Griffie

Hi there,

Can anyone share some experiences of renting a car in Paris? There are four of us travelling and we'd like to go to the Loire Valley and/or possibly Normandy so after calculating all the train fares (plus rental car in some places) it seems it might be cheaper to rent a car in Paris and drive out (more flexible timewise too - we have free lodging in the 16th for a week in Paris). So any advice on where to rent a car, whether there is surcharge to pick up/drop off at CDG, parking in Paris, would it pay to rent for the week (but we'd have to just park it on the days we spend in Paris), etc. Any experience/tips renting with Autoeurope and/or other can rental agencies would also appreciated. Many thanks.

StCirq

I've been renting from AotoEurope for more than a dozen years. Great company, great rates.
You do NOT want a car IN Paris. That would be a waste of time and money. Parking is either impossible to find or terribly expensive.
Getting out of Paris heading to the Loire isn't bad. I'd suggest you rent from near Les Invalides or the Gare Montparnasse. Those are two locations where it's relatively easy to get out of the city.
How long are you planning to keep the car, though? I think AutoEurope's price structure is such that a 1- or 2-day rental is about the same as a 3-day rental.

jeffwill4you

We rented from Sixt.com in Amsterdam and drove to Paris. Driving in paris was a nightmare! all we did was drove to our hotel in the 13th then parked the car in the underground parking of the hotel until we left for Germany.
Only rent for the days you will need the car outside of Paris. There will be airport fees at CDG so I would try to rent from a lot in the city and return it to the same. We are renting in Paris
from Sixt at Le defence

jeffwill4you

Oops! LA De`fense 5DT, Avenue Gambetta

Betsy

Make sure you have the rental in place before you leave the US. Do not wait until you get to Paris to make the arrangements. That would be more expensive.

ckenb

It's true that it's not worth the expense and hassle to keep a car in Paris. Parking is expensive.

I think renting at Invalides or Montparnasse is a good idea. It's not hard to get out of the city, through the Porte d'Orléans, from either place.

It takes about 3 hours to drive from Paris to Blois or Tours, which are good bases from which to see the chateaux. Count on a toll of $20 or more if you want to drive on autoroutes. Fuel is twice as expensive than in the U.S., so take that into account too.

In my experience, a car rented in Paris can be returned to CDG (or viece-versa) with no surcharge.

ckenb

It's true that it's not worth the expense and hassle to keep a car in Paris. Parking is expensive.

I think renting at Invalides or Montparnasse is a good idea. It's not hard to get out of the city, through the Porte d'Orléans, from either place.

It takes about 3 hours to drive from Paris to Blois or Tours, which are good bases from which to see the chateaux. Count on a toll of $20 or more if you want to drive on autoroutes. Fuel is twice as expensive than in the U.S., so take that into account too.

In my experience, a car rented in Paris can be returned to CDG (or vice-versa) with no surcharge.

Griffie

Thanks for all your replies so far. It does seem that AutoEurope rate for 1-2 day is the same as 3-4 days. Gare Montparnasse seems like a good/logical location. Can someone else confirm that there is no drop off charge to return to CDG? Does anyone know how much gas is (is it as expensive as Canada and is it also by litre?. Pricewise it still looks like with the four or us it's cheaper to rent to go explore the Loire Valley. Any other tips to save money would be appreciated. We're thinking of staying at the LeFleuray in Amboise. Any comments/advice?

ira

Hi Griffie,

>Can someone else confirm that there is no drop off charge to return to CDG?<

Ask AutoEurope. Often there is an extra charge for airport dropoff.

StCirq

With AutoEurope there's no dropoff charge to leave the CAR ANYWHERE in France. I think there is sometimes a small tax to PICK UP a car at an airport location, though.

I haven't been in France since October, so am not up on current gas prices, but last fall it cost me 50 euros to fill up the tank of a compact car with diesel fuel.

ckenb

Depending on where you buy it -- at a station on the autoroute or in Paris it will be more expensive than at a supermarket pump in the countryside -- gasoline costs from €1.00 to €1.50 per litre. Diesel fuel costs less -- at the SuperU "hypermarket" in my town in the Loire Valley this morning I paid €0.88 per litre.

For 4 people, driving is less expensive than taking the train. And you'll need a car in the Loire area if you want to see Chambord, Chenonceau, Chaumont, Blois, and other chateaux.