# Cutting the Cost of French Tolls



## jackflash2

Hi All,

I’m planning a trip to France for the first time and I want to research the burden of French tolls beforehand. I have heard estimates of €100 to €200 to get from Cherbourg to the south of France (and the same back again). 

While I will accept the fact that tolls are part of a French motorhome holiday, I would like to know if these costs can be significantly controlled. I’m sure a lot of my time will be spent on non-tolled back roads but I am also sure there will be times when I’ll want to get to places as quickly as possible. Below is a collection of routes where I envisage that this could potentially be the case. 

Can I now ask experienced motorhomers if they come across any clever ways to reduce these costs. The kind of things I’m looking for include “this motorway route is a similar length but is more toll cost efficient than that one”, “the non tolled backroad for that route is actually a very good road” or indeed other things that you may have thought of that I haven’t. 

All pieces of information in relation the above will be greatly appreciated, no matter how small. Thank In Advance for all responses. 

Potential Routes

Cherbourg To/From (cities) 
Paris
Brest
Tours
Nantes
La Rochelle
Grenoble
Biarritz
Rodez
Carcassonne
Marseille
Nice

Cherbourg To/From (countries) 
Belgium
Luxembourg
Germany
Switzerland
Italy
Spain


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## Rapide561

*Tolls*

You can check the exact cost at www.autoroutes.fr but you need to know the class of vehicle you are in. All this info is on the website.

Russell


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## framptoncottrell

We find that asking the sat-nav to avoid toll roads works very well. It means that we aren't stuck with a single route should we decide to take a scenic detour. It also knows which autoroutes are toll-free so that we don't lose time if that is important.

Dr (musical, not medical) Roy


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## shedbrewer

*French toll road costs.*

Hi Jackflash, depending on how much time you have to spare on your first French holiday, why not just stick to the non motorway roads, they are SOOOO much quieter than our normal roads and don't cost anything. You can then spend a lot more time seeing the REAL France. We have an AutoSleepers Clubman, 2 berth and my wife & I spend up to five weeks, (school hols,) in France and never touch a motorway,,, Cheers Jack & Patty, Cornwall.


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## lalala

Hi Jackflash
There are some long free sections of motorway type road, for example this is what Wikipedia says of the A20
From Vierzon to Martel
The motorway is managed by the respective DDE in Cher, Indre, Creuse, Haute-Vienne, of Corrèze and Lot. It is a free motorway with 2x2 lanes, with certain sections with 2x3 lanes, for example the by-pass of Limoges.
There are others, you'll find them with a search engine.
We prefer non-motorways but what we generally do is to go on to a motorway just before a city or large town (unless we want to visit it) and use the motorway around the city, then leave it shortly afterwards. This never costs much, if anything, as most city sections are free anyway, and makes the journey easier.
In Brittany there are no motorway costs, the roads are called something else. We were told this is a legacy of Eleanor of Aquitaine but this could be a tall story! If you are, for example, on the motorway from Paris into Brittany A11 / A81 you pay no charges after entering Brittany between Laval and Rennes.
happy motorhoming,
lala


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## eurajohn

Hi Jackflash, can't help noticing your list of cities zig zag from one side of the country to the other, East West etc, to save money on miles driven it would be better to plan your visits more carefully. Secondly we live in France and drive around by car and motorhome (motorhome only before we moved here) not only because I'm tight but I steer clear of any toll roads for most journeys, travelling in a motorhome means your not looking to cruise at ridiculously high speeds and most toll route will add a fair few kilometers to your journey. Stick to the RN roads where possible although some d roads are very good (still haven't got my head around how some of the roads are classified) You'll find the "normal roads" (away from the big towns) will be relatively traffic free and pleasant to drive on. As already advised if you use a sat nav then choose the fastest routes option then the avoid toll roads option.
John.


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## Penquin

Hi Jackflash,

I am very pleased to hear that you have obviously made the purchase that you talked about last month and I am sure that you will enjoy planning and then carrying out your proposed trip to France.

