Auvergne Road Network and Travel

The French region of Auvergne, in the centre of france, is a fairly unknown region amongst the foreign public. Nevertheless, this aspect allows property prices to remain very low and Auvergne is quite attractive for this reason.

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When driving throughout the Auvergne region, you will have the chance to see wonderful views, depending of course on the kind of roads you prefer taking. Contrary to what one might think, you will admire beautiful landscapes on national roads as well as on autoroutes.

The Millau Viaduct is a perfect example of the modern French road facilities. This large cable-stayed road bridge is located in the departement of Aveyron, thus you will never be too far from it if you visit the South of Auvergne region.

This viaduct is the tallest bridge in the world! It was built during 2001 and 2005 in order to avoid heavy traffic jams during summer holidays. It is not only a vehicular bridge but also a real work of engineering that many people admire every year.

The Millau Viaduct

		Travelling to Auvergne by Road
Daily Traffic level		The daily traffic around Clermont Ferrand on the main motorways is as follow: A71= 30,214 vehicles, A72= 19,909 vehicles, A75= 58,207 vehicles.
Road network		Auvergne accounts for a large regional network including: 319 km of motorways and 20,500 km of secondary roads.
Mains motorways		A89 is an east-west axis with easy access to the Auvergne from Lyon and Bordeaux via Clermont-Ferrand. A72 links Clermont-Ferrand to Saint-Etienne and Lyon. A71 crosses Massif Central from the north to the south, with access to Auvergne between Paris and Clermont-Ferrand. A75, La Méridienne links Clermont-Ferrand to Pézenas. Including a culminant point (1121 m from the ground), it is the highest French motorway. The new motorway between Paris and Spain via the magnificent Millau bridge, goes through the heart of the Auvergne (A 71 to the north, A 75 to the south).
Distances		By road, destinations in the Auvergne are about 700 km away (7 hours) from Calais and 425 km from Paris (4h).
Useful contacts		Car Rental: www.hertz.fr, www.avis.fr, www.rentacar.fr, www.europcar.com, www.easycar.com Traffic Information: www.autoroutes-trafic.fr, www.infotrafic.com, www.bison-fute.equipement.gouv.fr Itineraries: www.www.viamichelin.fr, www.mappy.com, www.igg.fr