France Transport
Whether you go with your own car, rent a car, or go by boat or plane, on this page you will find all practical information about transport in France.
Transport in France – car hire
Rental locations
- Cars can be hired at major international rental companies at airports and stations and in cities, but also at many smaller national or local rental companies. The general name for car rental is location de voiture / véhicule courte durée (LCD).
Rental car booking
- The rates can vary greatly per season and per provider. Booking in advance can be cheaper.
- It is possible to rent an ‘all-inclusive’ car in France via Sunny Cars. You can check the availability of rental cars in the search engine and book your car hire of choice:
More information on car rentals can be found here.
Requirements
Drivers license
- In order to rent a car in France, the driver must have a valid driver’s license.
- Often the driver must be in possession of the driving license for at least 1 or 2 years.
Age
- The driver must often be at least 21 years old.
- Sometimes the age limit is lower or higher depending on the rental company or the type of vehicle.
- Drivers under 25 years of age often have to pay a young driver’s allowance.
Deposit
- A car can only be rented with a credit card (with pin code) in the name of the main driver. Cash is rarely accepted as a deposit.
Particularities
Winter equipment
- Check in the winter whether the rental car is equipped with the right winter equipment. Winter tires are recommended in winter conditions and snow chains can be made mandatory with a sign.
Environmental sticker
- In Paris and a growing number of other cities, environmental zones have been set up that can only be accessed with an environmental sticker. Cars that are rented in France usually have such an environmental sticker, but rental cars registered in another country usually do not. Inform at the rental station in time. See also environmental zones in France.
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Transport in France – ferry services
Ferry services to Corsica (from France and Italy)
The ferry services to Corsica depart from several harbours in France and Italy, including the Island of Sardinia. The most important ferry services on the French mainland are located in Marseille, Nice and Toulon. From Italy ferries to Corsica depart from Genoa, Livorno, Savona, Piombino and Sardinia.
- From Marseille to Corsica
- From Nice to Corsica
- From Toulon to Corsica
- From Genoa to Corsica
- From Livorno to Corsica
- From Savona to Corsica
- From Piombino to Corsica
- From Santa Teresa Gallura (Sardinia) to Corsica
Destination / sailing time / shipping company
Marseille – Ajaccio / ± 11 hours / Corsica Linea
Marseille – Ajaccio / ± 12 hours / La Meridionale
Marseille – Bastia / ± 12 hours / Corsica Linea
Marseille – Bastia / ± 13 hours / La Meridionale
Marseille – L’Île-Rousse / ± 11 hours / Corsica Linea
Marseille – Porto Vecchio / ± 12 hours / Corsica Linea
Marseille – Porto Vecchio / ± 14 hours / La Meridionale
Marseille – Propriano / ± 12 hours / La Meridionale
Marseille – Ajaccio / ± 11 hours / Corsica Linea
Marseille – Ajaccio / ± 12 hours / La Meridionale
Marseille – Bastia / ± 12 hours / Corsica Linea
Marseille – Bastia / ± 13 hours / La Meridionale
Marseille – L’Île-Rousse / ± 11 hours / Corsica Linea
Marseille – Porto Vecchio / ± 12 hours / Corsica Linea
Marseille – Porto Vecchio / ± 14 hours / La Meridionale
Marseille – Propriano / ± 12 hours / La Meridionale
Destination / sailing time / shipping company
Nice – Ajaccio / ± 5.30 hours / Corsica & Sardinia Ferries
Nice – Bastia / ± 5 hours/ Corsica & Sardinia Ferries
Nice – Bastia / ± 7 hours / Moby
