[Hodude]

Hi folks,

My friend and i have just bought a MCS each and have decided to take our wives on a roadtrip to Paris, France, this summer!

Any advice on driving in Paris? Whats parking like? i hear its bumper to bumper!

and more importantly, what are petrol prices like?

Any advice much appreciated!!

Simon aka Hodude

[k m s]

I've driven in France and visited Paris, but not driven there. The centre of Paris is pretty congested and parking very tight!! But the toll motorways are excellent with very little traffic and you can do some serious mileage in a short time

Didn't pay much attention to the petrol prices so I guess it's similar to the UK though I would imagine a bit cheaper?

[Mini E]

Hello - driving on the French motorways as kms says is a pleasure especially if you compare them to the m25!!

I'm not sure i'd want to park my MINI in Paris though - when you say bumper to bumper - i've actually watched the french nudging cars backwards and forwards with their bumpers to get into the space in between!!! We have a member who works in Paris so i'll ask him to come on and give you some tips!!

Have a great time! Don't forget lots of pics (and maybe get a copy of the Top Gear when Clarkson drove in central Paris??)

[Hodude]

thanks for the advice folks! i think we're just going to leave the cars at the hotel and explore by foot.

k m s - how much are the toll roads?
Mini E - thanks, it would be great if your friend has any advice for me!

much appreciated!

anyone else?

[Paul]

Driving in France, Paris in particular, is not too bad. Can get very congested at rush hours, and parking is a complete nightmare. It's very compact though, so easy to get around on foot and metro.

[Harpo]

Quote: Originally Posted by Mini E

...i've actually watched the french nudging cars backwards and forwards with their bumpers to get into the space in between!!!

That is common practice anywhere in France - I have witnessed a coach shunt a brand new Espace - sideways - out of the way!!! Be warned.

When in Paris - drive like the Parisiens. If you miss your turn, just take the next. It may be a bit inconvenient, but you avoid the dodgems.

[k m s]

Quote: Originally Posted by Hodude

k m s - how much are the toll roads?

Think you'll pay around 15 to 20 euros from Calais to Paris so that's around £10 - £15 for nearly 300km

As Paul says, the centre of Paris is pretty compact (much more so than London for instance) so you can walk to most places and the metro is excellent and very cheap

[Lorri]

Yep, I'd agree with what's already been said. We've just returned from our first road trip to France, and the roads were great Never driven in Paris and wouldn't want to I've seen what they do to each other's cars

[Hodude]

Thanks for the information folks, our trip is going full steam ahead! We're driving down from Newcastle, so it will be a few hours before we even reach the border! Its cheaper to fly across... but thats no fun!

Are there any compulsory or essential requirements with driving abroad? What are the speed limits in France? and dare i ask, are the highways well patrolled? and how strict are they?

Lorraine, what are the petrol prices like in France?

More info/advice much appreciated!!

[Lorri]

Fuel is cheaper than here ( I think we worked out 30p less on the exchange rate we got)

You have to have a warning triangle, extinguisher, spare bulbs, flourescent jacket, beam benders and a GB sticker (tho not if it says GB on your number plate) but I guess not everyone does have these things.

Don't drink & drive... their limit is less than it is here. Speed limits (if I can remember) are 110 - 130 kmh on motorways; 90 kmh on dual carriageways; 70kmh on other roads; 50 kmh in towns... or something like that

[The Red Baron]

Quote: Originally Posted by Lorraine

Fuel is cheaper than here ( I think we worked out 30p less on the exchange rate we got)

You have to have a warning triangle, extinguisher, spare bulbs, flourescent jacket, beam benders and a GB sticker (tho not if it says GB on your number plate) but I guess not everyone does have these things.

Don't drink & drive... their limit is less than it is here. Speed limits (if I can remember) are 110 - 130 kmh on motorways; 90 kmh on dual carriageways; 70kmh on other roads; 50 kmh in towns... or something like that

Plus dont forget, people do

E111 health card
First aid kit
Passport
Driving licence
Car insurance cert

[Lorri]

Quote: Originally Posted by chrisandjax

Plus dont forget, people do

E111 health card
First aid kit
Passport
Driving licence
Car insurance cert

Of course and your toothpaste & pj's

[Laury]

the car's bumper literally means 'bumper' for the Parisans, do notice the state of the number plates when you're there!

try to avoid driving around the Arc de Tromphe and Concorde as it resembles a mad merry go round for motorists - over in France, vehicles have priority turning right from side streets even though you are on the main road, so do look out for that

as for the speed limits, the motorways are 80mph in dry conditions and if I remember 70 in wet - be careful too as policemen patrol along the Autoroutes with their speed guns (resembles a cone on a tripod) from a stationary vehicle - if you find on-coming motorist flashing at you, usual this mean they are warning you to slow down as that there is a police patrol further ahead or around the bend - a known gesture amongst French motorists

Happy motoring

[Lorri]

Oh, another tip... tho it might not be as bad if you're going to Paris... fill up with fuel whenever you can! We were getting worried because we couldn't find a petrol station one day that didn't require a special card in a machine... no person there to pay!

[Lorri]

And the speed cameras are grey & lower down than ours but there are signs telling you they're coming up

[The Red Baron]

Quote: Originally Posted by Lorraine

Oh, another tip... tho it might not be as bad if you're going to Paris... fill up with fuel whenever you can! We were getting worried because we couldn't find a petrol station one day that didn't require a special card in a machine... no person there to pay!

We had similar trouble buying petrol on a Sunday. None of the garages are manned and the machines don't take English credit cards.

[DSapseid]

Quote: Originally Posted by chrisandjax

We had similar trouble buying petrol on a Sunday. None of the garages are manned and the machines don't take English credit cards.

i belive some take mastercard now

[NickyJ]

Hi Simon

We've just got back from France, we stayed two nights in Paris and then drove down to some friends in the Loire Valley, about two hours south of Paris.

My husband did most of the driving, there's no way I'd drive in Paris - but he doesn't mind and says he prefers it to driving in London! Here's a couple of pics of our car jammed into a space on the street outside our hotel - the bright red Audi. Fortunately when we left one of the cars had moved



So, that's how they park and they really are mad drivers in Paris! We went over to the Arc de Triomphe (via the underpass!) and just watched the traffic whizz past - I think it's 6 lanes solid with cars.

We saw lots of MINIs around and amazingly none seemed to be dented or scratched unlike other bigger cars - they can squeeze easily into gaps maybe!

We invested in the France 'card' for our Garmin GPS and it was fantastic, it took us straight to our hotel (very near the Champs Elysees), think it was around £80 and worth every penny - saved me having to map read!!

The motorway toll from just outside Paris nearly to Calais was 17 euros, the road was great, pretty quiet once you'd got away from Paris. The motorway services are good too - a lot nicer than ours and they seem to be spaced every 25km. Not sure about petrol, but diesel was cheaper over there - about 80p a litre. The speed limits on the auto-routes were generally 110 kph in the wet and 130 kph in the dry.

You're an hour further up the road from us, but we left at 6am were on the train (tunnel) by 12 noon (with a stop for breakfast) and got to our hotel in Paris at around 4.30pm French time I think.

If you want any more info PM me! - and have a great time

Nicky

[waigor]

Hi Simon

Assuming you've got Sat Nat (europe wide detailed version) then I don't think you've got anything to worry about. I've taken my car as far as Spain on two occasions and France more than 3 occasions. I also did alot of driving whilst I was there with little use of public transport.

I'd highly recomend driving abroad mate - "GO FOR IT!!!

[waigor]

Ps.. Its A Mini Adventure As The Saying Goes!!!