mike

last june, i rented a midsize car (m-benz e240) for a family of four from avis off @ their montparnasse railroad station in paris; my best advice for you is to make a reservation ahead of time, either by phone or even better by web (since you can compare rates)..if you reserve via the web, confirm it by phone and get a reservation id; the daily rate as i recalled is approximately $70-80usd/day (minus insurance since my credit card covers it and dollar amts might differ since last year the rates were favorable) and it will even be cheaper for you if you drive a stick...<BR><BR>driving is indispensable if you are visiting southern france and wished to hit the little towns near provence; my drive from paris to provence to riveria has been pleasant and safety in terms of other drivers/theft imho is not a significant issue (at least comparing to nyc); driving around france should not be difficult if you look at the maps in advance and/or have someone who can consult the map while you're driving..<BR><BR>also, you probably should not book the car at the airport; i believe there's an extra tax incurred if you do so but it probably evens out if you take a cab out to the airport..with regard to checking out the car, the only thing i can say is to do a broad visual inspection on the exterior and the interior..aside from this i don't think too many travelers would be checking the oil or the alternator before accepting the car <BR><BR>hope this helps,<BR>

judi

To Rod OR Christine, <BR> <BR>Last August I drove from Paris to the Chinon wine area, Bordeaux, Medoc, took ferry at tip of Medoc and followed the coast then back to Paris. NO problems. <BR>I found the pre-paid card lane signs looked just like the ones in the US and other countries. <BR>It is always best to get an international drivers license available at AAA and other places for approx $30.00 US. Some rental agencies require this now. <BR> <BR>I found the French love to assist. <BR>As always in Europe it helps to attempt to speak the language. Most important phrase "I do not know how to do this" with a smile on your face will.

James

The only problem with renting a car in France are the random gas strikes they have in France from time to time. Got stuck in the midst of one last September and it wasn't fun trying to find gas. Other than that, it's a piece of cake. It wouldn't be the same touring Provence and the south without one IMO.

David Hall

I don't know if anyone mentioned that the French autoroute toll plazas do take credit cards. This is definitely the way to go. It takes much less time (on average) than paying by cash.

mimi taylor

The only way to really see the south of France is my car. It is less expensive if you reserve from the state and you must hire a small car or you will not be able to travel into some of the villages. One of my favorite places on the cote d'azure is Cassis, it's the place where i first tasted oursin=sea urchins, served in their spiny shell with lemon at Chez Gilbert along the waterfront. But I find the shoreline beautiful but too crowded and much more expensiv than other parts.

