We plan to rent a car to drive from Beauvais to Bayeux. We will be there for two days/nights and plan to drop the car off in Caen to take the train into Paris. I have looked at Autoeurope and see rates with/without insurance and with/without deductible. Any insights on which we should do?
Hi Stephen. Some people use free insurance on credit card (read fine print); others buy from rental company or third party. Serach this site for many opinions. Also see good info in 'Plan your trip / Travel Tips / How to Rent a Car in Europe' by clicking above. Enjoy your trip!
I have never bought the rental company's insurance but instead relied on my credit card (maybe not always wisely, though; the one time I tried to collect for damage, a minor amount, I eventually gave up). But if it's 2 days only, I'd pay the outrageous extra amount for insurance for peace of mind.
We used the Capital One card to book the car so we had the insurance that came with it. We drove Caen to Bayeux then stayed in a B&B near Villers-Bocage, 15 miles north of Bayeux. Having a car makes all the difference in a great trip or one at the mercy of tour guides. We stayed 5 nights so two nights will not do the area justice. Go over the rental carefully and take pictures of any damage, just in case. We've never had any trouble with rental cars in France.