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'''France''' is a great country for hitchhiking. There are many friendly car and truck drivers. The highways cost money, and at some ''péage'' (toll points) you can get a ride easily.

[[Image:peage.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A typical big péage in France]]

'''Autoroute''' means "motorway" in French. Most of them are toll roads, and the fastest way to hitch across he country. A '''péage''' is a toll booth. There are two types of '''péages''': Big ones, where all the traffic has to stop to pay or get a ticket (called also "Barrière de Péage", i.e. "Toll Barrier". These are excellent spots to get a long-distance ride, usually located near big cities on the autoroute. Another type is a side barrier, situated on all exits in the toll part of the motorway. On this kind of péages the traffic is much smaller and waiting times longer, but if it is located near a relatively big town or on the crossing with a national road it's pretty ok. At this type of péages, the road usually splits in two on-ramps going in each direction, so you might need a sign with your direction.

You can get free maps in the péage offices - these also indicate where you can find "all-stop-péages". The fastest way to travel is from one of these to the next. Here are some information how to get a lift from péages:

[[Image:Derek_hitching_at_péage.jpg|thumb|left|175px|Derek hitching at a péage near [[Valence]]]]

* You can wait before the péage, just where the drivers choose their lane. There is mostly enough space for cars to pull over here.

Some péages are really good, some are not. If you've been waiting for a while with destination sign, drop it and try with your thumb only. Also, you can try to get a ride to the next good spot in the wrong direction.

Also, you can always hitch from one gas station to another, either asking at the exit from the shop, or at the entrance ramp. The staff usually don't care about hitchhikers.