Motorhoming in France: Practical Tips

Published: March, 2024. Updated: March, 2024.

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We just love France and tour there in our motorhome at least once a year! We hope you visit too and so here's some practical tips for successful motorhoming in France!

Regulations For Driving A Motorhome In France

UK Sticker

You will need a "UK" sticker for the rear of your motorhome; regardless of what size your vehicle is.

Angles Morts Stickers

All vehicles and trailers weighing at least 3.5 tons must have Angles Morts stickers. The placement requirements for the Angles Morts stickers are as follows.

The Angles Morts stickers must be visible on both sides and on the rear of the vehicle. They must be affixed in 3 places:

• - At the front right less than 1m from the front of the vehicle at a height between 0.90m and 1.50m.
• - At the front left, less than 1 m from the front of the vehicle, at a height of between 0.90m and 1.50m.
• - Rear right at a height between 0.90m and 1.50m.

Mandatory Items

• Reflective Jackets
• Warning Triangle
• Snow Chains or Snow Tyres when driving between 1st November to 31st March in mountainous 'snow zones'.
• The ability to lower your headlights' beam so as not to dazzle oncoming traffic (your vehicle may be equipped to do this without adjustment or headlamp deflectors).

Driving Documents

• Full, valid UK driving licence.
• Proof of ID (passport).
• Motor insurance certificate.
• V5 registration document.

Low Emission Zones

France have a Low Emission Zone system which requires all vehicles, motorhomes, cars, motorbikes plus commercial vehicles, travelling in the zones to display a Crit'Air windscreen sticker. The zones are in a number of French Cities and Departments.

We recommend that you purchase your Crit'Air sticker from the official website as it costs very little and other unofficial sites will charge you much more and you may not even receive it.

For a full explanation about the Crit'Air sticker and how to obtain it, take a look at our YouTube video that explains all in detail.

Speed Limits

The speed limits in France vary according to the total weight of your vehicle.

Under 3.5t

• Motorways = 130 km/h
• Dual carriageways and priority roads = 110 km/h
• Other roads = 80 km/h
• Built up areas = 50 km/h

3.5t to 12t

• Motorways = 110 km/h
• Dual carriageways and priority roads = 100 km/h
• Other roads = 80 km/h
• Built up areas = 50 km/h

Options for Driving Your Motorhome To France.

There are many ferry options to get you across to France and of course there is Eurotunnel. We have used Eurotunnel on many occasions and have found it to be a smooth process.

However, we discovered that a cheaper option was the Newhaven to Dieppe Ferry, which has a further discounted rate for the over 60s. In order to get this discount you will need to contact them by phone. The process of getting on and off this ferry was quick and easy.

Toll and Non-Toll Roads in France

There are 4 types of roads in France, they include...

Autoroute

These are toll roads and the signs will read Péage to indicate that you need to pay. You can use credit cards or cash to pay at the toll booths. France have recently introduced new Pay Online schemes for some Autoroutes so be aware of that and be prepared to pay online after your journey and within a specified timeframe.

National Roads

Labelled beginning with the letter N, these roads are free to drive on and are usually very good roads. When we are not in a hurry but still want to make good time we find that these roads are the best.

Departmental Roads

Labelled beginning with the letter D, often offering a more scenic route, but can lead you through small villages and towns with differing height and weight restrictions (as can all roads, but these roads in particular may have more of these restrictions).

E Roads

These roads form part of a network of roads which run throughout Europe.

Height and Weight Restrictions

Know your motorhome's length, width, and height and take into account any equipment protruding from the roof. You will need to know this for any height and weight restrictions on roads and for some campsites who require your dimensions. We carry a card in our motorhome with the dimensions of our vehicle for quick reference on the road.

Speed Camera Detection

It is illegal in France to have devices that are capable of detecting and providing speed camera warnings.

WI-FI Connection For Motorhomes in France.

We found the best and least expensive option for us was to have a MI-FI system with a sim card that gave us plenty of date usage whilst in France and Europe.

We chose the TP Link MI-FI, which works really well with all of our devices and gives us the ability to stream Netflix and other channels on our motorhome TV.

You can find the TP Link MI-FI and other items mentioned in this article on our Amazon Storefront.

We found the that best deal for a sim card that gave us plenty of data for home and abroad was Popit Mobile. We are not affiliated to Popit but we found that unlike many other companies there was no restriction on data usage abroad.

They work like a pay as you go, but you must remember to cancel after each month. You can maintain your number by paying a £1 per month "on hold" fee, which makes it easy to activate your sim when you next need it.

Best Places To Camp In France In Your Motorhome.

Take a look at our list of Motorhome Apps many of which cover France and outline both free and paid stopovers, aires and campsites.

You might like in particular the following Apps.

France Passion

With France Passion you can stay on land owned or managed by farmers, breeders and winegrowers, who invite you to park for free on their properties for 24 hours. You may get the opportunity to taste cheeses, wines from all vineyards, organic fruits and vegetables, olive oil, cold meats, honey and foie gras. You pay a fee for the book that entitles you to access these sites.

Park4Night

Park4Night lists parking areas where you can park for the night, often for free. The places include pubs, aires, lay-bys and fields. This App covers the UK and many European Countries, including France.

What Food Can I Take To France In My Motorhome?

According to the official website of the French administration the following food items are prohibited.

• Meat
• Meat products
• Dairy products
• Fruit and Vegetables without a phytosanitary certificate.

Certain exceptions apply as fishery products, honey, snails, powdered milk for infants and pet food are allowed in certain quantities.

Only bananas, coconuts, durian, dates and pineapples are authorised to enter France without quantity limits and without phytosanitary certificates.

We stock up on non-perishables and at the earliest opportunity do a large food shop at a French supermarket.

Shop for Motorhome Accessories

Explore our AMAZON STOREFRONT for motorhome accessories mentioned in this article. We earn a small commission from Amazon (at no extra cost to you), which helps support our Website and YouTube Channel in meeting the costs of filming and editing our content.

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