Travel to France by Car

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Discover France also features online car hire bookings where you can get get quotes from all these providers in one go. more..

Eurotunnel

If you are coming from Great Britain, you can use the Eurotunnel. Eurotunnel's car carrying service runs via the Channel Tunnel from Folkestone to Calais/Coquelles. Taking as little as 35 minutes platform to platform, it is a fast and exciting way to France and beyond. The service operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year You can book Eurotunnel tickets with us online.

Roads

The road network is very well developed in France: nearly a million kilometres, of which almost 8,000 kilometres are motorways. There is usually a toll for motorways.

Finding your way

There are numerous guides and road maps available at bookshops, service station. The main reference maps are Michelin and IGN.

Times to avoid

At peak times (7.30 – 9.00am and 5.30 – 7.30pm generally during the week), take care on the approaches to large towns and town centres: the traffic is often very dense. Some problems can also be found at "sensitive" places at the start of holiday periods (approaches to large towns, toll booths…).

In your car, you can listen to the Autoroute FM radio station on frequency 107.7

Parking

Parking in towns is controlled and there is usually a charge. Authorised parking spaces are shown by road markings (white dotted lines). To pay for parking, you need to take a ticket from the ticket machines (installed on the pavement) and place it in view on your dashboard. The price of a parking space can vary a lot, depending on the town and the area.

All towns also have underground parking available, in the town centre, or also on the outskirts, which are usually served by public transport.

Related Pages

Online car hire bookings - get the cheapest prices for your car hire in France
Ferry Tickets from the UK - this link takes you straight to the ferry ticket booking page.
Car driving tips for France
Check up on driving distances between cities and ports

Related Website

Discover Car hire - a dedicated car hire booking site for anywhere in the world.