2 1/2 days in Paris

Return the car in Caen and take the train back to Paris. No need for a vehicle in Paris. The various places you want to go to are easily accessible by foot and Metro.

Absolutely no reason to have a car in Paris! Ack. I would return the car in Caen - the rental car agencies are right across the street from the train station. If you prefer to drive back, return the car at a location on the outskirts of the city and take the metro in to your hotel so as to avoid driving in the city.

Is there an added charge to return the car so far from CDG? Then we have to get from hotel to CDG for an 11:15 AM flight. Taxi? Uber?

One more vote for dumping the car before you get to Paris (when we went, we returned it in Caen before spending 5 days in Paris). For your trip to the airport, you can take the Metro to Gare du Nord, then a direct train from there to the airport. Feel free to PM me with any Normandy-specific questions.

Picking up rental car at CDG and driving straight to Normandy area

After what presumably is an overnight flight, you plan a 3+ hr drive?

How well do you sleep on a plane?

I'll have several days to adjust to French time before we leave. A few years ago I slept very well on a flight from Los Angeles to Charlotte, NC.

You could return the car to Orly airport (it’s closer than CDG and it’s an easy drive from Normandy), then take a taxi to the hotel. We did this in Nov.2019. The taxi will be a fixed rate (about 55 euros). Then take the metro to the sites within the city. Take a taxi from the hotel to the airport (again a fixed rate). You don’t want or need a car in Paris. It will sit in a very expensive parking garage the whole time.

Another option would be to return the rental car closer to your hotel (maybe La Defense), then take a taxi to the hotel.

Or, reverse your trip. Stay in Paris for the first few days to acclimate to the time change. Pick up a car at a convenient area to get on the road to Normandy, use the car in Normandy. Afterwards, drive back to a CDG hotel, unload your stuff, return the car to the airport car rental and spend the night at a CDG hotel before your flight. Research a while back (can't find it to cite it) found that driving after an overnight flight is akin to driving drunk. Here's a write up in Elle: https://www.elle.com/beauty/health-fitness/news/a35349/lack-of-sleep-same-as-being-drunk-uk-sleep-study/

EuropCar wouldn't charge you a fee for dropping off in a different location. See AutoEurope https://www.autoeurope.com/ .

We have returned cars at airports and train stations in Paris and Caen --in our experience most rental agencies don't charge for return at a different spot in the country/city. You don't want to pay to garage it in Paris. Dump it and enjoy Paris; take a cab to the airport. -- or you could take the train although that isn't a fabulous location for the airport train.

Ok lets say we dump the car, our flight back to the USA is on a Tuesday morning at 11:15 AM. What time should we leave our hotel by the Eiffel Tower to go to CDG? Shuttle service or taxi? I priced one shuttle service and it's 60 Euros for the ride to CDG.

before Covid you would need a clear 3 hours at the airport. 11:00 - 3 is 8am at the airport, an hour in rush hour traffic (what day of the week?), leave at 7 by taxi. A bit longer because of the connection from the Métro to the RER to the airport by train.

During the Pandemic I don't know how long additional screening and testing will take, certainly not in October.

I suggest you consider checking in around September. Or if you don't want to be out of bed at 5 am, for such an early flight consider staying at or near the airport.

No - very few people would seriously consider driving into Paris, garaging €€€€ for 2 days, and driving through rush hour Paris traffic to the airport.

By the way - I don't think that anybody has mentioned it - you can't park on the street for that amount of time, and the garage spaces put cars only a cigarette paper apart - they are very very tight.

With Auto Europe I dont see an option to return the car to La Defense. There is an option for Orly Airport.

Taxis in Paris to the airports are fixed-rate for up to 4 people ; shuttles are not the way to go.

Taxi from Orly (should you leave your rental there) to the Left Bank: 32€

Taxi from your Left Bank hotel to CDG: €58

Is there an added charge to return the car so far from CDG?

Yes, if you rent from Hertz or Avis. Sixt or Europcar rarely charge for one way returns within France. There is also an extra charge for picking up at an airport or train station.

With Auto Europe I dont see an option to return the car to La Defense.

There should be any number of rental office near la Défense where a rental car can be returned. Look for one, there are many, along ave Charles de Gaulle which is just to the east of la Défense, particularly one near a métro stop such as les Sablons.

