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Picking up rental car in Paris

We are starting our trip in Paris for 6 nights, then renting car for 6 days to drive the remainder of our vacation. Is there any car rental pickup available in Paris itself? I would then like to drop the car at Charles De Gaulle before we fly home. Anyone had any experience with this or recommendations?
Thanks...

Posted by
6734 posts

Is there any car rental pickup available in Paris itself?

Um, yeah, Paris has places where you can rent a car...(!).

However, many of us have found that driving in Paris itself can be pretty stressful and unenjoyable. You might consider taking a train to someplace on the outskirts of Paris and picking up your car there, then driving away, so you never have to go through the hassle of driving in Paris itself. That would be my recommendation.

Which direction are you going when you head away from Paris?

Posted by
10 posts

We leave Paris driving to Bayeux, stopping at Monets Garden and Rouen on the way. Spend the night in Bayeux for a D-Day tour the next day, then continue to Mont St Michel.

Posted by
1573 posts

Take the train to Rouen and pick up the car when you are ready to leave. That way you do not have to worry about parking in Rouen.

Posted by
6431 posts

You can Auto Europe's website to search for rental locations. Try "Paris-All Locations" then click on "map view" to see where. Most of the train stations (gares) have rental offices, including Gare St-Lazaire where the trains leave for Normandy. But the stations are in central Paris, so renting a car at any of them means driving through the streets out to the Peripherique and eventually beyond. I've done it, but I'd rather not.

You might try the Porte Maillot, in Neuilly just west of Paris, reachable on Metro Line 1. Or La Defense, further west, at the end of Line 1. Or you could take a train to Vernon, near Giverny, where there's a Hertz office a few blocks from the station. That means paying for train tickets as well as the car rental, but avoids any driving in or near the big city.

Dropping the car at CDG is as easy as at any big-city airport, which is to say there's a lot of traffic but good signage and no better alternative. There shouldn't be any additional cost to do this.

Auto Europe is a good way to shop for rentals, and I've had good experience renting through them. But if you prefer you can rent directly from a company you find on AE's website.

Posted by
479 posts

People's reactions to driving in Paris vary. I have never found it something to be dreaded or avoided. I find it about equally undesirable to get myself and my loved ones (and our luggage) to the train station and subsequently to the car rental office somewhere else (say in Rouen or at CDG). It's nice to get the car in Paris, load up at or very near where you've been staying, then head out of town in the car. Lots of freedom after that.
Once you decide who you're renting from, look up their offices and pick the nearest one to where you're staying.
My wife is a superb navigator and I've done lots of big city driving. We always either begin trips by driving out of Paris or end by driving into Paris. We have left Paris by train sometimes and sometimes picked the car up at the airport. Each way of doing things has its advantages and drawbacks.
Dropping the car off at the airport obviously requires coordinating with your flight's departure time but you've probably already taken that into account.
There's no reason that you can't do it the way you've planned.