As has already been suggested you can find out the costs of autoroutes via;

http://www.autoroutes.fr/

but you will need to do it in sections depending on where you want to go. As Rapide has suggested you will need to know what class vehicle you are classified as - that can also be checked and depends on the size primarily (as well as number of axles etc.) - particularly the height.

Planning a trip using SatNav will work very well - on TomTom it is advance planning and can cover a multitude of trips. You can also directly compare toll and non-toll options for time etc. If you have a copy of a good atlas such as the Michelin book you will find the comparison easier to do, this is available at W.H.Smith and also via Amazon;

http://www.amazon.co.uk/France-Michelin-Tourist-Motoring-Atlases/dp/206714121X

As you will no doubt realise you have asked for a vast amount of information with your list of suggested towns and countries - you may well find it preferable to do your own planning to allow you to break your trip as you wish. I would be surprised if many people would have experience of all of those destinations with recent prices etc. - hence why a little internet research may well help you make up your mind about where and how.

I also hope that you will spend the extra £10 to become a full subscriber to MHF - we have found that such a minor expenditure has reaped massive returns through advice and assistance. We will all be interested to read accounts of your trips, when it takes place and wish you well for this trip.

Dave


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## markymark05

Hi Jackflash2

We plan to make a trip much like yours to the south of France in the beginning of June. We also do not wish to waste 150-180 euros on toll roads so are using the trusty Tom Tom with the avoid toll road feature. 
I also found a free route planner which calculates journeys with the option of avoiding tolls, also can give a estermate about fuel prices. Type, Mappy Route Planner into Goggle and you should find it.
Hope this helps.
Mark


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## Zebedee

At risk of sounding like a Luddite ( :roll: ) I think the initial route planning for such a diverse holiday is best done with a large fold-out map spread out on the dining table.

Then you can see the whole of France and have a realistic idea of the relative positions of your key visits, and can easily run a highlighter pen down the toll autoroutes so they can be avoided "at a glance".

High tech gadgets are great, in their place, but to plan out a basic route (plus or minus a bit!) you can't beat a good old fashioned map.

Just my opinion of course, but based on several experiences where friends have relied entirely upon the satnav - while we planned (loosely) with the map before setting out. We had by far the most relaxing journeys, didn't get lost, usually saw much more of interest en route . . . and still used the infernal satnav gadget but made it do as it was told by entering our chosen route in smallish sections, or ignored the little swine when it got into a strop!! :roll: 8O

Hence we knew in advance where we were going! On more than one occasion they have looked at our map after the journey and said, _"How on earth did it take us right out there!!"_ 8O 8O

Dave 

P.S. They still go for holidays across the Channel and don't even take a map. They must be mad!! 8O 8O


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## lalala

Zebedee you are absolutely right and that is what we always do, and we carry the map with us so we can always have a 'big picture' of where we are and where we are going. You can easily see places of interest on and off the route. Then I tend to use Google Maps to get info about distances, etc and to zoom in and out of particular areas. Then we feed stages of the journey as required into the sat nav. Even so we still travel with a road atlas, usually open for reference and for when we make changes, as we always do!
I like the idea of using a laptop instead of the road atlas and if I could get a Mac download that would work like Google Maps without having to be connected to the internet, well that would be great.
lala


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## Penquin

Jackflash 2 does not seem to have revisited in a while, I wonder if he is still planning, or is lost in "SatNav land" somewhere trying hard to find his way out? :lol: 

Dave


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## lalala

Yes Penguin I was thinking that he had made no further contact, but it's still interesting reading the other posts.
lala


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## Joris

Just a small tip. Always-if there is one-go to a manned booth on exit from a toll road. It seems that some measurements are taken by infra red. We have been charged as a class 4 vehicle because of our height (dome on top) and we pull a trailer. This could be the downside of an automatic check out.
Joris


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## Zebedee

Joris said:


> Just a small tip. Always-if there is one-go to a manned booth on exit from a toll road. It seems that some measurements are taken by infra red. We have been charged as a class 4 vehicle because of our height (dome on top) and we pull a trailer. This could be the downside of an automatic check out.
> Joris


Not such a small tip Joris. 

