Rental Car for 1 day or not? Travel to Giverny

Personally more hassle then its worth to me.. and I also have never moved closer to CDG for a morning flight.. moving wastes time and I would rather have my last night in Paris then in some generic hotel bar/restaurant out by the airport.

Also.. did you count cost of gas.. tres cher in France.. and you will likely not want to find a gas station early in am when you return car...so you will pay their gas reload rate.. also likely very expensive. When you get to Giverny where will you park for Monets Gardens.. I am sure that will cost you too.

I would wake up on last full day.. go to Giverny via train, enjoy the day there ( you can rent bikes in Vernon and ride bikes along a lovely trail along the river to Monets Gardens.. ) then in evening have a lovely last night in Paris.. then in morning jump in taxi for CDG.

I think a lot of us north americans think cars are the way to go.. but for one day the way you suggest.. I personally would not bother.. too many logistics.

According to giverny.org, "Parking is free in Giverny. There is a large car park on the side of the D5, in front of the Fondation Claude Monet, and a smaller one just in front of the entrance door, in the village, rue Claude Monet. You may also park in the car park of the Museum of Impressionisms in Giverny on the D5." So that is one less issue to worry about.

Does that $100 for the rental car include gas and tolls? Gas is $5.80/gallon, $60-70/tank and 1 tank is probably all you'd use in a small car. It's certainly possible and many here would rent a car just for one day but I probably wouldn't do it. And I am a car person, live for road-trips and will jump in my car and drive around the country roads near where I live just for the freedom of it. I have rented cars in France to get to places not well served by train but never for just one day.

I think pat's suggestion is best, take the train to Giverny, don't switch hotels but take a taxi to the airport in the morning.

If you do this, remember that all your stuff in the car is at risk -- I would not leave electronics, prescription meds, cameras, computers etc in the trunk of a car parked all day and as a tourist you would not know of places notorious for car break in and theft. If you do this,be sure to arrange all your stuff in the trunk long before your final stop so you aren't opening the trunk when you park -- and then take everything left in the body of the car, and schlep your valuables in a messenger bag or daypack (being aware that a backpack is a pickpockets dream, so be judicious about what you put in it or how you carry it.)

If you do this do not plan to drive and drop the car at CDG the morning of your flight. I'd drop the car at CDG the night before the flight and take a hotel room AT not near the airport. I always want a receipt showing the car is gassed and in good condition and CDG is notorious for slow walking this. You need to be at the check in 3 hours ahead and don't want to be fiddling around finding the car drop and getting checked out. Customer service is not their norm.

I would not do it for just one day like this -- if you had several days to visit the countryside it would be worth the hassles.

Rick explains in his Paris guidebook how to get to Giverny by train and taxi/bus. Doing it in May, the way he explains it.
Or book a tour company.
Why drive and leave all your possessions in the trunk of the car?
Consider gas costs, gas is very expensive in France.

All excellent points - biking, enjoying our last night in the city, theft of luggage, fuel cost (although I did have that in mind), etc.! So glad to have this forum to bounce ideas off of.

One point I still wonder about . . . is driving in Paris truly a nightmare or is it doable with some patience?

It was suggested we take a taxi to the airport. Why that over taking the Metro to Gare de Nord and picking up the RER from there? I can imagine the taxi would be faster, but it sounds like the RER runs pretty frequently and very quickly. Would anyone have a sense of the cost from the Saint Ambroise metro area to CDG?

I still have a bit of a romantic picture in my mind of cruising through the French countryside at our own pace, but maybe that would be best saved for a future trip.

I am thinking you are all right and I should just stay put that last night. While I try to remove myself from our North American car-centric thoughts, it is hard!

I welcome any more thoughts or ideas! Thank you everyone who has responded so far!

You don't want to drive in Paris. You'll know why, after you've done it once.
We have very few people here driving in Paris, or recommending it to others.

Driving in Paris is no different than driving in any big city. We don't enjoy it but have done it many times without problems. Now that we are old, we drop the car coming into the city and take a cab or train in but it is not any more difficult than driving in Seattle, or Chicago and easier than Boston and New York.

It will cost 30 Euro to take the train to the airport. There is nothing wrong with doing this, but with 3 people the savings are not enormous. It would depend a bit on how many train changes were involved. If your apartment is near the B line then it makes sense to just hop on that for the airport -- but if you have to make a couple of changes and haul luggage up and down stairs then the cab becomes sweeter. We have paid anywhere from 45 to 55 to get the two of us to the airport.

Frankly, I think you are a very creative thinker and I love your idea. It certainly frees you to do what you want and how you want. Driving in Paris--just a tad tighter than the US due to the bus lanes, a little more congested in some areas, but if you are an urban driver, you'll survive. Yes, we drive in Paris, but then my husband learned to drive in Paris. You could also pick the car up on the west side of Paris (La Defense for example) and you'll be halfway to Giverny.

You don't say what time your flight takes off, but we often stay at the airport the night before for any morning flight. I usually agree with Janet about staying IN the airport rather than AT the airport, the latter meaning you need to take a hotel-provided shuttle to the internal rail system (RoissyVal) to get to your terminal, but since you are using points, again, you'll survive. The reason we caution to stay in the airport is because sometimes the shuttles fill during the morning rush and you have to wait twenty minutes for the next one. But that's the trade-off of a nearly free hotel room.
Edit: agree with Janet to drop your car the night before after you unload your stuff at the hotel. There will be transportation back to the hotel.

One caution if you do stay in Paris: at certain times of the morning there can be a traffic jam getting into the airport due to so many flights leaving in the morning. A good experienced taxi driver will be able to anticipate where and how to get around them. However, he RER is always faster if you take a "Direct/Express" and not one that stops in many suburbs along the way. Edit: the Metro + RER won't be faster than a taxi necessarily.

Everyone, I really appreciate your willingness to share your expertise and to provide me the feedback I requested/needed. Bets, thank you for your kind remarks. Janet, thank you for the taxi info and thoughtful comments. There were definitely some details I had not considered regarding morning shuttles and such at the airport.

Our flight leaves about 10:00 a.m., so not terribly early, but that probably puts my commute to the airport at the height of rush hour. I was allowing about 2 hours before departure to arrive at the airport. I did not find anything indicating a different time on United's website. Maybe we need longer?

I guess I have a bit more thinking and planning ahead of me.

You need three hours before a flight at CDG.

If you are flying internationally remember to be at airport at 7 am.. three hours is the suggested and recommended arrival time to airport.. although I admit to doing 2.5 more then once.. since I live in Canada we usually get to use the smaller terminal for the charters we take.. easy to get through usually.

So.. you have to be at airport at 7 or 7.30.. so .. you really want to leave Paris at 6 am or so( since you wiould have to return car.. )

If you think you want or need car ( I personally do not ) then drive out night before.. stay in airport hotel and return car then. I would leave paris after evening rush hour.. after at least 7pm.. or even later

Oh, looky there . . . The CDG website clearly states 3 hours. I must have checked United's website to find the 2 hours.

http://www.easycdg.com/1/passenger-information/check-in-boarding-deadlines/

Thank you again for all of the wonderful information and input!

Sure, it would work, but it will be expensive beyond your $100. Gas and tolls add up.
But, you're on vacation so if driving in the French countryside is your thing (it is quite beautiful, you know), and money isn't the issue, then do it and tick it off your bucket list.
Parking at Giverny is free (or was when I was there last year).
I'd stay in Paris and take a cab to the airport. Costs about $50 euro (traffic depending) and is MUCH faster than the multiple train thing. Never short change yourself a night in Paris...