Our family of 4 will be in Paris staying near the Louvre museum. We are leaving Paris to tour Dday sites and want to rent a car. We will return the car to CDG airport when we leave France. My question is where is a convenient location to pick up a rental car considering where we are staying in Paris and the direction of travel to Normandy? We have heard driving in France can be a challenge so we are looking for recommendations. Thanks.
Posted by
Florida (previously California)
3964 posts
Driving in Paris can be challenging but the driving in the Normandy area is lovely. You could take metro line 1 to La Defense and get a car there and avoid driving in the city. There is also a location for EuropCar on Avenue Foch. It's another good spot to get a car for your trip. You drive down Avenue Foch away from Etoile to the Périphérique and away you go. It really depends on how little city driving you want to do.
Posted by
862 posts
Take the train to Caen, and rent a car from there. Or if you intend to also visit Mont St Michel, you can take the train to Rennes and pick up a car there, and then on to Bayeux. It's a nominal fee to return to a different location but within France. So you could plan to return it to CDG or drop off in Caen or Rouen and take the train back to Paris.
Check AutoEurope for rentals. Or we used Enterprise this past April for the same trip you are planning. Driving in Normandy is easy, and roads are nicely paved.
Posted by
Bend, Oregon
2541 posts
Consider renting at Orly airport and returning to CDG. You can get a fixed price taxi to the airport. Orly is very close to the freeway and doesn’t involve any city driving at all. Expect some traffic, but no crazy city driving.