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|map = <map lat='47' lng='1.5' zoom='5' view='0' height='320' country='France'/>|language = French(regional languages: Alsatian, Occitan, Breton, Corsican, Basque, Catalan, ...)

|pop = 6465,102,1408 million

|hitch = {{good}}<rating country='fr' />|BW = FR

'''France''' is a member state of the [[European Union]] as well as the [[Schengen Agreement]]. It is usually a great country for hitchhiking. There are many friendly car and truck drivers. Drivers have to pay toll on highways - motorways (except in [[Bretagne|Brittany - ]]), and you can get a ride quite easily at some ''[[Péage|barrières de péage]]'' (toll stationstations). When hitchhiking on local roads, you might face some difficulties sometimes, though. One of the commonly known barriers for traveling in France (as in many foreign countries) is the language - you might wanna learn some basic phrases before you can get a ride easilyoff on the road in France.

There are no prohibitions about hitching Like everywhere in FranceEurope, apart from walking on the motorways is illegal and thus it's also illegal to hitchhike there. If you are picked up the restricted access roadspolice you may be fined, ihowever the Gendarmerie are likely to simply give you a lift to the next toll stop.eUse service areas, peages and on-ramps. ''Allemagne'' (all-ay-man'ye) Moreover some experience shows that French people will more often stop in a place where it is not normally allowed than in Frenchother countries.

It may also be helpful to put write '''S.V.P.''' after on your sign with a destination if you use a sign. It's shorthand name - it is short for ''s'il vous plaît'' (sih-voo-play) = which means ''please'' in French.

On Sundays, only trucks with frozen goods are allowed to drive. Keep in mind though that trucks are not allowed to go more than 90 km/h and the driver must stop for a 45 min break every 4 1/2 hours, which can make the trip much longer. The ''"Michelin 726 National "'' map of France is a good choice for hitchhikinga hitchhiker in this country. It shows all the major péages (see below) ''barrières de péage'' and [[rest area|service stations]]. You can get a free maps map in the péage offices - these also indicate where you can find ''all-stop-péages''.{{Cities France}}== ''Autoroutes & Péages '', ''péages'' and ''barrières de péage'' ==__TOC__'''Péage''' ([[Imagehttp:peage//cs1.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A typical big péage in Franceimtranslator.net/SL/Free_Projects/169679760/cs_10132017_15_58_47_1.wav?param1=001024 audio]]) is a French word for ''toll'Autoroute''' means "motorway" in French. Most It is also commonly used as referring to [[toll station]]s. In France, most of them the motorways are toll roads, and which are the fastest way to hitch across he the country. A '''péage''' is a toll booth. There are two types of '''toll stations on péages''': Big . First, there are big ones, where all the traffic has to stop to pay a fee (or to get a ticket (called ) - these are ''Barrières barrières de Péagepéage''). These and usually they are excellent spots to get a long-distance ride, usually and make it really easy to hitchhike during the night. They are often 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 latter ones traffic is much smaller so , therefore one can expect a longer waiting times time, although sometimes congested toll stations (the first type) can be a difficult place to hitch from, too. To reach the ''barrière de péage'', you may need to walk along the motorway; with a help of a proper map check if the distance needed to be longerwalked is not too long. It is actually illegal to walk on a side lane of the motorway (same is valid for some parts of national roads (''voie express'') in France); if police sees you, you will be driven somewhere safe and may be fined for ~90€. Péage toll stations are considered a part of the motorway, but in fact waits can and legally you do not have the right to solicit rides there. You may be longer at congested péages due asked to wait in the attitude parking area which is after each ''barrière de péage''. In practice, this is rarely enforced (maybe 5% of driversthe time), most toll station employees simply want to make sure you're not endangering yourself or others. Having a sign with your destination (or the next city) is recommended and will distinguish you as a serious hitchhiker, and not a vagrant. The fastest way to travel on a péage is from one ''barrière de péage'' to another. Hitchhiking options are:

