Travel in Normandy

If you really are not comfortable renting a car in Paris then I'd say train to Bayeux and rent there. You may find you need a car for only 1-2 days.

So you're not backtracking into Paris and back again, you could spend the night at one of the CDG hotels (Ibis comes to mind.) Then, pick up your rental car and head for Normandy the next day. We drove from CDG to Rouen (and beyond) in October and the most difficult part was getting out of the parking lot at CDG. The roads are easy to navigate. I agree with the GPS recommendation. Also have cash for the tolls as they add up quickly!

'train to Bayeux and rent there' The only major car rental place in Bayeux that I can picture is way the hell and gone from the train station - - on the west side of town . I think it's both Avis and Hertz that are across the street from the station in Caen.

It doesn't make a lick of sense. If you get the car at the airport, you can be in Rouen faster than you can get into Paris, switch stations, and find the platform for Rouen - - much less actually get underway. And, you don't come close to getting into Paris or even anywhere near the peripherique. And, you're going to be paying for the car that day anyway. Why heap train costs on top of it? And, Honfleur doesn't have a train station.

Depending on where you'll be in Paris (I can recommend a nice apartment, if you want to go that way), you can pick up a rental car at Gare du Nord. We did that last spring and had no trouble getting to Normandy. Why deal with all of the problems of getting to trains, getting from the train to the rental car, etc. to avoid a little traffic? Driving around Normandy is wonderful, BTW. We stayed at the Hotel de Sainte Croix, a B&B in Bayuex. I highly recommend it. Don't forget the GPS. Driving is so much easier when you know where you're going.

I stayed at Hotel Mogador in 2005 and walked to the rental car office from there. But maybe it's not there anymore. I'll check if you wish.

Compay, As I recall, the Hertz car rental office in Bayeux is within easy walking distance from the main plaza. The rental agency was part of a Gas Station. The last time I rented there, I was staying at Hotel Mogador and I believe I walked from the Hotel. The staff at the rental agency didn't speak much / any English, but fortunately the Hotel owner made all the arrangements for me. All I had to do was "sign on the dotted line". That was a bit of a "leap of faith", as I wasn't quite sure what I was signing, but it all worked out fine in the end. Cheers!

Two years ago we rented a car through Hertz to be picked up in Bayeux. We walked to the car rental place from our hotel (same one that was mentioned - part of a gas station). The man there did not speak much English, but we were able to understand reasonably well (and we had rented through Hertz before we got there). Worked out well and we dropped it in another location.

Since you are going to spend a few days in Paris before traveling to Normandy, it makes no sense to return to CDG to rent a car. We always take the train to Caen where there are 3 rental agencies right across the street from the Caen RR station. We used AutoEurope, jumped in our car, and drove to Bayeux (20-25 miles) for the first night. The remaining days we prefer to spend in rural B&B's, check out www.bandbnormandie.com. Returning the car at Caen and taking a train back into Paris beats the traffic jams returning on Sundays or holidays. Whatever your next destinations are, you can take the train from Caen to the rest of France if you prefer not to drive.

Compay,
A lot of opinions and I hope it helps you make the best decision for you and your bride. I kind of like the idea of going to Caen and renting. But I would check out the D-Day Museum there before leaving. I've always visited France in October and loved it. Hope you will also.

Fellow travellers, Thanks for your observations. This helps focus my plans for our 1st week in France, before heading south. BTW - my bride is my 1st wife of 31 years. I promised her France for her 60th B-day!