vivace98

I plan to visit Normandy/Paris next spring with the following itinerary -
- Arrive at CDG airport
- Rent a car to drive to Normandy
- Spend 2-3 days in Normandy
- Drive to Paris and return the rental car and spend 5-7 days in Paris

I've been to Paris a few times and know about the traffic getting around the city. Pleas help with the following questions -

1. what are the preferred car rental companies? Americans v. European?
2. is GPS commonly used and available with the rental car?
3. is it best to return the rental car to CDG airport and travel to Paris by rail or drive to Paris city center for the car return?
4. any suggestions for the itinerary? It'll be my 1st time in Normandy.

Thanks much for your help!

jnjfraz

Autoeurope is a great rental company as they get all the best rates from Avis, Hertz etc.

I would think that GPS would be available from almost every company.

We drove of Paris in the late 90's and it took 2 hours to just get to the ring road!!

jnjfraz

"out of Paris"

StuDudley

You could drop the car off in some large city in Normandy (Rouen) & take the train to Paris from there.

Stu Dudley

Michel_Paris

The only issue I have seen mentioned is the physical capability to arrive after a long flight, jet-lagged, and hop into a car in a 'strange' country...wanting to nap..zzzzz

So...does Normandy have to be first? Could arrive, go into Paris, do your thing, rent there (or at CDG) drive to Normandy, return car to CDG catch flight.

or...

Do above, but catch train from Paris to...Caen? Rent car, tour, drive/train back to Paris/CDG.

I'd skip driving into/out of Paris, just because of hassle.

Autoeurope gets mentioned here often.

nytraveler

Your asking about a GPS makes you think you won;t have a navigator. If you are planning on doing this trip alone I reco against that long a drive straight off a plane. We have done a bunch of road trips and typically stay in the arrival city for several days before hitting the road. When we did drive immediately off the flight it was no more than an hour - and with at least one passenger to make sure the driver stayed awake - and on the right route.

StuDudley

The Monet gardens are 1 1/4 hrs away from CDG, Rouen is 1 3/4 hrs away, and Bayeux/WWII stuff is 3 hrs away. I fly from the US west coast, and 3 hrs is about 1 hr beyond my limit of how far I want to drive on arrival day. When I was in my 20s/30s, however, 3 hrs was OK.

Stu Dudley

kerouac

If you return a rental car in Paris, the main train stations are often the best since they have extended hours and generally use the underground train station parking (but get confirmation from the rental company first!).

ParisAmsterdam

Get your own GPS with European maps before you leave and take the time to learn how to use it. Most of the horror stories you hear about GPS failures are from people who have no idea how to properly use them.

You can't possibly learn how to work one if you get one in a rental car. Look on ebay and kijiji... units including European maps can be found for $100 or less.

Sarastro

1. If you are arriving after a night on a transatlantic flight, reconsider trying to drive 3 hours on little to no sleep on roads with which you are unfamiliar and in a car which is new to you. This is the time to take the train to your destination.

2. If you think you need a GPS (amazingly I have driven through every corner of France without one), bring your own; a model which you already know how to operate. Download French road maps before you leave home. With your own unit, you can include apps specific to your interests: museums, parks, inexpensive gas stations, hotels, restaurants, locations of radar cameras, etc.

3. Don't forget a French road atlas sold at any gas station for about 20 euros. I should never personally travel around France without a copy of the Micheline Red Guide, "the" reference for hotels and restaurants.

4. For car rentals, as has already been stated, contact Autoeurope. The American Express $25 complete, primary rental insurance is the best offered anywhere.

5. When returning a car to Paris, it would not be recommended to return to CDG. It's out of your way and it will take another hour just to get back to Paris. While train stations have advantages of extended return office hours, I might arrange to return the car at the office nearest the Peripherique (ring road around Paris). This will avoid your needing to drive around central Paris trying to find an address. There are rental return offices just off from the Peripherique which would be much easier to find and you'll still have the convenience of reaching your hotel by metro/bus. Check with Google earth for a pictorial of the return location in advance of trying to find it on your own.

ira

Hi Viv,

You are aware that you will be in a jet-lagged condition when you arrive at CDG. Are you sure that you are up to a 3hr drive on the high speed hiways?

