What I like about ViaMichelin’s app is that it will calculate fuel and toll cost for a route. French highways are very expensive so the longer no-toll route can be a money saver (particularly when you have a rental with unlimited kilometres and don’t mind taking the longer “scenic route”).
Sometimes it’s not even much of an increased distance, just departmental roads with a lower speed limit.
And gas/food is always cheaper off the highway, but I will admit French highway service stations do have fairly clean and free bathrooms.
> I will admit French highway service stations do have fairly clean and free bathrooms.
I recently told my children how it was like to take the highway during summer time about 40 years ago when I was a kid.
They had all kind of entertainment, large tents for families with babies (and free diapers). There also was a sort of large national game for children where they would "hunt the spoils" - get points for actions that reduced fuel use (opening windows, checking tires pressure, etc.)
There are no more such things today, the areas are just overcrowded - but I agree that they are very well organized.
Sometimes it’s not even much of an increased distance, just departmental roads with a lower speed limit.
And gas/food is always cheaper off the highway, but I will admit French highway service stations do have fairly clean and free bathrooms.