Getting around in France

By car

France has a well-developed system of highways. Most of the freeway (autoroute) links are toll roads. Some have toll station giving you access to a section, others have entrance and exit toll stations. Don’t lose your entrance ticket or you will be charged for the longest distance. All toll stations accept major credit cards but you can use the automatic booth only if your card is equipped with a chip.

Policemen sometimes read your ticket at the toll station to see how long you took since joining the autoroute: (as of 2005) they are not allowed to use that info to give you a speeding ticket. On the other hand, be aware that there is a new automatic photo-radar system that is being implemented throughout France. For the moment, this system is most commonly found along major highways, and near major cities, but it expands quickly. Large brown rectangular signs warn when you are entering an automatic photo-radar area.

A few tips about photo-radar area:

If you find that the average speed of other (french) cars is surprisingly lower than five minute before, then you must have entered such an area.
Policemen may install mobile photo-radar system. You’ll be warned but the sign is much smaller than for permanent area.
Your speed may also be controlled virtually anywhere, without warning. In such a case, you’ll be directly intercepted and fined if you committed a speeding offense. Very often, these controls are less strict than photo-radar: for example, if the speed limit is 110 km/h, you will be intercepted only if you exceed, say, 120 km/h. Note that this is just a common tolerance and NOT a general rule. Do not rely too much on it!

When not otherwise specified, the speed limit is 130 km/h on turnpikes (motorways), 110 on divided highways, 90 km/h otherwise and 50 km/h in city areas. In wet conditions, these limits are reduced to, respectively, 110 km/h, 100 km/h, 80 km/h and 50 km/h. In case of snowy/icy conditions, or under heavy fog, the speed is limited to 50 km/h on all roads.

As of october 2005, the typical fines for speeding are:
<20 km/h above limit: 68Pound Sterling (90Pound Sterling in city area), 1 demerit point ;
20 to 50km/h above limit: 90Pound Sterling to 250€, 2 to 4 demerit points ;
>50km/h above limit: 1500€, minimum 6 demerit points.

Drink driving is a very serious offense. The tolerated limit is 0.50g/L in blood, being above this limit is thus illegal and can entitle you a fine up to 750Pound Sterling and 6 demerit points. If you are found above 0.80g/L, or if you refuse to pass the test, the fine may reach 4500Pound Sterling followed by an immediate withdrawal of your driving licence.

All passengers are required to wear their seat belt and children under 10 must use the back seat (fine 135Pound Sterling per persons not wearing a seat belt, 1 demerit point if the offender is the conductor)

Unless clearly posted on the road you are using, you are supposed to yield to any vehicle coming from your right from another public thoroughfare.

By train

Trains are a great way to get around in France. You can get pretty much from anywhere to anywhere else by train. For long distances, use the TGV (Train a Grande Vitesse - High-Speed Train). Reservations are obligatory. But, if you have time, take the slow train and enjoy the scenery. The landscape is part of what makes France one of the top tourist destinations in the world.

The French national railway network is managed by the SNCF (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Français). You can get schedules and book a ticket online at http://www.voyages-sncf.com, or http://www.sncf.com/indexe.htm. Booking is available in two classes: premiere classe (First Class) is less crowded and more comfortable but can also be about 50% more expensive than deuxieme classe (Second Class). Note that If your TGV is fully-booked, step aboard seconds before the doors close, and look for the guard (”controleur”). He will find you a seat somewhere.

If you’ll be doing more than about 2 return journeys in France, and are younger than 26, getting a “Carte 12-25″ will save you money. They cost about 50Pound Sterling but last a year and generally give a 50% reduction on ticket prices.

If you’ve booked online, you can pick up your ticket when you get to the train station. Just go to the counter (”Guichet”) and ask to have your ticket issued (”retirer votre billet”). You can ask “Je voudrais retirer mon billet, s’il vous plait”, or ‘zhe voo dray ruh teer ay mon bee yay, sill voo play’ and then hand them the paper with the reference number.

To find your train, locate your train number and the departure time on the departures board. There will be a track (”Voie”)number next to the train and departure time. Follow signs to that track to board the train. You will have a reserved seat on TGV trains, but you can pick any seat on other trains. To find your reserved seat, first look for the train car number (”voiture No”). As you go down the track, the car number will be displayed on an LCD screen on the car, or maybe just written in the window or right next to the doors. If you are early, there is often a map somewhere on the track that will show how the train and car numbers will be lined up on the track according to letters that appear either on the ground or on signs above. That way, you can go stand by the letter corresponding with your car number and wait to board the train closest to your car number.

Beware: to avoid any form of fraud, your ticket MUST be punched by an automatic machine (”composteur”, older machines are bright orange, newer machines are yellow and gray) situated at the entrance of all platforms to be valid. Failure to do so may entitle you to a fine even if you are a foreigner with a limited French vocabulary, depending on the conductor feels. Likewise if you step aboard a train without a ticket you MUST find the conductor (”controleur”) and tell him about your situation before he finds you.