Site Navigation

Of all the countries I have visited I have found France to be one of the most biker friendly. I think because nearly all French kids from the age of 14yrs rode some form of moped/scooter and even though they now drive cars they generally treat bikers with respect - moving over to allow you to filter, waving you on for an overtake etc. The only cause for concern is when they are about to overtake you they will drive right on your back wheel and then dive past and whip straight back in, even if there is nothing coming ahead, but they do that to all forms of transport they overtake.

Bikes appear to be able to park virtually anywhere that doesn’t cause an obstruction and I have never had to pay in a car park yet. The roads are absolutely brilliant, well surfaced and maintained but best of all, unlike Britain, the police keep a generally low profile. There are few cameras and where there are speed traps nearly all French drivers will flash their headlights to give you warning. However, all is not sweetness and light, if you do get pulled it usually results in a large on-the-spot fine and they have the power to impound your bike if you don’t have the means to pay. Generally as long as you are not riding at ballistic speeds you can maintain some pretty high averages on the Autoroutes - 90 to 100mph seems to be about the average and I have been on some Autoroutes with just the odd vehicle every couple of miles in either direction. (See link Autoroutes.fr for useful Autoroute map and toll calculator). Beware when you pull into any service station forecourt for fuel. The majority of cars in France use diesel and it can be all over the forecourts - usually discovered when putting your foot down as you pull up.

Accommodation in France is plentiful and cheap. Ibis, Novotel and Formule 1 hotels (see link to Accor Hotels) are everywhere and there are many good B & B’s, (click on link at foot of page for links to Biker Friendly Accommodation and camp-sites in France) . I particularly like camping (and so do the French) and camp sites are many and varied. The main thing to remember is that the French holiday season starts on July 1st and virtually everything goes up in price by about a third and accommodation and camp sites can be very busy through until the end of August. Eating out can actually be quite cheap if you don’t mind eating through the day when the cafe’s are open. The French mainly go out for evening meals and it seems that the cafe’s will shut around 6.00pm and the restaurants and bistro’s open around 6.30pm but are much more expensive.

From experience, the best time to visit France is late May through June.                                        

Click on links below for Photos and info on ‘Tour de France’ 2004 / Dordogne 2005 / France 2006

Useful Links

(click on logo to visit site - use your browsers back button to return)

Click on link below for Biker Friendly Camp-Sites, B & B’s and Chambre d’Hotes in France

Site Navigation

Home Interests Touring Tips Getting There France Switzerland Holland Italy Ireland Germany Spain Belgium Poland Romania Links Gallery 1 Gallery2

Site Construction: Allan Wren

For problems or questions regarding this web site contact: Webmaster@allan-wren.com