Driving in France Information

Things you should know before you drive in France

by and - last updated on 6/28/2024

Driving a vehicle in France is not quite the same as it is in the United States. We have collected some information and details that we found useful to know while driving in France. We will start with road signs and then on to other information you will want to have.

NOTE: If you're American or Canadian, your passport and driver's license are all you need to drive in France. Many sites will tell you that you need a notarized French translation of your U.S. Driver's License - however - we have been renting cars in France for over 30 years and we have never been asked for such a thing. Many sites will also tell you that you need an International Driving Permit however, we have never had one and have never been asked for one at any Auto Rental Facility. From what we have read, if you were to be stopped by the French Police for a violation, you could be asked for a notarized French Translation of your driver's license. You must be 18 years old or older to drive in France and your US driver's license must be valid and current.

Please note that the following set of signs are not a complete list of French road signs, these are only the signs that we found to be unique to France and that we had to lookup to understand the meaning.

In basic terms driving in France is similar to driving in the USA; they drive on the right like we do, the French stop signs mostly say "stop" and their driving license requirements are strict enough to where French drivers are reliably stable & predictable. Most of the French traffic and road signs are intuitive, but some are not. For example, what would you think a sign that shows flames coming out of the top of a car might mean? Its definition is "Access prohibited to vehicles transporting explosives and flammable materials" but that might not be your first guess would it?

Road Types 

French Roads are classified into the following categories:

  • Axxx: Autoroute Logo Red background with numbers in white. On road signs, autoroute destinations are shown in blue, while destinations reached through a combination of autoroutes are shown with an added autoroute logo.
  • Nxxx: National road Red number sign, sometimes referred to as RNxx
  • Dxxx: Departmental road Yellow number sign, sometimes referred to as RDxx or CDxx)
  • Exx: E roads are European roads in France. They are part of a network of roads that span Europe.
  • There also are municipal (white number sign) and forestry roads (green number sign)

Road Signs 

Sign Explanation/Description  
Stop before entering or crossing the other road sign Stop before entering or crossing the other road and yield (give way) to vehicle on the other roads

You may also see this sign in French stating "Arret"

Autoroute Ahead Sign Blue sign with white lettering and a red background "Axx: indicates Autoroute. Toll road if the word "péage" appears.

Most Autoroutes are toll roads, you should bring coins & bills in case your credit cards do not work at the toll booth. Note that this sign is indicating that the A75 Autoroute is an exit to your right.

Priority Information Signs

Diamond sign with a white edge and yellow background

Trunk (priority) road sign

Trunk (priority) road. "Priorité à droite" does not apply. Get familiar with "Priorité à droite", failure to follow that rule could result in a traffic citation

End of trunk road sign

End of trunk road (after this sign you have to give way to traffic from the right, unless directed otherwise). Get familiar with "Priorité à droite", failure to follow that rule could result in a traffic citation.

Directional Information Signs

Square signs (normally with a white border and a blue background) are informational signs – for example, advising you of a bus stop or emergency breakdown area. Rectangular signs (normally with one pointed end) are directional signs, and helpfully they're also colour-coded: Blue = autoroute / motorway.

Your vehicle has priority over traffic coming from the opposite direction sign

Your vehicle has priority over traffic coming from the opposite direction

One Way Traffic sign

One Way Traffic

No Through Road Ahead sign

No Through Road Ahead

No Through Road to the Right sign

No Through Road to the Right

Priority Signs

The 'priorité à droite' system doesn't apply at all times. If you see a diamond sign with a white edge and yellow background you're entering a 'priority road' which means you have the right of the way instead, and vehicles coming in from the right must give way.

Your vehicle has priority over vehicles on the side roads sign

Your vehicle has priority over vehicles on the side roads you will pass ahead

Crossroads ahead and vehicles on the right have priority sign

Crossroads ahead and vehicles on the right have priority

Give Way ahead sign

Give Way sign 150 metres ahead.

Roundabout Ahead sign

Roundabout Ahead

Giveway sign

Giveway

Stop Sign Ahead sign

Stop Sign Ahead

Speed checking ahead sign Speed checking ahead - either automatic cameras or handheld devices

They may also utilize radar devices, so you should make sure that your speed is appropriate.

NOTE: The French government has announced that speed camera warning signs are to be removed from all roads in France, as part of a range of road safety measures. Not only will the warning signs be removed, but information about the location of fixed radars will no longer be made publically available.

Street Access Control Signs
Entry forbidden sign

Red round sign: Entry forbidden - Do not enter

Closed to all Vehicles sign

Closed to all Vehicles

Speed Control Zone Signs

Restricted Speed Zone Sign

The sign indicates that this specific "zone" is limited to the stated speed limit in KPH

End of speed zone sign

Sign indicates that the speed zone is no longer 30KPH

Speed Limits Signs

Maximum Speed limit sign

Red round sign: Maximum Speed limit in kilometers per hour (KPH) - note that this is not a "zone" it is telling you that this is the speed limit (until otherwise noted).

