We will be traveling to Paris in late September for a RS 7 day Paris tour. It ends on a Sunday and we plan on going to Normandy area by rental car. We are staying in the 7th and are going to Bayeux for 3 days and Honfleur for 2 days. Would it be better to rent a car at CDG since we will be flying from there, or rent one in Paris at one of the Train stations? I know it will cost a little more to return to a different place, but might be worth it to save the hassle of the airport. What do yo think? Also, how much time do i need to allow to drive from Honfleur to CDG and get to my flight?
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
7044 posts
You may need more time than you think to return the car before your flight. The ideal drive time is about 2 hrs 40 min. But when is any drive ideal? Then you need to add an hour or so to get gas, return the car, and get to your terminal. And arrive 3 hours before your flight. So, IDEALLY 6 hrs 40 minutes. Not sure what your plan B would be if there is a traffic tie up or a breakdown. Personally, I'd arrange to be back in Paris, or at an airport hotel the evening before, rather than risk an expensive flight ticket, if you will be flying home.
Posted by
47 posts
Pick up the car in Paris, not at CDG. Renting from a city location, especially near a major train station like Gare Saint Lazare or Montparnasse, is usually easier and saves you the stress of getting out to the airport just to drive back past the city again. You avoid airport traffic, extra fees, and the time loss. The drive from Paris to Bayeux is about 3 hours on good highways. Honfleur back to CDG takes roughly 2.5 to 3 hours without heavy traffic, but you should allow at least 4 hours total to be safe, since Paris area traffic can slow you down as you approach the airport. Add your normal airport arrival buffer on top of that. Returning the car at CDG before your flight is still the most practical plan since you are departing from there.
Posted by
Paris
7767 posts
There's little traffic around Paris on Sundays so it's a good day to pick up a car and drive out. Many car rental offices will be closed on Sundays, but the main ones will be open. If you find one towards the west of the city, better.
Posted by
OP
missouri
2 posts
We are staying near Severs- Babylon metro station and bus stops. Gare Montparnasse is the closest with rental cars. Is it easy to navigate and get out of town? Says it's a 25 minute walk. Is it a decent area? This is our first time in Paris, but feel like after 7 days we should be able to navigate the transit system.
Posted by
1710 posts
Much will be dictated by the fact that you want to pick up a car on Sunday. Most agencies are closed on Sunday. Is Montparnasse open on Sunday? I wouldn't go all the way back to CDG. The drop off fee to a different location isn't very much, so you are paying for convenience. I also wouldn't necessarily drive back from Honfleur to CDG on the day you are flying out. I'd get back to the city the night prior to departure.
We stayed in the same neighborhood and took the train out of Montparnasse. We just had a taxi take us to the train station. We used the G7 Paris taxi app but you can ask your hotel to make arrangements.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA, USA
3174 posts
What I’ve always done is take the train to the first city, rent the car there and then returned it to Charles de Gaulle when I return back to Paris for my flight home
Posted by
Paris
7767 posts
Car rental offices at Montparnasse will definitely be open on a Sunday, no problem.
And driving out of the city along rue Alain and rue Vercingetorix towards the Paris beltway (Peripherique) at Porte de Vanves won't be hard.
The Périphérique itself can be a bit stressful, the on-ramps don't have merge lanes - instead, cars in the right lane of the highway are supposed to yield to incoming cars. But it won't be too busy on a Sunday.