Hi all,
We are flying to Marseille in July (from London, last leg of a multi-destination tour of Paris, London, and Provence) and plan to rent a car at the airport to explore Provence for a week. We're staying in St. Remy.
At the end of our trip we plan to drop off the car and take the high speed train back to Paris on the Sunday before we fly out of Paris back to the US. Flight is already booked leaving from Paris so don't want to change that.
Driving south back down to Marseille seems like a waste of time/gas as it is an hour drive in the wrong direction, so I am wondering if it would make more sense to drop the car off in Avignon at the TGV station and pick up the high speed train to Paris from there? Drop-off fee would probably be OK for us if it is not exorbitant -- keeping things simpler and easier is the more important consideration.
Would it be simpler/easier to drop off in Avignon, or do you recommend we drive back down to Marseille?
Or do you have other suggestions for where to drop off that would be easier?
Thank you!
Posted by
Cloud
309 posts
would make more sense to drop the car off in Avignon at the TGV station and pick up the high speed train to Paris from there?
Yes if possible or any other drop off location in the area near a TGV station. There is also TGV station in Aix en Provence.
Posted by
OP
California
16 posts
Thank you!
Posted by
Arctophilia, Northamptonshire, England
34754 posts
most rental places in France are closed on Sundays and only short hours on Saturdays. I'd see which places for the car you will have will be open, go there, and catch a train near there.
You don't mean that you will drop the car, train back to Paris and fly out all on the same day do you?
Posted by
OP
California
16 posts
We will take the train back to Paris on Sunday afternoon and fly back to the US on Tuesday morning. We wanted to leave ample time to get back to Paris from Provence in case any problems occurred, and will use the extra day on Monday to see more of Paris.
I didn't know about the closure of many car rental venues on Sunday. Will keep this in mind! Thank you!
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
7734 posts
Pretty sure the agencies at Avignon TGV are open Sunday-maybe just in the morning
We use AutoEurope.com
You can call them toll free and ask about hours
Avignon TGV would be closest
Posted by
Florida (previously California)
4155 posts
The Europcar at the TGV station in Avignon is open on Sundays. Others might be as well but just throwing out one that I know is open. And there probably will not be any drop off fee.
Posted by
Monterey County, CA (formerly Verbania Italy-Lago Maggiore)
1686 posts
We dropped our rental in Avignon. It was a while ago, but I think we spent the night there before taking train to Paris the next morning.
Posted by
Chicago, IL, USA
541 posts
I think I was the one that gave you the suggestion on another thread to fly from London to Marseille and rent the car there. Car pick up and return there is easy. But it appears just as easy at Avignon TGV station. We didn't pick up or return a car there but we did drive and park to meet a family member arriving on the train and it seemed easy even in August. It's a bit of way outside of town so more like a suburb as far as driving is concerend. Of course as mentioned above depends on whether car rental agency permits Sunday returns.