Renting a car at CDG and driving to Honfluer and onward.

I'm a little confused with your travel plan.

Is it your plan is to fly overnight from somewhere in the US to a major international airport, then transfer to Stuttgart, then fly from Stuttgart to Paris CDG? Then go through the car rental procedure without any sleep? And then drive all the way to the Normandy coast?

If you are on a flight from Stuttgart, or if you are on a train from Stuttgart, to Paris or CDG you will not pass through immigration or customs.

I'm sorry for the confusion. Yes, I am flying from the US with a stop in Stuttgart and arriving in Paris on Saturday at noon. My original plan was to take the train from Paris to Rouen on Saturday and rent a car on Sunday in Rouen to travel to Honfleur, but the rental car locations are closed on Sunday in Rouen, so I need to rent the car when I arrive on Saturday at CDG. I'm not sure how far I can drive after an over night flight. So, I wanted to get suggestions on cities to stop on my way from CDG to Honfleur for an overnight sleep. And advice on if I should book a hotel in advance for one of the suggested cities. Or to try book a hotel the same day as I arrive so I see how far I can drive before getting too tired. Is booking a hotel on the same day as arriving unheard of? I'm not sure. Thanks again.

The Hertz website shows that the Rouen railway station Hertz location is open on Sundays.

The Hertz website shows that the Rouen railway station Hertz location is open on Sundays. I have not had any problems with Hertz in Fance.

Thanks Monty. Unfortunately, the French Hertz website shows it as closed on Sundays.

https://www.hertz.fr/p/location-de-voiture/france/rouen/gare-de-rouen?utm_source=google&utm_medium=local&utm_content=UROX91&utm_campaign=GMB-Listings

And trying to book online on the US Hertz website says "Call To Book". Europcar will book on Sunday, but there is a large fee to open up on Sunday. I spoke with Europcar and they suggested to pick up on Saturday, which isn't an option for me.

it seems since at am traveling from a Schengen country I may not have to go through Customs, but this is still unclear to me.
I am flying from the US with a stop in Stuttgart and arriving in Paris

You are confusing customs and immigration, two different things.
The Schengen Area is a passport union, no passport checks between Schengen Area countries. You enter the Schengen Area in Stuttgart, your passport will be inspected there and if necessary stamped. No passport checks when you arrive in Paris. But, of course, the airline will want to see your passport at all stages, as that is your ID to check it matches the name on the ticket.

Customs is for goods, it is the check on the connects of your luggage. Assuming this is one ticket, your luggage will be labelled through to Paris and you will not see it until then. The label on your luggage will identify it as coming from outside the EU and this liable to customs checks. But, customs is a random check only. 95%+ are not stopped.

I am somewhat curious as to where has flights to Stuttgart (a somewhat less important airport), but does not have flights to Paris.

Why don't you sleep it off on Saturday after arrival and rent the car to head out on Sunday morning when traffic is light and your head is clear. All the car rentals at Paris train stations will be open, as well as at the two airports. It's very dangerous to drive after such a flight. Honfleur will be waiting for you!

Since you were prepared to go into Paris and get a train to Rouen, perhaps you could follow the same plan but take the train to Le Havre, which is just north of Honfleur and, if you have the energy, also has a very good impressionist museum. There are hourly trains from St-Lazare to Le Havre, taking about two hours.

You could spend the night in Le Havre or take local transportation to Honfleur and stay there. Get the car the same day or next day if an office is open. Then on to the beaches, Bayeux etc.

Or take a train from St-Lazare to Caen, where there's a convenient car rental next to the station, spend the night there, and drive to Honfleur next morning before turning west to beaches and Bayeux etc.

I was puzzled by your reference to "the route...going through Paris." If you mean the driving route, not at all. I agree with Bets about the risks -- to yourself and others -- of driving on your jet-lag day, but if you must do that there are highways west from CDG that avoid the big city.

What France needs -- more than anything else to judge from this board -- is a direct train from CDG to one of the Normandy cities. Shall we get a petition going? ;-)

Dear Jennifer

I my opinion you can drive to Honfleur from CDG the same day, but this depends how you feel after the flight. If you you feel the need to stop over I recommend Vernon or Rouen; Of course Vernon is much smaller than Rouen and has fewer restaurants to chose from; but you could add a visit in Giverney and the gardens of Monet the next morning.
Once you are in Honfleur travelling will become much slower. You will be surprised how the slow traffic is due to the tiny roads there. Also, once in Arromanche where the D-Day museum is parking places are rare and expensive, stay a little outside the town.
I have worked as a guide there for five years, ask me if you have any questions.

Enjoy your vacation.

Bets makes a very good point about sleeping it off on Saturday and then driving on Sunday. You'll probably be sleepy, somewhat jet lagged, and probably not familiar with the roads. That combination of conditions, in my opinion, might be an accident waiting to happen. Some people (and you may be one) are quite capable of driving under those conditions, but many are driving somewhat impaired and don't realize it. And some are complete zombies who shouldn't operate any kind of machinery. Even a minor fender bender at the start of a trip will put a damper on the whole trip. Just something to think about

We're flying from Los Angeles to London and then on to CDG but we won't arrive until around 5pm. We're picking up our car at CDG and staying the night in Roissy (not far from the airport) to get over the jet lag. We'll have dinner, walk around a little, and pick up Euros at an ATM for the French toll roads. Then we're driving the next morning to Honfleur. The drive from CDG to Honfleur isn't too challenging because it doesn't go through the middle of Paris but my condition after all of that flying isn't predictable. Sometimes I can sleep on the flight but not always. We're taking our time and staying in Honfleur (1 night), Bayeux (two nights), and MSM (one night) before heading south. Hope that helps a little.

You might want to check on the hotels before leaving. There aren't a lot of rooms actually on MSM and Honfleur gets busy on the weekends. We're going in July so it'll be busier than other times. Bon voyage!

Let me pass along something I learned here 2 years ago that saved my trip.

If you book through SNCF, you can pick up your auto rental from the train station on Sundays at many locations.

You locate the Chief of Station, show your rental papers, and get the key.

We did this in Auxerre on a Sunday. Worked like a charm.

The catch is you have to book through SNCF in connection with a train ticket, and your only choice is Avis. And you have to arrange this in advance, not day of.

I don't know if that meets your needs, but it could.

Driving is not a bad plan except for jet lag. You know best about that.