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.

If your license is not in Roman letters, then you will need an International driver’s license.

For instance, with a valid American, Canadian or Australian driver’s license, you do not need an international driver’s license.

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

Susan & Richard from the US
This trip was amazing, and Laura did such a fantastic job at planning it for us, with us. Wow, the detail and care the whole team put into our package was astonishing.
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 …
Myrna & Don
We are experienced travelers world-wide, generally organizing our own itinerary or having a travel group help us with a tour-for-two, and a personal guide, in several select locations. This was our first visit to France. So to be on our own with the guidance and extremely comprehensive written support of France Just For You was just remarkable and …

Our Travelers’ Photos

Sharyn
from the US
Taking a cooking class in Normandy
Nancy, Don, Jane & Ron
from Canada
In Honfleur, Normandy
Karen & Mike
from the US
Visiting Chambord in the Loire Valley
Linda
From Australia
Making Chou-Buns at Valerie's
Fiona
From the UK
At a restaurant in Le Mans
Shelley, Andy, Dianne & Bob
from the US
On the Eiffel Tower in Paris
Sonia & Peter
from Canada
in Carcassonne Medieval City
Linda, Danny & their son Chris
from the US
In Mont Saint Michel
Beth & Joe
From the US
Enjoying breakfast at the B&B in Southern Provence
Rory & Mike
From the US
Enjoying a romantic moment
Sandra & Tracey
From the US
Girls trip to France !
Susan & Gary
From the US
At the summit of the famous Mont Ventoux in Provence (famous as a mythical step of the Tour de France)

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