Thanks for the link to the Michelin Route Planner.

 

So, Michelin make the tolls for the return journey from Calais to St Tropez EUR130 - stangely enough, almost the same cost as an annual road tax licence for a small car here in Blighty!   However, if I am willing to drive for an extra 5 hours, I can avoid tolls altogether - strange how the French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian drivers are treated as welcome guests everywhere else in Europe isn't it?   This toll business is not conducive to a "Free Market" is it - especially when it bumps up our transport costs?

Edited 20 June, 201411 yr by bealine

I usually do 5 or 6 trips to France annually, and do about 800 miles of autoroute each trip at an approx cost of 80 euros. The road surfaces are excellent, hold ups negligible, service areas brilliant (compared to our disgusting offerings) and driving standards on them are relatively high. Note that the toll booth at Saumur invariably does not accept the toll ticket so the help facility has to be used - very inconvenient!

Using other roads adds about 3 hours to the normal 5.5 to 6 hour journey (one way), therein lies the attraction of the autoroute - it does what our motorways do not do and that is to cut journey times.

I thought there were actually some moves towards making a one off charge to foreign travellers to our shores?

All gone a bit quiet again.now.

 

Standard of driving over there is much higher imo btw, with excellent lane discipline.

The foreign truck now have to pay to use our roads (since April 2014)

As for standards of driving you may reconsider that once you have driven around Paris!

The foreign truck now have to pay to use our roads (since April 2014)

As for standards of driving you may reconsider that once you have driven around Paris!

Had to do that once, and once only, and that was with a bus full of schoolkids.

Very scary, and the Parisian drivers are not in the least intimidated by a PCV or anything come to think of it.

 

Total wacky races.

Edited 24 June, 201411 yr by Mr Ree

Had to do that once, and once only, and that was with a bus full of schoolkids.

Very scary, and the Parisian drivers are not in the least intimidated by a PCV or anything come to think of it.

 

Total wacky races.

Actually, I found driving around Paris a lot easier once I started to understand the Parisien's mind:

 

1.   They love the sound of the horn - doesn't matter how off-key it is, keep pressing the horn push with everyone else joining in, gesticulate wildly and yell "Sacrebleu" at regular intervals, whilst the gendarmes frantically accompany you with their whistles and to the Parisien, you have the finest symphony orchestra in the world.

2.   Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to use the mirror before indicating.    An indicator in Paris does not mean "I intend to......", it tends to mean "I am going, regardless of what you do!"   (Once you appreciate that concept, and start to anticipate what the man about town in Paris is likely to do, your coach passengers get a more comfortable ride!

3.   Dunno if they still do, but the RAC used to recommend trying to park on the flat in Paris with handbrake off and gears in neutral to minimise damage done by others when parking - before body colour painted polycarbonate bumpers, Parisiens tended to treat bumpers in a similar fashion to train buffers, parking with loud bangs and clatters!

4.   Foreign licence tags are treated with disdain.   I once returned early to the coach down by the River Seine to find a man piddling against the luggage boot (AEC Reliance, Duple bodywork) .   Silently, I entered the driving seat, started up and put her in reverse so that the buzzer sounded - exit Frenchman rapidly with trousers flapping around his ankles muttering all sorts of obscenities at me!

Edited 25 June, 201411 yr by bealine

Well if Blair/Brown/Cameron, what ever his name is at the moment gets his way we will be paying to use our motorways, on top of our road tax no doubt too.

Thanks for the link to the Michelin Route Planner.

 

So, Michelin make the tolls for the return journey from Calais to St Tropez EUR130 - stangely enough, almost the same cost as an annual road tax licence for a small car here in Blighty!   However, if I am willing to drive for an extra 5 hours, I can avoid tolls altogether - strange how the French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian drivers are treated as welcome guests everywhere else in Europe isn't it?   This toll business is not conducive to a "Free Market" is it - especially when it bumps up our transport costs?

French motorrail - Paris to the South (Various locations, Calais to South discontinued in 2010) - apparently, some advanced bookings as low as 45 euros each way.

 

http://www.seat61.com/Motorail.htm#Auto-Train

 

But then you have to risk going to Paris !

 

Nick

Thanks for the link to the Michelin Route Planner.

 

So, Michelin make the tolls for the return journey from Calais to St Tropez EUR130 - stangely enough, almost the same cost as an annual road tax licence for a small car here in Blighty!   However, if I am willing to drive for an extra 5 hours, I can avoid tolls altogether - strange how the French, Spanish, Portuguese and Italian drivers are treated as welcome guests everywhere else in Europe isn't it?   This toll business is not conducive to a "Free Market" is it - especially when it bumps up our transport costs?

French nationals have the same charges as visitors. They make it cheaper by buying Season Tickets. And, I suspect that Commercial operators can buy "Carnets" in advance at reduced costs. Most countries are going to cream the once-a-year  tourist trade.

 

Nick

Well as we regularly holiday in Brittany, and arrive at either Caen, St Malo or Cherbourg, like many thousands of other UK tourists, we have never paid a toll on any of the autoroutes in that area.

But then facts would ruin you rant.

 

We are planning camping in Brittany this summer, but the ridiculously high cost of the Ferries to Caen/St Malo/Cherbourg vs a quick and cheap blast on the eurotunnel and £20 each way in peage is pushing us towards the longer drive!

Edited 25 June, 201411 yr by Oli3000

We are planning camping in Brittany this summer, but the ridiculously high cost of the Ferries to Caen/St Malo/Cherbourg vs a quick blast on the eurotunnel and £20 each way in paege is looking like a train ride for us! Shame that adds quite a lot of time to driving from Calais, though!

 

Might be for you, but when I have to add on the cost of first driving all the down to Folkestone then back across the width of France it is cheaper for us to use a longer crossing. You also need to choose the time of day and the day of the week to get a cheaper crossing.

Might be for you, but when I have to add on the cost of first driving all the down to Folkestone then back across the width of France it is cheaper for us to use a longer crossing. You also need to choose the time of day and the day of the week to get a cheaper crossing.

I had some good deals on Condor (Portsmouth-Cherbourg. St Malo-Weymouth) at the end of the season - £200 return including a 4 birth cabin on the way out and the "Lux" lounge on the hydro foil on the way back. At the time, I recall Brittany Ferries were charging something like £500-600.

Unfortunately, none of the cheapo airlines go to the North-West much, - you're largely limited to scheduled flights through Paris @ £300 a pop, so there's no offsetting saving with fly-drive.

Cheapo flights from the UK do go to the South though.

Nick

https://www.saneftolling.co.uk/

Tells you what you to know about using the French Autoroutes. You can find out the cost of various routes.

There is a way of Brits to buy a Liber-t card and use the TelePeage system, avoiding queuing.

I did read somewhere that it could be cheaper, but not on a quick browse through the site itself.

I find being on a boat/aircraft tedious in the extreme. I would always take the short crossing. But it is really an accident of geography, perhaps if I were in Graham's shoes I would do it differently. As it is, I find it much more convenient to do Fenland to Dover - Calais to St Nicolas. An easy 3 hrs "over there". Apart from the peage from Boulogne to Abbeville, its all toll free. Or a very nice relaxing drive cross country, and only about 4 hrs.

I have mentioned before, I love driving and travelling is my favourite type of holiday. I'm not fussed where we go (apart from cities), as long as there is a good restaurant nearby.