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car rental locations in Montpelier

We hope to arrive in Montpelier by train from Paris this October. The reviews of car rentals at the train station in Montpelier are all negative...and some of the private car rentals nearby are not open on Sunday. Anyone have any good/bad reviews or suggestions ?

Posted by
10188 posts

The airport is where we pick up and drop off cars when we're in Montpellier. If you take the TGV from Paris to the TGV Sud station and not St Roch station, you'll be right next to the airport. Trains go to one or the other but never both. The shuttle stops first at the TGV Sud station and continues to the airport. A few other options in town require a French license and credit card, so for overseas visitors, the airport has all the international companies.

If you are staying in Montpellier, the traffic is awful. I assume you are driving off somewhere else because you won't need a car in the city.

And Montpellier, France is double-L, while the single is in Vermont.

Posted by
73 posts

I rented cars at the train station in Montpellier three times back in 2016 and had no issues. I can't remember which outlet, but it was a subsidiary of Hertz (Dollar I think?). I did however witness tourists there being incredibly rude in English to the desk clerks each time. I wonder--what are the reviews saying? Are they people with negative views because they don't have realistic expectations about car rentals in France, or are there legitimate issues? Encountering counter clerks that may not have perfect English, being presented with the option to buy additional insurance, slow-moving lines, and deposit holds being placed on credit cards are pretty standard in many European car rental locations. If those are the "issues" being reported, then go in with more realistic expectations and you should be fine. If you're picking up right when trains get in you can expect the wait times to be long--may want to grab a coffee first and let the lines die down first. I do remember the parking garage pickup and return being very confusing to find, but that was about my only issue. I speak French and can drive a manual though, so that certainly helps.