Rental Car from Paris - Return to CDG

I drive out Paris when it is the most efficient way to get to my destination. I lived and drove for decades in New York City and before that in Boston so city traffic does not faze me. If this is your first attempt at driving in a city, I would not try it in Paris. Assuming that modicum of driving experience, I would not suggest you go to CDG to rent a car when you could pick one up nearby. There is only one place in Paris that I try to avoid if I am driving and that is the circle around the Arc de Triomphe. I don't think your route would require dealing with that so I say go for it. By the way, if you need an automatic transmission, it will probably be better to get the car from CDG.

There is absolutely no traffic in Paris on Sunday Morning. Just take the nearest road to the périphérique and orbit around to Porte d'Auteuil to pickup A13 to Normandy.

Remember to stay out of the bus lanes and be mindful of traffic entering the roadway on the right.

The métro does not go to CDG. Taking the train to CDG will add about 1 hour just to arrive at a car rental location, add the expense of an airport pickup (about 45€ payable at drop off), and place you on the opposite side of Paris from where A13 begins, adding an additional hour to your journey.

We have left a rental car in a huge garage near Gare de Lyon......a nightmare as it was third floor underground in the bowels of the garage and hard to find......and we have also picked up a car at CDG........which seemed pleasant in comparison........CDG was not bad at all......in all of our travels we have rented cars and we will be the first to say that picking up the car and leaving it are the most stressful things we encounter on our trips!! Make it as easy as you can for yourself! When we did Normandy we flew into CDG with an early arrival.......got the car and drove right then to, Gerberoy (don’t miss swinging by this delightful village), Giverny, where we spent our first night and then on to Normandy by way of Honfleur. Yes, we were exhausted by the time we got to Giverny but slept great that night and were ready for touring the next day.

You could take the train to Giverny and then pick up a car. For Giverny, the train stops in Vernon. We rented thru autoeurope and the car was provided thru Hertz. We have always taken a train to a smaller town outside the city and then return again to a smaller town. If you are coming back from Normandy, you could return in Bayeaux, Caen, Roen, etc. We have also returned in Tours and taken a high speed train back to Paris if you will be in that area.

Hi,
For your trip, the best pick up location would be the Porte Maillot area. There are branches of Avis, Hertz and possibly others. Metro access is very easy from the Louvre and you are directly on the road to Normandy, no Paris driving at all.
Else, Sunday morning traffic is a breeze in Paris, so don't worry.

We've driven into or out of Paris on 6 trips. That includes picking up and dropping off at the Carrousel du Louvre as well as at CDG. I have found Paris traffic to be light on Sunday morning, but have very little experience of that particular time and day.

Like JHK, I've driven in big U.S. cities quite a bit, so driving in Paris doesn't bother me. I know from these forums that some people find it so intolerable that they'll go to great lengths to avoid it. Sounds like you're in between - willing to try but somewhat apprehensive.

In Paris, I drive and my wife navigates. She's great. We've missed turns now and then, but that's not the end of the world. There's always another way to get where you're going. If necessary, I pull over until we can decide what to do next.

We like the convenience of loading your luggage into a car near your lodgings and leaving, compared to taking your belongings to the airport, and then on to the car rental location.

I've driven in the center of Paris on several occasions and it is always stressful. One option it to take the Métro to Porte Maillot as other posters have suggested, and pick up your car there. If you decide on the Carrousel du Louvre, I'd take the easiest route to the Périphérique, which is driving along the river on the Quai (it changes names, but it starts as Quai Mitterrand). You'll go slightly in the "wrong" direction, but when it comes to Paris, I always take the easiest route for getting out of the city. No matter what you decide, consult Google Maps and in particular look at its Streetview option so you become familiar with major intersections and freeway on-ramps. Bonne route!

Incredible comments and advice - Thank you so much! I have experience in cities like NYC, Chicago, and Atlanta, so I think I am willing to try anything, but cautious in a new city where I have not driven. Manual transmission is not a problem, so I think I am going to stick with picking up at Carrousel du Louvre and returning to CDG. We will be in Paris for 6 days prior to renting the car, so I hope to get my bearings set and be ready for the drive out. From Normandy, we are looping down to the Loire Valley before returning to CDG for a flight home. I especially appreciate the driving and routing advice from JHK, Tocard, and T. - all noted, so thank you! And Bob, I too have a good navigator at my side who is also flexible (most of the time!), and I like the idea of just getting to the car and going without fussing through the metro or train. Thanks again for all the replies. If others have more advice, please let me know!

We’ve picked up cars in the heart of Paris and driven out several times, it was easy as city driving is easy for us, but we did hit traffic which took extra time. We’ve also taken the RER or a train to a smaller town to pick up a car and i much prefer that, much more relaxing. So i’m with jules, i’d take the train to Vernon and get a car there.

Returning to CDG -- took us an extra trip around the airport but not too bad. Driving TO the airport from Chartres, however, took much longer than we expected (late afternoon traffic!) Luckily, we were staying overnight at the Ibis for a morning flight so no panic mode.