Tolls or non tolls to south of France? (1 Viewer)

[steveclecy]

We have decided to head for Agde leaving on 12th June and to maximise time on the Med (we had VERY mixed weather last year central and northern France) we will use toll routes.

Love the A75 but the route from Calais there would lead us to the BP in Paris mid afternoon Friday. Don't want that. So likely to take the eastern side route via Dijon. Budgeting 100 Euros each way.

Steve

 

[mick noe]

Leaving for France on Friday night and the best weather looks to be on the med.
Last year we went down via a visit to friends in Limoges and ended up near Beziers,on the way back up we went over the Milau bridge,Clermont Ferrand ,Chatres,Rouen etc.
This year we only have two weeks!What sort of time can you save by using the tolls and what are the approx costs class 2 ,Whats your favourite route to the med?
Last year we stopped at Chatres on the way back up which was a fair drive then a shorter day to Calais.We aim to have one overnight stop what would you suggest?

we do a similar route to your return journey,Try putting the routes toll/ non toll in sat nav not much in it timewise. spend the money on wine food and enjoying yourself not tarmac:thumb: Have a great time enjoy

 

[magicsurfbus]

We've done Calais to Mesnil-Saint-Pere (free lakeside overnight parking area East of Troyes) then straight down to Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer in the Camargue.

Another option we use is Calais to Seurre (free riverside overnight parking/aire just south of Dijon) then on to the south coast.

Going down the west side we'd probably do Calais to Futuroscope's aire (North of Poitiers, only a few Euros between 5pm and 8am) then maybe go from there to Carcassonne next day, and the coast the day after.

We prefer toll roads - much easier to drive so you can go a lot further without getting too weary. We don't necessarily go fast either, most of the time just over 60mph.

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[jonandshell]

Well if you need to get there that quickly, I found easy jet and renting a caravan a good option :

A caravan aint gonna survive -27 degrees at 2300m in an Alpine winter!!

 

[peyrilles]

Hi Vlad
I live in SW France Just North of Cahors I go down to the Med on cricket umpire duties on a regular basis.
Fist of all I always use the more easterly route via Figiac then on to Rodez, wich now has a ring road, then take the N88 followed by the D911 and join the E11 southward to the Med
total tolls @class 2 is 13€ for tha amazing viaduct.
When I go to the UK I use the N20 the west of Paris via Chartres, Drue, Evruex, through Rouen, which now has lovely bridge over the River Seine which saves a good half hour then to whichever channel port you you choose.
Dieppe - Newhaven is always cheap and comfortable. I think the toll charges are about 30€
For that route
Hope this helps
peyrilles

 

[GAVLAD]

Leaving for France on Friday night and the best weather looks to be on the med.
Last year we went down via a visit to friends in Limoges and ended up near Beziers,on the way back up we went over the Milau bridge,Clermont Ferrand ,Chatres,Rouen etc.
This year we only have two weeks!What sort of time can you save by using the tolls and what are the approx costs class 2 ,Whats your favourite route to the med?
Last year we stopped at Chatres on the way back up which was a fair drive then a shorter day to Calais.We aim to have one overnight stop what would you suggest?



Vlad

How did you get on with your route?
Which way did you end up travelling and what were the toll charges like?

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[mitzimad]

we went down to rouen everoux drex chartres then join the e5 a71

 

[Chrisy]

Just returned from France having gone in stages from St Malo to Near Pau in the south. After reading many posts on here about the joys of non-toll roads we started off by trying these thinking we would enjoy the scenery and save a few pounds. It took just one morning to convince us we were wrong and quickly headed for the autoroute. Endless narrow roads through villages, variable road surfaces,ever changing speed limits (Gendarmes trying to hide with their radar guns. Yes we did see more than one group and we almost got caught in a 30km/hr zone just after leaving a site) and hundreds of gear changes applying brakes and squeezing past vehicles convinced us that it was neither a pleasure or particularly economical. The autoroutes were generally quiet by UK standards except around large cities e.g. Bordeaux. What a joy to switch on cruise control and relax. We arrived earlier and less tired. The total cost was about 135 Euros (£100) for the return trip in a class 3 MH. The only downside for my wife was grabbing tickets and paying and collecting change. Machines not designed for MH, slots either too high or too low!

