France: Driving La Rochelle - Bordeaux

DieselPowered

Driving in France in two weeks time from La Rochelle to Bordeaux and back, hire car not a camper and I know from other threads here (which are not recent) that there are going to be tolls on the auto routes, I've found some links which have been helpful, but I can't figure out how the tolls are paid with regards to hire cars.

Some countries you just drive on through the tolls and the car rental company pays it for you (with a nice administration fee added on), others its up to you to Pay.

How does it work in France?

Also, car hire aside, are the French tolls pre-pay or can you pay at a booth as you meet them to a cashier (notes/coins/card) or is it coins into a box only?

thanks.

Baybay

In my experience, tolls may be paid at the booths with cash or card. Some booths may be cash OR card and may be manned or unmanned.
I don't recall ever being able to drive through & pay later. Nor can I remember seeing the coin throw basket.
I have no experience with pre-pay or the reader such as we have here.
Lanes are usually well marked as to the type of payment options in each.

JustAThought

Baybay wrote: »

In my experience, tolls may be paid at the booths with cash or card. Some booths may be cash OR card and may be manned or unmanned.
I don't recall ever being able to drive through & pay later. Nor can I remember seeing the coin throw basket.
I have no experience with pre-pay or the reader such as we have here.
Lanes are usually well marked as to the type of payment options in each.

We did it the other way - Ireland to The North & all the way down to Cannes - mad! I hope your camper has air conditioning!! We drove our own car .

The only slight glitch we had was our window was on the " wrong" side for
Most of the tolls - hardly a
Major hassle ! I threw coins at people in kiosks all the way - it was Like running the gauntlet of chuggers on Grafton Street - no sooner had we relaxed
Having paid a Toll there was Another one coming! I don't remember using the credit card on a toll but that was before the invented chip & pins. It was all cash or notes & usually
But not always a human option. Good to keep some Coin For when there was no human on the kiosk!


The old AA office was really helpful - they gave us great advise & we bought a mototway map there - think I bought one in Easons last year ( ended up
Not driving!)

We never Driven on the continent before that & had no issues to speak of.
You will have a ball! Bon Voyage!!!!

DieselPowered

Thanks for the tips I will report back after the trip if I make the auto routes

Beruthiel

Hi Diesel,

We drove from Rochfort Sur Mer (15 mins south of La Rochelle) to Saint Emilion a couple of weeks ago.
You'll be driving along much of the same route.
Arrive at first toll, press button for ticket.
The toll takes visa and was just under 14 euro I believe.

Don't know if you are staying in La Rochelle, but if you are, I highly recommend La Galettiere.

btw - you should go visit Saint Emilion too if you can.
Beautiful little town.

DieselPowered

Beruthiel wrote: »

We drove from Rochfort Sur Mer (15 mins south of La Rochelle) to Saint Emilion a couple of weeks ago.You'll be driving along much of the same route.Arrive at first toll, press button for ticket.The toll takes visa and was just under 14 euro I believe. Don't know if you are staying in La Rochelle.

So at the first toll, it will be just under €14 out of La Rochelle, are there more tolls at extra cost on the way to Bordeaux?

(I presume the same tolls on the way back too)

Plan is.. La Rochelle (stay) - Bordeaux (Stay) - La Rochelle (Stay) - lle de Re (Stay) - Home..

Fred Swanson

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schemingbohemia

Also be careful of your speed on the toll roads as if you get to the next toll too quickly for the speed limit you may get a fine.

Fred Swanson

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DieselPowered

Great info, thanks for everything so far

skibum

I use this site to work out tolls etc for our trips in France
http://en.mappy.com/map#p=itinerary_homepage

DieselPowered

So back from France. Info from folks here helped a lot. Great trip, and nice to see a new part of the world.

Route took:
La Rochelle -(Autoroute €3.50) -Saintes -Cognac - Mirambeau - (Autoroute €4.10) - Bordeaux - Arcachon.

On the way back, went direct from Bordeaux - (Autoroute €13.80) - La Rochelle and on to the island of IIL De Re. (Its €8 toll return on to the Island).

Driving through the toll bridges was as expected:

- Stay to the right, follow the green signs ( X = closed)
- You take a ticket entering the Autoroute at the tollbooth then getting off you pay the required amount, put the ticket back in and it calculates how much you owe (takes Visa - no pin required, or cash) at the exit tollbooth.
- Press 'Recu' for a receipt to show how many KM's it calculates for you

Some shots of the 'Peage' (Toll Bridge) as follows: