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Car Rental in Nice, France

Hello,

I have a couple of questions for folks who have rented a car in Nice. I have been researching and have a few questions…First, is there a recommended car rental company that you have had good experience with? I was looking at Sixt.

Is a translated, notarized copy of your car license necessary? I read that on a couple bloggers pages that some companies require this. What has been your experience?

Next- I see that there are several car rental pick up points in the city, including Terminal 1 &2 at the Nice Airport, as well as the train station and on the Promenade Des Anglais.

We will be leaving our hotel (Mercure Marche Aux Fleurs) located on the Promenade Des Anglais and picking up rental car and driving to French countryside, specifically Moustiers St. Marie, for several days.

Then we will be returning for an afternoon/overnight in St. Paul du Vence before flying home the following day. We are staying at Hotel Le St. Paul in St. Paul du Vence. I am questioning whether to return the car before going to St. Paul Du Vence, and taxiing back to hotel and airport the next day. Primarily to make sure we don’t run into any hiccups returning the car. We are not fluent in French. I’ve never returned a rental car in France so just asking for some general advice- what have you typically done?

Which rental car location would be best? My goal is to try and eliminate fuss and hassles. If I have to spend a little more to achieve this, it is worth it to me. I’m not too excited driving in heavy traffic and sometimes will pick up a car at airport, as the exit from the city may be less congested. But I’ve never been to Nice- so not sure. It sounds as those the Promenade des Anglais location would be good, as that is near our hotel- but not sure if leaving Nice would be more complex and hectic.
Thanks in advance for any advice from those who have actually rented car in Nice!

Posted by
34324 posts

what time of year? If May (I don't know yet), which week?

Posted by
726 posts

Sixt and the major brands are usually OK. I've used only the majors (inclusive of Sixt). They generally do not require anything other than your license, but technically if something were to happen the police could require you have in your possession an International Driver's Permit (essentially a translated copy, available at AAA for lower cost than a notarized, official translated document). The IDP is super easy to obtain at your local office.

The Sixt pickup location I believe is still located next to Le Meriiden, with the cars stored in Parking Ruhl,. You can exit that garage and then loop around the Jardin Albert 1ere and take a left onto the Promenade as it makes a Y and there is a stoplight (at Ave Max des Phoceens). You then can still make a direct entry into the Tunnel Andre Liataud from the left lane (there may still be a U turn in the far left). The tunnel is an underground expressway that will take you from the Promenade to the A8 autoroute at the top of Nice. (I only pause here because I used to rent from Hertz at this location and they've renovated the Jardin and the surrounding road since thenl Note there is another entrance to the underground tunnel at Rue de Congres)).

Alternatively, you can take the tram to Terminal 2 at the airport. From the terminal, you exit and head opposite the terminal. The car rental counters are in a facility buried in the middle of the parking areas (P5) but the way is fully signed.

ETA - October should be fine from a traffic perspective.

I would stay the night in St Paul de Vence and return the car on your return. Incremental days are probably less than transit to/from the airport. The route to the airport is relatively well signed.

Posted by
337 posts

My gosh- thank you so much everyone for your replies! So extremely helpful! All great suggestions! I’m going to look into these items of note!

Posted by
1523 posts

Lisa g,
Just to clarify, Autoeurope is not a separate car rental company. It will give you info/options on the rental companies to compare and they have always been very responsive to customer questions. We always go to them to find what works for us on each trip. And the IDP is about $20.00, plus you need a photo. AAA offices can do it all for you. We have been using them since the 70's. They are good for one year.

Bon Voyage!

Posted by
337 posts

Thank you so much!
RS friends on this site are just truly so valuable. I have been researching this on the internet off and on for the past month. I decided to post this question and I’m so glad that I did! I learned more in the past hours than I did thru my own internet research the past month! To have EXACT driving directions, as well as information on car rental websites, info on the international driving permits as well as how to get them at AAA! As well as all other tips and thoughts… Thank you- so much!

Posted by
11700 posts

We always pick up and drop off rental cars in Nice at the airport which is near downtown.

Posted by
7335 posts

I agree with Suki, in Nice the airport is so close to the city center that it makes a lot of sense to rent there... but in your case, you have Avis/Budget, Europcar and Sixt all within walking distance, and the drive out of the city is a relatively straight shot whichever way you go, so I would be inclined towards choosing that.