You can also haggle with a real live person if you think the category is wrong.

Good tip - thanks (not that we use toll roads very often!)

Dave


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## derek500

jackflash2 said:


> While I will accept the fact that tolls are part of a French motorhome holiday


They're never a part of ours!! Just set the Tomtom to avoid toll roads and you'll be fine - and richer!!

We're leaving for Spain today. From Norfolkline's carpark, where we'll overnight, we'll have three or four reasonable toll free driving days to get to Valencia.


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## teemyob

*ROUTES*

BIS routes, try them


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## foll-de-roll

Dave


You are absolutely right. To us, planning the route is part of the holiday, and maps give you so much more information on the countryside you are passing through.

Another advantage of a Map or Atlas, when you are planning other trips, it jogs the memory of wonderful times and places (or not), that you have had before. Especially when you are over a certain age!!

GPS has it's uses, but should be used in conjuction with a Map, as they don't have much common sense. 



Cheers Andy


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## Zebedee

Thanks Andy

You said, _"Another advantage of a Map or Atlas, when you are planning other trips, it jogs the memory of wonderful times and places (or not), that you have had before. Especially when you are over a certain age!!"_ 

Unfortunately this sometimes gives us problems - mostly due to senility I suspect! 8O  

We sometimes think we have visited a town because the name is so familiar, when in fact we have only ever passed through it . . . albeit on a number of occasions. :?

That can mess things up a bit, but as you so rightly say, the planning is a very enjoyable part of the holiday - even if the plans are deliberately kept quite flexible, as they should be for a motorhomer! :wink:

Now, where's me Green Guide? That's another useful book to have around, and I see the Caravan Club are discounting some in their on-line shop.

Dave


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## Mrplodd

I'm off to the Camargue at Easter starting from Calais.

I have a 7.5m long 4 tonne Autotrail and according to the http://www.autoroutes.fr/ website the total cost for me EACH WAY is wait for it is ....... 178 Euro's !! I am rated for tolls the same as a 12 tonne lorry !!! That works out at over 300 Quid for the return trip EEEEK 8O

Now I was not really planning to use the Autoroute that much because I am on holiday and as far as me and the other half are concerned the journey is a major part of the holiday, and we want to enjoy it.

I rarely exceed 50 - 55 MPH even on motorways for reasons of comfort and economy. So there is not a lot of point in sitting on a boring motorway for hours on end when I can enjoy the tranquility of the (usually) very peaceful French road network. It will take a while longer but I am not in that much of a rush.

Yes I have a Tomtom and use it as a guide rather than following it slavishly. Its very handy for advanced planning and comparing toll and non toll road journey times.

Personally I would say unless you are in a tearing hurry to get somewhere avoid the French toll roads. You will have a much more enjoyable journey and save soooo much wine buying money !!


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## Suenliam

We don't have a sat nav. I prefer the paper version and sit with the big map of France on the floor. It's almost as good as being there  

We have found that toll roads exist where there is a N road more or less parallel and non-tolls (still motorway) where there is no equivalent like ring roads. We almost never use tolls as we want to see the country and with a MH even an extra overnight is a pleasure.

Sue


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## Hezbez

Even when I set our Garmin Nuvi to 'avoid tolls', it still seems intent on trying to force us onto toll rosds in France. 

Anyone else experienced this with their Garmin?


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## oldtart

Thanks for all the info especially on maps. 

We have to buy new maps and atlases this year. Advice please. I need to buy fold out maps and atlases for Spain and France. Are Michelin the best fold out maps. I have used World Maps previously. We used a Rough Guide Map for Morocco last year and it was the most up-to-date and accurate but I can only find ones issued in 2006 for France and Spain.

Atlases - Michelin or AA. The ones we have are Michelin spiral bound and some pages have come out!

Any adivice on this topic would be most welcome please


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## Zebedee

>> This << might help.

