We have a Peage Toll tag that we used with our campervan when traveling in Europe in the past.

My question is now that we tow a Troll does that count as a trailer and is therefore included in a single toll charge in both France and Spain?

Alan

Thanks Colin, will look into Viamichelin.

Alan

I find this paper map very handy for route planning..

https://www.stanfords.co.uk/France-IGN-R...1_9782758549031

It shows very clearly those roads that are Peage and those that are not. I find it invaluable. But there again, I do like a paper map. ViaMichelin is an excellent resource, though, as Colin suggests..

hth...

As others say, if cost is all important, plan your route to avoid the tolls. I have used ViaMichelin for years and it is excellent to compare costs on different routes. Often the route without tolls is actually less fuel efficient, and it will take that into account too. My Volvo V70 is remarkably economical whilst cruising, but hammers the diesel when accelerating, so routes without roundabouts and junctions are much better. If you have plenty of time, take a longer, but less heavily toll-afflicted route.

If you're heading towards Germany, nip up into Belgium and use their free motorways to head east (but they are very busy and less well maintained...). If you're going to the south of France then the A75 motorway down from Clermont Ferrand to the Med is toll free (except for the toll bridge at Millau) and it is very scenic.

The About France website provides lots of information about travelling around France, (including the map below) and has pages detailing toll free routes to south west and south east France:

https://about-france.com/geo/motorways.htm

Nip into a shop and buy a paper map. It will show you free and toll roads. Google maps allows you to choose your route. I find the best GPS here is Copilot GPS.

Bear in mind that the French invented the roundabout and now, sigh, have more than any other country in Europe. You can go from one to another in 20m increments in someplaces........ a nightmare towing. Also, places to stop are often few and far between on non-motorways. Sometimes, it's just so much more pleasant to get a good stretch of the journey done on a motorway, save fuel, be able to stop and avoid those *%$£& roundabouts!!!

Thanks all for the useful info which I will follow up.

Sorry to be a pain but I have never towed anything in France before so this is all new to me. I think that the height of the Troll at 2.2mtrs puts us into the Category 2 cost bracket when passing through a Peage, but with no additional charge for the trailer/caravan. Is that correct?

Alan

Priorité à droite officially ended years ago, however a lot of the rural, older drivers have never got the hang of this (just the same in the UK with older drivers) and they still do it. To be honest I have always had the view that all other cars are out to get you, so I never assume anyone, anywhere will go where they are indicating, or stop when they should - I grew up as a motorcyclist, so this approach was all about staying alive - a French friend of ours always describes idiot motorists as "they ticked the 'indicators optional' box when they bought the car..." Where she lives that is so true - although the only damage we have ever had to our cars in France was courtesy of a Parisian, who pulled out of a street parking place (in rural South West France) via the back of our car. My wife (who is bilingual and lived in France for ten years) produced a number of obscure French profanities that I had never heard before.. They always say that you should never put the handbrake on when parking in Paris, because it is standard practice to push cars around with yours until yours fits in the space... not unlike rural Suffolk in my opinion.

The same confusion over French road laws also applies to speed limits - when the government imposed a blanket 80kmh speed limit a couple of years, some départements changed the signage to suit, whilst others didn't. Many foreign drivers got caught out, believing the speed limit signs. Then that law was rescinded, but many areas still have the new, lower speed limit signs in place... you can be sure they will have the speed cameras set to the correct speed though, so beware!

Simboc2004, priorité à droite has never ended in France and is being re-introduced in many towns and villages where it might have been previously stopped. It has proven to be a great speed-reducing device. I don't know where you got the idea that it had stopped from.
I hate it and personally think it's very dangerous but, my opinion doesn't count LOL. Just be very careful in France - people do use it.

The speed limits were also an attempt to reduce the very high levels of deaths on the roads. It cost a lot of money for villages to change the signs to 80kms so many chose to keep the 80 signs, even though they will accept you driving at 90. You can't be penalised for driving more slowly so I don't understand Simboc's point about speed cameras. Anyway, with an Eriba on the back, you're unlikely to be whizzing about like a lunatic.

Another big change in France recently is the lowering of the speed limit in towns. My local big town is 30kms everywhere. It's very hard to drive so slowly. This year, they say the gendarmes will be more tolerant in that this is a period for getting used to it. That will soon change to fines.

In my small town, the main street is now 20kms. That's very slow!

First visit to Paris Rue St Honore, expensive merc pulls up at space not big enough for a mini, reverses in and pushes parked car backwards, pulls forward to get nose in and pushes parked car forwards.
Driver gets out quick look at the back and front walks off into jewellers.
Never seen anything like it before stood with mouth open!

#Islay - re speed cameras, I was just meaning that, whatever the local signage, the speed cameras will be set to the correct speed. They are, after all, revenue generators! Same in the UK with motorways that have "variable speed limits" - if the overhead gantries say the speed is reduced to 50mph, then the cameras will be reset to that speed.