When you come to a town/village following "toutes directions" or "autres directions" will generally take you the quickest way avoiding bottlenecks.
"Centre Ville" means town centre.
Shops close from 12 till 2 but some supermarkets stay open (good quiet time!) They are open till later in the evening. Not many open on Sundays.
Parking is often free in towns, far more than here.If you have to pay it will be pay and display like here.
If you see a "deviation" sign (yellow) it is a diversion-usually road works! Follow it!
Supermarkets will often be signed "centre commercial". Like here they can be out of town centres. Some are massive!
Common companies are "Leclerc, Intermarché, Auchan,Carrefour, Géant Casino" Cheapest place for fuel.
Some are card only at lunchtime or evenings. The instructions are normally multilingual like on ATMs.
You need all the documents for your car, logbook,MOT and Insurance as well as driving licenses etc.
If you have an accident the police will check them ( from personal experience! (An idiot on a scooter hit our car in Calais!)
There are speed cameras but there are warning signs.
If someone coming toward you flashes their lights it normally means the gendarmes are about! (Usually with mobile cameras or doing spot checks!)
Cop cars are not as easy to spot as ours!
Gendarmes drive blue cars with white stripes and lettering. Police National have white cars with red and blue stripes and logos.Plus usual blue lights and sirens!
Campsites are well signposted.
In some towns and villages be aware that you give way to the right if there are no warning signs. Most junctions have signs these days.
The roads are normally quieter than ours, no trucks on autoroutes on Sundays.
Have fun, its a beautiful place, we have been going for years and love it.
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DS-There's more to life than football!!!
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Topic: France for the first time
