It is also known as the Autoroute des Anglais[1] (Motorway of the English) as its length forms the first part of the main route from the Dover-Calais ferries and the Channel Tunnel towards Southern and Eastern France and the Cote d'Azur.

By the time the 96 km southern extension connecting the A4 autoroute and A5 autoroute opened in June 1992 it was the final link in the first continuous motorway route from Calais to Marseille and the Cote d'Azur that completely bypassed the Paris area with its associated congestion, reducing driving time from Calais to Lyon by approximately 90 minutes to around 6 hours.

This section also made up the final part of an uninterrupted motorway route between the major cities of Lyon/Marseille and Lille without having to drive via either Paris or Belgium.

The A26 is a toll (peage) motorway for its entire length..[2] The vast majority is maintained by SANEF except the very southern end south of junction 21 which is operated by APRR.

It crosses over, as well as through the valleys of the rivers Aa, Lys, Somme and Marne as well as le Méridienne verte, a millennium project to plant a line of trees the length of France along the Paris Meridian.

The northern section of the motorway can be prone to strong crosswinds and heavy downpours and there are large wind turbines and windsocks visible throughout the whole length of the road.

Since the mid 2000s the final aire on the northbound side (Nortkerque) has been permanently closed due to its use by migrants as a boarding point onto parked freight vehicles heading for the UK.

[4] The extension would, if completed, replace N77 and N151 as part of the second version of the Grand contournement de Paris, upgrading the south-eastern section of the ring road to motorway standard.