For those of us who are used to speed limits in MPH, multiply KPH by .6 to get a good approximation of the MPH. As just an example, this sign says the speed limit is 50 KPH which translates to 30 MPH

minimum speed limit sign

This is the minimum speed limit (in KPH), if you drive slower than this, you could receive a traffic citation

Headlights Signs

turn on your headlights zone sign

Mandatory turn on your headlights zone

End of mandatory headlights zone sign

End of mandatory headlights zone

Cattle crossing ahead sign Red triangle sign: danger Cattle crossing ahead
Parking lot with meters sign Blue square sign: information, in this case "Parking lot with meters"

Parking lots are almost always identified by one of these signs

parking is forbidden sign Red round sign: parking is forbidden
Tourist information signs Brown sign: Tourist information
Green sign with Nx indicates national highway. White sign with Dx or Cx indicates local roads
Directional road signs in France are color coded;
  • Blue background with white lettering indicates an Autoroute.
  • Green background with white lettering indicates an important or major road.
  • White background with black lettering indicates local roads.
  • Yellow background with black lettering indicates a regional road.
Regulatory Directional Signs

Circular signs (either with a white border and a blue background, or a red border and a white background) are regulatory signs, that inform you of the laws and obligations governing that section of road

Right Turn Ahead sign

Blue round sign: Right Turn Ahead

Left Turn Ahead sign

Blue round sign: Left Turn Ahead

Keep Left sign

Blue round sign: Keep Left

Keep Right sign

Blue round sign: Keep Right

Left Turn not allowed sign

Round red border/white background sign: Left Turn not allowed

Right Turn not allowed sign

Round red border/white background sign: Right Turn not allowed

No Passing/Overtaking Allowed sign

Round red border/white background sign: No Passing/Overtaking Allowed

No U-Turn sign

Round red border/white background sign: U-Turn not allowed

Toll booth ahead sign Toll booth ahead: indicates you should slow down to stop because you’re approaching a toll booth where you’ll need to pay for the privilege of using the road ahead.

You will need to pay attention to the Toll booth lane signs indicating what types of payments each line will accept, for example, yellow signs mark the leftmost gate as reserved for télépéage only. Télépéage is an RFID based device, similar to systems utilized in the United States, however you will generally not find one on a rental vehicle.

Toll Payment Signs

You will see that each Autoroute lane will have one of the following signs above it. Not all Autoroutes have "manned tollbooths" and not all Autoroutes will accept credit cards and note that some American credit cards will not work in France. You should always have some cash and coins ready to pay the toll just in case (look for the "Cash" sign below).

Ticket marking point sign

Ticket marking point

Manned tollbooth sign

Manned tollbooth

Debit or credit card sign

Debit or credit card

Télépéage-only Sign

Télépéage-only

Cash Accepted Sign

Cash Accepted

Cash Accepted Sign

Cash Accepted

Entering & Departing Villages/Towns/Cities/etc

Entering Village Sign

Sign notifying you that you are about to enter the village of St. Vincent de Tyrosse

Leaving Village Sign

Sign notifying you that you are about to depart the village of St. Vincent de Tyrosse

Entering/Leaving Low Emission Zone
Low Emission Zone Sign

In a effort to reduce air pollution in Paris and many other cities in France they have introduced a "Low Emission Zone" scheme whereby all vehicles must display a "Crit Air sticker" determining the vehicle's carbon emissions. Failure to do so will result in a citation.

Leaving Low Emission Zone Sign

Sign notifying you that you are about to depart the Low Emission Zone.

French Language Road Signs 

The following French phrases are found on various road signs in France, and these phrases also appear on multiple websites. We are unsure of who the author of these phrases may be, we assume that it is the French Government. We are displaying this text in a sincere effort to educate the reader as to phrases that are important for drivers to know of and understand.

French Phrase English Equivalent
ouvert Open
fermé Closed
gauche Left
droite Right
suivre Follow
arrêt Stop – note: the word stop is also commonly used on French road signs
sens unique One way
serrez à droite Keep to the right
le sens interdit No entry
cédez le passage Give way
allumez vos feux Turn on your lights
ralentir Slow down
vous n'avez pas la priorité You don’t have right of way
travaux Road works
fin de chantier End of works
rappel Reminder – this often appears on speed limit signs to show that speed restrictions are still in place
(prochaine) sortie (next) exit
péage Toll road
route barre Road closed
chaussée glissante Slippery road
chaussée déformer Road in bad condition
passage piétons Pedestrian crossing
la limitation de vitesse Speed limit
la circulation Traffic
un bouchon / un embouteillage Traffic jam
le carambolage Pile up (major accident)
le dépassement Overtake
aire de repos Rest area / layby
tomber en panne Break down
déviation Detour
autoroute Motorway
la bande d'arrêt d'urgence Emergency lane / hard shoulder
le rondpont Roundabout
le pont Bridge
le feu de signalisation Traffic light
le conducteur / la conductrice Driver (male / female)
toutes directions All directions – signals where traffic for certain destinations should head
autre direction Other Direction
Bis- If you are driving to Lyon and you see a sign that says Bis-Lyon, it is telling you of an alternative route to Lyon
Risque de verglas Icy Road
Roulez au pas Drive very slowly
Vérifiez votre distance de sécurité Keep a safe distance
Un train peut en cacher un autre One train may hide another
Au péage, prudence, piétons At the toll booth, watch out for pedestrians
 Camera Image Icon for Fieldset 

All Road Sign Images on this page came from Wikipedia on the Wikipedia French Road Sign Article using the GNU Free Documentation License.



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