You could return the car to Orly airport

You do not want to drop off at Orly. ORY is on the opposite side of Paris from where you arrive from Normandy.

Or, reverse your trip. Stay in Paris for the first few days to acclimate to the time change.

Excellent idea Bets. I would strongly recommend you do not drive 3+ hours after an all night transatlantic flight.

What time should we leave our hotel by the Eiffel Tower to go to CDG?

Allow 1 hour to travel to CDG unless it is Sunday morning when you can make it in 30 minutes. Plan on being at CDG 3 hours before you scheduled departure.

Taxis from Paris to CDG are 53€ from the Right Bank, 58€ from the Left Bank. Drivers are not tipped. A hotel near the Eiffel Tower could be on either side of the Seine. I use FREE NOW which typically runs about 50€.

I drive in Paris and you are going to get a lot of opinion from individuals who do not. It's not a big deal, but parking is costly. You really do not want to drive to CDG from Paris if you are catching a flight. There are just too many unknowns.

The most important advice I can give you is do not drive from CDG to Normandy. Take the train from Gare St Lazare and rent a car in close to where you are staying in Normandy.

If you're not locked into your hotel perhaps you should consider a similar hotel that can guarantee you a parking spot.

Please rethink driving upon arrival. A trans atlantic flight is a lot longer than L.A. to Charlotte. Trying to adjust to Paris time several days before leaving may or may not work. It doesn't for us. Consider that you will be on strange roads, with unfamilar road signage, probably tired, and somewhat jet lagged. Some are not bothered by any of those things, while others (myself included) shouldn't be allowed around sharp instruments. Even a small fender bender at the start will put a damper on the entire trip.

You can go from the airport to Paris proper and take a train to Normandy. Easy-peasy -- we've done it. Then rent a car there, return it there, and take a train back to Paris. Don't mean to rain on your parade, just offering food for thought.

I dont mind you raining on my parade. All information is welcome and taken into consideration. We have 7 full days in France and I thought that renting a car would save valuable time as opposed to getting to a train station, waiting on trains etc. Tell me about getting from CDG to the train station (in Paris?) and getting to Caen. We want to start there at Pegasus Bridge. You can PM me if you'd like.

Pegasus Bridge is a great choice - be sure to visit the cemetery at Ranville.

If I had to get from CDG to Caen, I would take a cab or car service to Gare St. Lazare - from which all (I think) trains depart for Normandy. I don't think you can take a direct train from CDG to St. Lazare.

If you're open to an alternative I think there's an easier way to do this.
I gather that you're only spending 3 or 4 nights in the Normandy area and that your primary interests are touring the D-Day sites and a day trip over to MSM. If that's the case why not forget the idea of renting a car at all - taking the train to Bayeux upon arrival at CDG and basing yourselves there for the duration of your visit ... returning to Paris by train when you're done. There are a host of excellent tour companies based in Bayeux that will take you where you want to go, offering the option of half-day trips, full day or full-immersion two day excursions. There are also relatively cheap shuttles running from some of the Bayeux hotels over to MSM for the day, one of which is the Churchill which is a popular option for many here on the forum.
That way you wouldn't have to worry about the hassles involved in renting a car or the very valid concerns expressed by others regarding driving while jetlagged, and I think that once you sort everything out you'll find that the money saved by not renting the car will largely offset the costs of tours, taxis, etc.
There are times when comfort and convenience outweigh any concerns about saving a few bucks along the way. This may be one of those times for you.

Thanks Robert. And you are right. D Day sites are what we really want to immerse ourselves in. I think we will pass on renting the car at CDG. We will get transportation down to Gare St Lazar and take the train to Caen. We definitely want to rent a car and go at our own pace, as fast or slow as we want and not have to be on a timetable for a booked tour. All great suggestions by you though. Return the car at Caen and take the train back to Paris. That's the way I'm leaning right now.

Our flight lands at CDG at 6:30 AM. Think we can make it down to gare st lazar for a 10:00 AM train to Caen? I really appreciate everyone replying and sharing information. Thank you.