The Michelin ones I suggested there are certainly the best we have ever found for outline planning.

Dave


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## oldtart

Many thanks Dave for your info. Will get those. Do you use atlases? If so, any preferences for Spain and French.

Val


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## Zebedee

oldtart said:


> Many thanks Dave for your info. Will get those. Do you use atlases? If so, any preferences for Spain and French.
> 
> Val


Hi Val

Depends entirely on the scale you want - though I can speak only about France.

For very large scale you can't beat the Michelin Yellow maps bound into a large format book. It's not cheap, but unless you go for the fold-out Randonneur series there is nothing to beat it, and you would need hundreds of those to cover the country!!

It's no good for planning of course, but great for when you get there and want to see more detail of the locality.

If you don't want that degree of detail, get the cheapest from The Works or similar outlet, as there ain't a lot to choose between them in our opinion. They all have the wrong road numbers printed - which frequently don't agree with either the satnav or the actual road signage!!! 8O

That's France though! :roll:

Dave


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## oldtart

Thanks Dave for the info. Will get the michelin maps. Yes, I did buy a cheap atlas from the Works and it was just as you say!

Will look for the Michelin atlas.
Val


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## SpeedyDux

I found for route planning the IGN Nationale 954 Routiere map was excellent. I bought the 2009 one from a specialist map shop. It shows all the French toll and non-toll Autoroutes in different colours. 

SD


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## Pudsey_Bear

*Re: Tolls*



Rapide561 said:


> You can check the exact cost at www.autoroutes.fr but you need to know the class of vehicle you are in. All this info is on the website.
> 
> Russell


Been looking at it in English for ten mins, can't make head not tail of it.

Kev.


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## whistlinggypsy

> *Been looking at it in English for ten mins, can't make head not tail of it.*


Kev.

Whats so difficult Kev, just input you starting point and your destination and bingo your done :roll:

From :	Calais (62, France)
To :	Narbonne (11, France)

Itinerary :	Express	Vehicle :	Sedan car
Distance :	1077.3 km	On motorway :	1059.4 km
Duration (1) :	10H11 
Fuel :	119.60 € (92 l) 
Tolls (2) : 
FRA :	62.50 EUR

(1) Apart from taking breaks, normal conditions (trafic and weather)
(2) Apart from toll bridges and tunnels out of France


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## derek500

whistlinggypsy said:
 

> Whats so difficult Kev, just input you starting point and your destination and bingo your done :roll:
> 
> From :	Calais (62, France)
> To :	Narbonne (11, France)
> 
> Itinerary :	Express	Vehicle :	Sedan car
> Distance :	1077.3 km	On motorway :	1059.4 km
> Duration (1) :	10H11
> Fuel :	119.60 € (92 l)
> Tolls (2) :
> FRA :	62.50 EUR


Is that for a class 1 vehicle? I would have thought a class 2 or 3 motorhome would cost more than that.

I've just checked. You inputted a car!! A class 2 motorhome is 97.90€ and a class 3 120.90€.

Not so simple after all!!


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## whistlinggypsy

> *Is that for a class 1 vehicle? I would have thought a class 2 or 3 motorhome would cost more than that.
> 
> I've just checked. You inputted a car!! A class 2 motorhome is 97.90€ and a class 3 120.90€.
> 
> Not so simple after all!!*


Yes it is if *YOU* input your vehicle m/h size/weight.


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## derek500

whistlinggypsy said:


> Yes it is if *YOU* input your vehicle m/h size/weight.


OK, so how do you find the price for a 3.4 tonne MH with two axles?

If you go by weight, -3.5t it comes out at 151.60€ which I'm sure is class 3.

To get class 2, I think you need to put in a minibus with two axles - 97.90€. As i've said before, it's not easy or straight forward.


