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In FranceTo reach the ''barrière de péage'', most you may need to walk along the motorway; with a help of a proper map check if the motorways are toll roads which are the fastest way distance needed to hitch across the countrybe walked is not too long. There are two types of toll stations It is illegal to walk on péages. First, there are big ones where all traffic has to stop to pay a fee side lane of the motorway (same is valid for some parts of national roads (''voie express'' or to get a ticket) - these are ''barrières de péagevoie rapide'' ) in France); if police sees you, you will be driven somewhere safe and usually they are excellent spots may be fined for 11 to get a long-distance ride and make it really easy to hitchhike during the night40€. They Péage toll stations are often located near big cities on the autoroute. Another type is considered a side barrier situated on all exits in the toll part of the motorway, and legally you do not have the right to solicit rides there. On latter ones traffic You may be asked to wait in the parking area which is much smallerafter each ''barrière de péage''. In practice, therefore one can expect a longer waiting this is rarely enforced (maybe 5% of the time), although sometimes congested most toll stations (the first type) can be a difficult place station employees simply want to hitch from, toomake sure you're not endangering yourself or others.
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 walked 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, and legally you do not have the right to solicit rides there. You may be asked to wait in the parking area which is after each ''barrière de péage''. In practice, this is rarely enforced (maybe 5% of the 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. You will definitely need it if the road splits. The fastest way to travel on a péage is from one ''barrière de péage'' to another.
The fastest way to travel on a péage is from one ''barrière de péage'' to another. Hitchhiking options are:
The '''Gendarmerie''' is a military agency tasked with policing all of the French Republic where the population is lower than 20,000. If you treat them with courtesy, they will most likely be professional and courteous in return. Sometimes they will offer to take you to a safer or easier location to hitchhike from. Only if you are creating a hazard will they issue fines.
== [[Food]]/[[Money]] == French bakeries are by law prohibited from selling bread that is older than a dayFurthermore, so it pays to go around bakeries (many cities have local police deparments called '''boulangeriePolice Municipale'') and asking for old bread, or simply checking bakeries' doors/backyards after they close. EUThey have less authority than national agencies, EEA, Swiss, Andorran and Monégasque citizens but can live and work in France without restrictions. Non-EU citizens who are from Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Holy See, Honduras, Israel, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Taiwan and Uruguay are permitted call other agencies to do the work in France during their 3 month visa exemption period. For more information, visit the [http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/france/coming-to-france/getting-a-visa/article/foreign-nationals-holding-ordinary French Ministry of Foreign Affairs] websitethey legally can't.
<gallery>Image:Mrtweek mzenzes hitching in france.png|[[User:Mzenzes|Martin]] and [[User:MrTweek|Philipp]] hitching in France.Image:Derek_hitching_at_péage.jpg|Derek hitching at a péage near [[Valence]].Image:Cynthia_hitching.jpg|Cynthia hitchhiking out of [[Paris]].Image:Tokyohitch.jpg|[[Lille]]-[[Tokyo]] direct ride, 5-min deal.Image:Perpignan bridgeoveronramp.jpg|On ramp bridge near [[Perpignan]].Image:Spot-sharing.jpg|Sharing knowledge on spots to hitch out of Paris during the [[project 888|888]] event.Imagetrash:peage.jpg|A typical ''barrière de péage'' in France.Image:larochellehitch.jpg|[[User:Chael777|Chael]] on his ''first'' hitch![[Filenomad:Pat_e_Suh.jpg|thumb|Pat & Suh hitchhiking after a barrière de péage in France :)]]|</gallery>
== External links ==
[[trash:France]][[wikipedia:France]][[digi:France]]
[[nl:Frankrijk]]
[[nomad:France]]
→Trashwiki & Nomadwiki
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'''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 motorways (except in [[Bretagne|Brittany]]), and you can get a ride quite easily at some ''[[Péage|barrières de péage]]'' (toll stations). When hitchhiking on local roads, you might face some difficulties sometimes, though. One of the commonly known barriers for traveling in France (as in any many foreign countrycountries) is a the language - you might wanna learn some basic phrases before you off on the road in France.
Like everywhere in Europe, walking on the motorways is illegal and thus it's also illegal to hitchhike there. If you are picked up the police you may be fined, however the Gendarmerie are likely to simply give you a lift to the next toll stop. Use service areas, peages and on-ramps. Moreover some experience shows that French people will more often stop in a place where it is not normally allowed than in other countries.
