We will be arriving in Paris on a Sunday early morning in June, and we had hoped to take the train to Caen and rent a car for our Normandy trip as soon as we arrive. When looking into it, I realized that the rental car places in Caen are closed on Sunday. If we rent the car at CDG, is the drive out of the airport and near Paris a difficult drive for someone who has not driven in Paris?
Thank you!
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
7317 posts
In absolutely ideal situations it is a 3 hour drive from CDG to Caen. This does not take into account traffic density or slowdowns, bathroom breaks, meal or snack stops, and tolls. On strange roads with foreign driving rules and signage. Plan on adding at least another hour. And consider that you will be doing this while jet lagged (assuming you are on a transatlantic red eye). So, no, driving that far on your arrival is not recommended, but taking the train is. If you tell us where you plan to spend your first couple of nights, we could help with suggesting where you could get your car Monday morning.
Posted by
Florida (previously California)
4391 posts
Not answering your question but suggesting that you look into renting a car through the collaboration between SNCF and Avis which allows you to pick up your car at the train station even when the location would otherwise be closed. Are you planning to drive to Caen or is that just where you would go if you needed to pick up a rental car in Normandy? Generally speaking, I think that a 3 hour drive is not a good idea after a transAtlantic flight but you do not say if you are traveling from the US for this trip of if you plan to drive all the way to Caen after picking up the car. I am thinking back to the first time that I rented a car at CDG which was in 2013 and was right after a flight from New York. It took over an hour to get the car, exiting the airport was quite easy but we got slowed down by awful traffic and I fell asleep and later I woke up to find my husband having nodded off and the car drifting off the road and he woke up to me screaming. Luckily, we were fine but that was our first and last rental of a car immediately after a transAtlantic flight.
Posted by
OP
Florida
7 posts
Thank you for the quick reply! We will be rested when arriving a CDG after a week in England so I'm not worried about being too tired to drive. Our original plan was to arrive at 10:00 am, take the train from Paris Gare Saint Lazare to Caen and rent the car from there to see Lisieux, Honfluer and Bayeaux before heading to the Normandy Beaches in the next day or so. Now I see that the rental companies are closed on Sunday, so that has thrown a wrench in that plan. We arrive on Sunday and have to be back in Paris on Thursday.
Posted by
Middletown, RI
1597 posts
You still do not say where you will be staying. But if it is in Bayeux, you could take a train there, spend the day exploring the city, and then Monday morning take a train to Caen to pick up a car (they are a 20-minute drive apart). But I have driven from CDG to Normandy a couple of times (yes, even jet-lagged). It shouldn't be too bad on a Sunday. The worst of it is the roads right around Paris during rush hour. Once you are clear of the city it is smooth sailing. Make sure the driver's co-pilot acts as navigator.
Posted by
NC, USA
69 posts
Definitely train to Bayeux Sunday, wake up and rent car Monday.
Posted by
Normandie, France
614 posts
No, it's not that difficult as long as you stay on the Autoroute (A1 to A86 to A14 to A13).
It's interesting how many people on this forum arrive in France and want to travel to Caen or its vicinity on a Sunday. Sundays are not great days for visitors in France. You have to know which of the few businesses are open.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
7317 posts
Bob, arriving on Sunday from North American cities may be a matter of maximizing vacation days by using the weekends on either side of a week. Departing on Friday night, to arrive on Saturday, may be logistically difficult for those who are working regular weekday hours. Departing on Sunday to arrive on Monday wastes a full day. So there you go. Its great that retirees or those who are able to choose their own work hours can arrive whenever they please; but my hunch is they are not the majority.
Posted by
PA, USA
108 posts
Sunday is one of the best days to take the N104 from Charles de Gaulle heading west because there are no trucks on the road. We get off the N104 at Cergy Pontoise and then take smaller roads. Only then do we start to feel like we are really in France.
Posted by
533 posts
I agree regarding driving after a long overnight flight, ours are from Australia so we would never dream of doing it.
As for Caen though, we have a hire car booked for October, pick up in Rouen, which is closed on Sunday and drop off in Caen. The Sixt office in Caen is open 9am to 1pm on Sundays.