Hi, I am in Europe for school. Have a few weeks free before start of research, am planning to rent a car in Perignan and drive through south France, with stops in Narbonne, Morpellier, Nimes, Arles, Saint Remy de Provence, Aix en Provence and Marseilles.
Any recommendations for this trip? Are the roads comparable to the US to drive?
Appreciate any information you can provide!
Comparable but better. No potholes. Very easy driving. Everyone obeys the rules of the road - keep right except while passing. Last October we drove from Bordeaux to Provence, mostly on autoroute until we got to Provence. Have money for tolls, but it is worth it. And when you get on the N and D roads, they are very good as well. Be sure to have a local map or good GPS when you depart to autoroute.
keep a close eye out for speed limits and speed cameras. the town limit signs indicate when and where the speed changes.(eg: there may not be an actual speed limit sign, so be careful) also fixed speed cameras can be very well hidden, so its important to know what speed you should be doing. a gps will help with the speed limit issue. but they aren't perfect.
as the other poster has said the roads are generally very good condition. from my experience US roads cater for the least experienced driver, eg traffic lights, with turning arrows etc are provided in lieu of a round about. whereas in europe you need to be more 'skillfull' if you know what I mean.
the smaller towns, like St Remy, have very little in the way of traffic, from what we found.so no real problems.
hope this helps
Consider getting an app for your smartphone called CoPilot. We used it yesterday with success, and it works offline to keep data down.
It is quite easy to drive in France. They have a lot of toll roads. If time is of the essence you will probably use them. If you have plenty of time you can avoid them. Will you be returning the car in Perpignan? I picked up a car in a "downtown" location in Perpignan to save money. It wasn't worth it. The train station is the easiest. I returned my car there.
Yes on the toll roads - if you want a nice leisurely drive, set GPS to avoid. If you want to get where you are going in a hurry, use em.
Last year we rented in Avignon and were driving to Carcassonne. Due to a delay, our train arrived almost 3 hrs late, so we were already running behind. We first had the GPS set to avoid tolls and it was going to take something like 3 hrs or so. At about 90 min, we were getting tired of roundabouts every 3 km and I switched the GPS to allow tolls and out remaining travel time was cut in half - from about 90 min to 45 min.
No issues with the roads. We always made sure we had money for the toll roads - we have true chip and pin credit cards here in Canada, but I didn't want to mess with a stubborn cc so we always just used cash.
It is a little hard to watch your speed when you are trying to drive the speed limit and locals are driving on your tail - I guess they know where the speed cameras are...sigh. If you are driving a mid-size or bigger car, I'd opt for outdoor parking areas if possible. We had a Citroen Cactus and some of the indoor parking was really narrow spots (this is more of a midsize - about the size of a Ford Fusion - smaller than our SUV which is an Escape) and we ended up getting a huge scratch on the car trying to navigate a tight corner in a parking garage. So we are going to avoid indoor garages from now on when we rent.
As for things to see - we've seen Pont du Gard on two occasions and really enjoyed it. And Rousillon was gorgeous if you like snapping photos! We enjoyed Les Baux as well last year if you are into ruins.
I did a Nicole. We drove from Paris and went South. I did not do toll roads. I saved probably 50 or 60 Euro that way and got to see the South of France and the little villages, grape vineyards etc, Also, gas was cheaper. Most major grocery stores sell gas. Look for Carrefour Market (was Champion), Intermarché. Gas is hard to come by on Sunday on side roads. If driving then, be sure you start with a full tank and be able access the main roads to buy gas, then exit back on secondary roads. Eating at small brasseries or restaurants in little towns was a great experience. Food was much better than the food on the main roads. Just do not be in a hurry. There are a lot of speed camera's around.
Get a good guidebook for Languedoc, such as the Michelin Green Guide and some good maps for Aude and Herault. There is so much to ser and do in this region. My favorite part of France. You will love it!
