Auto Rental in Dijon: Auto transmission?

No one agency rents automatics. The major of all rentals will be manual and diesel. You will find in all of Europe a greater emphasis on economy so diesel and manual trans are common. You can request an automatic but be prepared for a manual.

Can you rent from an international airport like CDG or Lyon–Saint-Exupéry Airport? Those are probably the two closest locations that will have automatics available. I sincerely doubt that there is a rental agency in Dijon that will guarantee you an automatic.

Try renting at Orly Airport on the south side of Paris and driving to Dijon instead of taking the train if you want an automatic.

I've never had a problem getting an automatic at a major airport. I wouldn't expect to get one at a train station in a smaller city/town. Either CDG or Orly are your best bet and driving from these airports is relatively easy. I've always booked through AutoEurope, a consolidator, and the rental company EuropeCar. You can drop the car at in Dijon and take the train back to Paris.

I've always got an automatic in France when I've reserved one. But I think it unlikely that you could reserve one in Dijon. I've always rented at a major airport or major city train terminal for that reason.

Another point to ponder - if you rent an auto somewhere, they probably won't let you drop it off somewhere else since that location won't want it and they will want it back where it came from.

I'm just thinking.

Driving from CDG or Orly to Dijon seems like a lot of work just to get an automatic. Unless your heart is set on renting a car, think about taxis or guided minivans. There are also local trains you can use.

Well, it looks like renting an automatic in Dijon is highly unlikely. Since we'll be continuing on to Switzerland, renting in Paris will not be an option, so my husband has decided to brush up on his manual trans skills and give it a go. Thank you all for your input!

phred -

We rented an automatic from Europcar in Paris (location Foch Ave, near the Arc de Triomphe) and had no issue at all dropping it in Ouistreham before catching the ferry over to England. Maybe different companies have different policies?

We ended up with a VW Touran - kind of a nice 'mini-SUV' I guess you'd say. Lovely car!

One way rentals are rarely ever a problem in France and have no add-on charges except with Hertz and Avis.

I've also never had a problem with one-way rentals with automatics.

Yes, picking up an automatic in Paris and dropping it off in Dijon is looking like a much better option. I hadn't even considered it, since usually the drop-off fees are pretty stiff. Thanks again.