Quote: Originally posted by mzzy on 24/2/2010
We have been on 3 holidays to France now, and tried not to use tolls (to keep cost down) Its been a big mistake!
Taken us hours and hours to get A to B, some bits are free motorway, which is great, but last year we went to Dordogne, last bit of road to Sarlat didn't look far, I didn't realise it was going right over a blooming mountain!!! o.k slight exaggeration, but it took us hours (with a caravan, lol)
This year we are happy to pay them, you learn by your mistakes!
The last bit of road to Sarlat is winding, whichever way you approach it - but I know what you mean, about the end of a long journey - we discovered that on our first ever French camping trip in 1981! The tolls to Sarlat, with a caravan, would be 50.50 euros in 2010. However, if you're going to Spain (for instance) and use toll roads then it would cost you 123.10 euros on the Viamichelin recommended route.
The tolls can add significantly to the cost of your holiday, especially if you're going all the way south, and are on a limited budget. Dunkerque to Montpellier, a route we use often, would cost us 85.00 euros extra if we used the toll roads - thats 8 nights campsite fees, or a probably three meals out with wine. I know which I'd rather spend my money on - but as I said previously, we're not in a hurry to get anywhere.
To us that's a lot of spending money, and as I said, if you're meandering without a particular destination in mind, then driving through beautiful French countryside is part of our holiday - and along the way we've found some fantastic places, and lovely campsites which have now become favourites, not just for an overnight stop.
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Hi, we go to France regularly and because we are going to the South west of France we use the toll roads. It's a lot quicker..........plus I can't get lost as easy reading the map
When we used to go to the Loire Valley we didn't really bother with toll roads.
The toll roads are good if you are going a long way as you know there are aires every 20 kilometres. One a big one with all facilities the next one a sort of picnic area with loos etc.
We've been to France lots of times now but haven't plucked up the courage to drive around Paris yet. It's Rouen every time for us
I've got to agree with ValA on this one, I think it depends on where you are going and how quick you want to get there etc plus balanced out with campsite fees if you aren't in a rush I would save the money
Where ever you go and whichever way you decide to go have a great time
------------- If my post appears offensive just ignore me - sometimes my medication does not work :)
We are going to the Loire this year so will be giving the N roads a try as we only have 190 miles to do after our hotel in Rouen and it will help us avoid the Rouen-Le Mans stretch of toll road which is expensive for the distance. When we go further south we use the toll roads though as we are limited to 2 weeks with a stopover either end.
Even if we had the time I am not sure we would want to do long distances on N roads. I am one who likes to get where I'm going and for the life of me I cant see the journey as part of the holiday. The cost of the tolls is just something we have to take into account.
Peage is great (Rouen-Le-Mans - can't remeber what it cost but well worth every cent in my mind) but they can be a nightmare. I recall a few years ago travelling up from Bergerac by peage on the last weekend in August and the world and his dog was on there. What happened was that every time you got within about two miles of a toll booth, there would be a large tailback (bouchon). It took us 24 hours to drive from Bergerac to Bucks! By the time we got to near Chartres, we came off and used the N road and was better. I've planned all my French travelling this summer so that we are not on the peage on a Saturday and hopefully that will help.
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just where abouts on the aa website is the toll charge info... i cant find it on the route planner , i would like to compare it with via michelin for my drive to spain, which appears to be about £43.
We have always used the toll motorways in France where it gets us to where we need to be quickly, there are some routes however where the tolls do not apply, for example if heading towards the Med, you can go via Clermont Ferrand, as the toll motorway stops there, and its free!
Call me strange if you like, but i actually enjoy the non cluttered motorways in France/Spain with all of the lovely service areas for picnics, unlike the UK, you can actually predict your arrival time!
One piece of advice for caravanners, do NOT go to the auto booths, we got charged a lorry rate last year on one section as it 'detected' the van!! caused lots of rows with OH..LOL
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Van lives near Sanguli- Salou Spain
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Quote: Originally posted by Lakeotter on 24/2/2010
Can one use other roads and miss the tolls or does one grit your teeth and just cough up? They seem to have picked the best routes to make toll roads - wonder what the French feel about it?
Well we feel fine about it, but then that is all most French people have ever known..
I have been living in the UK for 13+ years now, and the road quality in France is much better. I commute/drive 120 miles a day and all I see is road works..when one finish, another lot starts somewhere else. And the protion of road I use is actually quite good. But the motorways are nowhere near as good, espcially when it comes to long distance travel. Which means that when I do go back to France I do not mind paying for the quality and facilities..
Ref. "they have picked the best routes to make toll roads": most motorway were not really built on top of existing roads. They were designed from scratch hence why their location might seem "better", i.e. they cut through the countryside, allowing wider/straighter roads... The down side is the effect on such contryside sometimes.
At the end of day you have the choice:
- Use motorways and you pay for the privilege of good straight roads, getting you from A to B very easily and with plenty of facilities.
- Use N roads if time isn't an issue and you want to enjoy the scenic routes. A lovely way to see France and national routes are still good quality. But you'll get caught in local traffic and at busy times the cost on fuel might not be negligible..
We've been driving in France for 15+ years, the last 10 towing caravans. Up to, and including, 2009 we mainly used autoroute including toll ones. We travelled to Italy a couple of times travelling via Luxembourg and that autoroute route was mainly toll free.
However in 2009 we travelled to the French Pyrenees returning via Ile de Re, towing. On this 5 week trip our toll charges amounted to £400+.
In 2010 we visited the French Alps and made a conscious decision to avoid toll roads whenever possible. We travelled to the Alps and back using N Roads and toll roads only to avoid major cities, to avoid moutainous roads in the Alps and for the homeward stretch from Chalons en Champagne to Dunkerque.
The 2010 toll cost was under £100. We found the N roads to be very good quality and generally quiet. We were rarely held up by slower traffic, kept up a good average speed and were able to use cruise control a lot. In addition we saw some beautiful countryside and passed through some interesting towns which we would have otherwise missed out on. We did not book stopover sites, apart from phoning on the day of arrival, and we stayed at some lovely places with little deviation from our route.
As has been said the autoroutes are good for getting to one's destination quickly but if you have the time we would strongly recommend the N Road option. We're fortunate, as teachers, in having the whole summer hols, albeit in the peak season, and we're now N Road "converts".
We always pay the tolls because we want to get from A to B as quick as possible cant be bothered faffing about through town centres just to save a few Euro's , tried the N road save a dime routine and its to time cosuming when you have limited holiday time
Neil at Camping Alto de Vinuelas , near Granada , Spain
Post last edited on 08/03/2010 18:36:25
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Topic: Toll Roads in France