Good plan I think.
As it happens, we're doing something very similar to your trip ... we'll also be in Normandy visiting D-Day sites in October (hopefully). Per the suggestion of many other RS posters, however, we plan to sign up for one of the organised day tours first and then spend the next few days revisiting selected sites on our own. Most of the people who have done something similar recommend that approach as the way to go, and we've decided that's the preferred option for us too, believing that it will be good to get an educated and insightful commentary from a local expert before we start wandering the countryside.
Maybe we'll see you on the road in October.

You should be able to make a 10 am train. Even easier if you have only carry-on, nothing checked. No need to reserve a shuttle or driver. Just get in the official taxi line and the person in charge at the head of the line will put you in a taxi, 53€ flat rate. Ignore all the illegal drivers crowding the exit hall as you leave the secure area. We've read too many stories of 200€ illegal rides. If you need to use a credit card, tell the person in charge.

For your return, have the hotel order a taxi the day before. There will be a little advance charge tagged on (5€?).
I've been using Paris taxis for decades and have had only one problem, back in 1979. Can't say that about other cities, including my tiny US town.
Train: use the official train site sncf.com.

I think your revised plan makes a lot of sense, Robert. Avoids driving on arrival morning, avoids driving or parking in Paris, but gives you the flexibility of a car when it matters. I would taxi to Gare St-Lazare, train to Caen (they're frequent, no need to reserve on a specific one), then drive as you like and return the car to Caen, train back to Paris, taxi to CDG early on departure morning. Too little time for the whole trip, but you must already know that! ;-)

Oh yes, too little time to see Paris. We could spend so much more time there. You say the trains are frequent and no need to reserve a specific train? Or are you talking about the taxis at CDG?

We made a very similar trip in 2019 without a car. We started with 3 nights in Paris, then took the train to Bayeux and stayed for 5 nights. We took 3 different full day tours using "Bayeux Shuttle". These included the American sector, the British/Canadian sector, and Mont St. Michel. We left a full day at the end for wandering around Bayeux. Then we trained back to Paris and spent the last night at a hotel right next to CDG.

If I ever return to Normandy, I would probably rent a car in Caen. The tours we took were very good, but there were some spots where we were rushed without having a car. I could have spent half a day in St. Mere Eglise, but we were there for maybe an hour, and that included getting lunch during that time.

St. Mere Eglise is definitely a must stop for us. We are still piecing our itinerary together as we have time (5 months out) to do so. I will start another topic later down the road of our itinerary and get some feed back from you all here. This will be our first time to Europe and everyone here has many thoughts and tips that I would never think of without your input. Me and my Son thank you all for your help.

Trblee, I've been away from the computer most of the day, but do want to answer your question. As several others have indicated, take a cab (flat rate) to Gare St. Lazare and then the train to Normandy. No need to reserve a cab at all. If you buy tickets well ahead of time for the train, you will save money. But if your arrival is way late, you'll just lose that amout and have to buy a new ticket. Of course if the advanced ticket doesn't cost very much, it might be worth the risk, especially if you build in a good bit of time between the arrival by plane and departure by train. Hope this helps.

FWIW Note that the car rentals at the Caen station close for a long lunch so be sure that you time pick up knowing for sure they are open.

Yeah, I'm messaging with a fella and he told me about the lunches at the Caen car rental. We'll try to be there before lunch, but IDK if we will make it.

The trains between Paris and Caen are TERs--regional trains without assigned seats. The fares do not escalate as the travel date approaches. Therefore, there's no advantage at all to buying the ticket ahead of time. You'll have the option of buying your tickets from a staffed counter (which might or might not be busy) or a vending machine at the train station. I've had no trouble using the vending machines in the French rail stations; you can change the language to English, and my credit cards have always worked. However, the first time you encounter one of those machines, it can certainly take you a few minutes to work your way through the transaction.

The prices of TER tickets are somewhat higher during peak periods, so at some point during the vending transaction you may be asked whether you are traveling during a white (peak) period or a blue (non-peak) period. A tiny calendar may be posted on the machine, but those are sometimes so worn they are illegible. The following link takes you to the calendar for the rest of this year. I urge you to print it out and put it with your travel information. I was lucky to find it via Google; it can be a real struggle to locate that information when you need it.

You will note on the right side of the chart that there are long peak periods on October 16, 23 and 30--all the Saturdays in the second half of the month.

