Getting from Paris Beauvais
 

We are flying from Ireland to the Beauvais airport on July 1, arriving at 14:45. Since we are in France for another six weeks, we have leased a car... which can only be picked up at CDG.

I am trying to decide the best approach to get from Beauvais to CDG, considering economy (for our family of three) and time. We will then drive to Honfleur in Normandy and would like to get there at a decent time, though we'd also like to do this at a reasonable cost.

Option One is to take a train from Beauvais to Paris Nord, then another train to CDG. This would be the least expensive approach, but would chew up many hours, much of it waiting for the train in Beauvais.

Option Two is to take a shuttle from Beauvais directly to CDG. This would cost 108 euro for our family.

Option Three is to rent a car one-way and drive ourselves. We would just need the car for two hours, but many car companies have a three-day minimum. I could rent a car from Hertz for about 85 euro (I think it's all inclusive-- but not sure), but we're struggling with the complexity of this for a relatively small savings.

Does anyone know of a less expensive option for renting a car? Or any input from anyone who has made this trip?

Kathy

If that 108&euro; represents 36&euro; p/p, then <u>one</u> of you could take the shuttle to CDG, rent the car, and pick up the other two on the way to Honfleur. The distance from CDG is 217km direct, or 258km via Beauvais.

Get the bus I think 108 for 3 is good and you will not have the stress. Rebting a car would be crazy and tkae too much time....what if you had a small fender bender?? also you could easily get lost. Bus is the way I would go.

What would the price on the CDG shuttle cost for one person Beauvais-CDG - if a lot cheaper have the designated driver take the shuttle there himself and drive back to pick up the rest of the family, who can meanwhile poke around this historic town.

Good option that I will ponder, thanks.

The downside of this is that I put the leased car in my name since I'm handling the arrangements. My husband has always done the driving in Europe, though I've driven a lot in Provence. I think this means that I'd have to be the one to go get the car since it's in my name. I don't know if I could change that at this point, but I will check. I'm not sure I'm ready to drive in the Paris area by myself!

Kathy

I don't see that as a problem one way or the other. Chances are that if DH is listed as an additional driver, he should be able to rent it.

If not, and you get the chore of picking up the rental, take courage in the fact that the drive from CDG to Beauvais is directly AWAY from Paris, so such traffic as you do encounter will get thinner and thinner as time goes on.

Beauvais to Paris-Porte Maillot on Ryanair bus for 1 person = 12 euros. Air France bus Porte Maillot-CDG = 11 euros. Send the rest of the family to downtown Beauvais to tour around... and set a rendezvous in front of the train station, for example, about 4 hours later. Don't forget to get a map to find your way from CDG to Beauvais! Both you and the rest of the family will have interesting stories to tell each other when you meet up again.

For starters, is that particular company the only one you can lease a car from, and does it have to be a CDG location? With all the lively competition all over France, this seems highly restrictive.

Before you plan any further, try to make better arrangements, and if you can't, ascertain for 100 percent certain who needs to be present to get the car.

With six weeks of travel ahead of you, there is no need to force the issue in a hurry and the expensive way on the day of arrival.

You get into France when the best part of the day is over. Why not book a hotel near Beauvais airport for the night, and head there when you come off the plane, with a courtesy shuttle if the hotel has one, or with the Navette Centre-Ville (4 Euros p/person)?

Then depending on the outcome of your research, you, or DH, or only both parents if your offspring can be left alone, or all three of you (minus luggage) head on out to the train station and travel the commonsense way, by train, to go get the darn car.

Drive to Beauvais, have a late dinner and sleep so you're ready to head out the next day. There's not much else you can do with that day of arrival anyway, getting in so late, so don't fight it.

If you prefer to go straight from the airport, the three of you, but not by train, and if you don't have much luggage, you can also take the airport bus for 13 Euros each into Paris, it drops you at Porte Maillot, where you can take the Air France bus for 10 Euros each (kids age 2-11 pay 5 Euros) to CDG.

That's still only 69 or 64 Euros.

WK

&lt;&lt; is that particular company the only one you can lease a car from &gt;&gt;

Think OP is using the Renault / Peugeot / Citroen schems where you lease a car from the manufacturer rather than car hire. It's generally cheaper than car hire