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The main reason tourists in France get speeding tickets:
It ought to be obvious - stick to the speed limit and you won't get fined, but it isn't as easy as you might think. At home (in Australia) and in most countries where we have driven, speed limits are posted on every road. Drivers are treated like children, which is a good thing, and constantly reminded about the speed limit. Not so in France! I strongly suspect that the main reason tourists get fined in France is they don't understand the way in which French speed limits apply.
French speed limits are universal and you are expected to know them even when there are no signs - which is often. Like other countries, the speed limit varies according to the type of road you are on, so for example, unless otherwise posted, motorways have a limit of 130 kph (80 mph) which drops to 50 kph (31 mph) when you enter a town or village.
BUT, and this is the important bit - do not expect to see a sign with the new speed limit every time you enter a town or village - because you won't. Once you see a town or village name sign - slow down!
Only a few of the many towns and villages we passed through on our most recent driving holiday had 50 kph signs on the edge of town. Occasionally we got 'rappel' (reminder) signs after a few kilometres but by then we had been exceeding the speed limit for far too long. It dawned on us after a few days that this lack of signage was the French system and we better abide by it. It is now several months since we were in France on a six week French driving and European river cruising holiday and not a single fine has arrived in the post.
Speed limits in France:
Speed limits in France, unless otherwise signed are:
- Motorways - 130 kph (80 mph) in dry weather and 110 kph (68) mph in wet weather
- Dual carriageways - 110 kph (68 mph)
- Main roads outside built up areas - 80 kph (49 mph)
- Main roads in built up areas - 50 kph (31mph)
Speed radar detectors are illegal in France:
There are more than 2,000 speed cameras in France, located all around the country. Lufop.net has a map of locations but I can't vouch for its accuracy. Speed camera radar and laser detectors are illegal in France. The fines are horrifically high; up to 1500 euros. You can also have your device, or even your vehicle, confiscated - so don't risk it.
You cannot rely on Google Maps to alert you to speed radar detection cameras
In four weeks driving through France we didn't receive a single speed camera alert from Google Maps. This seems to support what I have read - that Google Maps has disabled radar detection for any device connected to data or WiFi in France. I haven't used Waze or Coyote personally but I believe they continue to give alerts. (An article in The Connexion which provides French news in English,a suggests that a 2021 French court ruling overturned a proposed law banning the sharing of information about speed cameras on the app Coyote. This seems to be on the basis that a ban on sharing of information is a 'violation of freedom of expression'.)
Fines for violating the speed limit:
Speeding fines in France range from 68 euros for doing less than 20 kph above the limit in a 50 kph zone to 1500 euros for doing more than 50 kph above the limit in a 50 kph zone. Moreover if you are driving a rental car the fine will likely first be sent to your car rental agency which will send it on to you, accompanied by a hefty 'administration fee'. Since penalties apply for late payment, any delay while the penalty notice finds its way to you will be expensive.
Low Emission Zones Stickers:
Since 2017 the French Government has been gradually introducing Crit'Air vignettes ('clean air'stickers). They now apply in 11 cities including Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Strasbourg, Rouen and Toulouse. For more information on Crit'Air stickers go to Explore France, the French Tourism Board website. The fines for not having the appropriate sticker are very high. If you are renting a car it is worth checking that it has a sticker - especially if you pick up the car in a country outside France. We rented our car from the French side of Basel-Mulhouse Airport and were told that while it didn't have an actual sticker the car number plate was registered as compliant - I don't know if that was the case or whether we were just told that to keep us happy. Since the only big city we drove in was Paris, and that was just to get to the airport, we didn't really test it out.
Parking in French towns - Get a le Disc
Parking in the countryside in France is easy. Almost every small town has either ample street parking or parking stations with plenty of spaces. However, for many towns you will need a 'le Disc' which allows you to park in Zone Bleue parking spaces - anywhere with a Zone Bleue sign or a blue painted line. Sometimes a le Disc will come with your rental car - check the glovebox. If not you can buy them for a few euros at Tabacs. We bought ours at a LeClerc Auto.
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| Le Disc |
Why are so many village signs upside down?
Many of the towns and villages we passed through on our most recent French driving holiday had upside down name signs, especially in Brittany. We puzzled over this for a few days, coming up with increasingly bizarre ideas to explain the phenomenon, until finally we cracked and googled it. I got the prize for the closest guess. In a country where the population love to protest, the upside down signage was, you guessed it - a protest! The upside down name signs are a protest by farmers to raise awareness of how increasing EU regulations and restrictions are creating challenges for them.
Enjoy your holiday!
Of all the overseas countries we have driven in, France is one of the easiest. Outside of the big cities French drivers are generally courteous, the roads are excellent and there is always somewhere to park. With 100 million tourist arrivals every year France consistently tops the 'most visited country in the world' tables and yet, outside the cities it never seems to feel crowded.
If you are headed to France on a driving holiday, I hope you have a great time and if you want to mix in some tours have a look at Viator or GetYourGuide for a huge selection. Both advertise 'free cancellation' up to 24 hours beforehand on many of their tours - but check the individual tour because the free cancellation is not universal.
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