To reach the first péage, you may need to walk beside the highway; consult a map to see if the distance is realistic. It is illegal to be along the highway, as well as on some parts of national roads ("voie express"). If police see you, they will drive you to somewhere safe and may fine you 90 €. Péages are considered part of the motorway, and you do not legally have the right to solicit rides there. You may be asked to wait in the parking area which is after each péage. In practice, this is rarely enforced (maybe 5 % of the time). Most employees simply want to make sure you're not endangering yourself or others. Having a sign with your destination (or next city) is recommended and will distinguish you as a serious hitchhiker, and not a vagrant.<map lat='46' lng='2' zoom='5' view='0' float='right' height='300' country='France'/>The fastest way to travel is from one of these to the next. Here are some information how to get a lift from péages:* You can thumb immediately after the ''barrière de péage''* If you prefer a direct approach you can dash across the lanes one at a time until you're at a busy lane and , stand next to the toll machine and talk to the drivers when they stop to pay(usually it is not allowed to hitch from the toll machines but it is generally tolerated).* You can wait before the ''barrière de péage'', just where the drivers choose their lane. There - there is mostly often enough of space for cars to pull over here.Some péages are really good, some are not. If you've been waiting to stop 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.

AlsoSome ''barrière de péage'' are really good, some are not. If you can always hitch from one gas station to another, either asking at the exit from the shop've been waiting for a while using a destination sign, or at the entrance ramp. The staff usually don't care about hitchhikersdrop it and try thumbing.

== [[Number plates]] ==French number plates end with the number of the ''département'' the car is registered in. For exampleWhile on a toll road, you can always try hitchhiking from one [[Parispetrol station hitchhiking|Parisianpetrol station]] cars end with the number 75to another,78,91,92,93either asking drivers while they refill,94 and 95. See [[wikipedia:List of arrondissements of France|List of arrondissements of France]] and [[wikipedia:French vehicle registration plates|French vehicle registration plates]] or thumbing at Wikipedia. New number plates are to appear in the nearest future and those will not carry any information about the region, unless exit of the owner decided to put a department reference on itservice area. The old plates will still remain for a whilestaff usually doesn't mind hitchhikers.

{{Regions == [[License plates|Number plates]] ==French number plates end with a number of the ''département'' the car is registered in. For example, [[Paris]]ian cars end with numbers 75, 78, 91, 92, 93, 94 and 95. See Wikipedia articles on[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_vehicle_registration_plates French vehicle registration plates] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_arrondissements_of_France Arrondissements of France}}]. New number plates are in use since mid-2009. They have an optional reference to the department on the blue stripe at the right side, but they technically are not part of the plate, and do not necessarily refer to the owner's address - one may for example choose to put the number of the department where he/she was born. Cars that belong to companies, including rental ones usually bear "60" or "76" since tax on corporate vehicles is the lowest there. The existing old plates will be still in use for a while.

==Law Enforcement==<gallerystyle="float:right; width:200px; margin-left:25px;>

Image:Spot-sharing.jpg|Sharing knowledge on spots to hitch out of Paris during the [[project 888|888]] event.Image:peage.jpg|A typical ''barrière de péage'' in France.Image:Pat_e_Suh.jpg|Pat & Suh hitchhiking after a barrière de péage in France :).

== External links ==* [http://mappyThe '''Police Nationale''' are tasked with policing urban areas with more than 20,000 inhabitants, and the surrounding highway infrastructure.fr/ Mappy] is a good online map for FranceAs such, it shows you (to) where you can take public transportwill rarely encounter them while thumbing.* [http://wwwThe '''Douanes''' are the customs agency for the French Republic.asf They patrol close to borders, looking for suspicious activity.fr/shared/pdf/CarteReseau.pdf Le Réseau ASF They are often active on highways and péages going south from [[Belgium]] and [[Luxembourg]], looking for people transporting large amounts of tobacco or looking for hitchhikers from the [[Netherlands]] who may be carrying cannabis. * The '''Gendarmerie''' is a PDF showing military agency tasked with policing all-stop-péages of the French Republic where the population is lower than 20,000. They are the enforcement agency you will have the most chance to encounter while on major routesthe road.

