Agen 2026: Crit'Air ZFE in France's Prune-Growing Capital
Agen, France · ZFE
Agen — the southwest French town on the Garonne between Bordeaux and Toulouse, famous above all for its prunes (the pruneaux d'Agen, France's celebrated dried plums), with a strong rugby tradition, a pleasant old centre of brick and half-timber, a fine arts museum, and a remarkable 19th-century canal bridge (pont-canal) that carries the Canal de Garonne over the river on tall arches — runs a Crit'Air ZFE (foreign cars included) with fines from around EUR 68 for cars. The centre is walkable. Park and walk; the old town, the canal bridge and the Garonne countryside are the draws.
Agen sits on the Garonne between Bordeaux and Toulouse, its name known across France for the pruneau d’Agen, the dried plum sold in every local shop. A Crit’Air ZFE covers the town, fining cars from EUR 68 without the windscreen sticker. The compact centre is walkable, so park once and follow the canal towpath to the 19th-century pont-canal carrying boats over the river.
This page covers driving around Agen. For the emission classes and zone boundary, see the Agen ZFE details.
Crit’Air, park and walk
Order the Crit’Air sticker ahead (certificat-air.gouv.fr); without it the ZFE fine is from EUR 68. Park and walk the old town, the squares and the fine arts museum, and stroll the pont-canal over the Garonne. France’s limits: 50 km/h urban, 0.05% alcohol.
When the car helps
Keep it for the Lot-et-Garonne — the bastide towns, the orchards and the Garonne and Lot valleys — driven from a central car park.
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Winter tyres in France — 2026–27 season
Winter tyres are required in France whenever conditions are wintry — 1 Nov - 31 Mar (mountain law, designated departments).
- Tread minimum: 1.6 mm — France sets no separate winter figure.
- Accepted marking: 3PMSF on all four tyres, or snow chains / snow socks carried for two drive wheels; M+S alone no longer accepted (34 departments, signed communes only)
- Studded tyres: restricted
- Penalty: No sanction in force as of 17 Feb 2026 (penalty decree not yet published). Ignoring a B26 chain sign: 2nd-class fine, up to EUR 150. The obligation is enforceable only where B58/B59 signs are installed.
In French the rule is pneus hiver, and snow chains are chaînes à neige — that is the wording on signs, in hire-car paperwork and on any penalty notice.
Checked against national legislation, 16 Jun 2026 · Full France tyre law · Compare all countries
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Agen's ZFE requires a Crit'Air windscreen sticker for all cars, including foreign-registered ones, with the most polluting classes restricted. Order it ahead from the official site (certificat-air.gouv.fr), as it arrives by post. Driving in the zone without a valid sticker risks a fine from around EUR 68 for cars. The walkable centre means most visitors park near the centre and walk in.
Agen gives its name to the pruneau d'Agen, France's most famous prune (dried plum), made from the local Ente plum variety and a protected regional speciality with a long history (the tradition is linked to monks and the medieval plum trade). The prunes are sold plain, stuffed, in chocolates and in regional dishes, and celebrated in the area. It's the town's signature product and a popular souvenir, found in the shops of the walkable centre and the markets.
Agen has a striking pont-canal (canal bridge or aqueduct), a long 19th-century structure of tall stone arches that carries the Canal de Garonne across the river Garonne, one of the longest canal bridges in France. It's an elegant feat of engineering and a pleasant place to walk or cycle along the towpath, with views over the river. Together with the leafy canal, it's a distinctive feature of Agen, a short way from the centre.
Use a car park near the centre, with the Crit'Air sticker for the ZFE, then walk. The compact old town around the cathedral, the squares and the fine arts museum (with works by Goya among others) is walkable. Parking once and walking is the easy way around, keeping the car for the canal bridge, the Garonne valley and the surrounding Lot-et-Garonne countryside.
Not for the compact centre, which is walkable, and Agen is on the main Bordeaux-Toulouse rail line (with TGV links). A car helps for exploring the Lot-et-Garonne around it — the fortified bastide towns, the orchards and farmland of this rich agricultural region, the Garonne and Lot valleys, and onward toward the Dordogne or the Gers — driven from a central car park rather than used in the ZFE centre.
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