ctoner

Hi all. Our France trip is fast approaching and we are tying up a few details on our car rental. We will be arriving at CDG and touring France for 18 days and on our return spending a couple of days in Paris. The Hertz location is a two minute walk away from our hotel. We arrive on a Saturday, and have a 11:40 flight home on the Monday. My DH likes the idea of the of dropping the car off there, as opposed to at the airport. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

NeoPatrick

Since you are renting for 18 days have you checked AutoFrance for a lease program which might save you money and will provide you automatically with full insurance on a brand new car which you specifically pick? You can pick up at CDG and drop off at numerous places.

ctoner

Thanks NeoP!

Iappreciate the info. I will check it out for sure! Great! I'll let you know how I made out. Any thoughts on the drop off location? Could you or anyone tell me travel time to CDG on a Monday. I'm sure if I search all the Paris threads, I could find the answer, but now I am on a mission to finalize the car rental.
Cath

ctoner

Opps! Sorry about the last post. I need another coffee! We would be taking the train back to CDG.....

Thanks for the info though, NeoPatrick

NeoPatrick

I've never returned an AutoFrance car within Paris -- but have returned to Orly (which is easier and closer to return to the city than CDG would be). I do know they have other locations for return within the city though, I believe one is at Montparnasse somewhere, which should also be an easy return depending on where you are staying in Paris.

Dukey

Are you planning to PARK that car for the two days you are in Paris where it isn't needed?

I would get rid of it the minute I got into the city.

As to getting to the airport on Monday..are you willing to take a shuttle service, willing to spring for a taxi, or prefer public transport?

ctoner

NeoPatrick:
Thanks for that advice! Orly would be a good alternative for sure. We are staying at the Hotel Louvre Saint Honoure off Rue Rivoli. Just wondering if there is train that stops nearby?

Dukey: We would be dropping the car off at the Hertz location, if we don't look at an alternative rental car. Thanks for your input!

Michael

Use Mappy or ViaMichelin to get your last day's itinerary. You can then print out the information with a local map to guide you to your drop-off location.

ctoner

Thank you Michael. I will Michelin it and hope for the best. This is NOT my idea to drive into downtown Paris..trust me, but DH seems to think of it as an adventure. LOL Originally we were going to drop off the car in Clermont-Ferrand, then TVG it from there, but we started to rethink the logistics of all that and just drive it. I don't know why these ending details are stumping me.... Thanks again

rkkwan

Driving a car into Paris and dropping it off is not a problem. But make sure you get detailed information where the parking lot for that rental location is. Inside the city, many locations are a store front on busy avenues with no place to stop, let alone park. Instead, they want you to park the car in a nearby garage and bring the paperwork and key over. Ask ahead exactly where the garage or lot is.

robjame

We returned one to Gare de Lyon but it was an adventure.

My advice is to find a location as close as possible to the Periphique (which goes around Paris) from the direction you will be coming. This ring road is easily accessible from all directions and keeps you out of downtown Paris.
Take a taxi(or Metro?) from there to your hotel even if it is on the opposite side of Paris.

KTtravel

I would be tempted to drop off your car at the location only minutes away from your hotel. By that time you will be very used to driving in France and with good maps (and perhaps a navigation system) it can be done. Perhaps we're a bit crazy, but we've driven in London, Rome and Paris and survived!

kerouac

I think that after more than two weeks of driving in France, you will be quite well equipped to drop off the car in Paris, especially if it will save you 2 days of rental.

If you study a good map beforehand, driving in Paris is quite easy.

ctoner

Okay, it's set! We are biting the bullet and driving into Paris. Thanks all for your suggestions.

Rkkwan...Thanks for the vote of confidence...we survived Florence, so here we go....

kerouac: ditto

Thanks again to all you Fodorites! We did manage to get a pretty good rate on a green collection auto, deisle, and air 4-5 door for 520. Euro through Hertz.

Perhaps we should start a thread entitled "Share Your Rental Car Experiences" Hmmmm....

SemiMike

It's been said before, but I would never have considered going into the city for a car drop-off, even with a good map - but I now do it without hesitation with a GPS unit (my own, which I bring with) in the vehicle.