my first trip to france- what do i need to know

as per the title

what do i need to know?

do i need a GB sticker? is it worth getting some maps?

I know it sounds silly but its all new to me!

im only going for a long day, but look to start a few more during the year

thanks all

Originally Posted by blueto

as per the title

what do i need to know?

do i need a GB sticker? is it worth getting some maps?

I know it sounds silly but its all new to me!

im only going for a long day, but look to start a few more during the year

thanks all

Main things:

1. Insurance, check you are covered
i) for your bike
ii) for your self (motorbike specific holiday insurance to cover medical fees)

2. You may want to consider continental breakdown cover.

3. Get one of those E111 replacement card things (can't remember the name).

4. Take copies of Insurance, Driving licence and registration with you (I was asked for all of these when stopped for speeding in Austria on the bike and France in the car). I always take the originals.

5. GB sticker - never bothered myself, but when stopped in Austria for speeding they said I should get one at the next available garage, so better safe than sorry.

6. Cash card/credit card so you can get some money out and pay for things.

7. Your passport

8. Maps are a good ides, I rip out pages from the continental michelin road atlas for autoroutes/main roads and then buy a local michelin map for the area I'm in for more details.

9. Accomodatiion - I tend to just turn up place and try and find somewhere, part of the adventure.

Have a look in the Eurotour section, there are some good tips and threads in there.

Hope that was some help.

[dizzyblonde]

my mate in France says the GB sticker stands for gullible barsteward. But I still put one on anyway, and everything Tim says.
Oh and make sure, depending how far in your going, to make sure you've got coinage euro's not just paper ones, as if your on a bike its a pain in the ar$e playing with paper at Peages.
Plan your route down to a T, so your not fddling with a map, I put all my Dizzyblonde directions in my tankbag, so i could read where i was at, and for the first time ever in France I got me, my bloke and our mate all the way down to my mates town, Les Nouillers.........and thats a flippin long way to go without getting lost

Remember you're not in England and that just because they do things differently doesn't mean to say that they aren't done as well as we do things here

Noone has mentioned driving on the right side of the road............

Be aware of public holidays, we do tend to have an excessive amount of them in France and everything tends to shut down. Same goes for Sundays....we're a catholic country after all!

If you do need help/directions pretend you're anything other than English. N.B. if they are old, German is not a preferable choice.

With regards to speeds, try to behave in villages/towns. The feds take speeding in these sorts of places really seriously and they will march you to a cash point or take your bike!

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by ASM-Forever

Be aware of public holidays, we do tend to have an excessive amount of them in France and everything tends to shut down.

rubbish, you all spend most of the year on strike

"zut allor, eet eez sunny, we should strike"

"d'accord, see you at zee beach"

"don't forget your beret..."

or at least that's how i imagine the conversations go, peiced it together mostly from old episodes of "allo allo"

[Viney]

They drive on the right and you go round roundabouts the otehr way. Oh, and the place is full of French people.

Originally Posted by the_lone_wolf

rubbish, you all spend most of the year on strike

"zut allor, eet eez sunny, we should strike"

"d'accord, see you at zee beach"

"don't forget your beret..."

or at least that's how i imagine the conversations go, peiced it together mostly from old episodes of "allo allo"

Thats the lefties, i see myself more on the right.

I do have a rather extensive selection of berets though.

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by ASM-Forever

I do have a rather extensive selection of bries though.

corrected for you

[embee]

Have a GB sticker or "Euro" number plate. I know a lot of folk say they don't bother (why not??) but it's just something else to make them suspicious if you do get stopped. As said in an earlier post, some countries are strict, I know people who've had on the spot fines in Austria for not having one. France is a bit easier going, but don't wind them up.

You can get a steep on-the-spot fine for failing to stop at a stop sign, they take it seriously. On a bike, put a foot down.

As said, stick to speed limits in towns, the limit starts/ends at the town sign (50kph=30mph unless shown otherwise).

If there is a speed camera sign, there is a camera! Usually a big grey box at waist height, easy enough to see. They are getting more common but nowhere near as bad as here.

Be especially careful leaving petrol stations until you are really used to driving on the right, it's easy to get it wrong. Also turning right the first few times seems odd.

Be aware of "priorite a droite" where cars coming from the right have priority. It's not that common now, but just be aware that they might pull out.

Generally speaking they are very easy going and more relaxed about things than here, take it easy and enjoy the scenery.

If you happen to go to Le Havre and head out of town to the Pont du Normandie (fabulous bridge), it's free for bikes (toll for cars), get over to the right hand lane and filter through.

Brittany ferries are good. Clean, efficient. I try to use the fastcraft where possible, to Caen or Cherbourg usually.

Take some sort of puncture kit, they may be a compromise but if you're really stuck it's better to have something rather than nothing.

You don't need to mask off the headlight (not a requirement for bikes).