France’s national roads, a legacy of the Ancien Régime and the royal and imperial roads, remain an essential link in the road network. At a time of regionalisation and new mobility challenges, they reveal a history, organisation and use that shape the daily life and territory of France.
National roads in France
For over two centuries, the national roads have been the backbone of the French road network. Their existence and evolution embody the key role played by the State in structuring the national space and facilitating mobility at all levels. At a time of regionalisation and changes in transport, understanding the national road network sheds light on the country’s identity, organisation and territorial balance.
History of national roads
The history of national roads formally began under the First Empire with the desire to rationalise the movement of goods and people. The imperial decree of 1811 established a classification of roads, including the imperial roads, the forerunners of modern national roads. This network was partly superimposed on the postal routes and the old royal roads designed since the Ancien Régime to link the main cities of the kingdom.
The mission of the Ponts et Chaussées 2 department became clearer: to build and maintain roads, guarantee the continuity of travel and develop the economy. Most of the roads ran from Paris, the political and administrative centre, to the major regions of France. The traditional numbers (N1 to N20, for example) were assigned when the roads were improved, with each number corresponding to a major route.
This classification and organisation dates back to the 18th century, with the creation of the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (1747) and the introduction of the Corvée des Grands Chemins (1738). The road network doubled between 1770 and 1788, reaching 28,000 kilometres in France at that time.
- Podcast: the invention of a road network in the 18th century
While the 17th century network was not only poorly maintained, but also poorly distributed locally, the Age of Enlightenment saw the implementation of an extremely proactive policy in favour of the development of roadways.
Can you hear the eco? Radio France 3
Expansion and modernisation into the 20th century
Between the 19th and 20th centuries, the national road network underwent strong growth, in line with economic, demographic and industrial developments, to the detriment of the rail network. The major routes, some of which originated as imperial routes 4 (nos. 1 to 229, classes 1 to 3), gradually became the focus of freight and passenger transport, adapting from horse-drawn carriages to the first motor cars, then to coaches and lorries.
The straight or curved layout of the roads takes into account the national geography, the existing paths consolidated over the centuries and the modernisation of the network: crossing agricultural plains, crossing mountain ranges (Massif Central, Alps, Pyrenees), bypassing urban centres.
Between the wars, road signs were modernised. From then on, trunk roads could be identified by their red plate with a white number, and dividing bollards proudly marked every kilometre, following in the footsteps of the precursors, the Michelin bollards 5.
The motorway era, decentralisation and decommissioning
After the Second World War, the development of transport and tourism and the rapid growth in traffic led to the construction of motorways, often running parallel to the old trunk roads. The RN7, known as the holiday route, lost some of its importance to theA7 motorway, while the N10 lost some of its traffic to the A10.
The beginning of the 21st century was marked by a vast movement towards decentralisation. Under the impetus of the Law of 2004 6, part of the national roads, deemed to be of local or regional interest, were transferred to the départements. This reform led to the disappearance of a large proportion of the national roads from the network managed by the State: they became departmental roads, losing the famous N and adopting the D in front of their number.
First in 1973 and then in 2006, there were two major waves of management transfers, justified by the desire to adapt infrastructure governance to the reality of the areas served.
- Before 1972, the national network was around 80,000 kilometres long, until the 1972 reform and the massive downgrading of secondary roads to departmental level, reducing the national network to around 40,000 kilometres;
- A new phase of decentralisation took place in the early 2000s (2004-2006 reform), resulting in less than 10,500 kilometres of national roads being managed directly by the State in 2006;
- In 2021, the official length of the non-concession national road network was 9,160 kilometres.
- National road mileage since 1959: (Source INSEE, Wikipedia, Wikisara)
| Year | Kilometres of national roads | Main comment |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | 80,000 (with a small proportion of motorways) | Apogee of the national network |
| 1972 | ~40 000 | 1972 reform: 53,000 km of national roads downgraded |
| 1990 | ~30 500 | Number before new wave of downgrades |
| 2006 | ~10 500 | After decentralisation and road transfers |
| 2021 | 9 160 | National network managed by the State, excluding motorways under concession |
Geography and organisation of the network
The national network that remains today is made up of major routes that cross the whole of France, from major conurbations to borders, via rural and coastal areas.
