Drive in France

Any driver’s license written in Latin characters is accepted by car rental agencies for tourists – as long as it is valid.

French law requires an International Permit to accompany valid driver's licenses that are not in French. Canadian licenses are in French, and there is an exception for UK licenses.

Unless specified otherwise, the speed limits are :

  • 50 kms/hr in cities
  • 90 kms/hr in the countryside
  • 130 kms/hr on the highways

In miles per hour, this is about :

  • 30 miles/hr in cities
  • 55 miles/hr in the countryside
  • 80 miles/hr on the highways

Yes, car renters are obliged by the law to provide your driver’s information in case there is an infraction during the rental period.

The car renters will also charge an administration fee for about 25 to 30€ per fine.

It is in your interest to pay the fine online as soon as received to avoid any late fees.

We are sorry but highway toll pass is not available to foreign travelers in France.

You will need to pay each toll when you go through it with either coins/bills or with a credit card.

We are sorry, it is not included. We warmly recommend getting one from home and testing it before departure.

 

You will find gas available everywhere in France.

Please note that gas is much more expensive at highway resting areas, so fill-up before getting on the highway.

Gas is cheaper at supermarket stations (Leclerc, Super U, Auchan, Carrefour…) compared to traditional gas stations (Total, BP, Shell, …).

We highly recommend using the Waze phone app, which is the best at including traffic, roadwork, and navigation options.

If you are used to Google Maps or Maps, they also work well in France.

Portable GPS like Garmin will not be as updated as the above and will end up being more expensive, so we do not recommend them.

Should a GPS be built into your rental car, we still recommend using Waze as many of these systems are not fully up-to-date and do not take into account roadwork and traffic.

Go back to frequently asked questions

Our Travelers’ Reviews

Kelly
My husband and our friends spent two weeks travelling around Northern France, the Loire Valley and Paris. Emilie provided us with a detailed itinerary that exceeded our expectations. The accommodations were excellent and unique providing us with a variety of B & B's. Her recommendations for tours and sights took into consideration our interests and …
Steve
Emilie, set up an outstanding itinerary that met all our desired needs, created a wonderful schedule with built in flexibility to handle planned and unplanned changes. Her suggestion for special sites to see and foods to sample were right on and an enhancement from the normal tourist recommendations. The attention to detail was greatly appreciated …
Bob from the US
The team created an amazing trip. We gave them the nick name “travel fairies” All was just magical.

Our Travelers’ Photos

Karen & Mike
from the US
Visiting Chambord in the Loire Valley
Marcia & Elliott
Celebrating Marcia's birthday in a Michelin restaurant
Shirley & Brad
from Canada
On a honeymoon in Dordogne
Sharyn
from the US
Taking a cooking class in Normandy
Ron, Jane, Don & Nancy
From Canada
Visiting a wine cellar
Carol from the US
Biking in the Luberon
Diana & Michael
A glass of wine in the Provence vineyards, what else ?
Christina
from the US
in a lavender field in Provence
Our guide with Jean's team
In the quicksands in Mont Saint Michel bay
Ron & Don
From Canada
In Burgundy
Chris, Diane, Teresa & Lorelea
From the US
In Epernay, in the Champagne region
The Rimlinger Family
from Australia
Came to find out about their French ancestors

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