FAQ about hitch-hiking in France

Hitch-hiking in France is rather easy. It is a little bit more difficult than in Germany, but easier than in Italy.The best place to hitch is a Toll barrier (barriere de péage). Drivers stop there to pay for a riding on motorways and you may ask them for a ride or just lazy stand on the side with your destination shield.
Also good spot is Service Station on the motorways, where you may spend a night in your sleeping bag, place a tent and look for a lift.
Like in all Western Europe it is not allowed to thumb on the motorways, so you should look for a next ride just on Petrol stations, Service stations, Restaurants, Toll barriers and so on.
Experienced hitch-hikers better ask drivers then they stop in these places and not just wave with a destination shield or thumb on the side.
While looking for a right car in a service station it is good to know codes of cars' licence plates. These knowledge makes you work simplyer. There are codes of Frech license plates' codes:

How to hitch out from Paris (Top Question)

Written by Astex (astex(a)innocent.com)

I live in Paris, and hitched out of it a few times.
1) where is the best places for thumbing from Paris to the South, to the West and to the East.
From Paris to South, it depends where you are going. Assuming you are going to Lyon, Marseille, Italy etc. There are two eassy spots. One is Porte d'Orléans, the other one is Porte d'Italie. Porte d'Orléans is on subway line 4 (the end of it), Porte d'Italie is line 7 (take the one going to Mairy d'Ivry, not Villejuif.)
Porte d'Orléans is OK. You walk for a few hundred meters till the last red light. The left line is fine, people on it are going on the Highway.

I prefer Porte d'Italie. You walk out of the Subway, 500 meters to the roundabout and then 100 meters on the sidewalk to the good spot: follow the green signs 'Lyon", not the blue ones. There is a red light under a bridge just before the highway. Less traffic but people stop long enough.
I know some hitchers use other spots, in the suburb but I never tried.

The licence plates are eassy to read: if you want to go to Lyon, the last two digits are 69. 26 is Valence, South of Lyon. Marseille and surroundign area, 13, 84, 83, 04, 05, 06. If it takes too long, 89 is fine as well, Auxerres. People will take you out of Paris and leave you at the Toll barrier (barricre de péage) where all cars have to stop in order to pay for the highway. 75, 77, 78, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95 is Paris and surrounding.

When you go South, there is one other Toll barrier North of Lyon, and one South of Lyon. The one North of Lyon is perfect if you go North, from Lyon to Paris. I strongly advise everybody against using the one South of Lyon: they don't want to see hitchers.

If you want to go West, I assume your destination is Britain. be careful, in Britain highways are free so you need to stop at the Toll barrier right after Laval coming from Paris and then choose very carefully a car who is taking you close enough to your destination.

If you can read and understand French, visit Benoit Pierret page about hitch-hiking in France.