Population: 67.1 million
Area: 549,970 square kilometres
Capital: Paris
Currency: Euro (EUR) €
Official language: French
France is a holiday dream, think flaky croissants, fine cheeses, and world-class wine, all enjoyed in charming cafés. Stroll through romantic Paris to see the iconic Eiffel Tower, or explore sunny coastlines and rolling countryside. It’s a place of art and elegance, home to masterpieces like the Mona Lisa, and famous for fashion and style. Beyond the cities, France offers incredible roads, perfect for a motorcycle ride through vineyards, mountains, and coastal routes. Whether you’re chasing culture, food, or adventure, France feels effortlessly beautiful, indulgent, and full of unforgettable moments.
To make your trip to France as safe and stress-free as possible, herestravel guide to everything you need to know before you go, from required documents to rules of the road.
You can dial 112 from anywhere in Europe and an operator will connect you to an emergency service in the country you're visiting.
Operators can answer your call in their native language, English or French
Emergency telephones linked to an SOS telephone network are also installed at 2km intervals along motorways and main roads.
Visitors must be aged 18 or over and hold a full, valid driving licence to legally drive in France. Riders of mopeds or motorcycles up to 125cc must be aged 16 or over.
Driving licences issued in the UK, the EU and EEA countries are accepted. International driving permits are recognised but not required.
The police in France have the right to ask any driver to show their driving licence. If it cannot be presented, a fine of €38 can be issued. You will then have five days to present your driving licence at a police station. Failure to do so may risk a fine of €750.
If you are driving a vehicle or riding a motorcycle in France from the UK please take note of some mandatory and recommended items to bring with you.
- UK sticker - Vehicles registered in the UK must display the letters 'UK' when driving in France.
- Mandatory items by law - reflective jackets, warning triangle, headlamp beam deflectors, snow chains when driving through 'snow zones' and safety helmets for motorcyclists and their passengers.
- Clean air stickers - you need a Crit'Air sticker displayed on your car when travelling to certain cities. It costs €4.91 and the sticker will be sent to you within 5 - 10 days. Failure to display the correct Crit'Air sticker could incur an on-the-spot fine of €135. Find out more about France's emissions rules. If you are going on the “Deluxe Castle Tour” you will not be going through any cities that require a Crit’Air Sticker.
ETIAS stands for the European Travel Information and Authorisation System. It is a visa program for visitors who don’t need a Schengen visa, who want to travel to the European Union and a few other European countries.
Visitors who purchase an ETIAS will be able to enter the 26 member states of the Schengen Zone as well as Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, and Romania.
This will be launching in the last quarter of 2026. We have a specific guide for this.
https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias
Be aware that you cannot take the following with you into France:
- Meat or products containing meat
- Milk or dairy products
You cannot take the following unless you pay to have them inspected before you leave and get a ‘phytosanitary certificate’:
-Fresh fruit (apart from bananas, coconuts, dates, pineapples and durians)
- Vegetables
- Plants
- Plant products
Vehicles from the UK can be temporarily imported into France for up to six months in any period of 12 months. In order to stay on the right side of the law, the following documents should always be carried:
- Full, valid UK driving licence
- Proof of ID (passport)
- Motor insurance certificate
- V5 registration document
Driving in France has some local rules that differ from the UK to be aware of:
Overtaking: As a general rule, drive on the right, overtake on the left. However, where traffic is in lanes, vehicles may overtake on the right of other vehicles in slower moving lanes. On steep gradients, vehicles travelling downhill must give way to vehicles travelling uphill.
Who has priority?: At intersections, you must give way to vehicles approaching from your right, unless otherwise indicated. Drivers approaching a roundabout must give way to traffic already on the roundabout. You must also give way to emergency vehicles with flashing lights or sirens.
Warning of approach: Horns may only be used to give necessary warning to other road users. Between sunset and sunrise, warning must be given by flashing passing lights. The horn may be used only in cases of absolute necessity. In all built-up areas, use of the horn is prohibited except in cases of immediate danger. The use of multi-tone horns, sirens and whistles is prohibited.
The international three-colour traffic light system is used France. However, there is no amber light after the red light.
A flashing amber light indicates caution, slow down or proceed but give way to vehicles coming from the right.
A flashing red light indicates no entry. It may also indicate a level crossing or exit used by emergency vehicles.
If a red light is accompanied by a yellow arrow, you may proceed in the direction indicated by the arrow, provided you give way to vehicles travelling in that direction, as well as to pedestrians.
Most road lines on the road are white, while a yellow zigzag line indicates a bus stop. If you find any blue lines or markings on the road then parking is restricted.
Yellow lines on the edge of the roadway indicate that stopping and/or parking are prohibited.
An EU cross-border directive came into effect in the UK in May 2017. This is aimed at tracking down people who commit traffic offences in cars that are registered in an EU member state different to where the offence was committed.
This means if you commit a driving offence abroad, the crime will effectively follow you back home to the UK, where you can still be prosecuted.
France uses the metric system for all road signs, meaning speed limits and other road signs including distance are indicated using kilometres and metres.
