Do I buy a toll tag for France?

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Reg1958

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Hi all,
Not sure if this topic has been talked about before but….
we are going to France for the first time in September for 2 or 3 weeks and I’m trying to prepare for any potential head aches.
Does anyone recommend the emovis toll tag and is it a good idea to buy the air quality sticker?
I am not going anywhere near Paris but wondered if it was still better to get one.
can I buy a toll tag just for the duration of our holiday or do I have to take a subscription?
Any advice at all on our first trip would be much appreciated and if you have advice on great places to stay between Calais and Rouen then please share.
Many thanks 🙏 to all of you.
 
I rarely use toll roads so haven't bothered with a tag. I travel solo, am never in a rush and I'm still fit enough to get out to pay and get back in the cab without assistance. ;)
 
The emovis is great but tolls expensive you pay a deposit and can cancel after the trip but you only pay a yearly management fee plus useage .
For the cost i would get tbe crit air as more cities are being added .
 
brynric said:
We find the toll tag invaluable. It takes away all the problems of sorting change or hights of card readers. Of course there’s the shock of the end of month bill but we find that well worth it for the convenience.
Click to expand...
Spot on.

CritAir Regustration……the French don’t bother so why should you, it does of course put you on their Data Base 🤔

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Reg1958 said:
Hi all,
Not sure if this topic has been talked about before but….
we are going to France for the first time in September for 2 or 3 weeks and I’m trying to prepare for any potential head aches.
Does anyone recommend the emovis toll tag and is it a good idea to buy the air quality sticker?
I am not going anywhere near Paris but wondered if it was still better to get one.
can I buy a toll tag just for the duration of our holiday or do I have to take a subscription?
Any advice at all on our first trip would be much appreciated and if you have advice on great places to stay between Calais and Rouen then please share.
Many thanks 🙏 to all of you.
Click to expand...

If you are likely to return to France on an annual basis and are expecting to drive on toll roads for most of your trips during busy times, a tag is worth it. As a one-off or occassional use, it has less value - we love using ours when travelling in peak times as we can skip many of the queues and it is convenient when the passenger is trying to sleep on the journey but were fine on our last trip when we realised that the battery in our tag had run out. They aren't easy to swap over - partly because while the tags work throughout France, they are supplied by different toll companies which are resposnbible for different parts of the country. You have to return them to the company that supplied them.
 
Hi all,
thanks for the quick response.
Seems a no brainer to get the tag, I hadn’t thought about getting in and out of the van at the tolls.
I would really like to try not booking sites and use the Aires but as first timers abroad we haven’t got the confidence to do this.
Im sure once we’ve done our first trip we will never pre book sites again.

So, apart from the obvious ‘KEEP TO THE RIGHT ‘ tip, what is your single best piece of advice for us first time driving abroaders ?

cheers all.
 
Reg1958 said:
Hi all,
thanks for the quick response.
Seems a no brainer to get the tag, I hadn’t thought about getting in and out of the van at the tolls.
I would really like to try not booking sites and use the Aires but as first timers abroad we haven’t got the confidence to do this.
Im sure once we’ve done our first trip we will never pre book sites again.

So, apart from the obvious ‘KEEP TO THE RIGHT ‘ tip, what is your single best piece of advice for us first time driving abroaders ?

cheers all.
Click to expand...
Remember to keep on the right. Been on the left a few times without incident but each time it has been after a break rather than setting out in the morning.
 
Reg1958 said:
Hi all,
thanks for the quick response.
Seems a no brainer to get the tag, I hadn’t thought about getting in and out of the van at the tolls.
I would really like to try not booking sites and use the Aires but as first timers abroad we haven’t got the confidence to do this.
Im sure once we’ve done our first trip we will never pre book sites again.

So, apart from the obvious ‘KEEP TO THE RIGHT ‘ tip, what is your single best piece of advice for us first time driving abroaders ?

cheers all.
Click to expand...
Take special care to remember to drive on the right on your second day in France. It is so easy to forget and pull out of the campsite carpark, driving on the left handside .... according to a friend who has done it more more than once ....
 
Camdoon said:
Remember to keep on the right. Been on the left a few times without incident but each time it has been after a break rather than setting out in the morning.
Click to expand...
Snap says my friend ....

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Reg1958 said:
Hi all,
Not sure if this topic has been talked about before but….
we are going to France for the first time in September for 2 or 3 weeks and I’m trying to prepare for any potential head aches.
Does anyone recommend the emovis toll tag and is it a good idea to buy the air quality sticker?
I am not going anywhere near Paris but wondered if it was still better to get one.
can I buy a toll tag just for the duration of our holiday or do I have to take a subscription?
Any advice at all on our first trip would be much appreciated and if you have advice on great places to stay between Calais and Rouen then please share.
Many thanks 🙏 to all of you.
Click to expand...
hi we have been with these for years https://www.emovis-tag.co.uk/subscription/ you can also buy from these
www.eurotunnel.com

Emovis tag

Emovis Tag, the French motorway operator has now extended its Liber-t automatic toll payment service to UK motorists
www.eurotunnel.com www.eurotunnel.com
 

