France has a well-developed network of highways, with a total length of more than a million kilometers. For reference: it’s like crossing the entire country from north to south and back 500 times.
The length of highways is 12,000 km. In France, all roads are paved.
French roads are divided into several types:
- Motorway. The road code consists of the letter “A” and a number. Sometimes a highway also has a “personal” name. For example, “A1” – “l’Autoroute du Nord” (“Northern Motorway”) connecting Paris to Lille). There will definitely be a concrete median on highways. Or oncoming flows will be completely separated by tens of meters of green spaces. Permitted speed is up to 130 km/h. As a rule, such roads are tolled.
- National highways. They have the letter “N” in their name, for example, “N11.” The speed limit is limited to 110 km/h if there is a concrete median and 90 km/h if there is none.
- Departmental roads. Prefixed with “D”, for example “D78”. In cities, the road code may be duplicated by the names of avenues and streets. The permitted speed on them is no more than 90 km/h.
In addition to toll sections of highways, where safety is paid for at high speeds, there are also toll sections of ordinary roads. Namely: large bridges, viaducts and tunnels are tolled. The speed of movement along them may not be so high, but it can significantly save time.
In France, there are fees for using roads depending on the category of vehicle and the distance traveled. Tolls are also required for travel on some bridges and tunnels.
Toll roads in France are only category A, and even then not all.
National and local roads (categories N and D respectively) are free of charge.
Toll roads in France
In France, tolls are charged for the use of roads depending on the category of vehicle and the distance traveled. Tolls are also required for travel on some bridges and tunnels.
Vehicle category:
| Class | Description |
| 5 | Motorcycle, Motorcycle with sidecar |
| 1 | A vehicle with a height of up to 2 m and a total weight of no more than 3.5 tons with/without a trailer |
| 2 | A vehicle with a height of 2 m to 3 m and a gross weight of no more than 3.5 tons with/without a trailer |
| 3 | A vehicle with a height of 3 m or higher or a gross weight of more than 3.5 tons |
Tariffs for travel on French roads
The toll motorway system in France is operated by several companies distributed across different regions. The amount of payment is always displayed on the board at the entrance to the toll section. Payment can be made in cash, by credit card or through remote payment systems.
The final cost depends on the proportion of toll and free roads on your route, as well as on the sections through which you will pass. You need to be prepared to pay approximately 8-10 euros for every 100 km of road. Of course, toll roads have free parallel roads. Which is more profitable? Considering the cost of gasoline and its increasing consumption during repeated acceleration and braking, free roads will not always be much cheaper. Especially considering the fact that in some areas free roads can wobble a lot (that is, the length of the path increases noticeably), plus speed restrictions, since such roads pass through populated areas will lead to an increase in the time spent on the road. If you are not limited in time, you do not care about fatigue and gas consumption, then yes, free roads can be a good alternative. This is what a checkpoint for paying on toll roads looks like.
Tariffs for travel on some highways from 02/01/2024 for car class 1 (Car with a height of up to 2 m and a gross weight of no more than 3.5 tons with/without a trailer):
| Motorway | Distance | EUR |
| A1 | Paris – Lille (221 km) | 16.10 |
| A2 | Combles – Bruxelles (173.12 km) | 4.60 |
| A4 | Paris – Strasbourg (489 km) | 38.00 |
| A5 | Paris – Langres (287 km) | 18.40 |
| A6 | Paris – Lyon (465 km) | 33.30 |
| A7 | Lyon – Marseille (312 km) | 24.20 |
| A8 | Aix/Nice (174.76 km) | 17.70 |
| A9 | Orange – Espagne (280 km) | 25.40 |
| A10 | Paris – Bordeaux (583 km) | 54.80 |
| A11 | Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines – Nantes (339 km) | 36.50 |
| A13 | Paris – Caen (234 km) | 24.30 |
| A16 | Paris – Dunkerque (308 km) | 20.80 |
| A26 | Troyes – Calais (398 km) | 34.80 |
| A28 | Abbeville – Tours (414 km) | 33.00 |
| A31 | Beaune – Luxembourg (369 km) | 18.90 |
| A39 | Dijon – Bourg-en-Bresse (160 km) | 11.20 |
| A40 | Mâcon – Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (224 km) | 22.40 |
| A43 | Lyon – Chambéry – Italie (100 km) | 13.90 |
Signs with the word (French PAYMENT) on a blue background honestly warn you about the entrance to the toll road in advance, so the driver still has the opportunity to turn off.
When entering the highway, you do not need to make any payment, you just need to take a ticket, on the magnetic strip of which you entered the information when you entered. You should keep it until the end of your trip, before leaving the motorway, and you will need it when paying. If you intend to pay for travel with a bank card through a machine, then you need to drive up to the barrier above which the designation CB hangs, that is, “carte bancaire”. The toll road cashier will charge you to pay by card, cash, or check.
Scheme of toll roads in France indicating the tariffs for travel on them as of February 2013. Since February 2014, tariffs for toll roads in France have been increased by 0.8-0.9%.
Areas with special payment
Mont Blanc tunnel
The Mont Blanc Tunnel is built under the Mont Blanc mountain between Chamonix (France) and Courmayeur (Italy). The length of the tunnel is 11611 m, width – 8.6 m, height 4.35 m. Most of it is in France – 7644 m, in Italy – 3967 m. The tunnel consists of one gallery, traffic is carried out along one lane 3.5 m wide in each direction.