To make a long story short, in France, it is expected that any person can prove its identity when requested by an agent of these agencies. The easiest and most common way to do it is to show them an official ID ; however it cans also be done by having someone testify that you are indeed the person you say you are. Agents on patrol, especially Gendrames, can stop to ask you questions. Most of the time, they will ask you where are you headed, maybe a few other vague questions, remind you that hitchhiking is illegal on the highways (even if you are not on a highway at the moment), wish you a nice day and drive away. If they ask you for a proof of identity, the best thing would be to thow them an official ID ; however if you cooperate somewhat they probably won't go even that far. Furthermore, many cities have local police deparments called '''Police Municipale'''. They have less authority than national agencies, but can call other agencies to do the work they legally can't. == Personal Experiences ==''In my experience it's pretty much impossible to go hungry in France. While hitching I almost ALWAYS get 10 or 5 euros thrown my way, and once even 60 euro! The key is to imply you have no money (helps the guilt if you actually don't have any like I did). Ask where you can use the internet or a phone, but WITHOUT PAYING, and 90% of the time they'll tell you "I'll drop you off at the station/road/town with 10 euros, alright?" It's not really possible without having a good standard of communication though, so either hope they know English or learn some French! I also wouldn't recommend doing "it" if you have no money or already had access to the internet or a phone, solely because of guilt. Even though I was genuine in my requests I didn't feel happy taking their money, but food is food!'' - Aaronishappy  ''France is great because it has roundabouts, which makes for slow traffic on the smaller roads. Of course, the big highways are off-limits in many cases, but that's alright. Beautiful countryside, good people. For me I enjoyed eating lots of cheese and lots of baguettes, as cliche as that may sound.'' - [[User:Chael777|Chael]] "Don't be afraid to approach people at service stations just because your French is weak (or, like me, non-existent). After a quick 'bonjour', or 'vous allez ou?', people were happy to help. Many people didn't speak English, with some I got by in Spanish, and with 3 or 4 we had no language in common at all. Nevertheless, people were still kind and willing to help." - [[User:Justunein|Justunein]] "My Hitch in France went marvellously! Check this, I was walking along the street in Nimes, minding my own business, and a woman pulled up in a car and asked me if I wanted to hitch to Marseille! She asked me!! When we got there, she showed me around and I slept on her sofa (whenever I tell French men about this they invariably respond 'Did you ''fork'' her?'). The next day, I got 5 hitches from Marseille to Limans, and for 3 of them all I had to do was hold up a cardboard sign and the first car that came picked me up. I was going to write that it's like taking the bus, ''but you have to wait for busses!'' As a bonus, the people who I hitched with were really nice, so much so that one of them lied and said that my French wasn't so bad! Oh yeah, and the bit about French bakeries is incomplete. They have pastries round the back too!!" I can also said France is very good country for hitchhiking, people are very friendly. Even that they do not speak a lot of English, they will try to help you. One driver also take me in one restaurant near high way even that I did not want that he spend money to by me something to eat. It was nice to cross from Spain to Germany in two days with hitchhiking. I started my first hitchhike tour in France and found out that most French people are very kind and in most cases they are happy to take you with them. But I think it's really helpful to speak even a little bit French so you can say want you want and where you want to go because most of French people don't like to speak english or maybee they are not able to.Espacally in the south of france it's also possible to travel short distances by train for free, because most of them are not controlled. In case of controlling you can say that you're out of money and in most cases they will not send you a bill because it is to complicated for them to find you in your home country. And even if you are in bad luck and they will find you the price is not even higher than the ticket for the train. == Resources =={{nomadwiki}}* [http://mappy.fr/ Mappy] is a good online map service for France in case you want to know where certain public transport goes to.* [http://www.asf.fr/shared/pdf/CarteReseau.pdf Le Réseau ASF], a PDF file that shows all ''barrières de péage'' on major routes in Southern France.* [http://www.vinci-autoroutes.com/system/files/pdf/2012/12/carte_reseau_vinci_autoroutes.pdf Service Stations Network], a pdf file that shows all service station on major routes in southern France.  {{Cities France}}{{Regions France}}{{Template:Europe/countries}} {{IsIn|Western Europe}}__NOTOC__[[digi:France]] [[Category:France|*]][[Category:Western Europe]] [[de:Frankreich]]

[[depl:FrankreichFrancja]]{{IsIn|Western Europe}}__NOTOC__