SNCF White-/Blue-Period Calendar

If you think you're going to be cutting it really close at the station, time-wise, you might want to buy your Paris-Caen tickets online as you travel into the city after landing. To do that you would need a data plan that works in Europe on your cell phone, or you'd need to make the purchase before leaving the airport, using that facility's Wi-Fi (chewing up valuable time). To prepare for this possibility, I'd recommend downloading the SNCF app onto you phone well before you leave for Europe and playing around with it so you know how it works. I have not used that app, having either bought my tickets in person or used my tablet to access the SNCF website. From a phone, though, I assume the app would work better.

Perhaps others can provide further input on the topic of purchasing TER tickets for the day of arrival. It's not something I've ever done in France.

There are frequent trains to Caen from Gare St Lazare.

It is possible to pretty easily use the RER train from CDG to Gare St Lazare. Frequent RER-B from the airport a few stops to Gare du Nord, and easy short internal walk to Magenta for the one station hop on the RER-E to Haussmann St-Lazare, and just go upstairs for your train to Normandy.

I agree with most everyone, you absolutely do not need a car in Paris, finding a hotel that will guarantee you a pkng space is irrelevant.

I like the metro but I much prefer taking a city bus around Paris. It’s very easy and you get to be above ground and see Paris while you’re getting from place to place.

I highly recommend getting RS France guidebook and his Paris guidebook. They are a wealth of very practical, very helpful information and “how to’s” that will help you immensely. Including to be sure to always greet every French person with “Bonjour” before saying anything, sprinkle in a lot of Merçi’s, and always end with “Au revoir” and you will be received better than if you don’t follow basic French etiquette. 😊

I'll admit I didn't read all responses. But after eight trips to Normandy, I highly recommend not only having a car, but not visiting Normandy without one (Paris, not so much). Public transportation in Normandy is extremely limited, and doesn't go to many of the sights of interest at all (you can count them on one hand if you're missing a couple of fingers). If, as you say, your primary interest is in the D-day sights, do rent a car—whether once you get to Normandy or in Paris. I have done both. Yes, getting right in a car after a transatlantic flight isn't for everyone and you may find it very dangerous. But not everyone is the same. If you are more than one person, the other person(s) should be keeping you awake, not taking a nap while you drive. The last couple of times I went, and on my next trip, I spend at least one night in Paris before heading for Normandy. People will say the train is fast, but getting from CDG to Gare Saint Lazare isn't. I have taken a taxi when I had heavy luggage, but my preferred method is the RoissyBus. Either are way quicker and more convenient than a combination of trains and metro. Plus, you get to actually see the city on the way in, rather than tunneling underground. For around 12–13€/pp, the RoissyBus leaves from right outside of CDG arrivals, and drops you off right outside of the Paris Opera Garnier—a 7 minute walk to the train station. Car rentals in Caen are easy (I use Hertz). The you can get the hell out of Caen (nothing worth seeing there IMHO—including RS highly, but mistakenly recommended "museum"). Basing yourselves out of Bayeux is very convenient and quite pretty. I usually stay around Sainte-Mère-Église, which is the epicenter of the U.S. Airborne operations. But there are fewer places to stay and eat there.

I've cancelled the rental car at CDG. We're going to take a taxi down to the train station in Paris and hope we get to Caen before the rental car place there closes for a 2 hour lunch. 12-2 closure? Really? I hope we make it.

“you can get the hell out of Caen (nothing worth seeing there IMHO—including RS highly, but mistakenly recommended "museum"). Basing yourselves out of Bayeux is very convenient and quite pretty.”

I agree completely. My favorite museum is the one in Bayeux... where we’ve stayed at least 6 times, at Hotel d’Argouges. We love the town and it’s location relative to DDay sites.

have the hotel order a taxi the day before. There will be a little advance charge tagged on (5€?).

I believe that the approach fees were eliminated when the fixed airport rates became effective. These fees were a huge problem as these costs were often inflated by drives to include a kickback to the hotel doorman for having summoned that particularly driver. I think that these extra fees are now illegal, at least on fares to the airport.

You say the trains are frequent and no need to reserve a specific train? Or are you talking about the taxis at CDG?

The Gare St Lazare trains to Normandy are generally open, no reservation required unless you want one. You can reserve a taxi from CDG to Paris but a reservation negates the fixed fare, you will be charged the meter plus wait time. There is no need to prearrange taxis from CDG. There are always plenty of taxis, lines of them, ready to pick you up.

