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Car Rentals between France and Spain

Posted by (milwaukee, WI, USA) on

Hi There,
We will be visiting Basque Country (both the French and Spanish sides) this summer and will arrive in Bordeaux to start. We plan to rent a car in Bordeaux, tour Bayonne, St. Jean de Luz, and the surrounding area, then move on into Spain. I think a car is the best means of transportation since we will be visiting places in the mountains, wine regions in Rioja, etc. We eventually will depart from Bilbao to return home.
Will I incur pricey rental car fees if I pick up the rental car in France and then return it in Spain ?

Thanks,
BT

Posted by
4160 posts

The answer to your question is yes. Last time I looked it was in the 500€ range. Most people I know who do what you are describing return the car at a border town and take a train into Spain and pick up the car for the Spanish portion of the trip.

Posted by
2714 posts

I would say that €500 is a minimum for rental companies that allow it. Expect more

Posted by
12359 posts

Did a quick check--- depending on car size, the one way drop fee was ~$450-650, in addition to the rental fee.

Will I incur pricey rental car fees if I pick up the rental car in France and then return it in Spain ?

Depends on your definition of 'pricey'

Posted by
1813 posts

Please note, the one way drop fee is IN ADDITION to the frontal cost.
Oops! rental cost.

Posted by
7383 posts

It would be much cheaper to return the car at Biarritz, take the train to Donostia (via Hendaye) where you do not need a car anyway, and rent a Spanish car there.
Or even just taking a cab from Biarritz to Donostia airport would be cheaper, maybe 110-130€ instead of 500.
There's also Avis in St Jean de Luz for a drop-off closer to the border. St Jean de Luz would be a great base to tour the French Basque country with a car.

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