Driving from Paris to Honfleur via Monets Garden.
 

Hi

We are hiring a car from Gare de Norde ( maybe we should change this ) and driving to Monets garden and then on Honfleur. We plan to pick the car up at 7am. Is it difficult to drive out of Paris from Gare de Norde or would you suggest picking the car up somewhere else. We are staying in the Marais area and wanted to avoid the airport tax for picking the car up there. Would greatly appreciate any advice.

That will be a very busy time in terms of traffic. Look for rental agencies on the outside of the city.

I can't tell you about the car from Gare du Nord, but we did it from CDG.
Get the Michelin Green guide to Normandy, and drive up the east side of the Seine. It is charming.
Then there is also Rouen, and the Abbey Road from Rouen toward Honfleur, with a string of medieval abbeys.
Plan it ahead of time.
I sometimes wonder if the airport tax is worth the shenanigans it takes to avoid it==just me.

How about taking the train from Gare Saint Lazare to Vernon and picking the car up there? I have no idea how the rental rates compare to renting in Paris, but Giverny is 5 minutes away from Vernon.

You will be leaving Paris before the heavy rush hour so 7AM is not a bad time to leave the city and is not bad in terms of traffic. It would be easier if you could could rent from someplace in the west of Paris near Porte Maillot (close to the A13 autoroute entrance) but if you're getting the best deal from Gare du Nord then go with it. I'm often riding my bike in Paris at 7AM and the traffic is light at that time.

You shouldn't have any problems as long as you plot out your trip. It can be confusing at times, but not that difficult from Gare de Norde. Just get on the ring road, turn off on the N-13/A-14, and go from there.