Speed limits are lowered in rain and other adverse weather conditions, while special speed restrictions apply to certain classes of vehicle, including coaches and cars with trailers, so check before travel.
There is a minimum speed limit of 80 km/h on motorways for vehicles travelling in the outside lane.
The following national speed limits apply - Stick to them but be aware that some signs may indicate a different limit in specific areas.
Motorways — 130 km/h in normal conditions, 110 km/h in rain, 50 km/h when visibility is under 50 metres.
Dual carriageways or inner city motorways — 110 km/h in normal conditions, 100 km/h in rain, 50 km/h when visibility is under 50 metres.
Other roads — 90 km/h in normal conditions, 80 km/h in rain, 50 km/h when visibility is under 50 metres.
Urban/built-up areas — 50 km/h in all conditions.
If a stretch of motorway is within a built up area, the speed limit is 110 km/h, with the exception being the Paris ring road where the limit is 80 km/h.
Holders of EU driving licences exceeding the speed limit by more than 40 km/h will have their licences confiscated on the spot by the police.
French law prohibits drivers from devices capable of detecting speed cameras and warning drivers of their location.
Penalties can include fines of up to €1,500 and confiscation of the device and vehicle.
This has recently been extended to include GPS-based systems capable of displaying fixed speed camera locations as points of interest.
The speed limit on many A and B roads in France have been reduced to 80km/h (50mph) – in a bid to save up to 400 lives a year. This came into effect from July 1 2018.
French speeding fines
The standard fine for breaking the speed limit in France is €135, which can be reduced if payment is made within 15 days.
Holders of EU driving licences exceeding the speed limit by more than 40 km/h will have their licences confiscated on the spot by the police.
Visitors can be fined up to €750 for serious traffic violations, with French police authorities are authorised to impose and collect fines on the spot. Vehicles may also be seized until payment is made.
French law prohibits drivers from using devices capable of detecting speed cameras and warning drivers of their location. In France, you could have to pay a massive fine of €1,500 if caught.
Visiting motorists should be warned that some French police authorities are authorised to impose and collect fines on the spot up to €750 from drivers who violate traffic regulations.
If the offence committed is not likely to entail the suspension of the driving licence or a prison sentence, the motorist can pay a reduced fine within the next three days. If you want to contest the fine, you must apply for a court hearing within 30 days.
If the offence committed is serious and likely to entail a heavy fine and the suspension of the driving licence or a prison sentence, a motorist who is not resident in France and has no employment there must deposit a guarantee.
The police may hold his or her vehicle until payment is made. This payment can be in euros, by cheque drawn on a French bank or by travellers' cheques.
Standard fines are classified into four categories according to the gravity of the offence, ranging from €11 to €750. They can be reduced if payment is made within 15 days (in the case of postal payments, three days if paid in person) or increased if payment is not made within 45 days.
In some cases, instead of (or in addition to) a fine or prison sentence, the vehicle can be confiscated. The main offences this can be applied to are:
- Exceeding the speed limit by over 50 km/h
- Repeated offence of driving under the influence of alcohol (0.40 mg per litre of breath)
- Hit and run
- Refusal to stop when requested
- Driving without a licence
- Driving a vehicle with a category of licence that of a category which does not cover that vehicle
- Driving without insurance
- Any of the above cases can result in the vehicle becoming the property of the French government.
Much like it is across the continent, there are some different parking rules and regulations in France.
Parking regulations. Stopping and parking are permitted on the right-hand side only of roads with two lanes of traffic; in one-way streets, stopping and parking are allowed on both sides if the street is wide enough. Restrictions and limitations are indicated by road signs or by yellow lines on the kerb. A continuous yellow line indicates that stopping and parking are prohibited. A broken yellow line indicates that parking is prohibited.
Enforcement of parking regulations. Vehicles that are parked illegally may be towed away and impounded, even if registered abroad. The owner is liable for the cost of impounding and for every 24 hours the vehicle is kept. In Paris and some other large towns, illegally parked vehicles are immobilised by wheel clamps. The driver must go to the local police station and pay a fine for dangerous parking or for causing an obstruction, as well as a fine to have the vehicle released.
Paid parking, Road signs indicate the areas where parking is restricted and must be paid for, either at parking meters or automatic machines that issue tickets indicating the length of parking time paid for. Some machines take debit/credit cards.
The maximum legal level of alcohol in the blood for drivers of private vehicles is 0.05% blood alcohol content. That's lower than the 0.08% in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but the same as Scotland.
For bus and coach drivers, as well as newly qualified drivers with less than three years' experience, the limit is 0.02%.
The police have the power to carry out random breath tests. A test is compulsory after an accident that has caused injury or when a driver has committed a serious motoring offence.
A driver involved in an accident, or who has committed a traffic offence such as speeding or not wearing a seat belt, must take a drugs test.
The police use saliva or urine tests to detect drivers under the influence of drugs. If the test is positive, a blood test follows.
Road regulations are subject to change. Although we strive to keep this information up to date, we recommend verifying details before setting off.