ken

Hello all,<BR>I am happy to see that this has turned out to be a general talk about rental cars so here are my thoughts:<BR>First, decide if a car is really the way to go. Most of the time, train travel is the best way around. you can't get this experience in the US really, so the train can be fun. Imagine, an excuse to take the TGV!<BR>However, when my wife(who is french)and I had kids, we found it much much easier to rent a car. Lugging luggage, babies, strollers, and the kitchen sink on the metro to the train station was not pleasant.<BR>So, if you are single, a couple, and/or know the art of packing super-light, take the train!<BR><BR>Ok, so you decide to take the car rental option? take these steps:<BR>1.get an american express card or other card that covers auto rental insurance. make sure the card covers international rentals and get the specifics in writing from the card company( we once came home to discover that when we "declined the rental companies ins." we unknowingly had no collision insurance on the car for two weeks! ouch! the reason for the insured card is that you can sometimes pay almost double in france for the insurances.<BR><BR>2.know what countries you may want to visit, some rental companies will not allow you to take a car to england or on any ferry, or into eastern europe etc. mention your destinations when reserving.<BR><BR>3.use a well known rental agent, and reserve in advance from US. I found autoeurope and europe by car. they search all the rental companies to find the best rate for you. they both have websites just add dot com to the end i think. I like autoeurope the best, three concurrent positive experiences so far. you pay a deposite, they send you a voucher by email, and you take that to the rental desk at the airport and voila! sort of.<BR><BR>4.car size and options... research size. try to get the perfect fit, dont go too big. the smaller cars are of course uncomfortable on long trips, but parking in french cities is VERY difficult. spaces are small, and hard to come by. the smaller the car, the more options you have. In other words, don't rent a full size unless you are a parallel parking wizard. can you put a cadillac in a space large enough for a ford fiesta?<BR>so, try to pick the car that is comfortable for you and your group and luggage, but do not go too much larger.<BR>If you will avoid large towns, or plan to use public trans, or don't mind a little walking etc, you can kind of disregard this, but some roads are small<BR>options: learn to drive a manual transmission. most cars are so equipped. expect to pay a premium for AC. choose a diesel car, don't frown, gas is around $5-8 a gallon! diesel is $3-6 a gallon, and since it is always much less, diesel engines are very popular in france, i don't remember ever seeing a french gas station without diesel fuel. a word about this, as someone already wrote, diesel is GAZOLE in french, useually it is seperate from essance, gas, and look for the price, it will be almost half the price of the gas. but usually the fillers are made to only fit the proper fuel style. if in doubt just ask, or use the finger pointing method. also, to this day, my gascards havnt worked in france even though i see mobil and shell stations. so be prepared to pay in francs or by credit card. i havnt seen many prepay or pay-at-the pump yet... there are two other styles... traditional station like here where you pay inside after pumping, or a small drive-up booth at the station exit. here, just pull up to the pump, fill up, make a not of the total and pump number, then proceed to the booth, in your car, and pay. this style is usually to be found at large grocery stores on the outside of most larger towns. look for signs like carrefour, mamouth, cora etc. get some food and then get gas, it is usually less.(you must visit one of the large groceries while in france)<BR><BR>now you have the car reserved at autoeurope for example, have the same creditcard when you rent the car of course.<BR><BR>5. get an international drivers license, this internationally recognized license add-on translates your State license into 2 zillion languages, most importantly french!<BR>it is not mandatory, but it is better than a french officer thinking your california license is a cheep fake! you show your license ant the intl license, and it should be enough to keep you from visiting the courthouse. by the way, it is about $10 at any AAA office (american auto assoc.) you need your state license, two passport photos(they can do that for ten dollars as well) and a passport i think... and the process takes 30 minutes depending on the line at the aaa office. watch out for the places that try to charge $100 for this.<BR><BR>6.read up on french road rules and customs.<BR>as already posted here:<BR>the french tend to be quite well behaved on the road and follow general rules<BR>stay to the right unless to pass! use your blinker when and while you pass, go with the speed flow, if you are in a left lane and a car arrives from behind, he will flash his lights. this is a friendly request for you to move over so he can pass. the french will typically not move over and pass on the right. this is seen as dangerous and can get you a ticket, as well as not yielding to faster moving traffic. as a matter of fact i was told you will get a citation faster for going slow on the left lane than speeding. all of this is a lost argument in paris... apply american road practice.<BR><BR>motorcycles. and mopeds/scooters. in france, the lines denoting car lanes act as an understood and accepted "motorcycle lane" so in heavier traffic, when you see a two wheeler approching from behind, just scoot over to the other edge of the lane, you will other motorist doing the same. he may even raise his left leg for you, which is a sign of thanks. and dont open your door just as he arrives, even though that is normal proceedure here!lol<BR><BR>priorite a droite...when in small towns or just in town or where ever, there is this wierd thing that will pop out and change your mind that driving here isnt really like back in the US. priority to the right is something i have never understood or predicted.