Costs of driving to the South of France

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Yes. Once you have the tag it's yours. Keep it in the drawer till next trip. You only get billed for the calendar months you use it.
So if you use it April 7th for a week you get billed the tolls + €1.70 for April
If you use it April 30th for a week you get billed €1.70 for April +€1.70 for May + tolls.

If travelling on your own it's the only sensible way to go. Just head for the lanes with the t above them it it has a 30 speed sign you don't even need to stop - just slow to 20mph and it'll open.
Sounds perfect, thanks.
 

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Thanks very much for the details, very helpful indeed, yes carcassonne is a very nice place, they have an old walled town, spent a day there. This is one of those posts that I need to mark as a favourite.

See edited post - I meant calais to rouen on toll roads and then N154 from Rouen to orleans through Chartres (free), then A10/A71 Orleans to Vierzon (tolls) and then you pick up N20. If you don't pick out rouen/chartres then google maps will take you through Paris which means no free section, more expensive tolls and more importantly the theoretical 45 minutes saved will likely be more than wiped out queueing on Paris' M25 equivalent which is also horrible to drive through with people getting rather close and aggressive.

Also if you've seen Carcassone before probably best to take LK's advice of Cahors to Millau and then Millau to Beziers on A75 - I did that route once and also spectacular
 
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Thanks everyone, doesn't sound too bad as long as the times and routes are planned well.
 
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When are you going?
We might be going in July this year, if not then it will be Spain, but won't be driving there. Because the house is in the family we can pretty much get down there with little notice, just as long as there are some flights. I've always liked the idea of driving to the South of France, my dad did it in the 80's in an XR3i, killed the engine but he enjoyed it.
 

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Ah ok. I was only asking as we're over for second week June but some way off your shortest route.
 

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My E220 CDI cost £0.14/ mile driving to France; my CL500 cost £0.28/ mile driving to central Italy.

Tolls to South of France are around £120 return, and Chunnel around £150-180.
 
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Ah ok. I was only asking as we're over for second week June but some way off your shortest route.
No worries thanks, if we change our plans I will let you know.
 
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My E220 CDI cost £0.14/ mile driving to France; my CL500 cost £0.28/ mile driving to central Italy.

Tolls to South of France are around £120 return, and Chunnel around £150-180.
Useful info thanks.
 

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Useful info thanks.
For comparison...
June were paying £400 return for ferries (Portsmouth Cherbourg, Caen Portsmouth, 2 adults 3 dogs). Tolls Cherbourg to Bordeaux €25, then back to Caen €60.
 

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Oh and get a toll pass in car beeper thingy . Used to be sanef tolling but the name has just changed .
Not much to add to what has already been said other than to finish Wighty's post - Sanef Tolling are now Emovis https://www.emovis-tag.co.uk/ Definitely get a Tag!

Personally, my preferred route to that part of the world is Eurotunnel Folkestone to Calais, A26 down to Troyes, A4 then A31 to pick up A6/A7 down via Lyons. Not the cheapest route but easiest for south east France.
 

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Useful info thanks.

Here is some more, we went to Narbonne Plage for a month last October. Six months later I've had two speeding fines through the post, apparently the UK has signed an agreement to supply UK cars details to France so as the fines can be issued, even though we will not be sending any fines to French owners speeding in the UK. I suppose the fact that the French have lost £500m revenue from speed cameras since november due to the "yellow jackets" is pure coincidence?
 

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Here is some more, we went to Narbonne Plage for a month last October. Six months later I've had two speeding fines through the post, apparently the UK has signed an agreement to supply UK cars details to France so as the fines can be issued, even though we will not be sending any fines to French owners speeding in the UK. I suppose the fact that the French have lost £500m revenue from speed cameras since november due to the "yellow jackets" is pure coincidence?

It doesn't matter though because the UK haven't agreed to enforce the French speeding fines in UK courts so you can just bin the ticket and other than more letters nothing will happen. And the EU countries do share the registered keepers with the Uk authorities as I have been pursued for non payment of the Dartford toll in my Spainsh registered car (and just binned the letters).

I think you might be getting confused with the agreements between for example France and Spain where each recognise the other's fines and points in their own countries, therefore if I get a French speeding ticket in my Spanish registered car I would have to pay (and get points) as the Spanish courts would, atleast in theory, enforce non payment of it as if it was done in Spain. The UK has been offered many a time to participate in this scheme and has always refused.
 

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It doesn't matter though because the UK haven't agreed to enforce the French speeding fines in UK courts so you can just bin the ticket and other than more letters nothing will happen. And the EU countries do share the registered keepers with the Uk authorities as I have been pursued for non payment of the Dartford toll in my Spainsh registered car (and just binned the letters).

I think you might be getting confused with the agreements between for example France and Spain where each recognise the other's fines and points in their own countries, therefore if I get a French speeding ticket in my Spanish registered car I would have to pay (and get points) as the Spanish courts would, atleast in theory, enforce non payment of it as if it was done in Spain. The UK has been offered many a time to participate in this scheme and has always refused.
https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-news/what-is-the-eu-cross-border-enforcement-directive/
 

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It doesn't matter though because the UK haven't agreed to enforce the French speeding fines in UK courts so you can just bin the ticket and other than more letters nothing will happen.

So why are debt collection agencies attempting to collect the fines from UK citizens who ignored the tickets?
 

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So why are debt collection agencies attempting to collect the fines from UK citizens who ignored the tickets?
Probably in the same way that they’re attempting (illegally and fraudulently) to collect unpaid local council parking fines... illegally and fraudulently.
 

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Probably in the same way that they’re attempting (illegally and fraudulently) to collect unpaid local council parking fines... illegally and fraudulently.
No... See the link I posted.
 

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Probably in the same way that they’re attempting (illegally and fraudulently) to collect unpaid local council parking fines... illegally and fraudulently.

It's all legal & agreed between the EU countries, there's no fraud involved.
 


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