Point zéro (kilometre zero) on the parvis of Notre-Dame de Paris

A route nationale, or simply nationale, is a class of trunk road in France. They are important roads of national significance which cross broad portions of the French territory, in contrast to departmental or communal roads which serve more limited local areas.

Their use is free, except when crossing certain structures subject to a toll. They are open to all vehicles, except on certain sections having motorway (autoroute) or express road (voie express) status, both of these categories being reserved for motorized vehicles only.

France at one time had some 30,500 km of routes nationales and publicly owned motorways, but this figure has decreased with the transfer of the responsibility for many routes to the départements so that by 2010 the total length of motorways and other national roads was around 21,100 km. By way of comparison, routes départementales in the same year covered a total distance of 378,000 km.[1]

The layout of the main trunk road network reflects France's centralizing tradition: the majority of them radiate from Paris. The most important trunk roads begin on the parvis of Notre Dame de Paris at a point known as point zéro (kilometre zero). In order to cover the country effectively, there are many other roads that do not serve Paris directly.

History

The system dates back to 16 December 1811, when Napoleon designated a number of routes impériales (imperial highways). First-class routes were numbered from 1 to 14; all began at Paris, radiating out in a clockwise manner. Route 1 ran from Paris north to Calais, and is still the general path of route nationale 1. Second-class routes, from 15 to 27, did the same, while third-class routes from 28 to 229 provided less major connections. During the Bourbon Restoration, in 1824, these routes were renamed routes royales (royal highways) and modified. Route 3, Paris to Hamburg via Soissons, Reims and Liège, was renumbered to 31 and 51, and the subsequent routes were shifted down by one. Routes 19 and 20 were completely outside the post-Napoleon France, and so 21 to 27 became 18 to 24. In 1830 the highways were renamed routes nationales.[2]

In the 21st century, the French Government has downgraded many of the former routes nationales, such as the N7 from Paris to the Côte d'Azur, transferring responsibility for them to the départements.[3]

List of routes nationales

Routes nationales 1 to 25

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Number Runs through:
N1Paris - Beauvais - Amiens - Abbeville - Boulogne-sur-Mer - Calais - Dunkirk - Belgium (N39)
N2Paris - Soissons - Laon - Maubeuge - Belgium (N6)
N3Paris - Meaux - Château-Thierry - Épernay - Châlons-en-Champagne - Verdun - Metz - Germany (B41)
N4Paris - Vitry-le-François - Saint-Dizier - Toul - Blâmont - Sarrebourg - Strasbourg - Germany (B28)
N4AVincennes (N34) - Joinville-le-Pont (N186)
N5Dijon - Dole - Switzerland (Geneva) - Thonon-les-Bains - Saint-Gingolph - Switzerland (21)
N6Paris - Melun - Fontainebleau - Sens - Auxerre - Chalon-sur-Saône - Mâcon - Lyon - Chambéry - Modane - Italy (SS25)
N7Paris - Fontainebleau - Montargis - Cosne-Cours-sur-Loire - Nevers - Moulins - Roanne - Lyon - Vienne - Valence - Montélimar - Orange - Avignon - Aix-en-Provence - Fréjus - Saint-Raphaël - Cannes - Antibes - Nice - Menton - Italy (SS1)
N8Aix-en-Provence - Marseille - Aubagne - Toulon
N9Moulins - Clermont-Ferrand - Issoire - Saint-Chély-d'Apcher - Marvejols - Banassac - Millau - Clermont-l'Hérault - Béziers - Narbonne - Perpignan - Spain (N-II)
N10Saint-Cyr-l'École - Rambouillet - Chartres - Tours - Châtellerault - Poitiers - Angoulême - Bordeaux - Biarritz - Spain (N-I)
N11Poitiers (N10) - Niort - La Rochelle
N12Saint-Cyr-l'École - Dreux - Alençon - Fougères - Liffré - Rennes - Saint-Brieuc - Brest
N13Paris - Saint-Germain-en-Laye - Orgeval - Mantes-la-Jolie - Évreux - Lisieux - Caen - Cherbourg
N14Paris - Enghien - Pontoise - Rouen
N15Bonnières-sur-Seine (A13) - Rouen - Yvetot - Le Havre
N16Pierrefitte (N1) - Creil - Clermont
N17Le Bourget (N2) - Senlis - Arras - Lille - Hallum Belgium (N32)
N18Étain - Longuyon - Longwy - Belgium (N830)
N19Paris - Provins - Troyes - Chaumont - Langres - Vesoul - Belfort - Switzerland
N20Paris - Étampes - Orléans - Vierzon - Châteauroux - Limoges - Brive - Cahors - Montauban - Toulouse - Foix - Bourg-Madame - Spain (N-152)
N21Limoges - Périgueux - Bergerac - Agen - Auch - Tarbes - Argelès-Gazost
N22N20 between Foix and Bourg-Madame - Andorra
N23Chartres - Le Mans - Angers - Nantes
N24Rennes - Lorient
N25Amiens - Arras

