We (family of 4 with 2 teeenagers) are going to Paris for 7 days in August. We'd like to rent a car for a 3-4 day tour of Normandy and the Loire valley. Where is the best place to pick up the car in or near Paris to avoid some of the Paris traffic? How long is the drive from Tours to Charles de Galle?
Thanks in advance.
Some travelers prefer to rent at CDG airport; and some prefer to rent from other locations closer to their hotel (if they are not going to be at the airport on the day they want to pick up or drop off).
Your 2nd question can be answered at this website
or at this one
I would recommend you not rent in the city, especially if you don't know your way around. Traffic is crazy there and the road signs, if there are any, are hard to see.
You can always take the train to Normandy and pick up the car at a train station. Look at train maps, figure out what's convenient, see if Auto Europe or Hertz or Europacar has an outlet there. We rented in Lisieux (Hertz I think) for a Normandy trip once and it was super easy. No lines or traffic hassles like you might find at the airport.
We rented at the Orly airport, as it was very easy to jump onto the motorway, I think it was the A6, from there.
Orly is a very easy place to rent a car from. It is smaller the CDG. We always take a cab there, get a car... rented from here, it is cheaper... and go from there. We also take our own GPS and put a marker down on the rental place so we can get back easily.I know Orly is south of Paris, but it really is easier. There are a lot of rental places. We get a Hertz car, because we get a AAA discount and a Hertz one.
Sue, I would pick up a car right in Paris and drive to Normandy. We did that 3 years ago and it worked perfectly. We stayed in Rue Cler, and there is an Avis agency a couple of blocks away...a short walk with our wheeled suitcases. I used a city map of Paris and found a very simple exit route that got us on the highway and on our way to Normandy in 10 minutes.
My brother rented from Hertz, I believe, at Defense.
If you don't already know, Defense is a fairly new
conglomeration of high rise buidings on the edge of Paris. If you go straight down the Avenue de Charles De Gaulle (contination of the Champs-Elysees)you come to Defense. The Arch is locatd there.
From Defense you can get right on the road leading to
Normandy..it is quite easy. However, if you were to
return on Sunday, I would check to see if they are open before booking
as it is a highly business area.
I personally like the idea of taking the train to
Normandy and picking up your car there.
I don't know about Normandy, but if I correctly note that you may return from Tours to CDG, there is train service (TGV I believe) from Tours directly to CDG that drops you smack at the airport. Avis has an office in Tours (actually St Pierre des Corps,which is the suburban stop for the TGV). We trained from Paris there, rented the car, drove around the Loire for 4 days and returned it and rode to CDG for our flight the next day. Very easy...this station is small and easy to get in and out. For the record... we had a fantastic stay (May 2008)at the Auberge des Launay across the river from Amboise. Very nice with fabulous meals and great rates. I found it on tripadvisor, and saw it this summer featured in Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel magazine. 4 days could be tight for both Normandy and the Loire. Have a great time.
For car rental I recommend Auto Europe, a consolidator that finds you the best rate from among the companies with which it has contracts. Auto Europe's Nanterre pick up point is at 100 ave Francois Arago which is a little farther west than Defense. The Nanterre Prefecture RER A station is just under 1km away.
