French Travel News-2010/2011 | Brits favour rail over driving on the right

Monday, February, 14th at 16.10 by Elizabeth Smythe


A survey has shown that Brits would prefer to travel by rail when visiting France, as driving on the right makes them nervous.

The research, collated by carrentals.com (a car comparison website) revealed that British motorists are unsure of driving abroad. Topping the list of fears was having to drive in unfamiliar places, the behaviour of local motorists, being unable to understand foreign road rules or signs and, of course, driving on a different side of the road.

Those planning to jet off but unsure of the driving situation shouldn't discard plans for those French holidays, as Eurostar has announced a sale on many of their routes to France, negating the need for a car altogether.

Tickets to Avignon, for example, start at just £109.

Eurostar has announced that more people than ever are travelling to France by train. The number of people travelling cross-continent by rail in 2010 rose by three percent to 9.5 million.

The rail operator claimed the increase is due to more people choosing high-speed rail over the motorways for short-haul European travel - particularly with people that are going 'beyond Paris.'

Nicolas Petrovic, Eurostar's Chief Executive said on Eurostar.com: 'We have reported a strong performance in 2010 with growth in both sales revenues and passenger numbers.'

'We are also starting to see a real shift in behaviour as customers are increasingly keen to explore new destinations by high-speed rail.'