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Hi Reg,
Apart from driving on the right, you need to remember at junctions that the immediate risk traffic is coming from the opposite direction to in the UK. Also from my experience there are two things about the way the French drive that used to annoy me intensely but I have learned to come to terms with:
1. At roundabouts the French make it their mission to jump on ahead of you rather than give way to you because you are already on the roundabout. Not sure if they are taught to drive this way but they all seem to do it. You will find yourself braking on roundabouts all the time.
2. If you are driving in the outside lane and there is a car in the lane to your right gaining on a slower vehicle in front, they will just pull out in front of you to pass the slower vehicle even though you are travelling a lot faster than them and very close to overtaking them.(maybe not a major problem in a motorhome). Usually they put the indicator on when they are well into your lane if they bother at all.
Hope this helps.
Sean
 
Reg1958 said:
So, apart from the obvious ‘KEEP TO THE RIGHT ‘ tip, what is your single best piece of advice...
Click to expand...
I urge everyone to not take this lightly. As much as we all might think we are on top of this, lapses are commonplace. Stop for a coffee, a filling station, or overnight, perhaps drive away in mid conversation and its so easy to drive the way you habitually do.

My advice is to stick a note on your steering wheel everytime you stop.

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Last edited:
Hi all,
sound advice from SeanF1 and Lucky.
I,m stuck somewhere between excited and bloody nervous if I’m honest!
I just need to get this first trip done and then I think we will be in Europe every year.

I,m hoping holiday traffic won’t be too busy in September but also hope the weather will be good to us at that time of year. 😬😬
 
Le seuze le sarthe aire ( check spelling ) near Le man the first aire we stayed on . Riverside location nice small town nearby.
 
Hi Reg
The main season is July and August and you do not need to book in advance even in the most popular places there will be plenty of pitches, by doing that you can stay longer if you find a place you like. You do not say which areas you are going to explore but try not to travel too far each day France is a big country. On a cautionary note try not leave your outfit unattended at supermarkets or retail parks near the northern ports and you will be fine.

Regards
John

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Reg1958 said:
Hi all,
sound advice from SeanF1 and Lucky.
I,m stuck somewhere between excited and bloody nervous if I’m honest!
I just need to get this first trip done and then I think we will be in Europe every year.

I,m hoping holiday traffic won’t be too busy in September but also hope the weather will be good to us at that time of year. 😬😬
Click to expand...
Don't be nervous because when you finally get to your destination / it's an accomplishment.. :giggle:
 
Lucky said:
I urge everyone to not take this lightly. As much as we all might think we are on top of this, lapses are commonplace. Stop for a coffee, a filling station, or overnight, perhaps drive away in mid conversation and its so easy to drive the way you habitually do.

My advice is to stick a note on your steering wheel everytime you stop.
Click to expand...
Very good advice. In Norway camping with kids stopped off in a cafe and when coming out immediately started driving on left. Shouts from family got me sorted but you do get a bit of scare when you realise what you have done. Complacency can be a bugger.
 
My advice, as well as all the good advice already given, is to enjoy your first relaxing drive you will have had in years.

Even in September, French roads will be a joy to travel on at a relaxing uncluttered pace

Look forward to it and you will enjoy it

Al 👍
 
The American lady who killed the motorcyclist in Northamptonshire comes to mind

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By September in France some campsites are winding down and you don't get all the services they offer in high season like snack bars and takeaways. I wouldn't bother booking in advance. Roads normally are also very quiet.

There are some traffic offences that Gendarmes take very seriously. Do not cross a solid white line to overtake. You must come to a complete halt at a STOP sign; do not treat it as a give way and roll across even if there is no other vehicle for miles in any direction. Expect random alcohol breath tests especially after the mid-day meal. Mobile radar speed traps are common and well hidden.

Anyone can make the mistake of driving on the left. Stay alert! Enjoy your trip.
 
Reg1958 said:
Hi all,
Not sure if this topic has been talked about before but….
we are going to France for the first time in September for 2 or 3 weeks and I’m trying to prepare for any potential head aches.
Does anyone recommend the emovis toll tag and is it a good idea to buy the air quality sticker?
I am not going anywhere near Paris but wondered if it was still better to get one.
can I buy a toll tag just for the duration of our holiday or do I have to take a subscription?
Any advice at all on our first trip would be much appreciated and if you have advice on great places to stay between Calais and Rouen then please share.
Many thanks 🙏 to all of you.
Click to expand...
Haven't used a tag but been in a vehicle that had one (on the Tange in Naples) and it made everything v. straightforward - unlike on an all motorway dash out of France to Italy in 2020 when we had to use every one of the cards we had in our possession and some cash as well because the toll machines can be unpredictably fussy. This year, we will probably be getting a tag, just in case . . . .
 
Tip #1 - If your van has it, use the speed limiter to stay within the limit. It's too easy to drift a few kph over when admiring the scenery. And don't forget to slow down for every village - the speed limit is not necessarily posted, it's assumed!
Tip#2 - Take a continental 2 pin connector for your EHU. On out first trip we stayed at 3 sites (proper sites, not aires) that didn't use the blue 3-pin connectors. And either get a polarity tester or make sure you disconnect from the EHU before fiddling with anything electrical that's stopped working.
 
Reg1958 I think a cork screw may also come in handy, they reckon they can make stuff called wine over there, various colours are available with funny foreign names to make it even more confusing.:giggle:
But seriously, great tips given thus far, just do it, and enjoy.(y)
LES

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