There is train service from CDG to Caen. Right now there is one a day which departs CDG at 12h38 and arrives Caen at 16h25. That´s almost 6 hours en route which may not be of interest to many but these schedules change all the time. It never hurts to take a look.

the car rentals at the Caen station close for a long lunch

Lunch time closing of rental car pickup offices is universal throughout France. Only the big airport/train station offices remain open during lunch.

Perhaps others can provide further input on the topic of purchasing TER tickets for the day of arrival.

acraven is correct about pricing on TER trains. Prices can change during the day and tickets can be departure time specific. There can be special prices for those 60+ for specif trains, not to be confused with the Carte Advantage Senior fares which are something totally different. Some of the TER fares can be as low as 15€ and they can be prebooked. Check with the SNCF website.

be sure to always greet every French person with “Bonjour” before saying anything

The French have no expectation that visitors speak French or any part of French. It really does not matter. However, everyone in France expects you to say hello/bonjour before you say anything else. It sounds easy but Anglophones really do not do this as often as we think. Even if you ask something of the maid cleaning your room, start the sentence with hello/bonjour. That also includes saying hello/bonjour to the bus driver when boarding. Some greet those around them when being seated at a restaurant. I always say goodnight/bonsoir to my dining neighbors when leaving a restaurant.

I highly recommend not only having a car, but not visiting Normandy without one

I could not agree more with this observation by PharmerPhil. You are cheating yourself by not having a car when visiting Normandy. Just don´t drive it from CDG on the morning of your arrival after an all night transatlantic flight.

Basing yourselves out of Bayeux is very convenient and quite pretty.

You really want to stay in Bayeux over staying in Caen. There are direct Bayeux trains from Gare St Lazare.

It is true you do not need to speak French to be received well, you just need the basic words I mentioned, which Tocard re-iterated.

My two cents too late it seems. We had 10 days. 5 nights in Normandy, 5 nights in Paris.

My husband and I did your original idea and it worked well for us. From CDG we picked up our rental car. We drove to Giverny.
It was 90 minute ride in light to medium rain. We spent the morning walking and enjoying Giverny with very few visitors there due to the early arrival & rain perhaps. Afterwards we had a light bite to eat at the cafe there. After eating the sun starting to break through. The buses started to show up. My husband went to car to take a nap. I returned back to the gardens to see them in the sunlight. It was brilliantly amazing to see the gardens in both weather conditions. I'm not good with a camera but the photos speak for themselves. I got ahead of the bus groups and was able to explore again without large crowds.

From Giverny we drove to Les Andelys(Night 1) and stayed on the Seine River at La Chaine D'or. We had a lovely full view of the river. We feasted on their gastro dining experience and walked it off around town. Breakfast was another feast. We drove to Caen to visit the Museum. It is worth the stop. After several hours we bought sandwiches and drinks, got back in the car and drove to Bayeux. We stayed in Bayeux 4 nights: 2 full days of WWII tours, 1 day to drive around the countryside for cheese and had a picnic, another day lazily enjoyed Bayeux and the laundry mat.

Day 6 we dropped the car in Caen and took the mid morning train to Paris. We used taxi to transfer to hotel. We had several afternoon hours and a full evening, so we visited the Eiffel Tower this first day as it wasn't covered on our Museum pass. This left 4 full days to enjoy Paris. So your original idea can work. Biggest question was 'jet lag and driving arrival day'. One drove the other navigated. Plus we researched our directions at home ahead of the travel and we had directions printed out along with our map.

Whatever you do you will have a enjoyable time. Enjoy!

It’s pretty common in France, bobby. Hertz France charges $50, but most national companies don’t.

I rented from Europcar and Sixt for years and never was charged a drop off fee if the destination drop off was different than pickup as long as it was all in France.

I’ve never been charged either.

I occasionally pick up a car at Carrousel-Louvre. It's a perfectly convenient place to access. The Hertz staff are extremely helpful and once rented me a car without hassle when I had my reservations wrong by a week. One of the employees drove us and the car to the edge of Paris since it was on his way home and saved us the hassle of doing it ourselves. We dropped the car off a while later at Schiphol but it easily could have been CDG. Picking up at Carrousel lets you stay wherever you want in Paris w/o concern for finding your way back to the airport. Train access is a piece of cake.

