Please sign in to post.

Car rental in/near Bayeaux

My wife and I will be in France at the end of March and would like to rent a car in or near Bayeaux to travel to MSM and the Loire Valley. The RS travel guide indicates there is a Hertz location just west of town. Google Maps pinpoints the location, but it looks like either a Total Access filling station or a Citroen dealership. If you go directly to Hertz.com, it shows a rental office with the same address, but the map location is all the way up near Cherbourg. Does anyone have experience with renting cars from Hertz (or other dealers) in Bayeaux and dropping them off elsewhere?

Posted by
26829 posts

A lot of people recommend pricing out rentals through AutoEurope and Kemwel, which are sometimes cheaper than going direct to the source. Folks have mentioned consulting with AutoEurope, at least, by telephone, and it sounds as if that would be a good idea in your case. I believe the office is in the US, so there should be no difficulty in making the phone call.

Posted by
32171 posts

Greg,

I've rented at the Hertz office on the outskirts on Bayeux, and AFAIK it's still there. It's not far from the centre of town, but I can't remember if I took a Taxi or walked from the hotel. The staff didn't speak much (any?) English, but the hotel owner set everything up for me so all I had to do was "sign on the dotted line".

Is this the website you were using - https://www.hertz.fr/p/location-de-voiture/france/bayeux?utm_source=google&utm_medium=local&utm_content=CFRW62&utm_campaign=GMB-Listings .

Another option would be to have a travel agent make the arrangements.

As you may be aware, having an International Driver's Permit or a certified translation of the terms of your license in French would be prudent. I'd also recommend a GPS or at least a good Map.

Happy motoring!

Posted by
683 posts

Wife and I picked up a rental car from Hertz in Caen, which is about 30 km from Bayeux. The office is only about 100 yards from the train station, and easy to find; just in case the other place continues to be a mystery. (We used AutoEurope BTW.)

Posted by
1117 posts

I've picked up and dropped off several times in both Bayeux and Caen. Yes, the "rental office" in Bayeux is a gas station on the periphery road. But their hours are sometimes better than the "real" Hertz office in Caen. You will need a ride to/from the train in Bayeux, whereas the Caen station is a short walk from its Hertz Office. I've had the owner of the Total Access station give me a ride for free a couple of times, and had to get a taxi last time (September, 2017). There is also a Hertz office in Cherbourg, but that is totally separate location—you won't have to deal with it. However, a couple of years ago I decided to drive to Cherbourg to drop off my car at the end of the train line and see something different. Didn't spend that much time there, but it was a pretty port town, and not at all touristy. Might do that again some day.
Just as a aside, and for a retro peak at the Cherbourg train station, watch the farewell scene in the movie The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Les parapluies de Cherbourg) from 1964 with Catherine Deneuve.

Posted by
374 posts

I've rented a car from the Bayeux Hertz three times and it's always gone very smoothly. I'm a walker so have usually walked from town to the station; about 1 1/2-2 miles. It was easy to get a taxi from station once. Depending on where you're staying, they might offer to drop you off for pickup. Another nice thing is that since it's a gas station it's convenient to fill up upon return.

Posted by
7209 posts

I rented from there, too, and if my B&B owner had not gone with me to translate I think I might not ever have been waited on. The steady stream of gas station customers were all helped as the entered while I was told to stand over in another area....for a LOOONNGG time. My B&B guy also alerted me that I was being upcharged for some things and told me how to decline.

I think it's easier to rent from Caen plus you'll get a bigger selection. It's a quick drive from Caen on to Bayeux so keep that in mind.

Posted by
1005 posts

I'd rent the car in Caen. You're going to have a wider selection of vehicles and no problems communicating in English. There are four agencies right across the street from the train station: Hertz, Avis, Europcar, and Sixt. And while you're in Caen, I'd visit the fantastic Memorial museum, which covers the history of World War II comprehensively.