Route nationale 20

The Route nationale 20 (N20) is a trunk road (nationale) between Paris and the frontier with Spain heading south through the heart of France and passing through the Cathedral City of Orléans and Toulouse. The road forks at Col de Puymorens with one branch being the Route nationale 22 which leads to Andorra. In winter, avalanches sometimes close the road.

This road was originally the main road of the royal domain between Paris and Orléans, built upon a Gaulish road re-worked as a road of the Roman empire.

The N20 is now being upgraded to 2x2 autoroute standard, the majority of which is toll free. The upgrade is to be called the A20 autoroute. The road is also part of the European route E09. Similar work has been undertaken to the N9.

Paris - Étampes - Orléans - Vierzon - Châteauroux - Limoges - Brive-la-Gaillarde - Cahors - Montauban - Toulouse - Pamiers - Foix - Bourg-Madame - Spain (N-152)

The road starts at the south of the city centre of Paris at the Porte d'Orléans. The road heads south as the Avenue Aristide-Briand through the suburb of Bourg-la-Reine. It crosses the A86 autoroute near Orly Airport. Then past the suburb of Antony and a junction with the A6 autoroute. The old road is renumbered the D217 through an industrial estate and the town of Longjumeau.

The N20 merges again as the Route d'Orléans through Montlhéry and over the N104 and into open rolling countryside which becomes increasingly wooded. The road passes the Bois de la Butte de Couard. The road then comes to the town of Étampes where there is a junction with the N191 (Corbeil-Essonnes to the N10).

The road then heads south west parallel to the A10 autoroute. The road skirts the western edge of the large forest of Orléans (French: Forêt d'Orléans) before entering the cathedral city of Orléans. The N20 crosses the river Loire in the City Centre over the Pont du Maréchal Joffre.

Orléans is a key transport hub forming a junction with the A10 autoroute (L'Aquitaine) and A71 autoroute (L'Arverne) as well as the N157 (Rennes–Le Mans-Orléans), N60 (Troyes–Sens-Orléans) and N152 (Orléans-Blois–Angers–Saumur).