Gare du Nord to Peripherique
 

How long should it take to get from the Autoeurope counter to the highway (getting to the car + checking it out + road time)? Will I need to top up, or is the car delivered with a full tank?

What day of the week? What time of day?

The car will come with a full tank of gas (if it doesn't, don't drive away). You'll need to top it up when you return it, or pay a premium for them to do so.

Monday 23:00.

I've never picked up a car at Gare du Nord, but on average when picking up cars at train stations in big cities in France, it's taken me about 20-30 minutes to stand in line, get the paperwork completed, get the keys, find the car, and be ready to drive.

It's a short, straight shot from the Gare du Nord to the périphérique, straight up the rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis to Porte de la Chapelle, maybe a mile or a mile and a half. At Porte de la Chapelle you can either get on the périphérique or cross over/under it to get on the A-1.

So altogether I'd say no more than an hour from arriving at the desk to getting on the highway, possibly a good bit less.

<i>Roget, merci.</i>

If I'm headed to the south, would it be a little quicker to go east on Jean Jaur&egrave;s to get the p&eacute;riph&eacute;rique?

Probably. You could pick up the p&eacute;riph&eacute;rique at the Porte de Pantin.

Porte de la Chapelle is the easiest place to get to from Gare du Nord, and you have the added advantage of driving past my apartment.

However, if I am going south, I usually head in the direction of Ch&acirc;telet and then just turn left at the Seine, which takes you to Porte de Bercy, where you will find all of the necessary autoroute signs.

Yes, just about every rental company gives you a car will a full tank of petrol. All of the rent-a-car companies in Gare du Nord certainly will. If ever the tank is not full, it is noted on the contract and you are supposed to bring it back in the same condition. Not too long ago, I lucked out because the agent said &quot;there's 1/8th missing&quot; and then when he printed the contract he said &quot;damn, I accidentally marked there's only 1/8th left! Lucky you!&quot; -- considering the price of petrol, it was a royal gift.

I picked up a car at Gare du Nord this evening, and it should be noted that Europcar had such a glut of cars now that the summer holidays are finished that they weren't really sure where the cars were, since they are spread over several levels of the car park. They told me the wrong parking space number, so I hunted and returned, and then an agent went hunting, and it took more than 30 minutes to finally leave Gare du Nord. This sort of thing does happen from time to time.


At 23:00, I wouldn't expect to spend more than 15 minutes getting to the p&eacute;riph&eacute;rique at Porte de Bercy. Maybe only about 8 minutes to Porte de la Chapelle.