Looking for some advice: US family traveling through Europe this summer. One leg of the trip has us arriving in Paris (Charles de Gaulle) then driving to Normandy. We need to rent a vehicle for four adults with 4 large suitcases (and 4 smallish). Should we try to rent something at the airport or take transport outside of Paris to a car rental? Also - I know European vehicles tend to be smaller that US - anyone have recommendations? We will be there end of June. Thank you!
Posted by
11500 posts
The airport rental locations usually have a broader choice of cars. Go to autoeurope.com and look at the choices they offer as far as size, room for passengers and luggage. They are a US based car rental agency located in Maine. You can call them with your questions as well. We have booked with AutoEurope for many years.
Posted by
Rockville, MD, USA
635 posts
The train is super convenient and you can rent a car when you get to your destination if you want one for exploring. However the train is probably more expensive since you have four people.
Have you considered taking smaller suitcases and doing laundry as needed? There's a whole section of the website (and also a forum) dedicated to traveling light.
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/packing-light
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/packing
Posted by
381 posts
We have done this trip both ways and I would recommend taking the train to Caen and picking up the car (van) there right across the street from the train station. It is much less stressful. Also, I would highly recommend each traveler limit themselves to one bag, he or she can handle on their own, and a purse or backpack.
Posted by
Middletown, RI
1214 posts
I have done this trip several times, both renting at CDG, and taking a train to Caen or Bayeux and then picking up a car. While renting a car at Caen is very convenient, getting to Caen isn't that simple. You have to get from CDG to the Saint Lazare station before you can even get to a train. For four people, the smartest way to do this is a large taxi/van. The variability of this trip may also mean you have to book a later train, or buy an expensive on-the-spot ticket. Depending on your time of arrival at CDG (i.e., rush-hour or not), you may likely get to Normandy quicker by car. Only you can decide which method is less stressful.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
I don't know whether you'll be flying into CDG after an overnight transatlantic flight, but if so I'd urge you not to try to drive that first jet-lagged day. People differ, but there's a risk to yourselves and others. Instead, as advised above, take a taxi or van to Gare St-Lazare and train to Caen, where you can rent the car and spend the night there or at, say Bayeux. You will want a car to explore Normandy, but you don't need one to get there from Paris.
If you're flying into CDG from elsewhere in Europe, so jet lag isn't a concern, then rent the car there and save yourselves the trip into Paris.
This question comes up repeatedly on this forum. If SNCF were monitoring us, by now you'd think they would have laid on direct train service between CDG and Normandy! ;-)
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7032 posts
I vote for renting a larger rental car. That shouldn’t be a problem picking one up at the airport. It’s probably close to a three hours drive from the airport to Normandy. It’s been years since I drove it, but I seem to recall it being an easy drive and we took a smaller road.
Posted by
2 posts
When I traveled to Paris I rented a car through a french car leasing program that's geared toward US tourist. The cars look smaller than US models but they have Sadans and SUV's so size shouldn't be a problem. The cost is way cheaper than renting but a little more paper work in my opinion.