Advice for anyone going to France

[pitternator]

Have to admit I found the french this year to be polite and friendly. I drove across france there and back, one way  all motorway , the other mostly country roads.So I saw a fair chunk of the place.
 
my best " parting of the red sea " moment was in 2009 as we tried to get to our hotel in caen..utter gridlock on the ringroad...our 4 bikes showed up, everyone moved aside like magic...should have videoed it !
 
MY big beef is the paucity of decent places to eat in France, and the dratted " le weekend" where everywhere shuts at 2pm ( except macdonalds). For a country with its gastronomic reputation, there seems bugger all cafes left. A few frites vans, but very few roadside eateries. We could do with some sort of directory !
 
 

[yamahasan]

No worries,  but just looked at your dates again  be aware that on the 15th August there is a big religeous festival and many over night places will be totally booked up so you may need to plan your route especially carefully around that week (it falls on a Wednesday) also almost all shops will be shut and some of the restaurants too (bizzarely  seeing as people want to eat out that day!) but also note that many villages and towns will have events on which include food so you should not be too far from something edible (!)

havent been around for some days (mainly working and preparing the trip, we leave tomorrow). thanks again for all the advice!

[tomlinscote]

Have a great trip and if you are anywhere near Maurs (the junction of the Lot the Aveyron and the Cantal) feel free to pop in. Send me a txt if you plan too

[yamahasan]

cool. wish you some good rides for the rest of the summer too.


adiós!

[manuel32]

I think its avoir, or like it,


We did the full length of France a few weeks ago to get to Barcelona for the Moto GP


My mate pulled alongside me on most of the toll things, and then we pulled away together so we only paid for one bike each stretch.Paiage.


Saved about £50 on tolls.


No problems with plod,,even made contact with them at the services, go and ask them the way to a place,,freinds for life then,,

[pitternator]

feck, never thought of doing that !..mind you  there often is a camera mounted over the peage area...so am surprised no gendarmes harried after you !....not so risky if leaving motorway, but if you rejoin another stretch of peage, you would be trapped.

[manuel32]

From what we saw , all the camers are facing you when you put your ticket in,,so no numberplate recognition.


Only in Barcelona near the Moto GP were there staff running from lane to lane to make sure you went single file,


I have read that if you go to the manned kiosk that it is cheaper for bikes,,instead of taking a ticket and paying for a car.

[tomlinscote]

Its always cheaper for bikes in France I think the camera is there to detect the class of vehicle maybe by going side by side it thought you were a car!! Bike price is between half and 2/3 of the car price.
The worst place is Italy where bikes have to pay the same as cars all the time, I had to pay over £25 just to go through some poxy tunnel!! Still it was November and the Alps  did have snow on them.......
Maybe you meant "Au Revoir" as avoir means To have 
 
 
 
 

[yamahasan]

same shite in Spain: bikes pay as much as cars!!! back in my country (I live in Spain but Im form Uruguay) bikes dont pay at all......

[Khaotik]

Love the country, hate the snoty inhabitants.

[ullukk]

Bike ban in French cities
any bike  made before 1 July 2004,
 
http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-news--general-news/bike-ban-in-french-cities/17766.html

Plan on a fortnight trip next year to the basque country area via spending a few days riding through France there and back, must admit didn't know about this particular law, i intend to be on my trusty "old" 53 plate fazer for the trip and avoid french motorways and cities anyway, i hopefully wont go off my intended track and face a fine for the hideous crime of riding an old nail in a big city!!.