Another rental car question!

IMHO it is certainly easier to train to Caen and rent there. There are a lot of companies right near the station. I can't imagine there are more options at the Caen airport (which is quite a small airport). I would also be surprised if you can't reserve a larger car in Caen, and an automatic too if that is what you want. But in my experience, just because something is "reserved," doesn't mean it will actually be there when you arrive. That applies to the CDG airport as well,although they may have a higher turnover. I would stay with your plan to train to Caen, and shop around at multiple rental places. Maybe make 2–3 reservations and call when you are leaving Paris to confirm.

Yes, this is not how the car rental model works -

just because something is "reserved," doesn't mean it will actually be there when you arrive

You reserve a class of car, not a specific car. So when you show up, you get what they got. And if they don't got, you either have to upsize or downsize.

Never count on find an automatic tranny in Europe, and also make sure you can still do the car drop in Italy I would imagine the dropoff fee would be pretty substantial.

The OP plans to drop the car off in Nice so no need to worry about the drop off fee for dropping the car in Italy.

@ jane Even though I am usually opposed to renting right after flying a transAtlantic flight, I would rent from CDG if an automatic transmission is a deal breaker. We have a very good friend who sometimes travels with our family and who can only drive automatic and there have been many times when we have reserved an automatic for pick up at a train station or in town (including Caen, Dijon, and St. Pierre des Corps) and arrived to find that the agency has only manual transmission vehicles available. Also, you do not have to drive in Paris to get from CDG to most parts of Normandy. You can bypass even the outskirts of Paris by taking A-15.

Did a quick search for random dates in Oct ( week long) rental on expedia and ERAC and found multiple options for an AT car in larger than compact choices. Cars included were Passat size or Nissan Rogue size vehicles.

My sample pick up was at Caen train station and drop off at Nice airport. Not the cheapest options but available.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. In renting a car, having an automatic transmission is not as important as size. We both are capable of driving a car with a manual transmission. I guess like most of us Americans, we are just more accustomed to the automatic. I will keep looking and ideally hope to rent at the Caen train station. Any further suggestions are always appreciated!

Try Costco travel if you are a member. We reserved our car from CDG to drop off in Bordeaux from Alamo through Costco travel and an additional driver is included. We could have gotten the car in Caen if we had decided to do that. We were able to get an intermediate SUV.

I'm 6'4 and haven't had any problems recently with cars that are too small for me, as long as there is no-one in the back seat.

A couple of years ago I hired a fiat500 cabriolet and it was very comfortable, really agile in small villages, and a whole load of stylish fun. A little strained going up mountains in the Pyrenees, but all the better for sightseeing.

Renting at the airport at Caen may be a better option, but also have a look at le Havre or Rouen.

The difference between renting at the airport or at the train station may be less than you think.
We arrived in Rennes via train from Paris last summer. I had already decided it was better to rent from the airport (genius that I am). When I got to the airport at the proper time, they apologized for making me wait because my car was being transferred there from the train station.
This makes it look as if both locations shared the same pool of cars. And Rennes is twice as big as Caen.

Thank you again.

ascottwi - I didn't even think about Costco, but a great idea!!

Simon - my husband tells me what creates his biggest challenge is the fact that his height is more in his legs than his torso! We will be driving around France for over a week, so he has to be comfortable. From our past experience, our car was a large sedan (forgot the make) and we surely shined as tourists in small towns, but he needed the leg room!

Thank you Bob for pointing out the difference. That's good to know. I'll stay with the original plan of renting at the train station. It will certainly be more convenient after an all-night flight!

Try using gemut.com

I have used them for European car rentals for quite some time and I always get a great rate and they're very helpful.