I believe that the approach fees were eliminated when the fixed airport rates became effective.

There are definitely fees for reserving in advance. Most recently it was 7€ if you reserved in advance, 4€ for an immediate reservation. I don't know if those have increased when they bumped up the fixed rates a couple of euros each.

Can't speak for Normandy as we have never been. But, we have stayed at the Eiffel Seine many times, and for the longest, it was our go-to hotel. (Now prefer the 8th or the Relais Bosquet hotel in the 7th) The Eiffel Seine is located on a busy street - Boulevard de Grenelle and you definitely would not want to park a car there. It is also located directly across the street from the Bir Hakeim metro station. An RER is around the corner. There are lots of restaurants up and down Blvd. de Grenelle, but after Covid - not sure which all survived. There is an awesome open-air market just behind Bir Hakeim (a two-minute walk from the hotel) that is open on Sundays and Wednesdays and a must-do if you are there on either of those days. 2 1/2 days barely scratches the surface on seeing all that Paris has to offer. At the base of the tower, they have the hop-on-hop-off buses you can take to get around the City if you prefer something like that over the Metro. There are also bike rentals down the street from the hotel as well.
https://www.free-city-guides.com/paris/grenelle-market/

Not sure what size room you booked but let me warn you the Classic Double is VERY small. For two people it's hard to move around in. I definitely would suggest you look into the Superior double. The hotel has a decent breakfast. Looks like they can include it in the room rate. Otherwise, there are some nice little cafes across and down the street. You are correct that the Eiffel Tower is a short walk. So is Rue Cler market street which is about a 15-min walk and about 20 min. walk to the high-end shopping in the 8th. I would definitely ditch the car idea that everyone has mentioned. Parking is very expensive and you do not want to drive in Paris. Riding a bike is scary enough. The hotel can arrange for you a taxi the night before your departure. The hassle of returning a car to CDG is another negative. Paris is such a lovely and walkable City if you don't mind putting a few miles on your shoes. Arrive care-free, and car-free, and enjoy yourself. Have fun!

That's a great post, thank you. And thanks to everyone that has replied. So much helpful information that I can use. Renting bikes is something we have talked about. Can you or anyone else expand on the whereabouts of bike rental places close to our hotel?

Velib Bike Rentals Station
11 Rue de Grenelle - just to the left of the Hotel = Station 15026
This bike share program is all over Paris - download the app on your smart phone use a bike and drop it off and pick up another when you want
If you want to do bike tours - day tours and night tours - the Fat Tire Bike tours are fun, and about a five minute walk from the hotel - also to the left of the hotel (that is left walking out of the hotel) Google Velib to learn more about how it works. Keep in mind knowing your biking signals is important and stay in the bike lanes - traffic can get scary!

https://www.velib-metropole.fr/en_GB/service

https://www.fattiretours.com/paris

Jump Bikes, all over Paris, are much nicer bikes, much easier to navigate, and they’re electric. We did Vélib, then Jump, and found Jump to be far superior. You just download their app and the app tells you where to find them, they’re easy to find.

We ride bikes in Paris often, there are areas and streets throughout Paris that are not full of cars, no traffic, not crazy at all. On Sundays a portion of the road on the north side of the Seine is car-free. And there’s always the area along the Seine, below the road for cars, that is always car-free. If you go east to Parc de Vincennes, or west to the Bois de Boulogne you’ll have lots of great bike riding routes.

Thanks Susan, we had not heard of Jump. Looked them up and it seems they are struggling in the market and will wait and see how it goes life after COVID. But here is the link - https://www.li.me/en-us/home for the OP. Seems Lime acquired Jump Bikes.Just hope we aren't going to start seeing those annoying sidewalk electric scooters. They take over the walkways and people drive them like crazy folk. There are lots of nice areas in Paris to ride bikes, but around the Tower isn't one of them. The beauty of bike shares is that you can pick one up anywhere. Trblee - just ask the hotel when you check-in. They are pretty knowledgeable and will give you a map of the city and can point out great places to ride. We haven't been to Paris since right before COVID and know they have been doing a lot of work around the City.