Car
Rental - France - Corsica and Worldwide
Holiday
Autos offers the best fully inclusive car hire prices in
over 4,000 rental locations UK and worldwide. Get cheap
car hire quickly and securely online with holidayautos.co.uk,
the experts in online car rental.
Remember we have good rates on cars of all sizes to suit
all needs - from small 'runarounds' to minivans and convertibles.
So whatever the occasion, holiday autos has the car to match.
Click on the logo below
holiday
autos offer car rental in many locations in France and Corsica:
(subject to changes) Including Agen - Amiens
- Angers - Arles - Aix En Provence -Ajacio - Antibes - Avignon
- Bastia - Beaune - Biarritz - Bordeaux - Caen - Calais
- Cahors - Calvi - Cannes - Chalons Sur Saonne - Chamonix
- Cherbourg - Deauville - Dieppe - Digne - Dijon - Epernay
- Figari -
Grenoble - Juan Les Pins
- La Rochelle - Le Bourget - Le Havre Le Mans - Lille -
Limoges - Lyon - Marseillles - Metz - Monaco -Monpellier
- Nancy - Nantes - Nimes - Nice
-
Paris Paris CDG - Perigueux Porto Vecchio - Propriano -
Rennes - Rouen - Royanne - Saint Tropez - Soissons - Sophia
Antipolis - Strasbourg - Thiers - Toulon - Toulouse - Valence
- Vichy - Wormhout (airports, stations, city centres)
General
Driving Tips (some of this information supplied by Holiday
Autos)
Speed
limits :
Built-up-areas: 31mph/50kmh outside towns: 56mph/90kmh priority
roads and toll-free motorways: 68mph/110kmh toll motorways:
81mph/130kmh
Speed
Cameras: 
There
are more and more speed cameras in France (useful web site
is
controleradar.org/) They usually have a warning sign
a few metres or so before you see the camera and it is often
set on a dual carriageway in the central reservation to
capture traffic on both sides of the road. They are much
nearer to ground level than those found in Britain and Ireland.
They are often located on motorways on more dangerous sections
particularly when the speed limit is reduced to 110 kmh.
Remember if you are driving a hire car your fine will be
passed onto you by the car rental company.
Drink
and driving: Blood alcohol limit is 50mg - barely 1
unit of alcohol. (0.5 grams of alcolol per litre of blood)
In the UK it is 0.8.
Traffic
on major roads has priority. Where two major roads cross,
traffic coming from the right has priority as warned by
the sign 'danger priorité à droite'. Where there is no sign,
give way to the right.
Traffic
on a roundabout has priority and signs saying 'cedez le
passage' or 'vous n'avez pas la prioritè'. In some areas
the old rule of traffic entering roundabouts having priority
applies so be cautious where there are no signs
If
a driver flashes his headlights in France, he is generally
indicating that he has priority and you should give way.
This can be confusing as in the UK it usually indicates
that a car is usually indicates that a car is letting you
out.
Stopping
for someone waiting at a zebra crossing is a fineable offence
for holding up traffic. The crossings indicate where is
best to cross.
Do
not overtake a tram when it is stationary with passengers
alighting or boarding.
Traffic
lights don't show amber after red. Flashing amber means
continue with caution.
It
is compulsory for front and rear seat occupants to wear
seat belts if fitted.
Carrying
hazard warning lights or a warning triangle is compulsory.
It is recommended that visitors equip their vehicle with
replacement bulbs. From July 2008 A reflective
vest is also complusory (like in Italy, Belgium and
Spain - In Spain you must carry reflective vests for all
occupants).
Additional
driving Tips
Driving
Licence: A
valid driving licence - If it is issued in the UK and the
driver has passed his / her driving test at 17, you cannot
drive a car in France till you are 18. The minimum age for
car rental is 21.
Motor
Insurance: If
your
vehicle
is registerd in the UK, you are not obliged to show
an international insurance certificate or green card, however
proof of insurance may be needed so take your insurance
certificate showing fully comprehensive insurance.
Vehicle
Registration Documentation: Take your vehicle registration
document with you, but don't leave it in the car (in case
the car is stolen). If the car does not belong to you you
should have a letter of authority from the registered owner
and a copy of the registration document.
Traffic
Lights: Traffic light sequences are like those in Ireland,
Spain, Belgium, Italy and many other European countries.
They are unlike the UK in so much as when the light has
gone red, instead of going to amber, they go straight to
green. However they go from green to amber to red to stop
traffic. You will often find that at night or at other quieter
times some traffic lights flash amber from every direction.
This means that no one has a right of way, but all drivers
must proceed with caution
Seat
Belts: It is complulsory to wear seat belts in front
and rear and children under ten years old are not allowed
to travel in the front seat (unless there are no seats in
the rear). In the rear they must use a proper restraint
system - bolster cushion. If you are driving with a dog,
it is advisable to harness the dog in using a special dog
harness. A dog like a human that is not secure in the back
can cause serious injury(or death) to the front seat people
if it is not secured by a harness.
Warning
Triangles - First Aid Kits - Fire Extinguishers - Headlight
convertors: These should always be carried - many manufacturers
issue them as standard. In the event of a breakdown this
should be displayed as well as hazard warning lights. It
is recommended that a first aid kit be carried - again many
manufacturers issue them as standard and a fire extinguisher.
If you are driving a right hand drive car, you should put
convertors on to stop dazzling oncoming drivers.
Motor
cyclists: Motorcycles over 125cc must use dipped headlights
during the day. A crash helmet is compulsory for driver
and passenger.
Motorways
- Autoroutes: The motoway network in France is excellent.
The majority of the country is covered by pay autoroutes
and in most places they accept credit / debit card payments
at the pay points (Tolls) Péage. In many city areas the
autoroute will be free in the zone around the city (not
in Nice for example) and you will stop at a Péage to collect
a ticket and stop at another at then of that section's toll
road to pay. Most autoroutes are very well served by fuel
stations, some with hotels. Approximately every 15 kilometres
you will find an Aires - This is rest area with parking,
tables and chairs for picnics and toilets, but no fuel.
There are normally emergency telephones on the autoroute
network every 2 km. These are orange and marked SOS.
It
is illegal to drive on a French motorway at less than 80km/h
(approx 50 mph) in the fast lane.
Fuel:
Petrol - Essence | Unleaded - Sans Plomb (Green on pump
handle)| Diesel - Gazole (Black on pump handle)| LPG - Gepel/GPL|
Please note that most larger petrol stations will accept
credit cards, however many of the automated ones will only6
accept a French one.
Drink
Drive laws in Italy Update.
Italy Magazine's March 2009 edition reports that the new
Codice della Strada (The Highway Code) has stated that if
you drink more than three glasses of wine or more than one
brandy you will not pass Police alcohol tests. Apart from
having the driving license suspended up to a year, the vehicle
can also be confiscated and sold by the state.
See
Also: Driving in France and Corsica
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