Are you looking for the open roads of France? Do you want a guide to tell you which open roads in France are the best? Our guide to the open roads in France gives you the facts & information you’ll want to know.
France has some of the densest highway networks in Europe and is a popular destination for people on self drive holidays to France. Although driving in France isn’t always safe (per capita France has about twice as many road related deaths than the USA every year), the good news is that driving on the open roads of France is actually safer than driving in built up areas.
Guide to Open Roads in France
There are four types of intercity open roads in France. These open roads in France are all given alphanumeric descriptions which are given below:
Autoroutes, are highways with many lanes and a divider. Most highways require you to pay a toll to drive on them. Autoroutes in France are given the designation A and are marked by blue road signs showing a divided highway. These open roads in France are designed for long distance high speed inter city driving in France and many of them have petrol stations and rest areas with restaurants on the way.
Routes Nationals: These open roads in France are given the designation N and are well signposted main highways equipped with reflectors to aid night driving.
Routes Departmentales: These are secondary and tertiary local roads which begin with a D. They are smaller and not suitable for open road high speed driving over long distances.
Routes Communales: These are minor rural roads, not designed for high speed driving, although the fact that there are very few cars on them means that high speed driving, while illegal, may be possible. These roads begin with a C and are maintained by local communes who are the local government authorities in France.
Guide to Expenses on the Open Roads in France
Petrol in France is roughly the same as the price in the UK, although if you’re coming from the US, you’ll find petrol prices incredibly expensive. The most expensive places to buy petrol are stations located on major autoroutes, while the cheapest place to buy petrol is at stations in small villages. It’s worth keeping this in mind on your open road trip to France as the price differences can be as much as 20%. Finding garages to fix foreign cars can also be difficult in France, especially in rural areas.
