Dear all,
This is my first post. Thanks in advance.

My husband and I will take a vacation in south France May 2026:
USA --> Nice (6 days) -->Avignon ---> Provence area (10 days) --> Avignon -->Nice --->USA.

On June 2nd, we will return the rental car back to Avignon TGV, take train ride back to Nice. Stay the night Of June 2nd in Nice.

On June 3rd, we will fly back to USA. The flight is around 11am.

• My question is: what is the most convenient hotel to stay for one night (June 2nd) before back to USA? Since we have done the sightseeing in Nice by that time, my consideration is mainly convenience to airport. In the meantime, if possible, I hope to be around somewhere so that we can have a nice dinner on the night of June 2nd and breakfast on June 3rd. Our flight is around 11am to noon.

• My another question is: are there any suggestions regarding can rental at Avignon TGV? We have never rented a car outside USA. Which car rental company is good to use? and for the peace of mind, should I purchase all-inclusive car insurance from can rental company?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Best,
Lily T

I always use Hertz in Europe.

I've used Hertz and/or National for 30+ years domestically with zero problems. I've used Hertz multiple times in Europe with zero problems.

For peace of mind, I buy the super coverage. Even if I don't book it at the time I book the car, I've always added it at the counter. It's an extra $ amount but the peace of mind is fabulous. I don't want to have to deal with any problems that may come up in a foreign country. When you buy the coverage, they don't even do the walk-around before you leave or when you turn the car back in. I turned in my car at Marseilles and was gone while they were still doing the walk around with the car next to me. The first time I picked up a rental car in France (2004), I picked it up at the Avignon TGV. Easy peasy.

I can't guarantee this will be true for you, but the lines are usually much shorter at Hertz in France and Italy. Be sure to join the loyalty program of whatever rental company you use. You can bypass the line (if any) if you are a club member. (Hertz Gold Plus program for Hertz)

I've noticed recommendations for Auto Europe (Europcar) on this forum. I've always been happy to be heading to the Hertz counter instead. Here's a photo from Venice airport on a Saturday in July of last year.

I always book rental cars for Europe through gemut.com -- a brokerage company based in Oregon that works with Europcar, Hertz, and other companies. They are awesome! And their website is incredibly useful for those renting a car in Europe for the first time.

As for insurance, you might look at Amex Premium Car Rental Protection.

Sorry, I don't have a hotel recommendation. In case you don't already know, you can search options by location using booking.com and you can also get info on that site about access to the airport.

Welcome to Fodor's!

We have used a variety of car rental companies but now just use Auto Europe even though I have significant status with both Avis and Hertz Generally use AMX insurance which costs something like $20 for the entire rental. Would buy the rental company insurance if you plan to drive around Nice. The parking garages in the area have very tight spaces and ramps.
We last used Holiday inn Express which is about a 5 minute walk to the Nice airport. There is trolly stop a few minutes walk so you can get into Nice easily. Inexpensive and a few years old I think. Decent continental breakfast. Not a huge fan of Nice and prefer to stay outside the city. One nice thing about staying in Nice is that you do not need a car and the same goes for Avignon

Welcome to the Fodors forums.

The car rental agencies in Europe (Hertz, Avis, etc) are all franchises so if there are issues you won't generally get the same sort of support you might with a states-side agency. That's why I always use AuroEurope/Kemwel (they are essentially the same company based in Maine) or a couple of times Gemut. These are are brokers who deal with all the majors and IME provide outstanding customer service and support. They will go to bat for you if there is a dispute with the local provider.

I don't believe that to be accurate information.
#1 - Hertz uses franchises in the US.
#2 - I believe an assumption is being made here about the difference between the US and Europe resolving the resolution of issues. I've never seen nor heard of anything to back up that statement.

It's fine to have personal preferences but inaccurate statements are not helpful at all.

I have been renting cars through AutoEurope for many years now in France, Italy, Spain and England. The rentals have been with Avis, Hertz, Budget and Europcar. On three occasions there have been issues (Avis in England, Europcar in Perpignan and Aix TGV). All were quickly resolved in our favor by AutoEurope. There was an incorrect charge added when returning a car in Perpignan. We immediately called the AutoEurope toll-free number and their agent was able to speak with the counter agent who removed the charge. The other two "errors" appeared on our credit card statements after we had returned home. Those charges were reversed quickly after we informed AE.

For insurance, I use the American Express Premium Car Rental Insurance. Fortunately I have never had to make a claim. https://www.americanexpress.com/en-u...al-protection/

And, as far as I know, Europcar is not owned or associated with AutoEurope. It's just one of many car rental companies they work with. Because of my good experiences, I will continue to recommend their services wholeheartedly.

I have zero complaints about Auto Europe. Kudos to those who use them and are happy with them.

I have zero complaints with using Hertz in Europe. I have a 100% satisfaction experience renting my cars through Hertz. No problems of any kind, at any time.

I DO have a complaint about the post I quoted. My complaints were about the inaccuracies of the content.

Yay to whatever option anyone uses.

I just shared what I use and why I like it.

Adding - out of curiosity I googled last night and read that Avis has the highest satisfaction with rentals in Europe. I have no idea if that's valid, but I found it interesting. The only time I've used Avis in the last 10 years was during Covid and they were the only company in Florida doing one way rentals at the time (during the rental car crisis as companies sold off fleets to survive the drop in travel.) I rented cars weekly for corporate travel and we had access to software that pulled up all of the companies in a given market and could see rates of all at one time. Basically what a broker service does - and exactly what the broker does if they are using the same software I used. We used the industry leader in travel bookings. Prior to that, we had in-house Amex travel services. Since I retired, I do not have access to that booking software, but it was great to be able to see ALL options at one time (for cars, hotels and flights). I could not use that for leisure travel, hence my booking for personal travel in Europe with one of my top 2 favorites.

