Definition: The Boulevard Périphérique is a beltway road and Paris' main freeway/highway, winding around the city limits in a double loop. Known to Parisians as simply "Le Périph", the Boulevard Périphérique is one of the busiest highways in Europe and is well-known for its traffic jams, confusing freeway signs, large presence of industrial vehicles and noisy scooters weaving in and out of traffic. In short, if you can manage to avoid driving on the Boulevard Périphérique, you should probably do so.
The Boulevard Périphérique more or less designates the boundary between "intramural" Paris and its nearest suburbs. Just as many lines of the Paris metro have "doorway" stops at the gateway to the closest suburbs (such as Porte de Champerret, Porte de St Ouen, Porte de Clingancourt etc.), a majority of the main exits from the Boulevard Périphérique are also situated at the "Portes".
Speed Limit on the Boulevard Périphérique in Paris
The speed limit on the Boulevard Périphérique is 80km/50mph. Under normal traffic conditions, it takes just under half an hour to make a complete loop around the Périphérique.Pronunciation: [periferik] Audio Link
Also Known As: Le Périph, l'autoroute parisien