Routes nationales 26 to 50

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Number Runs through:
N26Verneuil-sur-Avre (N12) - Argentan
N27Rouen - Dieppe
N28Rouen - Abbeville - Dunkirk
N29Yvetot - Amiens - Saint-Quentin - La Capelle
N30Bapaume - Cambrai - Valenciennes - Quiévrain
N31Rouen - Beauvais - Compiègne - Soissons - Reims
N32Compiègne - La Fère
N33Saint-Avold - Creutzwald
N34Vincennes - Coulommiers - Esternay
N35Saint-Dizier - Bar-le-Duc - Verdun
N36Meaux - Melun
N37A6 - RN7
N38
N39Arras - Hesdin - Le Touquet-Paris-Plage
N40
N41Béthune - Lille
N42Boulogne-sur-Mer - Saint-Omer - Bailleul
N43Metz - Sedan - La Capelle - Charleville-Mézières - Cambrai - Douai - Lens - Béthune - Saint-Omer - Calais
N44Cambrai - Saint-Quentin - Laon - Reims - Châlons-en-Champagne - Vitry-le-François
N45Douai - Valenciennes
N46
N47Lens - La Bassée
N48
N49Valenciennes - Maubeuge - Jeumont - Belgium (N54)
N50Arras - Douai

Routes nationales 51 to 75

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Number Runs through:
N51Épernay - Reims - Charleville-Mézières - Givet
N52Metz - Thionville - Longwy
N53Thionville - Évrange
N54
N55
N56Saint-Avold - Sarralbe
N57Metz - Nancy - Épinal - Vesoul - Besançon - Pontarlier - Ballaigues
N58Sedan - Bouillon
N59Nancy - Saint-Dié-des-Vosges - Sélestat
N60Orléans - Montargis - Sens - Troyes
N61Phalsbourg - Saarbrücken
N62Sarreguemines - Haguenau
N63Strasbourg - Haguenau - A35
N64
N65Auxerre - A6
N66Remiremont - Mulhouse - Basel (Switzerland)
N67Saint-Dizier - Chaumont
N68
N69
N70Paray-le-Monial - Montchanin
N71Troyes - Dijon
N72Access to A6 at Mâcon-Nord.
N73Besançon - Dole - Chalon-sur-Saône
N74Sarreguemines - Château-Salins - Nancy - Toul - Chaumont - Langres - Dijon - Beaune - Corpeau (Route des Grands Crus from Dijon to Santenay)
N75Bourg-en-Bresse - Grenoble - Sisteron

