgium are toll roads. However, most of them are charged at 0-tariff which means that the fee-based toll is currently restricted mainly on motorways and Brussels' inner-city. As of 1 April 2016 all vehicles must have a functioning On Board Unit (OBU) that is constantly switched on.
As of 2017, a twelve-month sticker for private cars and motorhomes up to 3.5t is EURO 86.40 and for motorcycles EURO 34.40. A two-month sticker for private cars and motorhomes up to 3.5t is EURO 25.90 and for motorcycles EURO 13.00.
