alan

I will be travelling this summer to Provence and want to rent a car when I arrive. If I take the TGV train and want to base myself in Aix is it best to go into Avignon, rent a car there and then travel to Aix or is there another suggestion?

Marissa

sorry - this isn't a reply to your question but another question. What are the best car rental companies for France?

Rex

To Marissa: <BR> <BR>Start with these: <BR>www.autoeurope.com <BR>www.its-cars-hotels.com <BR>www.kemwel.com <BR>www.travelocity.com <BR> <BR>You may never need any other sources than the first one. <BR>

wendy

I'm with Rex on that one...many people have discussed Auto Europe on this forum. <BR> <BR>I always use them and have yet to be disappointed.

Christina

Alan, you really have to get some quotes from auto rental companies to know the best plan for you. Aix is a large city, larger than Avignon--so there would be no reason to rent in Avignon if you are going to be in Aix, unless you want to. I imagine the least costly thing is to rent and return to same place, though, wherever that is. I would guess the same car would cost about the same whether rented in Avignon or Aix, so it's really whether you want to drive from Avignon or take the train, and perhaps the extra cost of that train trip. As you will have to transfer trains in Marseille, no doubt, to get to Aix, it is true that may take more time all in all than simply driving from Avignon (I think it's about 60-70 miles). If you don't think it will bother you to drive that far after whatever trip you are taking, I probably would just rent in Avignon. However, in that case, I might move to Avignon for the last few days of my stay which would make the return easier. I really liked Avignon (I've stayed in both Avignon and Aix and loved them both, but they are different) and there is lots to see there, so staying in that city for 1-2 days would make that a lot easier than day-tripping from Aix. All of this depends where you are going afterwards, I was assuming back to Paris by TGV. If not, renting in Aix may make more sense. If by any chance you are flying somewhere at the end of your trip, it might make more sense to rent and return at Marseille as that is best for flights. If you need an automatic (probably not, I'm challenged in that regard), I can tell you best availability is in Marseille, then Avignon, from my experience.