Driving to Paris, have i forgoten anything?

spiro

euterpe13 wrote: »

- speed cameras on French autoroutes are not always signaled, as in the UK, so do watch the speed-limit ( 130 on autoroutes, 110 on dual carriageways, 90 on national roads, 50 in town - all Km/hr of course)

Doesn't the motorway speed limit reduce to 110 when it is raining?

Troubled82

Really good advice euterpe13!

well i have just looked into insurance and it doesnt seem to bad for myself to get short term cover so will probably be doing all the driving myself.

katieclampet

Hope your girlfriend likes the "surprise", it might come as more of a shock, good luck!!

katiex

euterpe13

spiro wrote: »

Doesn't the motorway speed limit reduce to 110 when it is raining?

Yes, but hopefully they won't have rain...:rotfl:

euterpe13

Lyndach wrote: »

You'll need a spare thing of petrol in the boot, at least that's what OH told me, apparently it's illegal not to have it, or you get a fine if you break down because of no petrol. (I semi paid attention when he was talking sorry!)

Unless the law has changed, it is in fact illegal to transport petrol in your car, unless you are using special containers. You can indeed be fined for running out of petrol on a motorway...

euterpe13

Troubled82 wrote: »

Really good advice euterpe13!

well i have just looked into insurance and it doesnt seem to bad for myself to get short term cover so will probably be doing all the driving myself.

And if the unthinkable does happen, and you have a run-in with another vehicle, remember that you must fill in a "constat a l'amiable" which details what happened & where, damage to each car, and details of each driver & their insurance policies - although you must not admit any responsability for accident. Make sure that you understand everything before you sign anything. Each driver keeps a copy which is sent to their insurers - simply exchanging details as in England is not enough. Hopefully you will not need this information, but better safe, n'est-ce-pas?

davetrousers

Passports
Money
Guide Book and Road maps/SatNav
Get cheaper travel insurance than the £33 you state.
Warning Triangle (Do you need one in France?)
Suitable attire for Paris rather than Manchester!
Suitable checks on car before departure (Tyres, Oil, Water etc.)
Don't do any data roaming on your mobile or you'll incur potentially large bills.
Food and drink for the journey.

euterpe13

http://www.parisinfo.com/

Paris Tourist Office - loads of information in various languages ( click on icon on top right) about what to do in Paris, how to get around, how to find good deals on restaurants, hotels, museums etc.

If you have an i-Phone, you can download to it from i-Tunes the Lonely Planet guide to Paris - v. useful as it also has a street map.
Hope you have a great time - I love Paris!

diable

Just take the Eurostar First Class, it'll be a nicer surprise......

Troubled82

yes but Eurostar first class is almost £300! Remember this is a bank holiday week end.

but its ok, ive looked into the Aviva short term car insurance and it looks pretty good so will probably take that up and drive it myself.