Routes nationales 76 to 100

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Number Runs through:
N76Tours - Vierzon - Bourges - Saint-Pierre-le-Moûtier
N77Auxerre - Troyes - Châlons-en-Champagne
N78Chalon-sur-Saône - Louhans - Lons-le-Saunier - Saint-Laurent-en-Grandvaux
N79Montmarault - Mâcon - Bourg-en-Bresse
N80Autun - Le Creusot - Chalon-sur-Saône
N81Nevers - Autun - Pouilly-en-Auxois
N82Roanne - Saint-Étienne - Chanas
N83Lyon - Bourg-en-Bresse - Lons-le-Saunier - Besançon - Belfort - Colmar - Strasbourg
N84Lyon - Nantua - Bellegarde-sur-Valserine
N85Bourgoin-Jallieu - Grenoble - Gap - Digne-les-Bains - Grasse - Cannes
N86Lyon - Nîmes
N87Grenoble
N88Lyon - Saint-Étienne - Le Puy-en-Velay - Mende - Rodez - Albi - Toulouse
N89Lyon - Thiers - Clermont-Ferrand - Tulle - Périgueux - Libourne - Bordeaux
N90Grenoble - Albertville - Bourg-Saint-Maurice - Col du Petit Saint-Bernard
N91Grenoble - Briançon
N92Romans-sur-Isère - Moirans
N93Viviers - Pierrelatte
N94Gap - Montgenèvre
N95Tain-l'Hermitage - A7 (exit 13)
N96Aubagne - Aix-en-Provence - Manosque - Château-Arnoux-Saint-Auban
N97Toulon - Le Luc
N98Toulon - Fréjus - Saint-Raphaël - Cannes - Nice - Menton
N99
N100Remoulins - Avignon - Apt - Forcalquier

Routes nationales 101 to 125

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Number Runs through:
N101Eastern bypass of Remoulins - Link N86-N100
N102Vergongheon - Brioude - Le Puy-en-Velay and Pradelles - Aubenas - Montélimar
N103Conflans-en-Jarnisy - Briey
N104Lognes - Évry - Les Ulis (Francilienne)
N105Melun - Montereau-Fault-Yonne
N106Nîmes - Alès - Florac - Mende - Saint-Chély-d'Apcher
N107Vedène - Le Pontet - Montfavet
N108Marvejols - Barjac
N109Clermont-l'Hérault - Montpellier
N110Montpellier - Alès
N111Biriatou - A63
N112Montpellier - Béziers - Castres - Albi
N113Bordeaux - Agen - Toulouse - Carcassonne - Narbonne - Pézenas - Montpellier - Nîmes - Arles - Salon-de-Provence - Marseille
N114Perpignan - Cerbère
N115Le Boulou - Col d'Ares
N116Perpignan - Bourg-Madame
N117Toulouse - Tarbes - Pau - Bayonne
N118Sèvres - Les Ulis
N119
N120Uzerche - Tulle - Aurillac - Espalion - Rodez
N121Saint-Flour - Espalion
N122Clermont-Ferrand ou Massiac - Aurillac - Villefranche-de-Rouergue - Toulouse
N123Chartres
N124Toulouse - Auch - Mont-de-Marsan - Dax - Saint-Geours-de-Maremne
N125Montréjeau - Fos

Routes nationales 126 to 150

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Number Runs through:
N126Toulouse - Castres
N127
N128
N129
N130
N131
N132Cherbourg
N133
N134Saugnacq-et-Muret - Mont-de-Marsan - Pau - col du Somport
N135Bar-le-Duc - Ligny-en-Barrois
N136Rennes
N137Saint-Malo - Rennes - Nantes - La Rochelle - Saintes - Bordeaux
N138Rouen - Alençon - Le Mans - Tours
N139
N140Cressensac - Figeac - Rodez
N141Saintes - Angoulême - Limoges - Aubusson - Clermont-Ferrand
N142Bourges
N143Tours - Châteauroux
N144Bourges - Montluçon - Riom
N145Bellac - Guéret - Montluçon
N146Avallon - A6
N147Angers - Poitiers - Limoges
N148Sainte-Hermine - Niort
N149Nantes - Poitiers
N150Niort - Royan

