Stealth camper in france

godarraghgo

hi all
Ill be driving my Ford Transit Camper van through France, and am wonder about the toll roads.
My camper van is Stealth ie. it looks exactly like a regular commercial high roof transit,but is 100%legally a camper van .
Every time i drive through a toll in Ireland I have to show them the tax disk and ofter open the back to show them its a camper,yes a pain .
Now how dose it work in France an I going to have a Nightmare at every toll booth or is there system different ?

Betsy Og

I like the idea of stealth, but does that mean you have no windows in the back?, or are they blacked out and only 1 way viewing (if thats possible). Not having any windows sounds a bit grim tbh.

I saw on the caravan channel where they re-fit new VW Transporters as campers, v. cool, expensive I suppose, but give you comfort and ease of motoring if you're talking about just a couple using it. One for the distant distant future perhaps.

godarraghgo

http://www.autoroutes.fr/fr/classification-des-vehicules.htm

all explained here ,dont matter if its a van or camper ,class 2

Stealth no windows, just roof lights,but with sliding door and rear doors open its nice,
also free camping wherever I want and far more secure than a motor home

pros and cons to both but for me a stealth camper costing only 1000euro approx
is best.:D

odds_on

Personally, I would steer clear of toll roads anywhere, unless I was in a desperate hurry.

You will find that generally, in France, the toll will cost you as much or even more than the fuel you use for whatever distance you go on them.

50 euros fuel + 50 euros toll charge soon adds up - and your on holiday!

shanec1928

odds_on wrote: »

Personally, I would steer clear of toll roads anywhere, unless I was in a desperate hurry.

You will find that generally, in France, the toll will cost you as much or even more than the fuel you use for whatever distance you go on them.

50 euros fuel + 50 euros toll charge soon adds up - and your on holiday!

the joys of a small camper is you will rarely have high toll costs...

godarraghgo

dont plan on using them too much but might be handy to bypass cities etc

odds_on

shanec1928 wrote: »

the joys of a small camper is you will rarely have high toll costs...

I used to do a lot of travelling both in a car and a transit van and I learnt very quickly: avoid the toll motorways.

Looks like you are a class 2. - under 3 metres high - van / camper van / motorhome. Over 3 metres (beds above the cab) = class 3

All in French
http://www.aprr.fr/fr/preparation_au_voyage/itineraires/tarifs

Site French and English
http://www.autoroutes.fr/en/key-rates.htm

As a rough guide, 11 euros per 100 kms.

Betsy Og

Betsy Og wrote: »

...are they blacked out and only 1 way viewing (if thats possible).

Most auto-parts stores stock rolls of window tint. They deliver one way viewing, provided there is more light outside than inside.


As regards tolls in France, avoid them...it's not hard, especially with the "avoid tolls" setting on a GPS.

Bare in mind the French know how to build good roads you can travel for days without seeing roadworks. Their 2nd class roads are the same quality as our 1st class. ...so are their 3rd class for that matter. Often times the three traverse parallel to each other. It's usually no major detour.

The tolls booths are usually on the entrance and exit of each motorway so they charge you for distance traveled, it's not like here where it's a safe bet you can go around them after bypassing a few exits.

AutostratusEB

godarraghgo wrote: »

dont plan on using them too much but might be handy to bypass cities etc

Almost all motorways/dual carriageways close to cities or ring-roads ("rocade") in France are toll-free. Some inter-city motorways are also free in France, eg Clermont-Ferrand to Montpellier A75. There are some motorway grade dual carriageways that are also free, Cherbourg to Rennes, Caen and into Brittany are also toll-free.


Enjoy.