<BR>by some ancient rule, at some intersections, the car arriving on the road to the right doesnt have to stop and you MUST yield. when you see an intersection coming look out for a sign that says "priorite a droit" or "vous n'avez pas la priorite" these mean "priority to the right" and "you do not have priority" you are the yielder! two hints... usualli a white dashed line accross the thier lane at the intersection, or a solid line, means they have a stop, kind of like the line here at stops. if you dont see a line on their road and/or one on yours, slow down. <BR>hint two slow down anyway, at all intersections the french know the rules and will just zip in front of you, then you go on. and everyones happy. these intersections avoid the need for stopping, think of it as an honor system stop. oh and this generally doesnt happen now on major roads. just be careful.<BR><BR><BR>one last word... the roundabout...<BR>if you love driving, roudabouts are fun, once you master the method. they can also be scary. imagine life with no stop signs!<BR>The french road system makes heavy use of the "rondpoint" as they keep the traffic moving reducing intersections.<BR>first a word about french direction signs. As a previous poster said, you need to look at a map and know the towns you will pass through to get to your destination. because most of the major highways seem to be tollways, secondary routes are popular, and this is the domain of the roundabout. at each intersection, arrows with townnames will denote where a road leads to, and the direction will normally be the next good sized town.<BR>for example, if you wanted to take interstate 35 south from Dallas texas to San Antonio, you wouldnt neccecarily see a sign saying I35 south. In france it would give you an arrow direction Waco, and in waco you would see an arrow pointing out austin, and in austin an arrow saying San Antonio. However, large cities will often show up on arrows much earlier, so if you know that you are going to a town just before Lyon but on the same road, you can just follow the route to lyon.<BR>Just make out a list of the towns you will pass.<BR>On a round about, the arrows are usually posted at the turn, so you must be very observant. the great thing about roundabouts however, is if you miss it the first time you just go around the circle and get it the second time. Staying in the right lane of the circle is the key to not getting "stuck" on the inside or left lane. leave that side to the french pros and go slow. If there are multiple lanes always position yourself to the right if possible.<BR>Here is the method and the rules.<BR>Imagine a four way intersection with a four way stop, north south east west. now, throw out the stop and put down a big circle. BTW the traffic goes counterclockwise, and the traffic already going around the circle ALMOST ALWAYS has priority, or right of way. You are arriving from the south, going north. You get to the circle and observe other cars coming around, wait for an opening and ACCELERATE, follow the circle, watch for your direction sign, and turn on your road. If you are on tthe right lane make sure you stay on the right lane when turning onto your road if there are multiple lanes.<BR><BR>The roundabout blinker adventure. this takes talent!<BR>When you arrive at a round about, put your blinker to the left, and hold it there until you pass the turn preceeding your exit, then switch your blinker to the right, indicating you are about to take the next exit.<BR>This does two things, it lets drivers waiting to rush onto the roundabout know that you are continuing around so they must wait, and it tells the french pro to your left that you are continuing around, and that he will have to slam on his brakes and swerve accross behind you to make his physics-defying righthand turn!<BR>If a french driver bothers to use his blinkers on the roundabout, and you see that the cars on the circle have their right blinker on, it will indicate they are exiting the roundpoint, and you may have a small spot in which to rush onto the circle.<BR>Of course, if you know that you will be taking the first exit off the circle after you enter, just leave the blinker to the right.<BR><BR>For larger, busier roundabouts, there will be a sign mapping the exits of the roundabout a minute or so before you arrive. this can help you plan your stratagy, as you know how many exits you will pass before turning.<BR><BR>When you get brave and start taking the laft lane, watch for the simi-trailer trucks, the will squeez you out on the left.<BR><BR>If you know you will take the first exit off the roundabout you can leave your blinker to the right.<BR>So, you arrive at a roundabout, know you are taking the 3rd exit... you arrive, see cars coming around... mor cars, suddenly an opening, blinker to the left, first gear, sidestep clutch for max acceleration, 2nd gear, hold blinker to left, pass first road, 3rd gear, blinker to left, pass 2nd road, blinker to right, 3rd exit, turn to the right making sure to stay in the right lane so the car on your left making the turn in unison with you has room... whew...<BR>last point, go to the large supermarket i mentioned, shop, get the "cheap" diesel, pay at the booth, then go practice your blinkers on a small roundabout that probably exist next to the store parking. these will tend to have slower moving traffic.<BR>One last big point, for beginners, get to the roundabout, put the left blinker on, get on the circle, go all the way around so you can stake out the exit you need, and take it on the 2nd or third time around.Just reserve yourself to doing a full turn, if you use the blinker you should be ok in the right lane.<BR>I hope all this helps

hans

Ken,<BR><BR>Excellent driving tips. Good summary.<BR><BR>However when I was driving in S. France this past March, I don't remember anyone using blinkers in the roundabouts. Or maybe I was too focused on which exit point to take to notice.