Routes nationales 151 to 175

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Number Runs through:
N151Poitiers - Châteauroux - Bourges - La Charité-sur-Loire - Auxerre
N152Fontainebleau - Orléans - Tours - Angers
N153Thionville - Apach
N154Louviers - Évreux - Dreux - Chartres - Artenay
N155
N156
N157Orléans - Le Mans - Laval - Rennes
N158Caen - Falaise - Sées
N159
N160Angers - Cholet - La Roche-sur-Yon - Les Sables-d'Olonne
N161
N162Mayenne - Laval - Angers
N163
N164Montauban-de-Bretagne - Châteaulin
N165Nantes - Vannes - Lorient - Quimper - Brest
N166Ploërmel - Vannes
N167
N168
N169Lorient - Roscoff
N170
N171La Baule - Châteaubriant - Laval
N172
N173
N174Carentan - Saint-Lô - Vire
N175Rennes - Pontorson - Avranches - Caen - Rouen

Routes nationales 176 to 200

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Number Runs through:
N176Pré-en-Pail - Domfront - Dinan - Interchange N12/E50
N177Pont-l'Évêque - Trouville-sur-Mer
N178
N179
N180
N181
N182
N183
N184Saint-Germain-en-Laye - l'Isle Adam
N185
N186
N187
N188Massy / A10 - Les Ulis
N189
N190
N191Mennecy - Étampes - Ablis
N192
N193

Bastia - Corte, Haute-Corse - Ajaccio

N194
N195
N196

Ajaccio - Bonifacio

N197

Ponte Leccia - Calvi

N198

Casamozza - Bonifacio

N199
N200

Routes nationales 201 and beyond

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Number Runs through:
N201Perly-Certoux - Saint-Julien-en-Genevois - Annecy - Aix-les-Bains - Chambéry A-41S
N202Nice - Puget-Théniers - Barrême
N204Tende - Breil-sur-Roya
N205Annemasse - Chamonix - Mont Blanc Tunnel
N206Bellegarde-sur-Valserine - Saint-Julien-en-Genevois - Annemasse - Douvaine
N209Varennes-sur-Allier - Vichy - Gannat
N212Sallanches - Megève - Ugine - Albertville
N215Bordeaux - pointe de Grave
N220
N248Épannes - A10 Exit n°33
N249Nantes - Cholet - Bressuire
N250Bordeaux - Arcachon
N254Allaines-Mervilliers - A10 Exit n°12
N274Rocade de Dijon (Dijon bypass, 18.5 km)
N304Aubenas - Loriol-sur-Drôme
N312Agde - A9 Exit n°34
N313Aimargues - A9 Exit n°26
N320L'Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre - Col de Puymorens - Porté-Puymorens
N330Creil - Senlis - Meaux
N346Rocade Est de Lyon
N383Boulevard périphérique de Lyon
N420Molsheim - Saint-Dié-des-Vosges
N520Contournement de Limoges (Limoges bypass, 16 km)
N544Fos-sur-Mer - La Fossette
N545Fos-sur-Mer - Esso Refinery
N546Fos-sur-Mer - D.P.F.
N568Raphèle-lès-Arles - Martigues - Marseille
N569Orgon - Miramas - Istres - Fos-sur-Mer
N570Avignon - Tarascon - Arles
N2013Cherbourg
N572Lunel - Aimargues - Vauvert - Saint-Gilles - Arles - Salon-de-Provence
N618Saint-Jean-de-Luz - Col d'Aubisque - Col d'Aspin - Bagnères-de-Luchon - Saint-Girons - Argelès-sur-Mer
N814Boulevard périphérique de Caen

See also

References

  1. Figures from the Ministère de l’Écologie]
  2. "Note Sommaire sur la Gestion des Routes".
  3. "Take the slow road: Route Nationale 7, the French connection". Washington Post. 1 July 2010. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
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