Thanks in advance and please let me know if this has been posted elsewhere or needs to be (as I'm new to this travel forum world!).
My husband and I are going to be in Burgundy for a few days. We are coming into Dijon by train and need to rent a car to get to the place we are staying and around the area over the next couple days.
Does anyone have suggestions or positive experiences with any specific car rental company based in Dijon?
I've been researching but car rentals make me nervous (even though we've done them plenty of times) especially in a foreign country.
Additionally is it worth getting the GPS added on or should we just use our phones gps for directions?
Thank you so much!
Posted by
Portland, Maine
2916 posts
I would suggest trying the broker AutoEurope (http://www.autoeurope.com/) or their sister company Kemwel (http://www.kemwel.com/) and see what options they give you. I've rented through both of them many times, and the rental agency was generally Europcar.
Posted by
Los Angeles
4853 posts
I did just what you are describing a few months ago. We arrived at the Dijon station by TGV from Switzerland and went to the rental car counters. There were 3 or 4 all next to each other. All the major brands. I happened to pick Avis just because and had made the reservation on the internet.
We also rented a GPS because although I have a pretty good sense of direction, when on vacation you want/need all the help you can get. And I'm damn glad I had it. It's given to you in a little bag, just have your agent make sure it's charged and functioning and that it's set to speak in English. You can choose American or British English BTW, we went with Nigel.
Getting into and out of Dijon is a little tricky, you should not only have the GPS but a map for overview and also print out specific step by step directions from Michelin. You're probably heading for either the A6 or another highway to get where you're going. And the Avis people have a special printout of how to return your car; it's also a little tricky but their directions are good and complete and you'll understand what's up when you have completed your return.
Are you staying at Abbaye de la Bussiere by chance? It's a wonderful hotel/restaurant outside Dijon. Also a good place to have a Michelin one-star dinner.
The GPS was a lifesaver when returning from Beaune to our hotel one dark and stormy night. It was taking us a way that wasn't the same as how we had arrived, so I was suspicious. Especially as we kept climbing higher and higher and the lights of houses were few and far between. When Nigel finally got us back, I mentioned to a hotel employee the way we had come and he said wow, that's the best most direct route but we rarely tell people to take it because it feels like you're lost.
Posted by
Gaston, Oregon, USA
931 posts
Auto Europe! A wonderful broker that handles all of the Majors. Rent your car here thru them, and bring your IDP that you get at your local AAA office. During our French vaca in April, my brother downloaded the free off-line Map Factor Navigator (France) ap, that he used as his GPS on his smartphone. (hint learn to use it here!!!) I did the same but used it for walking around towns. (It worked great!)
I brought my $110 TomTom GPS with me, loaded with EU maps, and loved it for driving. We both needed a good detailed Michelin map of the area that we were visiting ( the GPS did not quite show everything, and it was hard to determine which route option was the best without a good map.)
BTW. Our rental car came with a built-in GPS that they wanted to charge us for. We said "no thanks." But the GPS still worked...only it was now "free" and talked to us in French.
Posted by
OP
13 posts
Thank you all so much for all this wonderful information!
I figured we may play it safe and print off Michelin maps of our destinations prior to our trip to have as backup - good reminder!
Phred - we aren't (we are staying on Rue de Glanot in Mont-Saint-Jean at an AirBnB place) but thank you for the recommendation, I'll have to check it out.