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Saint Malo car rental - Sunday return

Posted by on

Since the buses to both Mont St Michel and Dinan don't run on Sundays, it looks like we'll need to rent a car for a couple of days and return it on Sunday, when apparently none of the rental agencies in Saint Malo are open. Europcar has told me they have a keydrop for after-hours return; Hertz seems to have a keydrop but I'm not sure about other agencies.Any reason I sh9uld be uncomfortable doing an after-hours return there? Our train Monday morning leaves before the agencies open.

I should add - since I'll be returning it after hours, I would prefer an agency with a clearly-marked lot so there's no confusion about where the car should be left. I've tried using Google Street View to check out the various agencies but that hasn't proved very useful.
For example, when a couple of years ago we rented in southern France, returning the car to Gare St Pierre des Corps in Tours was easy, the Avis lot was marked and easy to find. I know Tours is much bigger than Saint Malo, but will I find anything like that for any of the rental companies at Gare Saint Malo Centre?

Or - does anyone have a suggestion for getting to either Mont St Michel or Dinan on Sunday without either a bus or a rental car?

Posted by
1290 posts

I had to rent in Rennes last summer when I went to Saint-Malo because of the rental car offices being closed on Sunday. I returned the car using a key drop in Caen without an issue (Enterprise), and have done that using Hertz in Caen and elsewhere before as well. I wouldn't worry about it.

Posted by
23 posts

We'll already be in Saint Malo, so Rennes doesn't really seem like an option for us.

Posted by
1091 posts

I didn’t realize you’d already be in St Malo. I’d just park the car in the return area (take a photo) and leave the key in the key drop and be on your way.

Posted by
8762 posts

I hate returning a car without a receipt that it is undamaged and gassed up but have done it once or twice when we had no choice. Take pictures, keep gas receipt, use key drop designated and hope for the best.

Posted by
23 posts

*I didn’t realize you’d already be in St Malo. *

Yes, and I should have made that clear. I hope my earlier reply didn't come off as snippy.

Posted by
1091 posts

No problem hboswell! I deleted my suggestion after you indicated you would be in st malo, so as to not further any confusion. I understand your concern and since we just had a similar experience in Rennes that’s why it seemed an option. I should add for perhaps easing your mind…(again this was Rennes not st malo but…) We returned our car on a Sunday at the exact moment they were opening due to our needing to catch the train. We were surprised to find employees in the return garage who were clearly already long “clocked in” so the guy vacuuming told us to park the car but that the paperwork employee was arriving late so we couldn’t get any paperwork to prove we returned it. That’s why I took a picture. Then because I was concerned like you are, I quickly headed over to the actual rental office. I shared my concern about lacking proof of return paperwork. They didn’t care one iota about how the procedure was going; told me it would be fine. They said the paperwork return person would be in late and they’d email me a copy later. I just took a picture of every place I went related to returning the car, then went to Paris. All was fine. So i would assume their key drop system works.

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