How hard is it to drive in Paris-picking up rental car to drive to Normandy

According to www.viamichelin.com, it will take you six minutes to drive the 2.5km from Gare Montparnasse south to the Peripherique ring road. You will be on major through streets virtually all the way. While I haven't driven this route myself, I would think that on a Sunday morning it should not be much of a challenge.

Tim, I doubt it takes six minutes to get anywhere in Paris at anytime.
When my relatives picked me up in Paris( in the 6th) on a tuesday around 5 pm , it took us one hour to get the heck out of the city, and they LIVE there,,, one way streets, traffic( which I admit on a sunday morning will not be a concern) pedestrians who jump out in front of your, detours, ugh, it is not fun to drive IN Paris, once outside it is absolutely normal( if not a tad on the speedy side, LOL)
PS the maps are not fun either as they don't always show the little streets( of which there are many) so if you "count: streets to next turn could be inaccurate, plus street names are often on plaques on the sides of buildings so you don't see them easily, or if you do you are halfway through the intersection! Ugh.

That said, Sherry, if you are not in a rush, and accept it will take more then six minutes, and try to view it as an adveture, then hey, go for it, the rest of the drive will be fun .

I picked up my rental at the airport and that was difficult enough. I did not drive in Paris. We went to Givenny and then up to Beayeaux etc. Then down to Mont St. Michel. While it was interesting I am not sure I would recommend anyone just go there. We were driving to Loire Valley so it was on the way. You might want to look into taking a train to Canne and seeing if you can get a rental there. I would expect that the train station rental agencies would be open. Just a thought.

Listen to Tim...he gives excellent road advice...
Yes , it might take a bit more than 6 minutes to get out of the city...Michelin presumes, well presumes...But it WON'T take an hour on sunday morning. ...5:00 pm is called Rush Hour during the week...
Only question would be , as asked above, when and where do you plan to return the car, though probably doesn't matter because by then you'll be quite used to driving in France.

Thank you for all the comments and advice. We will be returning the car at CDG. We are picking up the car to drive to Mont St. Michel and have all day to get there.

I forgot that I have driven in Sorrento, but I am sure that Paris is much busier.

Sherry,

If you are returning the car to CDG, why not get to the airport and rent from there? Its a very EZ drive to Normandy on the highway. Suggest you stay in Bayeux and take the Battle Bus tour, or another similar tour. Let them do the driving, its well worth it.

Picking up the car near Gare Montparnasse and returning it to CDG will be NOT complicated...Continue with your plan, drive where you want...and ask Tim in Minot for further help if you need it. I don't know how much time you've allowed for this trip...but i think you will enjoy the independance of your own transport...No big deal if you miss some bus tour guide commentaries...you can read those in a book later, but will have created your own stories

Hi Sherry,
We picked up a rental car in Paris on a Sunday and returned it (a month and many kilometers later) to CDG. We didn't have any problem but we did prepare with our directions and maps beforehand.
If you would be comfortable driving in a large American city you should have no trouble in Paris. Having a 'navigator' with you will be helpful. GPS is good and you can get turn by turn directions prior to your trip from www.viamichelin.com. Try to rent a car similar to the one you ordinarily drive. This will increase your comfort level.
Since this a short term rental I agree that the zero deductible insurance is a good idea.
The trip that you are planning is a nice one. Go for it.