Elizabeth

In early October, we are traveling by train from Venice, Italy to Nice, France. We want to continue on to Avignon but are afraid we may miss the connecting train which departs at 9:25 a.m. (we get in Nice at 9:10 a.m.). Should we rent a car in Nice & drive to Avignon? What is the best driving route? Can we drop the car off in Avignon? Where do you pick up the car? Which rental car company did you use? How much was the car renatl per day? We would keep the car for 3 days maximum. Please let us know. Thanks.

Louis

The only reason I know that you would miss your connection is that you are hadicaped and would have a hard time in moving a few 100 feet between trains in less than 15 minutes. It has been too many years since I rented a car between Nice and Avignon to talk about rates or recommend a particular company. However, for one way rentals you need to pick one of the major companies doing business in France. If you plan to drive get some Michelin maps of the area. There are limited access freeways most of the way between the two cities. It is 200 miles and I have driven it in 2 hours. The legal limit was 160 kpm at the time.

Michelle

I have just made arrangements to rent a car for 3 days, but going from Avignon to Nice. After much research, comparing prices mainly amongst the wholesalers, I booked with AutoEurope (and am actually renting with Avis). For 3 days, with pick up at Avignon train station and drop off at Nice airport, the cost in Canadian dollars of an economy, standard car, including CDW, theft, 3rd party liability, unlimited mileage, fire, and France's VAT, is $222.00. Other wholesalers (ie. Kemwel, Rail Europe) were similar in cost. I haven't used any of these companies before so I can't really recommend any at this point. I'm really looking forward to driving through Provence though I expect 3 days will definitely feel like not enough time to see all the wonderful sights. We chose to rent a car (as opposed to using train or bus) because we want to get to the lovely small towns. I hope you have a wonderful time. <BR>

ruth

We also are traveling from Avignon to Nice in mid Oct. Our rental is one way from Nimes pick-up location to drop off at Nice airport. We have the rental (through Hertz) for 3 days at $125.00 US dollars. All the above (mentioned in previous reply)stated ins., taxes, etc is included. This is for a standard shift small peugot. Rental was done through a travel agent here in the states which, I am told, is much cheaper than to do while traveling. Maps look pretty straight forward, the highways are supposedly quite good. I am looking forward to seeing the countryside at my own pace vs. the train. good luck! <BR> <BR>

Martha

Elizabeth-- There are auto routes all the way from Nice to Avignon. The distance is well under 300 kilometers. Speed limits on the auto routes are 130 kpm; 110 kpm if it's raining. If you decide to take surface roads, they are substantially slower; speed limit 90 kpm; 50 kpm in towns-- and France has lots of towns. <BR>With such a short distance, you could easily go part of the way on scenic, back roads. For instance, the Corniche de l'Esterel, or the drive through the Luberon. The roads are generally in good condition-- the auto routes are usually in excellent shape-- but on the winding back roads, you will have to deal with a certain amount of bad passing (and tailgating, if you stick to the speed limit.) <BR>We haven't rented a car in France for some time, but Ruth's advice sounds right; according to our local Avis representative, it is cheaper to book in advance from the States. This is something to consider, if you are concerned about that train connection from Italy. <BR>Whatever you decide, bon voyage! Martha

Martha

Michelle, Ruth, and Elizabeth-- I forgot to mention, be SURE to wear your seat belts. The gendarmes, at least in our area (SW France), are on a big seat belt safety campaign, and are ticketing everyone not wearing seat belts, whether they have committed any other traffic violation or not. You will see a lot of French drivers not wearing seat belts-- but you will also see quite a few of them being pulled over and fined! Have a great time in la belle France. Martha

Christina

I thought I'd posted this yesterday, but guess it didn't show up. Anyway, I said if you want to rent a car for some other reason, go ahead, but don't rent one just because you think you'll miss the 9:25 train. First, I don't think you'll miss it with 15 min to spare (perhaps you think trains are like planes with frequent delays and being late, but they're not); second, it doesn't matter anyway, because there are trains from Nice to Avignon almost every hour in the morning & early afternoon, at least--I know there are trains at 9:25, 10:25, 11:25 and then I think around noon, 1 and 2 pm. for some of these you may need to transfer in Marseille, but all take about 4 hrs. (BTW, regardless of whether a train is called a "TGV", it takes about 4 hrs between Nice & Avignon because there aren't any TGV lines except between Avignon & Marseilles; a "rapide" takes about the same time as a TGV). <BR>

Elizabeth

I just checked the fall train schedule on www.raileurope.com and they only show two trains leaving from Nice to Avignon daily: 9:25 and 19:46. Where did you find information about trains leaving every hour? That would certainly solve our problem if the trains departed more frequently, especially since the night train from Venice is now scheduled to arrive in Nice at 9:50 -- 25 minutes after the connecting train has left. <BR>We may be destined to get a Europass Drive after all and tour the countryside. <BR>

Martha

Elizabeth-- Check www.sncf.com It's showing a lot more trains than the raileurope website, including one at 11:25 am. Hope this helps. Martha

Phil

Elizabeth; By all means, rent a car! There is a lot to see in the area of Avignon. Not to be missed, Pont-du-Gard, magnificent structure in a beautiful setting; not far Orange, with a great Roman theater, and Arc d'Triumphe. Then there is also Nimes and Arles. I've been there, and I would absolutely rent a car. Phil

Christina

(I apologize if this is posted twice--I thought I sent it but can't see it on the forum, so I'm resending). <BR> <BR>You have to be careful with Raileurope; <BR>it is NOT a complete listing of train <BR>schedules, they only include a few out <BR>of the total available--I guess the ones <BR>they think are most popular. In this run, <BR>Nice-Avignon, they hardly list any of all <BR>the ones available. So, I guess Martha <BR>gave you the French Natl RR WEB site <BR>which is much better (espec now, it didn't <BR>use to list much except Ile de France and <BR>TGVs)--it will list all of the runs, hopefully. <BR>There are two mirror site URLs: <BR>www.sncf.com and www.sncf.fr <BR>(the one I use in France); I think they both <BR>have options to use it in English, not just <BR>French. Anyway, click on the "Voyages" <BR>and then "Horaires" or "Schedules" and <BR>type in Nice for initial station and Avignon <BR>for ending point, along with approx. time of <BR>day (don't worry, it will show you before <BR>and after so time doesn't have to be exact-- <BR>and you can click on button to get all following <BR>trains). Trains will be marked with TGV or <BR> "rapide" and it will automatically show you <BR>ones that need a transfer at Marseille by <BR>showing the time from Nice to Marseille then <BR>Marseille to Avignon. <BR>So, for future advice, only use Raileurope <BR>for rough planning and if they have a time <BR>you want, fine -- if not, you have to search <BR>further for more complete schedules; <BR>many Eur. RRs now have own WEB sites <BR>with more complete schedules than Raileurope. <BR>The Deutschebahn WEB site also purports to <BR>list all Eur. rail schedules and has links to <BR>many individual countries, so you can <BR>try them (www.eurorail.com gives link to <BR>Eur rail schedules). <BR>