vanne49

We are staying in 8e and will be departing Paris on a Sunday and headed to Reims for two nights, Epernay for three nights before our return to GDG. Originally had planned to take the train from Paris to Reims and pick up the car before leaving there. Appears that rental quotes are the same with a five day or a weekly rental. That said, I am considering renting the car before we leave Paris. My question is two fold: Where would be the best place to pick up a car without a too much of a hassle leaving the city and what rental agency would you recommend? I have used autoeurope in the past both in the UK and Italy. Thank for your help.

Sarastro

I would contact Autoeurope and pickup your rental at the agency closest to your hotel which will not charge you a fee for returning the car at a location other than that of pickup. You will pay an additional 40 euros location surcharge (not included in the quote) if you depart from either a train station or airport. Find a local office if you can.

The bad news about leaving on a Sunday is that some nearby locations may be closed. The good news is that the roads are as empty as they will ever be (no traffic) meaning it's very easy to drive out of town.

Christina

Wherever you are in the 8e, I presume you are going to have to take a taxi or metro or something to get to a car rental location that would make some sense. I guess I'd think of two main choices -- Porte Maillot or Gare de Lyon. I'd choose Gare de Lyon as you just go down to quai de Bercy which isn't too difficult from there, a couple turns, and that turns right into A4 to Reims. Porte Maillot would be closer, but then you'd have to go all the way around the peripherique, which I would not want to do.

I just use Autoeurope or Kemwel and let me pick the place based on the location I want. Somehow I always get Europcar which is probably because they are so common in France, I think I often check Europcar directly just to compare prices.

RonZ

We book Europcar rentals through Autoeurope, using the toll free number, not the web site.

I recommend renting at Gare du Nord [the day before]. Two right turns out of the garage, over the tracks and left on the next street [r. Marx Dormoy] leads directly to the Peripherique at the Porte de la Chapelle.

vanne49

Thank you!

kerouac

I recommend whichever of the major train stations is close to you -- those agencies are the most efficient and have the best selection of cars, so you are often given a choice.

Getting out of Paris is easy in any direction, just by following the blue autoroute signs.

StCirq

The train stations are also more likely to be open on Sunday for a pickup - but check hours carefully no matter whom you pick up from whenever.

Jax76

You'll be charged a fee to drop the car off at a different location from where you pick it up. So unless you want the hassle of returning a rental car in a big city, I'd pick the car up in Reims. The TGV gets you there in 45 minutes.

StCirq

NO, you will NOT be charged a fee to drop the car off, unless you drop it in a different country. That is just WRONG.

Sarastro

Sorry StCirq but both Avis and Hertz have begun to charge quite frequently for dropping off cars at locations differing from that of pickup. Citer (National), Sixt, or Europcar do not charge for one way drop off within France.

It is for this reason that I avoid Hertz and Avis.

StCirq

Didn't know that - how recent is that? At any rate, I never rent from Hertz or Avis (well, very occasionally get Hertz through AutoEurope), and have never been charged for a dropoff unless leaving the car in a different country.

Aramis

It has been happening in the last year or so. The charges are usually quite modest when it is within the same country, and it is still rarer in Germany than anywhere else, I think. However, it is not safe to say that it doesn't happen within the same company anymore - it needs to be checked on each reservation.

Much like the airline's baggage fees, the car rental companies are coming for more incremental revenue.

jamikins

As far back as 2010 we were charged for picking up in one part if France and dropping in another and both times this happened we rented from Europcar rented through autoeurope.

Michael

<i>NO, you will NOT be charged a fee to drop the car off, unless you drop it in a different country. That is just WRONG.</i>

Absolutes are dangerous. Hertz would have charged me a one-way fee when picking up a car in Bordeaux and dropping it off in Limoges. The RR station fee from Europcar was less than Hertz' one way fee. In both instances the rental was through either Autoeurope or Kemwel. The same situation occurred in Norway, again with Hertz as the rental agency.