Car travel in and around Cote d'Azur and Provence
Feb 21, 2019, 2:38 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Wherever the lounge is
Posts: 145
Car travel in and around Cote d'Azur and Provence
Hi All,
We will be traveling to Nice at the end of the summer and depart from Marseilles airport. The goal was to go to Nice for several days and then head to Provence for the last few.
We are not particulary good French speakers and we have never driven in France. As drivers from the US, is it particularly difficult if we try to stay off the main roads and do not venture into the wilderness or mountain passes?
Thanks!
We will be traveling to Nice at the end of the summer and depart from Marseilles airport. The goal was to go to Nice for several days and then head to Provence for the last few.
We are not particulary good French speakers and we have never driven in France. As drivers from the US, is it particularly difficult if we try to stay off the main roads and do not venture into the wilderness or mountain passes?
Thanks!
Feb 21, 2019, 3:31 pm
#2
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: DAY/CMH
Programs: UA MileagePlus
Posts: 2,474
Driving in France is relatively easy. I think you've got the challenges backwards, though; the major highways ("autoroutes") are easy, lesser highways (N and D routes) are a little more challenging.
Navigation was sometimes challenging for non-Francophones in the days before GPS, as French place names tend to be long, hyphenated, and polysyllabic. Nowadays your challenge will be to figure out what French place name your phone just mangled. I switched mine to French when I was in Quebec just so I could understand the street and place names, but that won't help you if you don't understand French.
Be sure you know how to read international traffic signs. Directional arrows on signs pointing to destinations can be confusing; instead of using down arrows for "straight ahead", they use a horizontal arrow pointing left on a sign that's angled away from you. You'll soon get the hang of this but it's not obvious at first glance. Signs labeled "Toutes Directions" ("All Directions") direct you to a place from which you can go in any direction including wherever you're coming from, so those mysterious signs actually do make sense.
Be aware of the priorité à droite rule. If you aren't on a "priority" road (indicated by a yellow diamond sign), traffic entering from the right has the right of way.
Obey the speed limit. Enforcement is strict and can cost a bundle.
Don't drive after drinking. The limit is 0.5 mg/ml. One drink can put you over that if you're small.
Stay in the right-hand lane of autoroutes unless you're passing.
Nice is in Provence. If you're exploring other parts of Provence from Nice, you'll have to cross some mountain passes to get there. It's trivial on the autoroute and, if you're at all accustomed to mountain driving, easy enough on the smaller roads.
Navigation was sometimes challenging for non-Francophones in the days before GPS, as French place names tend to be long, hyphenated, and polysyllabic. Nowadays your challenge will be to figure out what French place name your phone just mangled. I switched mine to French when I was in Quebec just so I could understand the street and place names, but that won't help you if you don't understand French.
Be sure you know how to read international traffic signs. Directional arrows on signs pointing to destinations can be confusing; instead of using down arrows for "straight ahead", they use a horizontal arrow pointing left on a sign that's angled away from you. You'll soon get the hang of this but it's not obvious at first glance. Signs labeled "Toutes Directions" ("All Directions") direct you to a place from which you can go in any direction including wherever you're coming from, so those mysterious signs actually do make sense.
Be aware of the priorité à droite rule. If you aren't on a "priority" road (indicated by a yellow diamond sign), traffic entering from the right has the right of way.
Obey the speed limit. Enforcement is strict and can cost a bundle.
Don't drive after drinking. The limit is 0.5 mg/ml. One drink can put you over that if you're small.
Stay in the right-hand lane of autoroutes unless you're passing.
Nice is in Provence. If you're exploring other parts of Provence from Nice, you'll have to cross some mountain passes to get there. It's trivial on the autoroute and, if you're at all accustomed to mountain driving, easy enough on the smaller roads.
Feb 22, 2019, 12:00 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Wherever the lounge is
Posts: 145
Thank you for your detailed explanation! I greatly appreciate it! I am not sure I follow your explanation of the picture though. On your picture, if I want to go to the "Centre Ville" would I be turning left?
