We will be traveling mainly by train, but might like to rent a car for a few days during our stays in Loire area (Amboise) and Burgundy (Beaune and Dijon). Is it possible/practicable to rent once we are over in France, rather than booking ahead from the U.S.? I%26#39;m pretty sure it%26#39;s possible, but it may be much more expensive, and a car might not be available where and when we want it. The car rental would be in the last week of May, for 4-5 days, possibly with pick-up in Tours (St. Pierre des Corps TGV station. We wouldn%26#39;t wait until the very last minute, but might make the car rental decision once we are in France, so would still be booking ahead by a bit.
My husband is quite against driving in France after our rather hair-raising experiences in Ireland, though I%26#39;ve been trying to convince him that driving in France is really different. A friend who is a French teacher here, and who says she%26#39;s a very timid driver, has told us she has driven several times in various parts of France, with no difficulty at all. And certainly a lot of folks on TA have said the same thing
While we do love train travel, and have several legs already booked at the beginning and end of our trip, I%26#39;d much prefer us to have a car for our stays in Loire and Burgundy--both because we could get around to more places, and because it would be a lot quicker getting from one area to the other. (To go by train you have to go up to Paris from Amboise, change stations, and then go back down to Beaune/Dijon.)
|||
Sure, it%26#39;s possible to rent once you%26#39;re there but if you know the date you will want the car I%26#39;d recommend booking in advance. Aside from the cost factor which could be significant, you%26#39;ll be able to reserve the type of vehicle you prefer and, if it%26#39;s important, be dealing with a US-based company - e.g. Autoeurope. Regarding driving in France, aside from a sometimes counter intuitive (at least by our measure) approach to road signage, I think your husband will find that it%26#39;s not much different than what you%26#39;re used to at home. In fact our experience has been that the French drivers are probably better technically and a whole lot more tolerant than US drivers. Having a navigator with a decent map also helps.
|||
Sorry to wade in on this one, but my plans are somewhat similar.
%26gt;I%26#39;d recommend booking in advance.
How far in advance?
%26gt;Aside from the cost factor which could be significant, you%26#39;ll be able to reserve the type of vehicle you prefer and, if it%26#39;s important, be dealing with a US-based company - e.g. Autoeurope.
If you deal with Autoeurope via internet, what difference does it make to do it from the US or from some internet cafe in Paris? What if you want to rent a car in Switzerland and drop it off in France? Does Autoeurope do that? I did not see that option on their website.
%26gt;Regarding driving in France, aside from a sometimes counter intuitive (at least by our measure) approach to road signage...Having a navigator with a decent map also helps.
Maybe bringing a compass too? What do you think of the Michelin regional Bourgogne Map #519? How do we deal with toll roads--credit card or wads of cash/coins?
Would the rental car veterans here be willing to put an article on the Inside Pages for us novices? Thanks! Why do you guys keep mentioning Autoeurope? Is Hertz, etc all signficantly less good?
|||
Hi D.A. Interesting questions that, for the most part, come down to one%26#39;s level of personal comfort.
Re. booking in advance, I like to nail the big items down early on so tend to book the car just after the air tickets are confirmed and when I%26#39;m booking the main hotels or B%26amp;Bs. One less detail to worry about plus I like knowing (as much as one can in these situations) that there will be a car waiting and it will be the model/type that I want. Also, I%26#39;ve found special deals when booking ahead (on the internet) that I don%26#39;t think were available to the walk-in customer.
Re. dealing with a U.S. based company (e.g. Autoeurope), I just like knowing that if there%26#39;s a dispute at least a part of the problem will be determined within our own legal system . Maybe less risk of being categorized as just another here today, gone tomorrow, tourist. I don%26#39;t see why it would make any difference where you were physically located when you made the booking.
Re. a compass, I finally remembered to take a small backpacking type compass on the last trip and found it to be moderately useful - especially on overcast days and the D roads where we spend a lot of time. Just remember that you may need to move away from your vehicle a bit for accuracy. I%26#39;m not sure what scale the map you referred to is but we%26#39;ve found the 1:200,000 Michelin atlas to be just fine 95% of the time.
As far as toll roads we%26#39;ve always gone to the cash booth. Don%26#39;t know any better and the lines move quickly. We usually make sure there%26#39;s 15-20 euros, in coins, handy.
Hope this is useful.
|||
As someone who has driven quite a bit in France, as long as your first experience isn%26#39;t in a big city, you should be fine. I would always rent ahead of time, just because I like to plan ahead and there are internet specials for prices. I%26#39;ve found Avis has good rates, but I%26#39;m also a member od their frequent renter program which helps.
Get a guidebook like Rick Steves or Frommers and they%26#39;ll have road signs which might be different and basic rules of the road.
Also, have good local (Michelin) maps of the areas you%26#39;ll be travelling through. We almost never take the toll roads. While quicker, like most US interstate highways they%26#39;re devoid of scenery. You%26#39;ll miss the best parts of France using them. When you%26#39;re reading French road signs look for the name of the next town, rather than your destination. Often they don%26#39;t list several towns ahead.
You%26#39;re right that many parts of the Loire and Burgundy are not easliy accessible by public transport, if at all. Again, you%26#39;d miss alot relying only on public transport.
If you truly don%26#39;t want to rent until you get there, just be flexible in type and cost of vehicle.
If you%26#39;re not travelling with small children and want ideas on a couple of places to stay in Burgundy and the Loire, feel free to email me at diane@westwindtours.us.
|||
As the Boy Scouts say, be prepared. Before you leave Maine, go to your local triple A office and get your international drivers licence. It will cost less than $20 and 2 pictures. Although the rental agent may not ask for it, an IDL is required of all renters who are not residents of the EC. If you are stopped by the police and found to be without an IDL, the fine is %26quot;considerable%26quot;.
Remind your husband that the French drive of the right hand side as we do. It might help.
|||
BC - are you sure about the requirement for an IDL? When getting a car as recently as last November it wasn%26#39;t requested by either the Autoeurope office in the U.S. or the Europcar desk at CDG.
|||
No you do NOT need an IDL to drive in France. 1BCT keeps posting this same erroneous advice despite having been told repeatedly it is incorrect.
I have posted the link several times to the French Embassy page that states that an IDL is NOT required for holders of a valid US drivers license.
|||
-:- Message from TripAdvisor staff -:-
This topic was inactive for 6 months and has been closed to new posts. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.
To review the TripAdvisor Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow this link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/pages/forums_posting_guidelines.html
We remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines, and we reserve the right to remove any post for any reason.
Removed on: 1:23 am, August 26, 2009
No comments:
Post a Comment