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

Corinne
Lovely trip made easy by France just for you! We had a fabulous time in France on a two week driving trip. We provided a brief outline of some of the things we wanted to see and do and France Just for you created a daily itinerary, booked our Bed and Breakfasts and hotels, reserved our car and suggested things to see in each city we visited. It was …
Kris & Kristina
Thank you so much Emilie for all your hard work on our anniversary trip to St. Emilion and the Loire Valley! We had such a great time and everything you planned for us was just perfect. Having traveled to Paris and Nice many times, this was our first time exploring the countryside and we had a blast. We cannot thank you enough for everything! Kris …
Tony
The organisation and friendliness of the places we stayed was outstanding. We travel a lot and this was a delightful experience that we can't wait to do again. I could not recommend more highly the professionalism in the booklets which are a long term reminder of a most memorable time. We travelled from NZ a long way for just two weeks but it was …

Our Travelers’ Photos

Ron, Jane, Don & Nancy
From Canada
Visiting a wine cellar
Stuart
from Australia
Who stumbled upon Alice Cooper rock star in Galeries Lafayette in Paris
Chee Keong & Zack
From Malaysia
On Pegasus Bridge in Normandy for the D-Day celebrations
Kathy & Steve from the US
Having dinner at the B&B in the Loire Valley
Shirley & Bob
from the US
After a concert in Paris
Ginette and Craig
from the US
In Chaumont castle, Loire Valley
Tonya & Robert
From the US
In Versailles - Hall of Mirrors
Pam & Mercer
From the US
In Paris
Naomi
From the US
In Villandry gardens in the Loire Valley
Heather
From Australia
At her ancestor's gravestone on Northern France
Georganna, Caroline & Julia
In Etretat cliffs
Carolyn & Harry
From Australia
Cycling in the Loire Valley

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