Feb 22, 2019, 1:01 pm
#4
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: DAY/CMH
Programs: UA MileagePlus
Posts: 2,474
In the pictured signs, the ones on the left ("Toutes Directions" and the two signs below it) aren't actually pointing left. They're pointing straight ahead. This can be confusing at first but you'll soon get used to it.
Feb 22, 2019, 1:58 pm
#6
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Watch out for some old villages with extremely narrow streets (in some of these places, such as Eze, les Baux, and Vence, you can park just before entering the walled town) and avoid the "Napoleonic route" unless you're comfortable with mountain driving.
Obey parking restrictions and pay for parking as required.
In many towns, "autres directions" is the way to the main road and how to get out of the center. Unless your destination is signposted separately, that is....In France (like most of Europe) one tends to navigate by a following sequence of major towns (or minor towns with major intersections) rather than road numbers. French expressways (autoroutes) are generally toll (peage), and sometimes you must pay at frequent intervals, although usually when you approach a major city, the expressway becomes free. Get a good map (Michelin makes some detailed ones that focus on particular regions--a general map of France is almost useless) and plan your route in advance.
Be sure to drive along the corniches (moyan = intermediate and grand = big, which seems to mean the highest one) near Nice. These are very scenic roadways with wonderful views of the sea. There's an area around Toulon that IMO is ugly, so I would suggest spending your time at both ends rather than in the middle of the coast between Nice and Marseille. Lock your car at all times and do not leave anything in visible in the vehicle when you park, even briefly. Breakins are common and in fact it's better to put items into the trunk before you park, so that no one sees you and decides to force the lock.
Finally, when you say the end of summer be VERY careful about your travel dates. Most of France migrates to the south for the month of August (traditional vacation time which also coincides with school break) and the expressways becomes big parking lots around August 31st. It's common to see stories in the news of families being trapped on the road and unable to move for ten hours or more. Especially if you need to go to the airport around such dates, do not underestimate the time that might be reequired. You should do as the Europeans do and pay attention to school vacation periods in other countries as there can also be massive movements of German etc. tourists on certain dates.
Obey parking restrictions and pay for parking as required.
In many towns, "autres directions" is the way to the main road and how to get out of the center. Unless your destination is signposted separately, that is....In France (like most of Europe) one tends to navigate by a following sequence of major towns (or minor towns with major intersections) rather than road numbers. French expressways (autoroutes) are generally toll (peage), and sometimes you must pay at frequent intervals, although usually when you approach a major city, the expressway becomes free. Get a good map (Michelin makes some detailed ones that focus on particular regions--a general map of France is almost useless) and plan your route in advance.
Be sure to drive along the corniches (moyan = intermediate and grand = big, which seems to mean the highest one) near Nice. These are very scenic roadways with wonderful views of the sea. There's an area around Toulon that IMO is ugly, so I would suggest spending your time at both ends rather than in the middle of the coast between Nice and Marseille. Lock your car at all times and do not leave anything in visible in the vehicle when you park, even briefly. Breakins are common and in fact it's better to put items into the trunk before you park, so that no one sees you and decides to force the lock.
Finally, when you say the end of summer be VERY careful about your travel dates. Most of France migrates to the south for the month of August (traditional vacation time which also coincides with school break) and the expressways becomes big parking lots around August 31st. It's common to see stories in the news of families being trapped on the road and unable to move for ten hours or more. Especially if you need to go to the airport around such dates, do not underestimate the time that might be reequired. You should do as the Europeans do and pay attention to school vacation periods in other countries as there can also be massive movements of German etc. tourists on certain dates.
Feb 26, 2019, 6:52 am
#7
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Finally, when you say the end of summer be VERY careful about your travel dates. Most of France migrates to the south for the month of August (traditional vacation time which also coincides with school break) and the expressways becomes big parking lots around August 31st. It's common to see stories in the news of families being trapped on the road and unable to move for ten hours or more. Especially if you need to go to the airport around such dates, do not underestimate the time that might be reequired. You should do as the Europeans do and pay attention to school vacation periods in other countries as there can also be massive movements of German etc. tourists on certain dates.
https://www.bison-fute.gouv.fr/previsions,10741.html
Pop in the dates and it'll tell you when to brace yourself.
