I will be traveling to France in June, departing on June 21st from CDG. If my flight departs at 5 p.m., what time do I need to make sure I leave Bayeux if I am driving the airport via rental car?
Posted by
Land of La
9222 posts
Well its over a 3 hour drive. What do you think?
What your airline suggest regarding checking in?
Posted by
Florida (previously California)
3989 posts
What time do you have to be at CDG? If it’s a transatlantic flight, I would say be at the terminal by 2. Work back from that time to figure out when to leave Bayeux taking into consideration you familiarity or lack thereof with returning rental cars at CDG. I assume you will try to account for the unexpected traffic wise.
Posted by
Middletown, RI
1227 posts
A big variable is the time of day, as you will be traveling on part of the ring roads that get extremely slow during rush hour.
Posted by
Washington DC
28074 posts
To me, this is a scary prospect. You're going to need to leave Bayeux so early that you won't really have time for any significant sightseeing on your day of departure anyway, so why not head back to Paris late on the day before you fly home? You can make the short drive from Bayeux to Caen and hop on a train there if dropping the car in Bayeux would mean an annoying layover in Caen.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA ☔️
6790 posts
Yes, this looks like a big red flag to me. I would spend that last night in Paris.
There are just too many things that can go wrong, traffic jams, road closures, car troubles, navigation mishaps, train strikes, who knows what. The risk/reward profile would make me really want to get to Paris the night before my departure and spend my last night there (because if you miss that flight home, it could be an expensive surprise).
For a long, ocean-spanning flight home (especially when departing from an airport like CDG that has the potential for greater-than-average complexity), I try to be at the airport 3 hours before departure. I prefer no-drama airport experiences.
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10623 posts
The drive in perfect conditions is 3 hours, add stops, last fill up, rental return, you are at 4,5-5 hours. Add roadwork, a flat, traffic jam, and you are at 6-7, meaning leaving Caen at 6 in the morning.
You can drop the car in Caen the evening before, take the train to Paris, and stay in a hotel in Paris. You can leave for the airport at 1 pm. If there's a strike threat, then stay at an airport hotel.