Driving in Paris

Check out a map of Paris. There are many online, including the Metro map. We believe that the only Paris street you will be on after exiting the highway will be the Rue du Faubourg de Saint Denis

If you are dropping off a rental car at the Gare du Nord, it might be easier to drop the car off somewhere outside Paris and take the train into the city. I've driven twice in Paris and it can be nerve wracking even if you know exactly where you are going.

I wouldn't describe "horror stories". It isn't Rome. The problem is navigating with unfamiliar signage and the roundabout system. But it shouldn't be too bad. From the Peripherique you can get a straight shot to the Gare du Nord. Also, by the time you've been driving in Normandy, you should be better acclimated to French signs and traffic practices.

Gare du Nord is not far off the peripherique and you should be able to navigate easily. I would recommend that you fuel up before getting off. Paris petrol stations can be hard to find sometimes as they can be only a few pumps on the sidewalk. If you don't know what you are looking for, it can be difficult.

GPS is a wonderful thing to do - You will most likely get off at Porte de la Chapelle and drive . You can actually see most of the train tracks as you get off.

When looking for driving directions we tend to use www.mappy.com.

We did this in the reverse. We got our rental car at Hertz which is adjacent to Gare Nord. We made two right turns and were on the street that meets the Periferique. The drive from GN was about two miles and we made a left turn to access the Perif at the huge market area. It was a bit unnerving but nothing like driving in Rome. It helps to be familiar with the street markings--lanes are not well marked. We were in Giverny in a very short time.

Get a GPS ! I drove through Paris and it took us right to the hotel. Otherwise it's hard to tell where we would have ended up !

We did this also, but took the car back to Gare Montparnasse, and even with a non-french speaking driver and no knowledge of the city it went pretty well. We didn't have GPS either, just Mapquest directions we printed from home.

http://www.viamichelin.com/viamichelin/int/tpl/hme/MaHomePage.htm

Hi Larry,
You might find this link helpful... P.

Done it both ways...With and without a GPS.

All I can say is..

Without... it's 50/50, one time I was lucky, the other we got lost.

With...it took us directly to our hotel no problem.

Also used a GPS in Germany...again no problems at all

Last August, we picked up and dropped off a rental car at Gare du Nord (for a trip to Normandy). We did not have GPS and it was a little confusing getting out of Paris. My husband drove through an outdoor market - ooops! Once we were out of Paris, no problem. My only advice is to get explicit directions from your rental car agency about where to drop off the car when you return. We drove around the block for about 20 minutes and finally just parked it in the garage where we picked it up. Drove it in the wrong way, too. There was no "check in" desk, just a guy in the garage detailing cars who said it was okay (we think!). We turned the keys in at the desk at the train station and left. It was a great adventure! We also used michellen maps.

Larry,

If you drive the expressways in Memphis -- it's the same in Paris. Read your map and look at Google.earth for a good street view of Paris. A little prework will go a long way.

Good luck,

Craig

Larry, Listen to Amy - she is spot on. Getting out of the city is not nearly as difficult as getting back in. The entrance to the garage where you return your car at Gare du Nord is a few blocks away from where you picked it up. Get VERY explicit directions for return when you pick it up and allow yourself plenty of time.

We are one of the horror stories. We learned our lesson, and on our upcoming trip this May will be returning our car at Rennes and taking the train into Paris. It's one horror story I don't care to relive!

I posted previously about doing this in the reverse and we would consider doing it again. It was not bad but then again we did not drive at peak traffic time in Paris. We rented through Hertz and they gave us a map which they marked to direct us out. However, no one at the Hertz desk could speak English so we were not able to ask questions. The street that you turn on outside of GN gives direct access to the Periferique. Arriving back from Normandy, the large market place at the Perif (Clignancourt? I think) would be the place you will make a right turn to get to GN. We had no opportunity to study a map but if you can do this it should be easy. Needless to say we did not complicate this experience by stopping at the markets but they looked like an interesting stop.