Paris Hotel help!

Carmen, Could you explain why you are keeping your car in the Paris region instead of turning it in. Not only is it unnecessary to drive, but you are responsible for maintaining it in good condition for two extra days. There are hotels at CDG that have parking--L'Etape in Roissy Pole is one. A shuttle bus can take you to the airport and the RER station.

Carmen, I have the same question as the first reply. Why are you keeping your car during your stay in Paris? The public transportation is excellent, so a car is unnecessary.

Carmen Agree with PPs! Also, you will miss the real Paris if you stay in the suburbs. Taxis, shuttles, etc will get you to CDG just fine from central Paris. Your hotel knows which method and company to trust to get you to CDG in plenty of time for your flight. You can change the drop off place of your car easily. In fact, I would suggest, you drop off the car in Brussels and take the Thalys (fast train) from Brussles to Paris! 90 minutes! From the train station, get the metro or a taxi to your hotel. Stay on the Left Bank of Paris in the 5th, 6th, or 7th Arrondisement which are just off the River Seine. These locations are close to almost all of the major sites, Notre Dame and the Islands, Louvre, Musee D'Orsay, etc. And you will be near shopping, restaurants, cafes, and people! Please reconsider. Bobbie

Thanks for your advice. We have the rental for 3 weeks. I am going to be checking into turning it in early (I am not in charge of the rental). We are two teachers traveling on grant money so our money is limited and turning the car into the same place always seems to be cheaper than returning it to another location. We are hoping we can turn it in early. It was cheaper to rent for 3 weeks and at the time we were not sure of our itinerary. It has been revised multiple times! We will be getting to Paris in the morning and then hopefully returning the car. If we stay in Paris we need to find a very reasonable hotel in a safe area. Any help with this would be appreciated!

Carmen, I'd suggest returning the car at the earliest opportunity and using trains after that. If returning in Brussels would avoid a high drop-off fee, that's certainly something to consider (as mentioned in a previous reply). I always stay in the Rue Cler area (the 7th, I believe) and find that to be a "safe area". It's within walking distance to the Eiffel Tower and other sites, has good Metro access (Ecole Militaire) and some nice Hotels and restaurants. Could you be more specific in terms of what you consider "reasonable" Hotels? Also, when is this trip taking place (I'm assuming in the summer when school is out)? I'd suggest pre-booking a Hotal ASAP if you'll be travelling in the peak summer travel season. Also, could you provide some idea on what you might like to see while in Paris? With only two days, you'll need to plan your sightseeing well! In order to minimize your time in queues, you might consider the two-day version of the Paris Museum Pass. You might also check your local Library to see if they have a copy of the France or Paris Guidebooks, as there's a LOT of helpful information there. You could also download the Guidebooks in E-book format if you have a compatible Reader. Good luck with your planning!

Hi Ken, We will be traveling this summer -mid June to the beginning of July. Our purpose of our trip to trace the origin of fairy tales through France, Italy, and Germany. Many of the sights we are taking in are off the beat path and a car is a necessity. We are also on a limited budget so when weighing the cost of doing trains or cars, by car was the better way to travel for us. We will be picking up the car at CDG and then heading to a sight outside of Paris and then to the Loire Valley. From there we will be going to Italy and then on to Germany to see the sights of the Brothers Grimm. We also have a stop in The Netherlands. We were going to stop in Brussels quickly and then spend two days in Paris. In Paris we are not going to cram a bunch of things in. I really just want to get a sense of the city. We may go up the Eiffel Tower, See the Louvre, and just enjoy the city. I am not too stressed about seeing everything especially since it is the end of the trip. We do need to go to Tuilleres Gareden to see a statue of Charles Perrault. The reason we are not dropping the car earlier is because we were told the cost to drop it in another country was pretty high. Again we are teachers so saving on the budget is a high priority. As far as reasonable for Paris hotels. We really would like to get something for around $125 but I know that is going to be hard to do. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks! Carmen

Carmen, Thanks for the additional information. Mid-June to beginning of July is still in the "spring shoulder season", but it may still be "busy". As you'll be renting the car at CDG, I'd probably return it there as soon as you arrive back in Paris and then just use the Metro to get around during the last two days. That's a LOT of driving to do in a two-week time frame, considering the area you'll be covering. Have you worked out the driving times? I'm not sure how easy it will be to realistically cover all the locations you want in two weeks? DON'T try to see all of the Louvre in such a short period of time. You may want to limit your visit to the Denon Wing, where the Mona Lisa is located. Be sure to wear a Money Belt and be vigilant near the Mona Lisa, as thieves do "work" that area (lots of scammers under the Eiffel Tower also). You might also consider a short visit to the Musee d'Orsay. A fantastic collection of impressionist art inside an elegant old building that used to be a train station. As I recall, it's very close to the Tuilleries Gardens. Some Hotels that you might have a look at are Hotel Duquesne Eiffel, Hotel Muguet or Grand Hotel Leveque. Your choice may be dictated by which Hotel has a vacancy. To reach CDG on departure day, you could either have your Hotel book a Shuttle, or use the Metro and RER "B". Have a look at This Website for lots of great information. As you'll be driving in Italy, I'll post another reply with my usual "boilerplate" comments. Cheers!

Carmen, Regarding driving in Italy.... One important point to note is that for driving in Italy, each driver must have the compulsory International Driver's Permit, which is used in conjunction with your home D.L. These are valid for one year, and easily obtained at any AAA office (two Passport-sized photos required, which in some cases are provided by the issuing office). Failure to produce an IDP if requested can result in fines on the spot! Have a look at This Website for more detailed information. You may also want to search other Posts here regarding the Zona Traffico Limitato areas that are becoming increasingly prevalent in many towns in Italy (especially Florence!). EACH PASS through one of the automated Cameras will result in a €100+ ticket! A GPS along with a good Map would also be a good idea. Be sure to also give some thought to the question of CDW. If you accept the CDW offered by the rental firm, it will be expensive but will provide "peace of mind". Some "premium" credit cards provide rental vehicle insurance, however I've found this to be somewhat complicated so I just accept that offered by the rental firm. Check the Car Rental section in Europe Through The Back Door for further information. Happy travels!

Thanks for all the useful information Ken! We are taking three weeks with all the driving. We have calculated everything and it should work out. We are trying to never overload ourselves with too much driving in one day. We have things planned and we also have activities that we would like to do if we are not too tired or out of time. As far as driving in Italy goes. We have read a lot about all the speed traps and no driving areas. The plan plan is to visit two small villages in the Tuscany are (collodi and castello). We are tracing the roots of Pinocchio. So we will also be going to Florence to see a puppet maker. When visiting Florence we will be taking a train to the city because neither of want to drive in the city and have heard of all the extra costs and confusion that can happen. We are staying near Lucca for two nights. We choose to stay outside of the city walls for ease of parking and are not going to drive in. We are also staying near Siena for two nights. Again our location is outside the city. Thanks for your advice! I will look into the Paris hotels. I don't think there should be a problem with returning the car early. And yes when visiting the Louvre, my main goal was to see the Mona Lisa. Again we don't want to overload ourselves. Thanks so much for your help!

If your goal is to see the Mona Lisa you need to get there when there is nobody else there. That's difficult because if you're there the museum is open so the room where it is is full. It is a very small painting and is in a plastic or glass box because of previous vandalism. When I was last there the tourists were 15 deep and all taking flash photos even though that is prohibited.

Best time to go to the Louvre is when they are open late - far less crowded and much more enjoyable.