Tariffs as of January 1, 2024:
| Vehicle | One way | Roundtrip | For 10 trips |
| Motorcycles with or without sidecar | € 28.00 | € 35.20 | € 88.00 |
| Passenger cars with 2 or more axles, a height in the front axle area of less than 1.3 m and a total height of no more than 2 m | € 42.40 | €52.90 | € 132.20 |
| Passenger cars, minibuses and vans with 2 or more axles with a total height of more than 2 m and not more than 3 m | €56.10 | € 70.50 | € 176.20 |
Fréjus Tunnel
Commissioned in July 1980, the road section of the Fréjus Tunnel connects Modane in France and Bardonecchia in Italy. The Fréjus tunnel has a length of 12,895 m. Of these, 6,360 m are in Italy and 6,535 m in France.
Tariffs as of January 1, 2024:
| Vehicle | One way | Round trip within 7 days | For 10 trips |
| Motorcycles with or without sidecar | € 28.00 | € 35.20 | € 88.00 |
| Passenger cars with 2 or more axles, a height in the front axle area of less than 1.3 m and a total height of no more than 2 m | € 42.40 | €52.90 | € 132.20 |
| Passenger cars, minibuses and vans with 2 or more axles with a total height of more than 2 m and not more than 3 m | €56.10 | € 70.50 | € 176.20 |
Puymorens tunnel
The Puymorens Tunnel has a length of 4,820 m. The Puymorens Tunnel is part of the E9 Paris-Barcelona international highway.
Tariffs as of January 1, 2024:
| Vehicle | Tariff (EUR) |
| Motorcycles with or without sidecar | € 4.30 |
| Passenger cars with 2 or more axles, a height in the front axle area of less than 1.3 m and a total height of no more than 2 m | € 6.90 |
| Passenger cars, minibuses and vans with 2 or more axles with a total height of more than 2 m and not more than 3 m | € 13.80 |
Payment is made from the south side of the tunnel.
Please note that from 15 April to 15 November 2014 the tunnel will be closed for renovation work.
Maurice-Lemaire Tunnel
The Maurice-Lemaire tunnel is part of the N159 regional road connecting Nancy in France and Freiburg in Germany. The Maurice-Lemaire tunnel has a length of 6.872 m.
Tariffs as of February 1, 2024:
| Vehicle | Tariff (EUR) |
| Motorcycles with or without sidecar | €5.60 |
| Passenger cars with 2 or more axles, a height in the front axle area of less than 1.3 m and a total height of no more than 2 m | € 8.00 |
| Passenger cars, minibuses and vans with 2 or more axles with a total height of more than 2 m and not more than 3 m | € 17.10 |
Originally it was a railway tunnel, later converted into a road tunnel.
Eurotunnel
Eurotunnel, Channel Tunnel is a double-track railway tunnel, about 51 km long, of which 39 km is under the English Channel. Connects continental Europe with the UK by rail.
Thanks to the tunnel, it became possible to visit London from Paris in just 2 hours 15 minutes; In the tunnel itself, trains take from 20 to 35 minutes.
How much does it cost to travel by private car through the France-England Eurotunnel?
It is impossible to drive through the tunnel by car. There are terminals on both banks where cars are loaded onto railway platforms and trains travel through the tunnel. The driver and passengers travel separately, in normal passenger carriages. You don’t need anything other than a visa, insurance and money.
You need to pay the fare, go through border control, enter the railway carriage, put the car on the handbrake, after which you can get out. That’s all. The fare depends on how far in advance you purchased your ticket and how long you are traveling for. I think it’s cheaper by ferry
Travel prices include transportation of a car, up to 9 passengers and luggage. There are several types of tickets:
- Offre 1 à 2 jours – tickets (round trip) must be purchased as part of a 2-day return. Returns must be completed by midnight (local time) on the second day from departure. Ticket prices start from €32 per trip.
- Court-Séjour Eco – tickets (roundtrip) must be purchased as part of a 5-day return. Returns must be completed by midnight (local time) of the fifth day from departure. Ticket prices start from €73 per trip.
- Aller simple – standard tickets. Ticket prices start from €98 per trip.
Normandy Bridge
The Normandy Bridge spans the mouth of the Seine River and connects Le Havre and Honfleur. The length of the bridge is 2.143 m.
Tariffs as of February 1, 2024:
| Vehicle | Ordinary |
| Motorbike | for free |
| A vehicle with a height of up to 2 m and a total weight of no more than 3.5 tons with/without a trailer | €5.40 |
| A vehicle with a height of 2 m to 3 m and a gross weight of no more than 3.5 tons with/without a trailer | € 6.20 |
| A vehicle with a height of more than 3 m and a gross weight of more than 3.5 tons | € 6.70 |
Re Island Bridge
The Rais Island Bridge connects the mainland with the Rais Island in western France (Charente-Maritime department), part of the district of La Rochelle. The island is connected to the mainland by a 2926.5 m long bridge.
It was originally planned to make this bridge free from 2012, but this decision was later abandoned due to fears of a large influx of cars.
Tariffs as of February 1, 2024:
| Vehicle | Ordinary | Summer * |
| Motorbike | € 3.00 | € 3.00 |
| A vehicle with a height of up to 3 m and a gross weight of no more than 3.5 tons with/without a trailer | € 8.00 | € 16.00 |
| A vehicle with a height of more than 3 m or a gross weight of more than 3.5 tons | € 18.00 | € 18.00 |
* valid in summer from mid-June to mid-September.
The payment point is located on the mainland 200 m from the bridge and has 8 lanes. Payment can be made in cash, credit cards and using remote payment systems. The ticket price includes travel across the bridge there and back.