Travel tips in France - car rental vs RER vs Taxi
 

We will be arriving in CDG early (7:30am) and need to be in Normandy area for 4 days. Then back in Paris to stay near Notre Dame for 5 nights before heading back to the states. We would like to be able to drive while in Normandy, but not in Paris. We plan on picking up a rental car at CDG a/p, drive to Normandy, return the car to the a/p, take either the RER or a taxi to Notre Dame. Is this the best way of getting around for this itinerary? How easy or difficult is it to return the rental car at the a/p and get a taxi or get to the train station to Paris? Is it better to pick up & return the rental car outside of Paris, and where would that be? And how would we get from the a/p to there? Please help!

I would stop in Chartres or Versailles on the way back to Paris, drop the car, and take the train (Chartres) or RER (Versailles). It wouldn't make sense to me to go all the way back to the airport on the other side of Paris just to leave the car off.

We did have plans on stopping in Versailles on the way back to drop the car off @ the a/p. Didn't know we can drop off the car in Versailles? Of course this makes more sense, but do you know if we have to pre buy our RER tickets to Notre Dame or can we just get it when we are done touring Versailles? Thanks.

No, you don't have to pre-buy anything. Just go to the station and buy tickets.

Great! Thank you so much!