Bordeaux Car Rental Guide
This page provides you with information on car rental in Bordeaux and sheds light on some useful facts concerning the driving and car rental restrictions in France.
Rental Traditions
Driving Restrictions
The minimum age of a driver is 18 years. Children must be at least 10 years of age to sit in the front seat. Children under 10 must be seated in the rear and seatbelted or in a child seat. All passengers are required to use seatbelts at all times. The legal blood alcohol limit is 0.5‰.
A flashing red traffic light means “Do not enter”; flashing amber means “Caution”; flashing yellow arrows mean “Yield”. You must give bicyclists a clearance of at least one metre when passing them.
Horns should only be used in cases of extreme danger. If a driver comes up behind you and flashes his headlights, he is communicating that he wants to pass.
Broken centre lines indicate a section of road where passing is allowed. If three or five lanes exist, the middle one should be used for passing by traffic going both directions. A double-thick white line indicates the compulsory slow lane.
Do not park where the curb is painted yellow. When parking in dark streets, parking lights must be on. Pay-and-display machines are common throughout France. Unless indicated otherwise, parking is free of charge from 7 pm to 9 am and on weekends, public holidays, and during the whole of August.
Speed limits:| Area | Limit |
| Expressways | 130-unlimited KM/H |
| Outside the City | 90 or 110 KM/H |
| In the City | 50 KM/H |
Emergency Numbers
Police/Ambulance Service: 17
Fire Service: 18
Road Tolls
The majority of motorways in France have tolls. Tickets are issued at the beginning of the motorway and you can pay with any major credit card. The price of these tickets depends on the distance you are travelling and also on the type of your vehicle. Trunk roads do not have tolls.
Some useful expressions for tourists visiting France
Car – voiture
Car rental – loyer de voiture
About Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a big and obviously rich city – it has been rich since the Romans set up a great trading centre there. What is especially attractive is its 18 th century centre. The rest is shabbier and contains only a few sights. It is the main regional transport centre.
You can enjoy the delicious French cuisine in one of the fine restaurants in Bordeaux or visit its museums and well-tended parks that give the city an 18 th century grandeur. An ethnically diverse population and a lively university community complete the picture.
Area: 4,936 sq km
Population: ~ 500,000
Country: France
Time Zone: GMT/UTC +1 (Central European Time)
Telephone Area Code: 556
Monetary unit: Euro
