We plan on renting a car at the airport(Hertz)and drive to Caen and beyond for 4 days.Are car rentals located at the airport like in the U.S and how hard is it to get out of Paris? What's involved when we get off the plane. This will be our first time in France. I'll be taking my 77 year old dad who cannot walk well to visit the D-Day sites.Any help is appreciated.
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
Yes, just like airports here. And since Charles de Gaulle airport is northeast of Paris, and you're heading to the northwest, you won't actually have to drive 'in' Paris at all!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
689 posts
The rental car facilities are right there--just follow the signs to the rental car counter, and they'll tell you where to go from there. If you are really concerned I'm sure you could look at a map of CDG online and get an idea of where you are going before you get there.
CDG is thirty or so miles outside of Paris, so it is not urban driving by any means. It's quite easy to get out of, especially since you're going north (and will already be north of Paris).
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8293 posts
Yes, car rental offices are at the airport. They will shuttle you to their locations. Make your rental arrangements before you leave the USA. Instead of going to Caen, think about going to Bayeux, where there is an excellent D Day Beach tour company called Battlebus. Google for more info. Hertz at CDG will give you instructions and a map to help you on your way from the airport to Normandy.
Posted by
OP
Monee, IL, USA
27 posts
Great information...thanks so much everyone!
Posted by
Marion
177 posts
On our first trip to France we rented a car at CDG. Car rental was easy to find. After we learned to say bon jour before any conversation we got along fine. We picked the car just outside the rental office. It was a standard shift. We did not know the word for exit being from Mississippi so we drove around in a circle for about 30 minutes before we drove back to the hangars. Once we got on the freeway we stayed in the right lane and drove to Les Andelys for the night-visited Giverny on the way. Went on to Caen and the beaches the next day. It took awhile to figure out how their direction signs work. It was a great misadventure but we made it back alive.