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Hi

Off to saumur soon and notice from the map we will be travelling on partial toll and toll roads. Haven't travelled on these before, Anything I should know? Thanks

You will join at a toll booth called a Peage. Here you will take a ticket. When you leave you will go through another peage where you hand the ticket in. It's scanned and you will see the fee come up on a monitor attached to the peage. so keep some change handy. Along the Autoroute there are service stations and aires which are very large lay bys with picnic areas and toilets. You will find these signed at regular intervals, not like here. Be careful when leaving by the slip road some of them can be a very sharp bend. Just stick to the adviced speed when leaving and you'll be fine.

harryb

Quote: Originally posted by sunvalleysue on 16/7/2008

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How much does it cost on the toll roads?

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Depends on the Autoroute and on the mileage travelled, whether you are solo or towing. They are not cheap but they do get you there faster than ordinary roads. If you go to the Micheling web site and put in your and put it your route it will work out the tolls for you. 

http://www.viamichelin.co.uk/viamichelin/gbr/tpl/hme/MaHomePage.htm

harryb

There are other websites to calculate routes too - http://www.mappy.co.uk/, and http://www.autoroutes.fr/en/homepage.html All these route planning websites calculate tolls for you and have a section to select whether or not you are towing, and whether you prefer 'quickest', 'recommended' or 'toll-free' options, and some of them allow you to choose 'scenic' routes too.

If you're towing a caravan, and trailers above a certain size, then the 'classification' of your vehicle will change from Class 1 to Class 2 and you'll pay more in tolls.

The cost of tolls can be significant - so don't plan a journey without knowing how much it will cost you.  For example, Calais to Saumur, towing, will cost 53 euros 30 centimes.  Calais to Argeles sur Mer will cost 104 euros!!  So not small change - if you're paying with cash then make sure you have enough with you to cover the journey, or pay by credit or debit card.

The other thing is to make sure you select the 'correct' booth - above each booth is a red or green cross - green are open, red closed.  However, there are other complications in that there are a second set of signs -  some booths are 'Telepeage' (yellow/orange T sign) and these are for Telepeage card holders only, others are 'Card only' - which means credit or debit cards, and the ones without any of these signs are those where you pay cash.  Don't get mixed up and end up in the wrong one - it's very difficult to reverse out with a caravan and an impatient row of traffic waiting behind you.  Beware, too, that the entrances to the booths are very narrow and it you're towing there doesn't seem to be much space at each side of the van.

And don't forget that all the gubbins are on the passenger side.

Alan

"Take a ticket", and pay later tend to be more on intercity sections, urban routes can just have a pay a fixed amount, often 1 or 2 €, so for the long distance charges it is probably better to pay by card, if you want to fiddle with change use it on the urban sections. Personally I use card for everything, the operators psss them through quicker, you get a receipt to check versus the charge indicated on the display screen.

Re the booths, I am never sure if our or my cards will work in an automatic machine, so I use the "one with the little man" all the time, at least when towing, solo I use Telepeage, If you are crossing Paris, the charges will be totted up on your statement on a daily basis, instead of individual charges

If you have bikes on the roof, beware of height barriers, you would be amazed at the number who end up with 4 bikes scattered over the carriageway.. Do not follow the heavy goods vehicles, usually on the far  right, it upsets the drivers, and you may be charged a premium rate. When you clear the booths, suggest the " co pilot" doesn't speak tilll you are clear and into the m way  again. It can be a fraught experience on the large multilane booths getting back into 3 lanes from 12 booths, with a Le Mans start from the locals. 

Finally if you are around Paris  at the start of "Le weekend" it is a very good place to make friends with a Frenchman as you jockey for posittion to get into a booth. there  are no rules of the road, and not a place for the faint hearted. Not so bad these days, but when every French car was white, scratched, and mucky, it was no place to be with a new shiny Rover.

As ever, it is never as bad as youexpect, so enjoy

FM