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## Mrplodd

Vehicle with overall height from 2 to 3 metres and GVW not exceeding 3.5 tonnes
Train with overall height from 2 to 3 metres and GVW of towing vehicle not exceeding 3.5 tonnes

You are CLASS 2


Vehicle with overall height of 3 metres or more
Vehicle with GVW of more than 3.5 tonnes

You are CLASS 3 


As you are 2 Axles, under 3.5T GVW and ( I assume ) under 3m you are class 2. If however you are over on ANY one of these figures then you are class 3 

(dont forget this is GROSS NOT unladened weight)

SIMPLES?? I think so. 

Where is the confusion?


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## derek500

Mrplodd said:


> Vehicle with overall height from 2 to 3 metres and GVW not exceeding 3.5 tonnes
> Train with overall height from 2 to 3 metres and GVW of towing vehicle not exceeding 3.5 tonnes
> 
> You are CLASS 2
> 
> Vehicle with overall height of 3 metres or more
> Vehicle with GVW of more than 3.5 tonnes
> 
> You are CLASS 3
> 
> As you are 2 Axles, under 3.5T GVW and ( I assume ) under 3m you are class 2. If however you are over on ANY one of these figures then you are class 3
> 
> (dont forget this is GROSS NOT unladened weight)
> 
> SIMPLES?? I think so.
> 
> Where is the confusion?


Out of interest if you have something high on your roof like a Camos Dome and it takes you over 3m, are you Class 3?


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## oldenstar

> Out of interest if you have something high on your roof like a Camos Dome and it takes you over 3m, are you Class 3?


From very recent personal experience, then yes.

This was at a fully automatic section with no manual booths at all, so it may be that a huming being will differentiate.

Can't remember the exact section now, either down to Bourdeaux or from Bourdeaux down to Biarritz, but it charged us, wait for it- 50.6 Euros.

Our van is about 6.8m long, but is about 3.2m high with the Sat Dome and Topbox, and is plated at 4 tons, probably weighing about 3.8 or so.

An earlier post on the subject says that there is a button on the auto tolls to speak to an operator, but did not know at the time, and it is a bit fraught with others in the queue behind you.

Needless to say once bitten etc, and we will not be using this route when returning next month.

Paul (in Lagos,Portugal)


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## oldtart

Thanks SD for the info. I think we might wait till we get to France as we are visiting friends first and there is a good bookshop in their nearest town.

I did look in Smiths, Southport yesterday and saw the large Michelin Atlas, Dave that you mentioned. I also saw the AA Easy read atlas 2010 whiuch I liked. It is smaller than the Michelin one. Not sure which one to get at the moment!


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## Zebedee

Hi Tart (Don't want to call you "old". 8O :lol: :lol: )

Have a look on >> this website << and/or give them a call.

They are very helpful, and what they don't know about maps ain't worth bothering about.

Worth a visit if you are near Upton. You won't believe the range and selection they have, and if you wanted the map to Osama Bin Laden's outdoor lavvy they would get it for you!! 8O 8O (I jest - but only slightly!)

As for the options in Smiths, I would check over an area I know quite well and compare the two, then if there's nowt to choose I'd go for the one that "feels" good. The Michelin one is a bit of a lapful!! :roll:

Hope this helps

Dave


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## hymerowner

Michelin is the only solution for acurate mapping in France - would that it was as good in the German version


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## oldtart

Thanks for that, Dave! It started as a joke from the family!!

Just been on to that site. I'll give them a ring tomorrow. I'm going for the AA Easy Read 2010 France atlas. The Michelin is just to big!!


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## Zebedee

Hi again OT

>> This << might be very handy if you ever want to make good speed down the motorway, and find a safe and pleasant overnight stop very near a junction.

Dave


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## kiwistopher

*No toll trip through France*

I never go on motorways...I have been travelling in Europe for 13 mos now and have enjoyed the real views, not those afforded by motorway travel which tend to be a bit generic...having said that, I can appreciate that, if time is a constraint, they are useful!
I must admit that in Slovenia, I accidentally got on a motorway with no ticket on my windscreen and was fined 150 Euros...gulp; that was 5 days budget!!  
As has been said above, the ordinary roads in France are an absolute delight to travel...little traffic, well kept and few coppers (but stick to the limits!)
Cheers, Chris


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