== ''Autoroutes'', ''péages'' and ''barrières de péage'' ==
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'''Péage''' ([http://cs1.imtranslator.net/SL/Free_Projects/169679760/cs_10132017_15_58_47_1.wav?param1=001024 audio]) is a French word for ''toll''. It is also commonly used as referring to [[toll station]]s.
In France, most of the motorways are toll roads which are the fastest way to hitch across the country. There are two types of toll stations on péages. First, there are big ones where all traffic has to stop to pay a fee (or to get a ticket) - these are ''barrières de péage'Péage''' ([http://frenchand usually they are excellent spots to get a long-distance ride and make it really easy to hitchhike during the night.aboutThey are often located near big cities on the autoroute.com/library/media/wavs/peage.wav]) Another type is a French word for ''side barrier situated on all exits in the toll''part of the motorway. It On latter ones traffic is also commonly used as referring much smaller, therefore one can expect a longer waiting time, although sometimes congested toll stations of the first type can be difficult to [[toll station]]shitch from due to heavy traffic.
* 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, 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 often tolerated).
* You can wait before the ''barrière de péage'', just where the drivers choose their lane - there is often enough of space for cars to pull over to stop for you.
[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.
==Issues with Law Enforcement==<gallery style="float:right; width:200px; margin-left:25px;>Image:Mrtweek mzenzes hitching in france.png|[[User:Mzenzes|Martin]] and [[User:MrTweek|Philipp]] hitching in France.Image:Derek_hitching_at_péage.jpg|Derek hitching at a péage near [[Valence]].Image:Cynthia_hitching.jpg|Cynthia hitchhiking out of [[Paris]].Image:Tokyohitch.jpg|[[Lille]]-[[Tokyo]] direct ride, 5-min deal.Image:Perpignan bridgeoveronramp.jpg|On ramp bridge near [[Perpignan]].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 :).</gallery>There are three law National enforcement agencies to contend with in France. The Police Nationale, the Gendarmerie and the Douane.
* The '''Police Nationale''' are tasked with policing urban areas with more than 20,000 inhabitants, and the surrounding highway infrastructure. They As such, you will probably rarely stop youencounter them while thumbing.* The '''Gendarmerie''' is a military agency tasked with policing all of the French Republic where the population is lower than 20, but they are well known for their less than sympathetic nature and occasionally affiliation with fascist organisations000. They are a government the enforcement agency bound by official targets, which means that if you are stopped, they will be looking for reasons to impose fines. Even so, they have no legal right the most chance to stop you engaging in lawful activities as long as you are not creating a hazard or committing some other offenceencounter while on the road. Remain calm and use your right to silence, only asking * The '''"am I free to go"Douanes''' repeatedlyare the customs agency for the French Republic. They mostly patrol close to borders, looking for suspicious activity, but can operate anywhere. They are often active on highways and you should 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 okcarrying cannabis, as well as near the border with [[Spain]]. It is said of them, that they care about goods, not persons, which is basically true, but they are allowed to check your ID and the contents of your luggage.
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 '''Douanes''' easiest and most common way to do it is to show them an official ID ; however it can also be done by having someone else testify that you are indeed the customs agency for the French Republicperson you say you are. They Agents on patrol close to borders, looking for suspicious activity. '''They have a right especially Gendrames, can stop to check your Identification if ask you are within 20km questions. Most of the border'''time, but at all other times they need to have will ask you where are you headed, maybe a reasonable suspicion ''few other vague questions, remind you that hitchhiking is illegal on the highways (article 78 of even if you are not on a highway at the Code de Procédure Pénalemoment)'' before , wish you a nice day and drive away. If they stop an individual. They are often active on highways and péages going south from [[Belgium]] and [[Luxembourg]], looking ask you for people transporting large amounts a proof of tobacco or looking for hitchhikers from identity, the [[Netherlands]] who may best thing would be carrying cannabis. They are to show them an official ID ; however quite professional, and after a few questions about your direction of travel, will let if you cooperate somewhat they probably won't go on your wayeven that far.
== Personal Experiences ==
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.
== Gallery Nomadwiki & Trashwiki ==
* [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}}
{{IsIn|Western Europe}}
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[[Category:France| ]]
[[es:Francia]]
[[fr:France]]
[[pl:Francja]]
