emmalloy

We're taking a high-speed train from Paris to Avignon, France and plan to pick up a car at the TGV Station (preferably Automatic!). We plan to spend 4 days in the area. Our flight back to the states leaves from Nice. Do you think we should drop off the car in Avignon and take a train to Nice or drive from Avignon to Nice and drop off the car in Nice when we arrive?
How are the roads in Provence? Easy to get around with a car even if you don't speak the language? Any hints or information is helpful!

Thanks.

Tulips

Avignon to Nice is an easy drive, only 2 1/2 hours or so on the motorway. Direction Aix-en-Provence, and then the A8 to Nice; all signposted.
At the airport in Nice the rental car return is easy to find. I would definitely return the car at the airport, rather than train to Nice.

msteacher

Yes, roads in Provence are easy enough to navigate. A car is a great way to visit the small towns. Just be sure to reserve an automatic in advance. You will pay more, as they are much less common than in the US. Even though we had reserved an automatic when we went to Nice,it took them quite a long time for them to actually give it to us (we waited for more than 2 hours). But they finally gave us a Mercedes convertible, so all ended well. Have fun!

twk

Whatever you do, don't turn the car in at the Nice train station--major pain in the butt. The airport is probably your best bet, although if your car rental agency has a location near the Promenade des Anglais, that might not be too bad.

isabel

Why is the Nice train station a major pain in the butt to return a car? I am going to be doing that in July (I will be continuing on by train). If it's really that bad I could change the return location to airport and take the bus from there to the train station, but that seemed kind of silly. However, my traveling companion leaves a few days earlier so I'll be solo at this time and definitely don't want to have to do anything too stressful as I won't have a navigator.

Michael

You might want to take a look at my trip report from last summer. We drove from Aix to Nice using a scenic route, more days than you are allocating, but then we stayed several nights in Draguignan and above Antibes.

Photos are going backwards:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...04539441/show/

Going into the airport was also confusing and I missed the last gas station, and to go to the rental drop-off and get an exit ticket to go out and pick up fuel (all within the airport).

Tulips

If you need to be at the airport, then return the car there. I've never had a problem finding the rental car return there. Of course if you are continuing by train, no point going to the airport.

The gas station just before the terminal gets busy (and I believe is quite expensive). I don't know another one coming from the A8, but if you drive along the coast from Cagnes to the airport, there's one on your right, not far from the airport. Cheapest is the Geant Casino in Villeneuve Loubet (also on the coastal route). If you take the exit Villeneuve Loubet/Bouches du Loupes from the A8, you will end up at that Casino.
Get petrol there, and continue along the route du bord de mer; access to the airport from there is easy.

crazyfamilyof4

photos look amazing!

Tulips

Actually, I don't know what time of the year your will be there, but you could get off the motorway at Villeneuve Loubet, get petrol there, and stop in Cagnes sur Mer for a meal. They have redone the seafront boulevard, and while it's still not the prettiest place along the Cote d' Azur, there are some pleasant restaurants right on the beach. These are only open in summer.

Cagnes is only 10 minutes from the airport. If you have more time, stop in Haute Cagnes (leave the car at the bottom of the hill and walk up), and have lunch on the square by the castle.

twk

@ isabel: You have to return the car by taking it to the very top of the parking garage, then schlep all your stuff a long way to the rental office. When we did this, the unhelpful attendant at the top failed to note our mileage, and upon getting to the front of the line at the office counter (after what had to be a good five minute trip just to get there, followed by 15 minutes waiting in line), we were told that we couldn't get a receipt without going back to get a mileage number recorded by the attendant. It's just a terrible set up. If you're going to be jumping on a train immediately after dropping your car, it might be worth the hassle, but otherwise, I'd say that just about any dropoff point in Nice has to be better.

Michael

Correction: we did not stay in Draguignan, but in Digne.

Underhill

The drive to Nice along the motorway is totally uninteresting; drop the car in Avignon and take the train to Nice. What time does your flight from Nice leave?