Grids, routes and typology
The logic of the French national network favours major radial and transverse routes. If we look at the map of France, the historic RN1 to RN20 start or end near Paris, radiating out in a star pattern. Over the decades, other national roads have been created to provide the best possible links between regions, or to serve specific industrial areas.
Following on from the main network, departmental roads link smaller centres or provide strategic bypasses.
National roads differ from motorways in that they have no tolls and no specific technical requirements: they run through town centres, the countryside and medium-sized towns, usually with 2×1 lanes, but sometimes widened to 2×2 lanes on very busy or more recent sections.
However, national roads have been in decline since the last century, gradually being replaced by departmental roads. Here is a table showing changes in road mileage since 1959
Regional geographical profile
The distribution of the national network is adapted to the regional breakdown, with marked disparities:
- Île-de-France
The starting point for many national roads, this former key crossroads is now saturated and largely overtaken by urban motorways.
- Hauts-de-France and Grand-Est
The N2 links Paris to the Belgian border, the N4 crosses Lorraine to Strasbourg and the N3 serves Champagne. These roads still exist, but many of their sections have now been downgraded to departmental status.
- Normandy and Brittany
The N12 links Paris to Brest via Rennes, while the N13 links Caen and Cherbourg, helping to structure the western axis. - Nouvelle-Aquitaine
The N10, a major route, serves Bordeaux and then the Spanish border (Hendaye), carrying heavy traffic, particularly heavy goods vehicles. - Occitanie
The N20 links Toulouse to Andorra, the N113 serves the Narbonne-Toulouse-Bordeaux route, and the N145 provides an east-west link via Guéret and Montluçon. - Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
The N7, immortalised in literature and tourism, crosses the Rhône valley, while the N79, Route Centre-Europe Atlantique (RCEA 7 ), links Burgundy to the Atlantic, carrying a high volume of heavy goods traffic. - Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur
The N7 runs from Nice to Menton on the Riviera, while the N202 serves the Southern Alps. The network here is closely interwoven with the motorways and departmental roads, but remains essential for tourist services and towns not connected to the fast network.
Key roads and trunk routes
Here are just a few of the most famous and important national roads:
- RN7or national road N7
From Paris to Menton, crossing France from north to south, a symbol of summer migration and seaside tourism.
- RN10or national road N10
From Paris to Hendaye, the main Paris-Spain route, important for the transit of goods.
- RN20or national road N20
From Paris to Toulouse and Andorra, serving the South-West and cross-border traffic.
- RN6 or national road N6
Paris-Lyon, now largely decommissioned, formerly a major commercial route.
- RN13or national road N13
Paris-Cherbourg, Normandy’s main trunk road.
- RN79 (RCEA * )
Transversal road for heavy goods vehicles, linking Mâcon to Montluçon/Montauban, a key east-west freight route.
Visitor numbers, uses and management
Every day, national roads are used by a wide variety of people throughout the year: commuters, seasonal tourists and national and international commercial traffic. To quantify this, traffic figures are often expressed in terms of average annual daily traffic (AADT), making it possible to assess traffic flows on specific routes, particularly for heavy goods vehicles.
On certain peri-urban stretches, traffic can reach up to 40,000 vehicles a day. Freight-oriented roads (such as the RN10 and RN79) see a high proportion of lorries, while tourist routes (RN7, RN13) experience episodes of congestion during the summer months, such as during bridges and certain weekends close to summer.
Maintenance, safety and governance
National roads are mainly managed by the interdepartmental road directorates (DIR), which are responsible for maintenance, modernisation, signposting and safety. Road maintenance remains a major challenge in order to guarantee traffic flow, limit the deterioration of pavements and adapt roads to environmental requirements.