 

[Jaws]

Non Tolls for us every time..
Especially after we got caught out on one toll that charged us €78 for a 10 mile section somewhere around Nimes
About the only disadvantage of doing non tolls is the occasional lack of somewhere to over night as we use the rest areas for over nighting on long trips

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[gus-lopez]

In the majority of my trips across Europe I always use non-tolls & have only ever seen 3 Gendarmes ? & one of them was in a queue for breakfast Never seen any sped traps ,radar etc.
Probably means I'll be inundated with them this year.

 

[dewaltman]

Just done Le Havre , Chartres , stopped bourges then next day bourges , Millau down to beziers mix of tolls non tolls not above 65 mph class 2 about 60 euros if I remember correctly

 

[Chrisy]

In our experience there are plenty of traffic cops about in villages also have a nasty habit on main roads of crouching in the ditch. Not to mention the blokes on motorbikes. No high visibility jackets like at home so easy to miss.

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[Cyclewalkbob]

We are now retired and I was once an advocate of non toll roads, much against the wishes of the other half!

Decided to take the non toll route through Belgium and then have a stop at a campsite there. After driving 5 hours, we had to go a further 50km back into France to find a campsite. We rolled up at one that stated just 2 hrs by motorway to Calais!
No we go by motorway and the toll cost is part of the holiday!!!

 

[Vlad The Impaler]

How did you get on with your route?
Which way did you end up travelling and what were the toll charges like?

From a very bad memory we got a late tunnel and drove for a few hrs into France on the Chartres Rouen route,and pulled into a aire at around 1 am .
The next day we got to Clermot Ferrand by lunch and stopped at a site with a pool for the kids ,the next day it was a shortish half day drive to Bezier's .
On the way back we took the autoroute up past Carcason to La Rochelle for a couple of nights before the final push to a Kiddy friendly site at Guines just outside Calais with a pool park restaurant etc for the kids .
From memory the tolls on the way down were £40 ish ,but on the way back up were about 130 euros ish . However I reckon it saved around 6 or so hrs driving or another overnight stop on the way back by using tolls.


Vlad

 

[irnbru]

This has been a great and interesting thread for me but so many varied opinions I don't know what the majority opt for. Perhaps the OP could start a poll.

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[peterc10]

But what does it matter what the majority opt for I wonder? It is what you want to do that matters. If you are not sure then try both ways and decide what suites you.

Sometimes I use tolls and sometimes I don't. Sometimes I have a good reason to decide one or the other (driving round rather than through Tours for example), other times there is no rhyme nor reason, just a whim.

 

[MichelleRyall]

We do a combination of both, mainly dependent on how much time we have to meander. When we ski we want to get there as soon as possible so use the tolls. ( expensive but fast for us as we get charged class 3 even though I have used my best French at the unmanned booths!!) When we have more time we really enjoy taking our time but you do have to keep an eye on the constantly changing speed limits. A mix of both works at other times.

 

[Clive]

It really all about personal preference, time v cost. I'm on holiday so cost doesn't truly matter, so I use some toll roads, A16, A13 but then I also used the N157. Once I get into the area I want then it's no tolls for me because I want to see all those little places. Did notice this year a lot more speed cameras.

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[mjltigger]

You all show encyclopedic knowledge of French roads.. I suspect you pore over maps to plan your journeys.. personally once I have decided on a destination I just put it in the satnav and go go go.. like others, I once tried going to Germany without rolls but after 2 hours driving had made so little progress I gave up and just reset the satnav..

 

[gus-lopez]

If you can only go at the same speed as when using non-toll roads there is no point using them !