France is a land of baguettes, croissants, wine, cheese and varied climates. In the west the oceanic climate prevails with mild winters and cool summers. Inland the summers are warm or even hot and the winters are mostly very cold. Further down south the summers are hot and the winters are milder then inland. Unlike the north and west France is mostly mountainous. The capital of France is Paris and is with more then 2.2 million inhabitants the largest municipality. France counts more than 64 million inhabitants and has after Germany the most inhabitants of all the nations in Europe. Every year more than 80 million tourists visit France and it has the most tourists every year of all countries in Europe.
The French highways are marked with the letter A and contain a lot of toll roads, especially further down south. On a Black Saturday you may want to avoid the French highways since there will be a lot of traffic jams on these days. Black Saturday is known for the start or end of school holidays.
French is the common language in France. Some dialects such as Elzassisch (German dialect), Breton and Catalan are spoken, but French will be understood. Sometimes it can be hard to find someone who speaks English in France. If you need to speak French we have some practical translations for you.
The currency in France is the euro (€ or EUR).
On the highway you often have to pay toll, but you don't need a vignette.
The speed limit on the French highways is 130 km/h, but in case of rain normally 110 km/h. Non-French drivers are warned that, due to agreements between some European Union countries, they may be fined for a speeding offence in France, when they return to their home country.
A safety vest and warning triangle are mandatory. The safety vest must be in the car, so you can put it on before you leave the car. The warning triangle may be in the trunk of your car and must be immediately deployed if you stop in the emergency lane. You must place the warning triangle at 30 meters behind the car and switch on the hazard lights. Since July 1, 2012 it's mandatory for all motor vehicles and motorcycles to have a breathalyzer. If you don't have one you risk a fine of € 11,- from November 1, 2012. The breathalyzer test must be in the glove compartment.
In France the AA is a large roadside assistance company and can be reached on the number +33 800 88 77 66.
Like the rest of Europe 112 is the general emergency number.
Petrol stations offer unleaded in 95 and 98 octane, diesel, LPG (liquid petroleum gas) and E10 (90% fossil fuel and 10% ethanol). Since E10 is not suitable for use in all cars you should check compatibility before using it. The local names for unleaded 95 is SP95, Superplus 95 or Sans plomb 95 and for unleaded 98 it is SP98, Superplus 98 or Sans plomb 98.
Of course you may use a navigation device, but you may not use a radar detector. Even the possession of it in your car is illegal and can results in a fine of € 3,000.
While driving using of your mobile phone is forbidden, unless your phone is mounted in the car.
If you hold a EU driving licence and exceed the speed limit by more than 40 km/h the police can confiscate it. Children under the age of 10 may not travel on the front seats, except when the rear seats are already occupied with children under the age of 10. Motorcyclists must have their lights on at all times. French car drivers, by law, should have their lights on at all times, but often they don't do it.
The average lifetime of a person who gets out of his car in the emergency stop lane and does not go behind the security bars is 20 minutes. This is to show you how dangerous the emergency stop lane is to pedestrians. Many truck drivers in France are known for eating into the emergency stop lane, which is often the cause for deaths on the motorway. This is especially true at night. It is absolutely forbidden to stop in the emergency lane, unless your car or motorcycle is broken down. You can be fined if you do not have a good reason. This is a fine of Class 2, which means a fine of € 150.
Foreign drivers should have a bilingual "Accident Report" in case they have an accident in France.
Thanks to Francis Nugent Dixon for a lot of information which can be found on this page.
