LPG in France: Sacré bleu, GPL!

© gazeo.comSimple pictorial and written instructions are everything that will prepare you for self-service refueling in France, so practice beforehand if you need to

Until recently there had been only a couple of countries with properly developed LPG refueling infrastructure in Europe, among them Poland, Italy, Holland and Belgium. And of course Turkey, at least if you consider it a European country. The balance of power has been changing for some time now and today there are more autogas stations in Germany than in Poland. France does not remain passive and already has a network of 1700-1800 retail points. The number may not be particularly impressive, especially when you consider the country's remarkably large surface, but with a bit of luck and spotting you can tour France using no petrol.

The price of autogas in the country upon Seine and Loire is perfectly half the price of petrol, with 1 litre costing 0,83 euro (compared to 1,66 euros/l of petrol). LPG is not particularly cheap if you look at prices in other European countries, but then remember that there is no cheaper option available anyway. The filling nozzle standard is Italian dish, but be ready to refill on your own, since self-service is commonplace. If you are not used to it, remember not to release the switch on the pump before you are done – you will have to go pay the bill, then finish refilling and pay again.

If you need maps and lists of stations to plan your journey beforehand and feel safe, go here (for maps) and here (for lists). Alternatively, you can have both combined, with the extra option of searching stations along a specified route. And if you want to go as far as Corsica, there are stations there, too, so you can save on fuel almost anywhere. Enjoy France! Au revoir!