CDG Car Rental Logistics

I would arrange to meet them in the terminal after they clear immigration. You could get some breakfast and relax while waiting, then the 3 of you go to pick up the car together. I think it would be too complicated for you to pick up the car, drive around - where? - then try to pick them up. As far as timing is concerned, there is no way of knowing. It depends on which terminal and how many flights are coming in. For me, it has taken as little as 45 minutes to pick up luggage and clear immigration, but I've heard it could take as long as 3 hours.

BTW, coming off a transatlantic flight, it is generally not recommended to drive along distance the same day. But, if you can sleep on a plane (I can't), perhaps you will be ok.

Consider this sequence to make for a more efficient rendezvous/departure and avoid having to deal with reparking the car before the family arrives : (1) if you still have time on your hands after your passport control and luggage, go to your car rental desk; (2) do the paperwork; get keys; directions to the lot; (3) then wait for the family, get their luggage, perhaps eat; (4) go together to the lot, load the bags and depart. Your rental clock certainly begins at the desk; I doubt they care how soon you take the car. In our case it was a short walk from the Hertz (via AutoEurope) desk to the attached garage, so dragging our bags wasn't an issue. (At CDG we also asked the lot attendant to help set the GPS to English before leaving. We failed, however, to ask for directions to the rental car return lot -- and spent a frustrating 20 minutes searching for it 2 weeks later.) I won't repeat the advice above about driving after the long flight, but under similar situations in Rome and Paris, we spent the first night at an airport hotel and picked up the rental car the following morning.

Thanks to you both. This is helpful information! It sounds like handling all the paperwork in advance of their arrival is the best way to save time. I guess the rental counter is in the airport? Last time I picked up a rental car (I want to say it was at O'Hare but can't remember for sure), we had to go somewhere outside the airport, so it was a bit more of a hassle and wasn't sure if that was the case at CDG.

I go to Europe and Asia frequently for work so I am a pro at sleeping on flights and being fully alert the next day :)

Any other tips for renting a car in France?

I prepay the gas if I'm returning the car on the way to my flight out. The tradeoff of some extra dollars vs trying to find a station is one I'll take. But if you have extra day(s) after you drop off the car before leaving then you can find a gas station. This is also much less stressful.

I buy the $0 deductible coverage (which usually doesn't cover the glass, so it's not really $0 deductible). When you get to your car whip out your cellphone and take pictures of the entire car including the windows if any scratches. I've never had a problem, but you can find stories online of people being charged for damage they did not cause (or so they say).

Bring/get some euro coins for Normandy. My recollection is that the Pont de Normandie by Honfleur did not take bills, just coins, in the lane I ended up in. There was just a basket to toss the coins in that funneled down to a counter. Luckily I had enough in my pockets.

Make sure you have a cellphone that works in Europe since you'll be on some pretty quiet roads in Normandy and if something happens to the car you want to be able to call for help. I brought my own GPS and found it useful; its not hard to get in the general vicinity of a town but once you are close in the last 5-10 miles can be a bit tricky so it was convenient to put in destinations such as our hotel or the downtown.

Once you have selected your rental car company, the CDG website will help you navigate. You might start here: http://easycdg.com/airport-guide/car-rental/
You may also want to prearrange a meeting place for Mom and Sis. As I recall, you won't be able to meet them at their luggage pick-up. Again, once you know their terminal, etc., the maps on the CDG website might help you select a convenient rendezvous point -- restaurant, shop, etc. RSForum experts on CDG can probably give more specific tips.

When I rented Hertz, it is right at the airport, so no need to take a shuttle bus like at O'Hare. Also consider the timing of your arrival. The couple of hours you have won't allow you to go anywhere other than to sit in Paris rush-hour traffic. I agree with the advice of getting breakfast, and picking up the car with your family. By the time they are through customs and luggage pick-up, the traffic should have alleviated somewhat, and you will have helpful navigators with you in the car.

I was going to suggest getting the car, parking it at a terminal lot, then waiting for you family. But when I read some of the comments, I realized that it would make more sense to take the advice of doing all the paperwork then eventually going to pick up the car with your family. Since the paperwork will have been done, that really wouldn't take any longer than if you had picked up the car and parked it.

Do the paperwork and have them meet you at the rental counter. Just because you completed the paperwork doesn't mean you have to drive away immediately. There can be a wait at the rental counter.

We rented from Avis at CDG and even though I had booked online we waited in a long at the counter and then another 40 minutes or so for a car to be ready. So however you decide to spend the time waiting for your family, prepare for another wait to get the car.

Just to clarify -- will you be the sole driver? Otherwise the rental company will probably want to see licenses for all additional drivers, which means more paperwork after they arrive.

Laura B beat me to it. Unless you are the sole driver, you won't be able to do the paperwork until they arrive. If you are the sole driver, then trying to get the paperwork done before they arrive makes sense. But if they are also drivers, it just means waiting in the rental car company's line twice.

Thanks everyone! Especially Laura B and Harold--great point, and something I totally forgot about. I think my mom will be a driver as well, so that moots this whole discussion. But I appreciate all the logistical advice nonetheless! I was hoping to cut down the time between their arrival and us getting on the road as much as possible, but I will just cross my fingers for short lines that day.

Laura wins! :)

A few years back, I arrived on an earlier flight than my traveling companion immediately went to the rental agency (Europecar) and completed all the paperwork, tossed my luggage in the trunk and went back to the terminal to await her arrival. Just left the car at the rental agency. Efficient! When I returned the car, it less than 30 minutes after the time I originally finished the paperwork. They work on a strict 24 hour rental period. I was charged a full day's rental for returning it late. So do not hurry with the rental if you'll be returning to fly home on a mid morning flight.