Do plan parking in advance. If you happen to go to Monaco, this is a must! France does like its underground parking too, be aware. Corners and spaces will be tighter than you'll see in the US (and typically fully perpendicular, not angled). So, choose your size of car carefully! This is a great resource:
https://www.parkopedia.com/
And, as mentioned, do learn the pictographic road signs.
Feb 27, 2019, 10:39 am
#8
Join Date: Jun 2015
Posts: 229
Great answers so far.
Something else to be aware of is the non-use of cardinal directions in France. In the US and Canada, we're accustomed to using cardinal directions in highways, so things like "95 south" or "I-70 east," and particularly at highway junctions and mergers we're used to seeing the cardinal directions indicated on the signs. We also usually have a city too, so you'd see something like "15 NORTH Salt Lake City" and "15 SOUTH Las Vegas."
In France (and in Europe in general) cardinal directions aren't used in this way; only city names are used. So for example, the Google Street View screenshot below is for a car traveling westbound on the A-8 highway from Nice to Marseille or Aix-en-Provence, and this is the point where the A-57 highway splits off to Hyères and Toulon on the coast. If this were in the US or Canada you might expect to see "A8 WEST Marseille, Aix" and "A57 SOUTH Hyères, Toulon," but notice you just get the cities.
If you're using GPS or smartphone navigation software it will take this into account (it will not make up a cardinal direction indication when they aren't used) but it's just good to be aware of.
Something else to be aware of is the non-use of cardinal directions in France. In the US and Canada, we're accustomed to using cardinal directions in highways, so things like "95 south" or "I-70 east," and particularly at highway junctions and mergers we're used to seeing the cardinal directions indicated on the signs. We also usually have a city too, so you'd see something like "15 NORTH Salt Lake City" and "15 SOUTH Las Vegas."
In France (and in Europe in general) cardinal directions aren't used in this way; only city names are used. So for example, the Google Street View screenshot below is for a car traveling westbound on the A-8 highway from Nice to Marseille or Aix-en-Provence, and this is the point where the A-57 highway splits off to Hyères and Toulon on the coast. If this were in the US or Canada you might expect to see "A8 WEST Marseille, Aix" and "A57 SOUTH Hyères, Toulon," but notice you just get the cities.
If you're using GPS or smartphone navigation software it will take this into account (it will not make up a cardinal direction indication when they aren't used) but it's just good to be aware of.
Mar 1, 2019, 4:53 am
#9
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Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: London, UK and Southern France
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In the immediate vicinity of Toulon itself, the presqu'ile de Giens and the Hyeres Islands (especially Port Cros) are rather beautiful, as is the coast line betwen Hyeres and Toulon (particularly between Carqueiranne and Le Pradet) and around St-Mandrier/Six-Fours on the other side of Toulon. The hills north of Toulon also offer spectacular views over the sea and surrounding hills and towns.
If you look slightly north or slightly East, there are nice drives or walks to be had around the Ste-Baume mountain to the North or the Maures range to the East between Bormes or Collobrieres and St-Tropez. The hills around Gassin and Ramatuelle near St Tropez are also rather picturesque although I would personally avoid St Tropez itself during the summer season as the crowds make it unbearable, imo. West of Toulon, the coast between Sanary and la Ciotat is rather flat and uninteresting but the Coast between La Ciotat and Cassis (and beyond that to Marseille) is rather spectacular. Looking further North (North of the A8 motorway) the Gorges du Verdon is also a beautiful area to visit. Towns and cities in the Var department area generally speaking are rarely exciting but, OTOH, the area is full of Provencal villages which are rather more genuine than places like Eze or Les Baux which, although extremely picturesque and definitely worth visiting, are about as authentic these days as Pamela Anderson's cleavage.
Also in the middle bit, the coast road between Cannes and Frejus is also a beautiful drive, although here too it can get rather clogged up during the summer.
That said, for a first time visitor and perhaps especially one which is a bit diffident about their French language skills, it does make sense to start with the most obvious places more used to international tourism at both ends and leave the "middle bit" for a possible repeat visit at some later stage.