How To Drive in France and Not Get Lost
"Come over to our house for dinner" said Tom, our new-found
English friend. "It's easy from your hotel". Thus began our
first odyssey of driving on French roads. We were visiting my
company facility in Toulouse to make a decision about moving
there for two years. Needless to say, we got lost that night.
Very lost. After realizing that I missed a turn off the rocade,
a freeway-like road in the city, I simply took the next exit to
turn around and go back, as I would do at home. To my surprise,
the exit road ran off in some unknown direction, and there was
no way to turn back! Later we did manage to find the rocade
again, but the exit we needed wasn't accessible from that
direction. The overhead signs said we were heading toward
Bordeaux. I didn't know where I was, but a two hour drive to
Bordeaux that night was not an option. We seized upon signs for
"Centre Ville" which we knew meant downtown. After a long
struggle to find a pay phone and figure out which coins were
needed, we did manage to call Tom to pick us up. I'd like to say
that was the last time we got lost on the roads of France, but
that is hardly the case. Here are a few hard-learned tips to
minimize wrong turns there, or anywhere in Europe:
It's the Direction, Not the Street Name that Counts In
the U.S. one navigates by turning at certain streets. In France
the streets often are not marked. There may be an old sign on
the corner of a building, but there are few street signs as we
know them. What one does see are signs with names of towns.
These signs are remarkably accurate. If you want to go to a town
that is marked, just follow the signs. You won't have to worry
about missing a turn from D-11 to D-603, for example, the signs
do all the work. If suddenly you see signs that do not indicate
your destination, have no fear. Just go straight and your
destination will be indicated farther on. A problem arises when
your destination is not mentioned on the posted signs. It might
be before or after the town that is indicated, so you need to
know which direction to follow. You must find this out before
departing, either by asking someone which town to go toward, or
by getting internet directions (more on that later on).
Finding the Downtown and Train Station In any French city
or town, it is remarkably easy to find the train station (la
gare, in French). One simply follows signs to "Centre Ville",
and sooner or later you'll see signs indicating "gare SNCF".
(SNCF is the nationalized company that runs the trains in
France.) If you need to go anywhere in the downtown area,
following the "Centre Ville" signs will get you nearby.
Beware of Wrong Turns on Autoroutes Autoroutes are the
French equivalent of Interstate highways in the U.S., or the
motorway in Britain. If you miss a turn here you've just lost
time and money. Almost all the French autoroutes are toll roads,
and the tolls are pricey. Since all access is through toll
booths which are expensive to build and operate, there are not
that many exits and entrances. So if you miss a turn, the next
exit could easily be another 20 miles down the road. You'll have
to pay the toll there, then backtrack the 20 miles you just
needlessly drove. Of course your next toll will also reflect the
extra miles. Make sure you have solid directions before
venturing off on French autoroutes. When several of these
intersect, watch the signs carefully and get in the proper
lanes, and you will stay on the right road.
Internet Driving Directions An excellent internet map
service is www.mappy.com. This site is in 7 languages and
provides directions anywhere in Europe. In addition to maps and
directions from towns or specific addresses, trip time and
distance, Mappy gives more information. You will be told how
much tolls, if any, will cost, and you'll also find out how much
fuel will be used and how much that will cost. The driving
directions include the unique feature of showing what the
autoroute signs will look like, so it is easy to stay on the
right road.
Getting lost while driving in a foreign country is probably to
be expected. If you follow the tips mentioned above, however,
you will avoid unnecessary aggravation and lost time and money.
But if you do wander off in the wrong direction, be sure to have
along that French phrase book you bought before leaving
home!