The roads, the rules, and all our local driving tips
From lavender-lined lanes in the Luberon to oceanside Riviera roads, here's everything you need before you set off.
Your rental car
Book a France self-drive tour with Nordic Visitor, and you choose your rental vehicle right from the tour page.
Every rental comes with unlimited mileage, collision damage waiver, and 2 authorised drivers. Each car also has GPS built in, if you need extra help navigating to each day’s destination.
At the car rental office, read the agreement over carefully. Ask if anything's unclear – that's what the staff are there for. Fancy extra cover for total peace of mind? You can organise it there and then, directly with the agent.
One last check before you drive off: lights, tyres, spare wheel. We recommend taking a few photos or a video on your phone for future reference.
What you'll need
You'll need your driving licence and a credit card – not a debit card, and not a prepaid one. French car hire insurance accepts credit cards only.
If you hold an EU, EEA or UK licence, you're set: no extra paperwork required. Travelling from the US, Canada, Australia, or somewhere else? Rental car companies in France might ask to see an International Driving Permit. You can request one from your national motoring association before you travel.
Then just before you hit the road – download our France road trip playlist on Spotify. Our local experts have curated it specially, full of iconic French hits to soundtrack the scenery as you go.
Repairs and breakdowns
A flat tyre is your responsibility when hiring a car in France, so check that spare is properly inflated before you leave the rental office.
For any more serious breakdowns, call your rental agent first. France's toll motorways are run privately, and breakdowns on them are handled by their own approved recovery teams – so your agent will point you in the right direction to get help.
Safe driving in France
The essentials for safe driving in France:
• Roads are excellent around the major cities and towns. Rural Provence and the mountain roads near the Verdon Gorge are well kept too, though narrower and slower going.
• Drive on the right, as across most of Europe.
• Seatbelts are compulsory at all times.
• Handheld phones are illegal at the wheel.
• Every car must carry a warning triangle and a hi-vis vest, kept within reach of the driver – not in the boot. Your rental car will come equipped with these.
• Drink-driving penalties are severe, and enforced.
Petrol stations
Check what fuel your rental takes before you fill up – it's usually printed inside the fuel cap. You'll find refill stations easily around towns and cities: look for "station-service" or "station d’essence" signs. They also appear at regular intervals along the autoroute.
Self-service pumps require a credit or debit card with a 4-digit PIN, and payment comes before you pump. No PIN card? Head for a larger station with a staffed kiosk instead – Total, Esso, and Avia are common names to look for.
While travelling through rural France, in areas like Provence, the Camargue and the Verdon Gorge, there may be a big gap between stations. Keep an eye on the gauge, and top up before you think you need to.
Along the autoroute, service areas ("aires") offer fuel, toilets, and cafés. You’ll also usually be able to buy snacks for the road.
Parking
Some hotels offer parking, but if they don’t, your reception can advise you on a nearby place to park. City centres run on paid parking, with rates set locally, so check signage before you pull up.
Some of France’s town centres are pedestrian-only. If that’s the case, find somewhere to park just outside, and walk in. It’s the best way to experience the town anyway.
Parking ticket machines increasingly take cards and apps like EasyPark, though coins still work in some places. You'll need signal if you're paying via an app.
Fines for illegal parking are steep, and towing happens – at your expense. Read the sign twice before you walk away.
Speed limits
French limits are posted in kilometres per hour, and they shift with the weather: expect a lower limit on the autoroute in rain.
Fines for speed, parking and traffic violations
Speed cameras appear often – both on the autoroute and on quieter roads – and fines climb quickly the faster you're caught going.
Here's the thing: France isn't a place to rush through. Slow down, let the scenery do its work, and you'll rack up far better memories than you would by otherwise.
French motorways (the "autoroute")
Almost every autoroute charges a toll, collected at barriers called péages. Above each lane, a sign tells you how to pay.
A sign showing an image of coins and notes accepts both cash and card – expect a small queue. A lane marked "CB" is card only (credit or debit). An orange "t" is only for cars fitted with a télépéage tag, so give that one a miss.
Take a ticket on your way in, and don't lose it – you'll need it to pay when you exit, and the charge is worked out by distance. Keep it in the car, somewhere close to hand.
Roundabouts
Enter to the right, circle anticlockwise, and give way to traffic already on the roundabout – that's the rule almost everywhere in France.
Driving the Verdon Gorge
The Cornich Sublime route across the Verdon Gorge is one of Europe’s most scenic drives, but it can be a little challenging.
The road narrows through several tunnels, some too tight for two cars to pass at once. Sound your horn lightly before a blind bend, ease over to let oncoming traffic through, and don't rush it.
Other hazards
The Mistral is a fierce, dry wind that funnels down the Rhône valley into Provence and the Camargue, sometimes for days at a stretch. It can push a light car sideways on an exposed road, so grip the wheel a little tighter when it's blowing.
Cycling is close to a national sport here, and you'll share plenty of road with cyclists, particularly in the hills above the Riviera and through the Luberon. Give them a wide, unhurried berth.
In the Camargue, expect the odd unscripted delay: wild horses, grazing bulls, even flamingos closer to the road than you'd guess. Slow right down and let them finish whatever they're doing.