Road safety is the subject of specific action plans: installation of speed cameras, redevelopment, protection against landslides or flooding, adaptation of signage. Budgets and policies vary greatly depending on the region and the development priorities defined by the State or local authorities.
Roads and regional planning
National roads are part of a changing landscape, under pressure from urban development and the need to preserve the quality of life around busy roads. The installation of bypasses, relief roads and the doubling up of certain urban routes reflect the desire to adapt the network in order to keep traffic flowing smoothly and protect the daily lives of local residents as much as possible.
The issue of sustainable development is now being taken into account in the choice of materials, the management of rainwater, the limitation of noise impact in towns and cities, and the integration of existing and new infrastructure into the landscape.
- National 7 in video and in 3 minutes
National roads and French society
National roads are more than just a succession of carriageways and asphalt; they embody a historical, heritage and cultural dimension.
The collective memory gives them a special aura; for example, the RN7, known as the holiday route, is popularised in French literature, film and song. In addition to daily journeys, the national roads were for a long time the scene of major seasonal flows, the instrument of the democratisation of travel and mass tourism before the advent of the motorways. Even today, the national roads are an economic and tourist choice for discovering the towns and villages of France in complete serenity.
The diversity of routes and landscapes crossed by these routes illustrates France’s geographical variety: cereal-growing plains in central France, vineyards in Burgundy, Brittany’s hedged farmland, Alpine mountains, Mediterranean valleys and forests in the north.
In today’s society, they are still seen as a means of connecting people and providing mobility, supporting regional activity, trade and local life as well as long-distance journeys.
- Podcast: On the road to holiday, the mythical Nationale 7
In the France of the “Trente Glorieuses”, the Nationale 7 is an institution. An essential route for holidaymakers, it links Paris to Menton over a distance of almost a thousand kilometres. What was it like to drive along the N7? What wider road and economic ecosystem was it linked to?
Le Cours de l’Histoire, Radio France 8
FAQ and national roads
- What is the difference between a trunk road and a motorway?
National roads are managed by the State, free of charge and often single-lane, whereas motorways are generally conceded to a private company, subject to toll and equipped with advanced infrastructure.
➡ Related link: Map of motorway concessions in France
- What distinguishes a “nationale” from a “départementale”?
The way it’s managed, by the State in the case of the former and the Département in the case of the latter, the symbol(N for national, D for départementale) and the role it plays in regional, inter-regional and local services.
- Signs and limits
National roads can be identified by their red signs and the main limit of 80 km/h outside built-up areas, which varies according to the profile of the road (for example, a 110 km/h dual carriageway) and the local context (some departments have a 90 km/h limit).
- Where is the Kilometre Zero Point on France’s roads?
It is located on the forecourt of Notre-Dame de Paris. Made up of a slab showing the four cardinal points with a compass rose at its centre, it symbolises the point from which road distances between Paris and the other towns in France are calculated.
The national network is constantly evolving, under the combined influence of regulations, regional planning, mobility policies and environmental imperatives. The future of the national roads is diminishing as management is transferred to the départements, while maintaining their role in terms of structure and heritage at a national level for the remaining routes. Although the regionalisation of the network is well advanced, the question of financing and maintenance remains.
France’s national roads, a legacy of history and a symbol of the country’s unity, remain inseparable from the country’s landscape and identity.
Map of national roads in France
List of national roads in France
For an exhaustive list of national roads in mainland France and overseas, visit the dedicated page :
Travel link
- French road network, Wikipedia ↩︎
- École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, Wikipedia ↩︎
- Podcast: The economy takes to the motorway ↩︎
- List of imperial roads in 1881, Wikipedia ↩︎
- Michelin signage, Wikipedia ↩︎
- Skills transfers: roads, Jean-Marc Offner
Road transfers and the 3DS Act, Landot avocats
LOI n° 2004-809 of 13 August 2004, Légifrance ↩︎ - RCEA road, Wikipedia ↩︎
- Podcast: Automobile, a story on wheels ↩︎
- Kilometer Zero Point, Wikipedia ↩︎