Help - Where should I pick up car if staying in St Germain in Paris?
 

Hi. I have a question regarding the most convenient place to rent a car in Paris. We are staying in the 6th on rue Jacob and leaving Paris for Chartres, then on to the Loire Valley. Everyone says to use autoeurope and I am inclined to do so, but it is difficult to tell from the web site where I should go for the rental. Is Invalides good? Montparnesse? Thanks for any info.

I'd hate to be driving out of Paris from either Invalides or Montparnasse. Have you driven in Paris before? I'd take the train to Chartres, rent car there (or anywhere outside of Paris), and then on to Loire V.<BR><BR>

<BR>MUCH cheaper to arrange a car over here(assume you live in USA) I rented from Europcar through a travel agent.Very satsfied. Price $176.00 for seven days. Car was a Skoda with air,Diesel engine, stick shift and room for four.<BR>Any case, rent before you arrive!!

No, we have not driven in Paris before, but are used to city driving in the US, and we are willing to put up with driving in Paris for the short amount of time it will take to get out of the city. I understand that the morning hours (9 - 11) are the quietest times on the streets, and many others have rented cars in Paris and lived to tell the tale. So, any advice?

It depends upon where you are staying in the 6th for the closest, but I'd lean towards the Montparnesse area. It's a little further out of Pairs then Les Invalides and will get you that little bit closer to the Loire. But personally I'd train to Chartres and rent there. I hated driving in Paris.

You'll have to take a cab or metro to get to either Montparnasse or Invalides from rue Jacob with your luggage. YOu're probably about equidistant from both; your choice. <BR><BR>

We once rented a car from Avis for the day to go to Giverny and Honfleur. Their pick up location was in a large underground parking lot at St. Sulpice. It was a short block to St. Germain, an easy drive a few blocks to the river, and an easy route following that to the major roads exiting the city. It couldn't have been easier!! You could walk to that location from your place on Rue Jacob! Or with just a little more effort, drive back there to pick up your luggage after picking up the car.

Hi Lisa,<BR><BR>My husband and I rented a car from autoeurope last May when we were in France. We picked it up at Invalides. We left mid-morning on a weekday, with my husband driving, I acted as navigator as we drove out of Paris toward Rouen. Our only hassle was due to some construction that blockeded a main road in Paris. If you're used to city driving, you should be fine (assuming no unusual traffic jams, accidents, etc.)<BR> <BR>I found the biggest problem not to be driving in Paris, but dealing with autoeurope. At Invalides, you must walk a few blocks from the autoeurope office to pick up your car in a garage, with luggage in tow. There was no one at the garage to inspect the car with us to ensure that it was in the condition stated on the rental agreement. Same thing upon our return when we dropped it off a week later. <BR><BR>We were concerned that we might get charged for &quot;damage&quot; to the car that was not our fault. We even walked back to the main office to discuss this with the clerk (again with luggage in tow) and were told not to worry. When we saw the final charges to our credit card after we returned to the States, everything was as it should be.<BR><BR>Diane

I'm curious, Diane, what agency that car came from. As you know Auto Europe is a consolidator and doesn't have its own agencies or cars. It would be nice to know which agency they were using for your rental.

rue Jacob is the narrowest little tiny street and I would never attempt to navigate those corners!<BR>Personally, I would rent the car out of Paris. Getting out of Paris either by taxi or train. Nothing would tempt me to try to drive in Paris!<BR>

In response to xxx's question about which car rental company we used when we booked through Auto Europe, I just checked the invoice and it was Europcar.<BR><BR>Diane