I deal with www.kemwel.com

Good luck,

StuDudley

>>4. any suggestions for the itinerary? It'll be my 1st time in Normandy.<<

It seems that the OP has no set plans for visiting Normandy yet. She/he may only have a 1 1/4 hr drive from CDG to get to their first destination (wherever that is). She/he may also be arriving from the US east coast - perhaps a 7 hr flight. That doesn't seem like a big driving deal to me.

vavace - what are your interests in Normandy???
WWII things
Pretty countryside
Cute small villages
Large cities (remember - you are going to Paris next)
Half timbered villages
Cheese
seaside resorts
Monet

My wife & I spent 2 weeks in Normandy this past year. We did not visit the WWII sites - we've been there on 3 prior trips (with FIL - a WWII vet). BTW, with over 4 years total "logged" driving through Europe (mainly France), Normandy is the only place we've used a GPS (it came with the rental). We were glad we had one because of the small spider-web of small roads there that seem to be more "dense" than elsewhere in France. Our GPS did not talk to us - only a map of the immediate area with road designations and upcoming intersections indicated - very useful.

Stu Dudley

Michel_Paris

I have read a couple of reports of people headed for Normandy from CDG spending the first night at La Chaine d'Or, in Les Andelys. About 2 hrs from CDG, just outside Rouen.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._Normandy.html

vivace98

Thanks so much for all the information/suggestions!

Based on your input, I should head to Paris and rest up before I attempt to travel to Normandy.

Now the question becomes WHERE in Paris I should try to get a rental car? The plan now would be to spend 5+ days in Paris and head out to Normandy from Paris by car. The reason for not taking the train is the plan to stop by Giverny on the way to Rouen. Should I target the rental car pick up locations at the major train stations? I'm hoping that getting "out" of Paris city center would not be as difficult as getting in.

I plan to stay in le Marais while in Paris.

One more question re: when to go.. I can go to Paris any time of the year but heard that it's best to visit Normandy in Spring/fall. I'm considering either late May or early September. Your recommendation?

Thanks much!

Christina

I would have recommended you stay on the Left Bank and get a car at Montparnasse train station, as driving to Normandy is from that general area leaving town (around Porte d'Auteuil). I mean you'd just go down a short bit to the peripherique and then west to that porte, which wouldn't be that hard (usually, never can tell about traffic). But I suppose you could go up to Gare du Nord from your location and then just go around the peripherique farther to the west, would just be longer.

Michel_Paris

Having a GPS will make some of the worries go away, so it becomes more what is convenient, access to peripherique, convenient to hotel. Montparnasse seems as good as any.

My last rental, I decided that picking it up across from the Louvre would be nice. It was a fun and exhilirating drive out of the city.

If Giverny is on the list, then spring time would be best. I went in August and it was OK, but not a blast of colour.

StuDudley

As I posted earlier, Giverny is 1 1/4 hrs from CDG - mostly motorways. It would probably take you only slightly less than that amount of time to get to Paris by taxi from CDG (plus 65E or so).

Personally, if I look back 35 year ago to our first driving experience in Europe, I would much rathar start out by leaving CDG, than somewhere inside inner Paris. Picking up the exact car you want in Paris (lot more car options at CDG), immediatly having to figure out your GPS system, and then the Paris streets for the first time in your life is something I would never want to do - (divorce!!). I'm probably the lone dissenter here, but I would start the trip by driving from CDG to Giverny, and then on to Rouen. I would return the car in Caen, Rennes, or Rouen and then take the train to Paris.

This year we landed at CDG, picked up a car, drove a short distance to Senlis, visited, then on to Compiegne for several nights. No jet lag problems - and we flew to CDG from SFO. I would not have wanted to drive 2 hrs longer, however. A nice break in Senlis was "the trick" - just like a break in Giverny would be great for you.

We've learned from our 50 or so trips to Europe, to do our May/June trips in the south of France, and our September trips in the north. This year, June in Normandy was quite cold & rainy. Out of the 2 weeks we were there, we only had a couple of days where we had enough sunshine & warmth that we could sit outside at our gite & soak up the sun.

Stu Dudley

kerouac

I do admit that I am perpetually amazed at how total strangers decide how long a person can stay alert to drive after a transtalantic flight. I think that no only is it variable for every person but also for every flight.