To drive in France is to be reminded how peaceful driving can be.

While I always take a train to take me out of Paris, arriving in a destination of the region I will be staying, during my visits in 2018 and my current visit, as I stayed for multiple weeks previously and one week this go-round out in the country, having a rental car was a must.

Back in 2018, I wrote a detailed post sharing how to successfully rent a car in France and Britain with most of the photos captured while driving all around France (Normandy, Provence, Loire Valley). I encourage you to check that out, as I have updated a few details, but everything else is primarily the same and it truly does make the trip all the more signature and special.

During my recent trip to Brittany in March, I was reminded even more wonderfully how driving in France is for safe drivers, and if you are a safe driver, the French will appreciate you, your experience will be memorable and you will be able to stick to a schedule that works for you.

Always looking to have a seamless experience for all of the necessary details of traveling abroad, Discover Cars reached out to me a few years ago knowing that I traveled and preferred to drive on my own while doing so. I wasn’t able to work with them until this year, but they remembered who I was and provided me with a $500 voucher for a car rental.

Discover Cars is essentially a round-up of all available rental car companies in one spot. Available for all international travel, you will quickly know where your rental car office is located (at the train station, airport, somewhere else in the city, etc., or not available in that particular town). You are able to choose the best price, preferred company, type of car and features, quality and service based on thousands of reviews from customers. Having typically had good experiences with Enterprise, I selected one of their vehicles for this trip through Discover Cars, and making sure that they had an office at Rennes where I would be departing my train and beginning my week-long visit in Brittany, I secured my vehicle.

The beauty of working with Discover Cars is they want you to have a positive experience, and they are not beholden to one particular brand. In other words, making sure you have what you need, the insurance necessary and are clear about how to take care of the car and what would be easiest for you, is their goal. They also send tips for success while you are renting your car to help you both be safe and knowledgeable of what you need to do. In other words, lots of helpful communication.

Choosing again a small compact car so that I would have good mileage, not needing to fill up for gas often (electric and hybrid vehicles are available), as well as being able to park just about anywhere without worry of getting a dent, the car I chose is what you see above. A week’s rental and bringing it back on a full tank of gas was just over $500 (at the time of purchase based on currency exchange).

Another detail I always make sure to have in the car I rent is GPS, and before I leave the parking lot, I ask the attendant to change the language of the car to English. Even though I want to practice my French while I am traveling, I don’t want to be learning my way into an unwanted situation or oops while I am driving – better to be safe than sorry. ☺️

The entire process of working with Discover Cars was iron smooth. While I prepare for there to be a hiccup here or there, there really wasn’t one, and I accredit that primarily to Discover Cars wanting you to have a great trip.

While yes, they provided the $500 voucher, I was under no obligation to share this post or experience, and I sincerely recommend using Discover Cars for your next roadtrip when you need a rental car. Explore their site here. I will receive a small commission should you make a reservation with them after visiting from TSLL. Thank you for supporting TSLL. I want you to have the best, most comfortable and peace of mind trip, and Discover Cars made that possible for me.

Why I Love Driving in France

The drivers respect the speed limits.

On only very rare occasions did I notice a vehicle whizzing by me. Now this may have been because I was in Brittany, primarily driving during the work week and in a low-tourist time of the year, but in all sincerity, the drivers respect the speeds. As I shared in the post I mentioned above, there are also speed cameras randomly placed along the roadway, and they are hard to see until it’s too late. If they capture you speeding, it takes a photo, similar to our red-light cameras, and a ticket with points reduction follows on your license.

Clear signal usage for helpful communication between drivers

I took one of my days in Brittany to drive east for about two hours to visit Le Jardin de Botanquie that sits on the edge of Normandy. This meant I was on quite a few different roads, some autoroutes, so witnessed a variety of driving merging, passing, etc. In France, they do something with their signaling (blinkers) that we don’t see in the states, in the UK, nor in Germany.

When they are passing you on the left on a two lane highway, they leave their left blinker on the entire time they are passing you, letting you know that they are only in that lane to pass you, not to remain there. Then, once they have sufficient room to move back into the right lane, they switch their blinkers.

For the longest time, I thought that driver after driver had a stuck blinker, but with consistency, they always turned it off or to the right when they went back in the right lane. Now if you are not trying to pass and merely want to remain in that lane, then you do turn off your blinker entirely.

Speed changes are marked clearly and often in advance

Speeds change frequently as you drive on the main highways and autoroutes, for example, when there is an exit that is joining the highway, the speed is reduced to ensure safe merging with the moving traffic, so be sure to slow down. However, again, choose a car that helps you out. My car told me the speed limits just in case I missed the signs.

Great road conditions

The conditions were smooth. I don’t remember any potholes or rough roads. Having a GPS will alert you to any roadwork if it is reported, and it often is.

Oodles of Roundabouts (or rond-points)!

Now my love for roundabouts comes with a caveat – Bend, Oregon, is the roundabout city in Oregon. We have more than 50 here in town and 10 more scheduled to be added. Bendites are used to them. I love them and as study after study has proven, they are safer than stoplights and prevent accidents overwhelmingly. With that said, if you have never driven through a roundabout or become accustomed to the verbage on the signs leading up to how to navigate one – i.e. second exit, or yield, (do not stop at a round-about!), then they can be intimidating.

However, for me, my fondness comes from knowing this road feature very well, and with them being everywhere in France, they make me feel safe, because I know I am. The key is to use your blinker. Something I do to both let other drivers know I am exiting, but also that I am remaining in the round-about.

Courtesy to other drivers entering the roadway from side roads

Something not seen in the US is a unique right-of-way for side roads, and this is where you have to pay attention to the road signs and understand French. For example, in one of the small towns I drove through each day, there is a side road to the right that enters the main road, and they have right-away, not you. If you see a car, you must stop and let them merge on without stopping. If there is no car, then you can continue on as you would. This is a slower speed because you are driving through a town, but, as I made the mistake once and had to double check if I was reading the sign correctly, once I figured that rule out, it made me a more alert driver, and showed courtesy to others as well.

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For all of these reasons, and probably more once I recall them, I love driving in France. I never felt bullied for going the speed limit (which is my mode of speed to both save my electric charge and gas, but also for safety) which often happens here in the states – both on highways and city streets. I didn’t feel rushed, and there is a prioritization for working together, and doing so for safety reasons.

I hope today’s post eased your mind that whenever you choose to step outside of Paris and explore the many amazing and diverse regions of France, to consider renting a car. It is a wonderful, safe and enjoyable experience.

Allons-y !

EXPLORE All of the Posts Shared in TSLL’s 10th Annual French Week