Penalty to change car rental pickup location while in Europe?
 

We're leaving in a couple of weeks for France. After a week's stay in Paris we have a car reserved at Gare du Nord so that we can drive out into country for a few days. A few folks on this board have said that getting in and out of that location is difficult. If after we're in Paris and we decide we don't want to drive in it......would it be expensive or difficult to change our rental car pickup to a town/city, such as Tours, etc.(same dates, though). We'd decide several days prior to our scheduled date of pickup. Wondered if that would then change the rates because we'd be making the change while in France, not US. Thanks for any help with this. BTY, through work talked with someone from UK who used to live in Paris...and he assured me that my years driving in LA would not help me at all driving in/out of Paris....he said to be 'very brave', step on the gas pedal and don't stop for pedestrians or you will get rear-ended. That's why I'm rethinking the pickup place!! Thanks again.

I've never picked up at Gare du Nord, so can't comment on whether it's easy or difficult to get out of that location. We did drive into the Invalides area at rush hour once and are alive to tell the tale. If you decide to pick up in Paris, get a very detailed map and designate your front seat passenger as navigator.

By the way, ask your rental company about any charge for changing your reservation. If you've rented through AutoEurope, there shouldn't be a charge.

The logical response to your question would be to contact the car rental agency. They would know for sure.

Curious

Back to the OP's question: if you don't want to drive out of Paris, don't! If you choose Burgundy, it's easy to take the TGV to Dijon and pick up a car there. Driving in Burgundy is easy, and the scenery is beautiful, especially is you drive along the Burgundy canal.

This is bizarre--I posted this reply to another thread!

onthe--I think it is excellent advice to call your rental agency and ask them.

Thanks for your responses. I do know calling the rental company (autoeurope) itself makes sense, but I've found that hearing actual experience of the same situation is the best if one can possibly get it. Thanks again all.

Hi On,

When I asked AutoEurope about this (prior to your question), they said I should give them a few days notice, and that there is no additional charge.

((I))

Ira's advice is the advice to use, call them. We have also changed our pickup location when we realized that we would have to drive through much of Paris. We went in and changed our location there. Also when you leave the city, leave in the morning, early. There will be much less traffic and you will have an easier time of it. Pick the car up the night before and find a parking spot near your hotel and have one person navigate so the driver doesn't have to think too much while driving. We follow this advice every time we leave a big city. When we did it in Paris we even had time to do a drive up the champs and a couple of laps around the Arch de Triumph. Have a great time.

Hi Jay,
>... a couple of laps around the Arch de Triumph.<

Because you wanted to, or because you had to? :)

((I))

Hi Onthegogo--
We rented through Auto Europe while in Italy. There was a train strike (of course), and we were going to have trouble getting to our location to pick up our car. We called the same day we were scheduled to pick up our car, and were able to change the pick up location at no charge. Had our car within the hour.