Rental Car Return Paris

Who are you renting with...maybe someone can suggest an office. We rented FROM Europcar and picked up on ave Foch, just past the Arc de Triomphe (but not having to go thru the madness that is the Arc - it was very easy for us to get out of the city from there to the ring road...we dropped it up north). We walked to there from the metro stop at the Arc.

Just editing to add - time of day and day of the week could make a difference too - we were actually picking up on a Sunday morning, so traffic was pretty light compared to what we'd seen at other times...

First time in Paris AND returning a rental car in the city...you are indeed a brave soul.

Haven't rented yet Nicole. Thought maybe the best drop off location might determine who to rent from.
Thanks Tom. Looks like a viable option. From Gare de Lyon there is a direct bus to the stop a block from our hotel.

OK Tim...are you trying to scare me? If not, I actually enjoy snarkasm. ; )

Carolyn, Tim has a point -- after circling downtown Paris for 45 minutes in afternoon traffic with GPS saying " take third exit" and not knowing whether that was an exit or a driveway or ... we finally got to a garage at Gare de l'Est where we walked to the Hertz rental office, and my husband said "never again." Orly or CDG will have well-signposted directions to rental car return locations; CDG even has a bus that goes directly to the Opera area.

We have returned rental cars at Gare du Nord and along the Seine in the center of the city and now we generally return them to Orly or CDG depending on where we are driving from. From Orly I would take a cab to your hotel; it will be 35 Euro and money well spent. Public transport for 2 people would be about 25 Euro from Orly (train/metro) for 3 it is more than a cab. Take a cab and save yourself the hassle of city driving and the somewhat quirky and difficult to find rental return lots by dropping at Orly. If you do go into the city be sure you have VERY clear directions for return -- they are often underground and poorly signed; you have to know exactly where they are. (been there, done that, orbited the area for an hour trying to find the return)

I think Tim had a point. Unless you are used to driving in very heavy traffic, your choice of Orly is very good. My husband, who was raised in Paris and learned to drive there, doesn't care for driving in the city nowadays. A couple weeks ago we drove in from the Chartres area, dropped the car at Orly and took a taxi into town, just as Janet suggested.

Or, you could look into returning the car in Dijon and taking the TGV to the Gare de Lyon.

Orly and a taxi it is! Thanks everyone. I knew you'd have the answer. A taxi with luggage sounds much easier and I won't have to do the baptism by fire on public transit my first hour in Paris. I had considered the train from Dijon, but want to visit Fontenay Abbey on the way. Love this forum. :)

I agree ....drop car at Orly and take a cab to your hotel....very easy...have done it for years.

Carolyn, do you have any experience driving in big cities? If you do, I think you can manage driving in Paris.

I honestly don't think driving in Paris is something to avoid at all costs. Maybe my wife is the best navigator in the world but she's always directed us to where we needed to go - and so far we've only used paper maps. Yes, you may miss a turn or need to pull over to get your bearings, but those things are really quite manageable. It's obvious that many people, probably most people, find driving in Paris an ordeal. I'm just saying that it's not that way for everyone.

janettravels makes a good point - some rental return sites are underground and poorly signed. In fact, that's the biggest hassle that I've encountered with rental cars in Paris.

That's reassuring Bob. My husband is the driver and not much rattles him. He even loves driving a manual transmission on the other side of the road :) That said I think an airport drop off will have us getting where we're going more quickly. I really appreciate all the feedback.

Years ago my husband dropped my daughter and me off at the apartment we had rented in the Marais with all the luggage and went to return the car. Hours later we were panicking when he finally showed up from this 15 minute task. The return was along the river not that far from the apartment but without a navigator in heavy traffic he simply could not find it. He had the address but didn't see a car rental there. Finally he pulled onto the edge of the sidewalk, illegally parked and went searching for help. A shopkeeper was able to direct him to the underground lot with no visible signing until you had already turned to go underground. It wasn't that it was hard to do, but it was impossible for him to find without knowing exactly where it was. We drop at Orly or CDG usually now and take a cab in. We are at the stage of life where easy beats cheap.

No, I'm not being sarcastic. I'm speaking TOTALLY from experience. I would NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER drive in Paris again! Just let me add another NEVER in there for good measure.

Never!

This is a reply for the folks out there who haven't reached the conclusion that Janet stated. We suffered similar experiences to the ones she relates in Rome, Milan, and Barcelona. We're kind of slow learners, but we finally got it. Save yourself a lot of grief by returning rental cars to big city airports. In almost all cases there will be easy transportation into town.

The return was along the river not that far from the apartment but without a navigator in heavy traffic he simply could not find it. He had the address but didn't see a car rental there. Finally he pulled onto the edge of the sidewalk, illegally parked and went searching for help. A shopkeeper was able to direct him to the underground lot with no visible signing until you had already turned to go underground.

I had a similar experience returning a car last fall in Rouen. There are 2 entrances to the underground train station parking lot. Neither is marked with an large sign saying Hertz or rental cars or anything. To make it more fun the whole area is one-way streets so each loop around the train station takes about 2 miles and 15 minutes.

In contrast the place I picked up the car, Rennes, had a large rental car garage above ground and next to the train station with plenty of signs. So you never know...

Returning to Orly and then taking a taxi is a good choice. I've returned cars to Paris a couple of times, and picked them up there too, including Gare de Lyon, but I'll never do that again. I've driven in many of the largest cities in the US, including 17 years in Boston, but almost every time I've driven in Paris has been traumatic. I think only one time driving from the rental agency at Gare de Lyon was smooth. So keep to your first plan.

Your husband sounds even less likely than me to get rattled by driving in Paris. But he goes me one better by being okay with driving on the wrong side of the road. I am probably still being lustily cursed for a couple of bone-headed moves I made in Britain. (By the way, "You f**king idiot!" can sound almost charming if it comes at you with an English accent.)

The main thing, of course, is that you should do what makes the vacation the most fun for you. That's the main idea isn't it?

LOL Bob! Isn't that what travel is sbout. Yup it's still Orly and a taxi for us. I prefer to learn from others than experience some things for myself.

If possible, have the original rental office set up the Orly Airport address in your GPS -- we couldn't get it. Nothing under "Orly" nor "Aeroport"

I'm commenting as a passenger whose husband drove and successfully dropped our rental car at the Porte Saint Cloud location. Only hiccup was missing the turn in since it wasn't well signed. Driving on city streets was a bit scary but we survived. Definitely recommend a good GPS! It was a lifesaver. Good luck!

We dropped at Orly on our 2010 trip—get a good map of the Paris area or have a GPS if you are comfortable driving with one. We did not find it well signed at all and ending up driving into Paris twice by accident! Maybe we were just clueless but we went round and round just trying to find the airport. It sounds like it would be the easiest thing in the world to drop the car at an airport, but sometimes not.

By the way, "You f**king idiot!" can sound almost charming if it comes at you with an English accent.

I didn't think that the Brits used the F word; I thought it would be "You sodding idiot" But maybe they do use the F-word when they get really really mad.

Believe me, Robert, that was the word. It's ringing in my ears to this day.

Yes, he was really mad - and I deserved it.

haven't heard "sodding" for decades. The previous alternative I hear on a daily basis, even on TV, and lots at work.

I live and work in what is left of England.

For Europcar return at Gare de Lyon - Where do you pull up and what do you do with the car? Is there a sign on the street or a building? Is entrance on Rue de Bercy or Van Gogh? I don't want to circle the block several times. I've taken note of the several warnings above but if I can get clear info., I'll give it a try. If not, it's Orly. Thanks in advance.