Not inaccurate -- there have been many reports here on Fodors and other sites where (especially) Hertz and other agencies telling complainants to pound dirt and AutoEurope came through to solve the problem.

Its just as accurate for you to say you've personally had no problems . . .

Stay somewhere central so you can enjoy your last evening in Nice. Then take a taxi to the airport in the morning. No need to stay right next to the airport. Anywhere around Place Masséna or Old Town is easy and safe.

One important caution - no matter who you book with....

Pay attention to the type of car you book!

In Europe, manual transmissions are VERY common! If you look at price first, you may unintentionally book a manual transmission.

Ask me how I know.

On my first trip to Ireland (1990) I booked based on price. It was the tiniest car I think I'd ever seen and it had a manual transmission. That was not a problem for me, but changing gears on the "wrong side" with the "wrong" hand on the "wrong" side of the car while driving on the "wrong side" of the road was quite the adventure! NOT a problem for you in France, but it was quite the surprise for me at the time!

I considered booking a manual in Italy last year but my friend wanted to be added as an additional driver and therefore we needed an automatic. That's another thing to pay attention to. If you need a second driver, check rates for that.

Another thought - if you see an option to add a navigation system, ask yourself if you have a smart phone. If so, you can sync and use your phone's mapping app... but that also depends on what you are going to do about cell phone service while you are abroad. To be honest, most of the rentals in the last few years already have the navigation built in so no need for the addition.

Cars are smaller in Europe too. I booked a large SUV in Italy many years ago and my travel partner saw it and said "What a cute little car!". A few days later she realized it was much larger than most of the cars around us. If it's just two of you, you should be okay with almost anything but DO check the website's recommendation for # of people as well as # of bags/ luggage the car will hold.

To be honest, now I pretty much book the largest SUV possible unless the price is absolutely crazy. Even the largest may seem small to you, depending on what you are used to driving.

Adding yet another thought - Do you have many roundabouts where you live? If not, you may want to go somewhere and practice driving them. They are so common where I live I may drive through 20 a day. They are not common where my friend lives and she HATED them and they really stressed her out. I would never have thought about that before that Tuscany trip. She became much more comfortable over time, but still hated them. Practice helped a lot.

For your final night, you could stay by the airport as there are now a number of hotels within a longer walk or one tram stop to the airport (Terminal 2 is further). Sheraton, Crowne Plaza but also more affordable options. The downside is that the restaurants choices are not very good, and there isn't much around these places but you could take the tram into the city again (and note the immediate neighborhood to the north of this cluster is one to avoid). You could also just stay somewhere along Tram line 2 and then have a proper choice of dinner places. Around the Jean Medecin stop there are any number of places close by including the Windsor, the Villa Victoria and the Boscolo Nice, plus many more within a few blocks. Your flight at 11 am means you can take a tram or an Uber/taxi to get there in the morning quite easily, as well as enjoy a breakfast before hand. Another alternative is to stay at the Radisson Blu, which has one of the better hotel restaurants on the roof and is about halfway between the center and the airport.

Since we have a place in Nice and no car, we rent when we are there, typically from Hertz but also from the Alamo family with no issues. The only thing is that the best choice is usually back at the airport, but it easily reachable from Tram 2 to Terminal 2, and a walk through parking structure P5.

I really like the Boutique Hotel Nice Côte d’Azur. It’s right in the center, so great restaurants are just steps away, and the rooms are comfy and inviting, with a stylish, relaxed atmosphere.

Welcome Lily,
I can't help you regarding cars.
But as for hotels, you might consider contacting ex-pat/travel writer/Nice guide Jeanne Oliver. She knows that area very well and her site lists some considerations for lodgings at different price points.
Added ideas from us: Lourmarin's weekly market is excellent, contender for 'best' in our opinion. Cucuron serves as contender for best-kept secret. Saorges is another less-trodden possible daytrip. The latter lies on the fantastic Train des Merveilles (marvels) route up to Mercantour Park that will finally be up-and-running after renos by the time of your trip. Uzes, Villefranche, Menton and Aix top our list of must-return-somedays. And for all its touristy elements, Biot is still quite lovely. Maybe also check out Mougins plus Peillon.
Best thing to do in Cannes: offshore Iles de Lerin's unique St. Honorat island--great place for lunch. Eazy peezy.

Good Luck.
I am done. the Riviera

Just to note that if you are flying from Nice to the USA you should be at the airport around 0800
and if connecting in Europe probably around 0900 so you don’t have as much time in the morning as you might think.

Sorry, properly spelled 'Saorge'. No 's' at end.
I am done. the lingering lagjet

If you're looking for suggestions of what to see and do, you might find some useful information in my trip report:
A stellar month in southeastern France

Nice Airport is very conveniently located, compared to most international airports, so don't waste your time with a hotel close to airport. You have 2 great options.

1) Bus 12 runs by the sea most of the way until Old Town. So any hotel by the sea, between airport and start of old town will be convenient.

2) Tram Line 2 takes you to Nice centre (Jean Medecin) and old port which will have more hotel options and well located for plenty of restaurants.

Thank you all so much for responding to my post.
I apologize for my slow response as I am still learning about how to navigate this website. Now I am testing the water to see if I can post a quick reply first.
All the suggestions/comments are so helpful. I am taking notes while reading them. I will reply to all the posts along the way.
Once my itinerary is finalized, I will post it here.
All the best,
Lily T

Just confirming that you posted successfully. Well done!