Driving from Paris to London

This is just such a terrible idea because you will have a car that has the steering wheel on the wrong side for driving in the UK. Why not spend a couple of days in Paris, take the Eurostar and pick up the car in London and get one that fits driving on British roads.

With only two days in France, why rent a car there?

Check to be sure that taking the car to the UK is permissible of course if you do this.

A few points to consider......

• Renting a car in one country and dropping it off in another often comes with a HUGE charge. You'll have to contact the rental firm for an exact quote.
• Keep in mind that France and the U.K. drive on opposite sides of the road, so when you arrive in the U.K. the steering wheel will be on the "wrong side" and you could have some difficulties with that. While people in Europe frequently hop back and forth, that can be an issue for people that aren't used to it.

A better method would be to take the EuroStar to London and rent a vehicle there on your way out of London. There's a Congestion Charge in London, so not a good idea to drive there. I'm sure Nigel or one of the other posters from Europe can provide more detailed information.

Read janettravels post. Read it again. Shes right.

Also to add.. picking up a car in one country and returning in another is PRICEY.. plus since you are leaving it in UK where it would have to be returned to continent I imagine its even pricier..

Its just an all around bad idea.

Fly into Paris.. stay as long as you like,, then take the Eurostar to London.. fast ( 2.5 hours, city center to city center) and cheap( tickets can be very cheap if you book months in advance) ..

Rent a car once in 'Uk and after you are finished with London.. you won't need it in city..

Piling on...

Don't do it. The Eurotunnel service (proper name for the shuttle service known as Le Shuttle which is a drive on drive off train in the tunnel) gets to be quite expensive on short notice and one way tickets unless you buy a long time out and tie yourself down to one train on one day, or like me you are a member of their frequent traveler club and buy trips 10 or more at a time.

It is so much easier and maybe cheaper to Eurostar to London and get a car there for the rural bits.

Thanks for the help. We will do what you all say; take the train into London and then when we leave London, rent a car and return it in England and take the train back to Paris. Any idea of a good place to rent a car outside of London?

Aha, you didn't say you were returning to Paris. So all the comments about one-way car hire don't apply, but you would have had to pay for two trips through the Channel Tunnel with your car.

But, why return to Paris? Why not just get an "open jaw" flight, fly into Paris and out of London?

"good place to rent a car outside of London?" - depends on which direction you are heading (North, south, east, west). Virtually any town just outside London will do, they all have rail connections.

Sixt Car Rentals, www.sixt.com, has over two dozen rental offices throughout London. They are also located in Paris.

Congratulations to the above posters, who have tried to help someone avoid a bad experience on their European saga.
Even though it was what they didn't want to hear, they actually took our advice.

sb,

For purchase of EuroStar tickets, there's a lot of good information on the Man In Seat 61 website. Substantial savings are possible but note that the cheap pre-purchased tickets are usually non-refundable and non-changeable. One other point to mention is that you MUST check-in AT LEAST 30 minutes prior to departure of the train, or you won't be riding. Leave extra time at both ends, as you'll go through a basic security check (similar to airports but not as stringent) and also Passport control.

Where to rent a car in England will depend to some extent on where you'll be touring. What's your next stop after London? If you were planning to visit Bath, that's an easy trip by train or National Express Coach and there are car rental agencies there. I assume you've given some thought to driving on the "correct side of the road"?