car rental outside of paris for normandy trip

Hi Everyone....please help for easiest way to rent a car for Normandy/Brittany 4-5 day trip after 8 days in Paris. I don%26#39;t want to drive in the city, so where is best place to reserve and pick up car?

Thanks,

Michael

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I do not believe that picking up a rental car in Paris and driving out of town is the same as simply driving around Paris. Some major differences are that you will not be looking for addresses or a parking spot and you can choose when you leave (avoiding rush hour).

I recommend you:

1. Contact one of the below and arrange for a rental before you leave home

http://www.autoeurope.com/

http://www.autofrance.net/

http://www.avis.com/

http://www.europcar.com/

http://www.europebycar.com/index.html

http://www.interrent.com/

2. Request a diesel engine. You%26#39;ll get better millage, fuel is widely available and much cheaper.

3. Purchase a spiral bound road map of France either 1:200,000 or 1:250,000 scale. This will help you plan your Paris exit and help immensely with en route planning. These are available for under 20 euros.

4. Be careful about speeding and drinking while driving, the French have become very serious about these two subjects. Additional trip planning is available at:

http://www.radars-auto.com/index.php

http://www.viamichelin.com/

http://www.mappy.com/

http://www.prix-carburants.gouv.fr/

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This depends on your first destination--if it%26#39;s Bayeux, take a train to Caen; Honfleur a train to Deauville. If it%26#39;s Rouen, I would recommend driving out of Paris because it%26#39;s fairly close vs taking a train there and renting a car. It is very easy to drive out of Gare du Nord.

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Excellent suggestions about differences between getting out of town and driving in town AND about renting at Gard de Nord. We actually want to take the Chunnel train back to London at the end of this whole trip and I believe Gard de Nord is the departure station?

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The rental places at Gare du Nord are downstairs on the west side; the garage below on the elevator. Coming out of the garage, you make right turns, and as soon as you cross the tracks make a left [rue Max Dormy]. That goes straight to the peripherique, the ring road around Paris, at the Porte de la Chapelle. Use that for viamichelin or mappy driving directions.

Yes, the Eurostar leaves from Nord.

If driving back, which is a little more complicated, you need a map showing one way streets. The garage entrance is in front of the station. Or, you could choose coming back on a train. The one from Caen to Gare St Lazare takes two hours. Rennes to Gare Montparnasse the same. To me that only makes sense if you stay overnight in the town of departure.

I suggest you call Autoeurope on their 800 number.

viamichelin.com/viamichelin/…MaHomePage.htm

Train schedules:

http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en

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It may be even better...

I rented car at CDG airport for my drive up to Normandy after my Paris visit. It%26#39;s cheaper than any other outlets, and you only get the peripherique (loop) traffic as you pass Paris. (Not much different from Business 80, and it%26#39;s no traffic at all after commute hour at night.) The rental car counters are in the middle of Terminal 2 (literally -- Terminal 2 circles around it). So, you take the RER B from downtown to Terminal 2, and it%26#39;s an easy walk.

Beware of the tolls on the freeway going up. They amounted to about $20 each way... more like $25+ now. There is a highway that runs roughly parallel to it that%26#39;s free, but it%26#39;s not worth the time.

Returning the car at Terminal 2, you catch the Eurostar right in the terminal, and you%26#39;re off.....

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Firewind (and other posters) - this sounds a good way to go - we want to leave Paris (staying in 2nd arrondisement) - so we could get to Gare Nord fairly easily, I guess? (we have this year got from 2nd E to CDG on the RER). Would it be difficult to go (in the hire car) via Giverney and up to Honfleur (for the first night)?? We want to drive around Normandy and thought maybe ending up at CDG to fly to Spain. If we stayed overnight at, say, Chartres, would we be able to get to CDG fairly easily in the morning (I will check on viaMichelin as well, but it is good to get %26quot;on the ground%26quot; commetns as well), so thanks for further feedback on this topic.

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