Nice – L’Île-Rousse / ± 6 hours / Corsica & Sardinia Ferries
Nice – Porto Vecchio / ± 9 hours / Corsica & Sardinia Ferries
Nice – Ajaccio / ± 5.30 hours / Corsica & Sardinia Ferries
Nice – Bastia / ± 5 hours/ Corsica & Sardinia Ferries
Nice – Bastia / ± 7 hours / Moby
Nice – L’Île-Rousse / ± 6 hours / Corsica & Sardinia Ferries
Nice – Porto Vecchio / ± 9 hours / Corsica & Sardinia Ferries
Destination / sailing time / shipping company
Toulon – Ajaccio / ± 6 hours / Corsica & Sardinia Ferries
Toulon – Bastia / ± 9 hours / Corsica & Sardinia Ferries
Toulon – L’Île-Rousse / ± 5.30 hours / Corsica & Sardinia Ferries
Toulon – Porto Vecchio / ± 11 hours / Corsica & Sardinia Ferrie
Toulon – Ajaccio / ± 6 hours / Corsica & Sardinia Ferries
Toulon – Bastia / ± 9 hours / Corsica & Sardinia Ferries
Toulon – L’Île-Rousse / ± 5.30 hours / Corsica & Sardinia Ferries
Toulon – Porto Vecchio / ± 11 hours / Corsica & Sardinia Ferrie
Destination / sailing time / shipping company
Genua – Bastia / ± 6.30 hours / Moby
Genua – Bastia / ± 6.30 hours / Moby
Destination / sailing time / shipping company
Livorno – Bastia / ± 4 hours / Corsica & Sardinia Ferries
Livorno – Bastia / ± 4 hours / Moby
Livorno – L’Île-Rousse / ± 8.30 hours / Corsica & Sardinia Ferries
Livorno – Ponte Vecchio / ± 6 hours / Corsica & Sardinia Ferries
Livorno – Bastia / ± 4 hours / Corsica & Sardinia Ferries
Livorno – Bastia / ± 4 hours / Moby
Livorno – L’Île-Rousse / ± 8.30 hours / Corsica & Sardinia Ferries
Livorno – Ponte Vecchio / ± 6 hours / Corsica & Sardinia Ferries
Destination / sailing time / shipping company
Savona – Bastia / ± 4.30 hours / Corsica & Sardinia Ferries
Savona – L’Île-Rousse / ± 6.30 hours / Corsica & Sardinia Ferries
Savona – Bastia / ± 4.30 hours / Corsica & Sardinia Ferries
Savona – L’Île-Rousse / ± 6.30 hours / Corsica & Sardinia Ferries
Destination / sailing time / shipping company
Piombino – Bastia / ± 2.30 hours / Corsica & Sardinia Ferries
Piombino – Bastia / ± 2.30 hours / Corsica & Sardinia Ferries
Destination / sailing time / shipping company
Santa Teresa Gallura (Sardinië) – Bonifacio / ± 0.50 hours / Moby
Santa Teresa Gallura (Sardinië) – Bonifacio / ± 1 hours / Blu-Navy
Santa Teresa Gallura (Sardinië) – Bonifacio / ± 0.50 hours / Moby
Santa Teresa Gallura (Sardinië) – Bonifacio / ± 1 hours / Blu-Navy
Transport in France – prices
- The prices depend, among other things, on the occupation, the time of booking and the travel period.
Information and tickets
- Blu-Navy: blunavytraghetti.com.
- Corsica & Sardinia Ferries: corsicaferries.com.
- Corsica Linea: corsicalinea.com.
- La Meridionale: lameridionale.com.
- Moby: mobylines.com.
Particularities
- Gas bottles in campers are no longer allowed on ferries to and from Corsica. This measure was taken in 2016 to prevent terrorist acts. Consult the website of the shipping company for the conditions.
- Note: If you want to phone or use the internet on a ferry, keep an eye on your costs. Usually you get an SMS when you can not be connected to a local EU network and information about the (high!) rates for a maritime satellite connection. On land (or close to the coast) the rates from your EU bundle apply.
Transport in France – plane
International airports
- Ajaccio.
- Bastia (Corsica).
- Bordeaux.
- Calvi (Corsica).
- Clermond-Ferrand.
- Figari (Corsica).
- Geneve.
- La Rochelle.
- Le Havre.
- Lille.
- Lyon.
- Marseille.
- Montpellier.
- Mulhouse / Bâle.
- Nice.
- Paris.
- Strasbourg.
- Toulouse.
National airline
- Air France
Particularities
- In case of cancellation, transfer, delay or baggage problems you can appeal to the European Regulation 261/2004. when a number of conditions are met.
Here you will find more information about France.