Just got Tom Tom and wonder how easy to find non toll routes through France with it. Is there a programme to use to find this? Have been looking in handbook but it doesn't give much away!
------------- bridie
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You would be better just using a map. Buy a large single sheet map of France to plot your route.
If you want to travel long distances using 'N' roads its often better to avoid large towns by taking a toll rd around the town for a few €cents for instance.
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With the Tom Tom certainly; not sure about others, when it has planned the route it will warn you that there are toll roads in the planned route and give you the option of avoiding them, if you take this option it will then plan you a route with no toll roads.
For Tom-Tom users........download a Free programme called 'Tyre' from http://www.tyre.tk/
This works in conjunction with 'Google Maps' and 'Google Earth' and you can make up your route and import it straight into your Tom-Tom as an itinary (.itn). Just follow the instructions on the site and you'll soon be planning your routes all over the Continent.
I use 'Via Michelin' or 'Mappy' to plan a Toll-free route then transfer it to Tyre using pushpins then import it straight into my Tom-Tom (it is designed to work with your TT Sat-nav..... and places an Icon on your TT). I also use it in conjunction with the ACSI disc which gives accurate co-ordinates for 8,000+ campsites and factor them in as well..........result....straight to the site entrance virtually anywhere in Western Europe...and you can actually 'drive' your route in 'Tyre' on Google Earth.
Post last edited on 09/06/2009 21:14:02
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As mentioned, usually tomtom will ask if you want to avoid toll roads, be careful though, sometimes it can be much easier to pay some euros rather than negotiate a town centre!!
I tend to plan an itinary (need to look at the above link, sounds good) with some toll roads and some non tolls if the non toll looks like a motorway style road and isn't out of my way.
Also, just for info, I have posted a link on my website forum that has all my tomtom POI's (points of interest) on, that includes euro campsites, UK club sites, McDonalds!, Burger King ! Tescos, hotels, speed cameras etc, I've found that the campsite ones are invaluable even though it doesn't list every single one and as with every POI its worth checking its still there before travelling!!
You would NOT! Your Tom Tom is an excellent piece of kit and will serve you well!.However! if you opt to avoid Toll roads be prepared to spend many HOURS extra on your journey!
Quote: Originally posted by gm4pgv on 12/6/2009
You would be better just using a map.
You would NOT! Your Tom Tom is an excellent piece of kit and will serve you well!.However! if you opt to avoid Toll roads be prepared to spend many HOURS extra on your journey!
I suggest you read my whole post not just the first line. I'm guessing the op's request is more about saving money rather than the desire to inspect the architecture of every French town centre enroute.
By spending just a small amount in tolls 2-3€ in total maybe, you can reduce your journey times considerabley.
Satnavs are useful for finding specific addresses but for long distance travel they have their limitations, you need to have a basic understanding of your route & it is easy to travel across France cheaply without a great time penalty using the method I suggested.
Any satnav or route finding site like viamichelin is only as good as the imformation placed within it & you need the abilty to understand when that imformation is not working for you.
Many 'N' roads do bypass towns but many go straight thru town centres & it can become a drag, if you know there is an autoroute nearby you might decide to use that for a few junctions & shorten your journey for the sake of a few €s
No electronic brain is adaptable as the human brain & certainly not one you can buy for less than £200.
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The tolls, this year, are expensive - with the exchange rate as well as the increase in the cost of many tolls. We managed to get down to Agde, on the Mediterranean with one overnight stop in Nevers, using only 13.40's worth of toll-routes on the way down. We arrived in Nevers about 4.30 pm, after a normal morning start, and at Agde around the same time. We could have spent 94.10 euros if we'd just used a routefinder website, and not researched the alternatives, and still had at least a 12 hour drive so we'd still have had to have one overnight stop.
On the return journey we spent nothing until Senlis, just north of Calais, where we decided to take the autoroute as this section of France can be time-consuming, and just that short section of toll road cost us over £20.00.
Apart from the saving in tolls, you can also save up to 22 cents per litre on fuel by buying in supermarkets rather than at the service areas on the autoroute (93 cents/litre compared to some service areas charging 117 cents.
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Topic: finding non toll routes with sat nav?
