 | Hiring a car in Paris |
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Advice on hiring a car in ParisFor visitors planning a trip to Paris, followed by a journey to other parts of France, hiring a car in Paris is not necessarily the best solution (see alternatives below); but if you do want to hire a car in Paris, look at the different options before making your choice. If you are planning to stay a few days in Paris before heading elsewhere, don't
hire a car when you first arrive at the airport or train station. You
won't need the car while you're in Paris, as public transport is so
good, and generally faster than trying to get round Paris by car, even
if you know the city. And you'll just be wasting you money paying for a
hire car you don't need, and parking space for it too. If you are planning to fly out of Paris at
the end of your stay, then it makes sense to pick up your rental car at
the airport from which you will be leaving.... unless you're going to
spend another night or two in Paris before leaving. In this case, and
in all other cases, finding the best place to hire your car will depend
on where you're going. If you're quite happy with driving in Paris, then pick your rental car up somewhere close to your hotel (See Paris car hire pickup locations
on the table below); but if you'd rather not use the streets of Paris
to get your first experience of driving in France, then it makes sense
to pick up your car on the outskirts of Paris, or even further. Alternatives to picking up a hire car in central Paris a) Picking up a hire car on the outskirts of Paris: ► For travellers heading south or southwest, the most convenient car hire pickup location is Orly airport (select Orly
in the form below); Orly airport is located right beside the two main
routes to the south and west, the A6 and A10 motorways (for Lyon and
Bordeaux respectively), and the airport can easily be reached by taxi
or RER "B" express suburban train. ► For travellers heading east, in the direction of Strasbourg and Alsace, the best option is to take a taxi or the RER "A" express suburban train to Marne la Vallée (Disneyland) station, which is right next to the A4 motorway for Reims, Strasbourg and Germany. (Select Marne la Vallée TGV) ► If you are planning to drive north in the direction of Lille and Belgium, take a taxi or the RER "B" express suburban train, and pick up your hire car at Charles de Gaulle airport, which is right beside the A1 motorway to the north. (Choose Charles de Gaulle airport in the form below). ► Finally, if you are planning to visit Normandy, two possibilities are to pick up your car at Versailles, on the RER "C" line, or even take the train to Caen, and pick up the car at the station in Caen. (choose Versailles or Caen in the booking form below) b) Alternatively, take a TGV high speed train to a city in provincial France, and hire a car when you arrive; it'll be less driving, and you'll get there quicker than by car. Cars can be hired at all main railway stations. The hire-car finder box below will search through the offers of a range of car hire companies, and offer you a range of solutions, from the cheapest to the most expensive. ► Select your hire point from the drop-down list ► Place cursor in date box, and use the calendar that opens up. Use the search box below to find a selection of cheap car hire options in France, including EasyCar (a sister company to EasyJet), Carhire3000 and others. Do not use this box if you prefer to hire from one of the big car hire companies. Do not use this box if you want to pick up a car in one country and return it in another. Use one of the big international operators such as Hertz. Locations: Choose from hundreds of car hire locations in France in the "locations" drop-down box. Useful information: To hire a car in France you must be at least 21 years old; some car-hire firms will not hire vehicles to drivers under 25. You must hold a valid drivers license (or driving licence) , and you must have held this licence for a year or more. Drivers from other European Union countries and some other countries do not need an International Driving licence. Tourists from Asia, Australia, Africa, and many parts of the Americas (including some US states) must have an International Driving License. It is advisable to check with your local driving organisation, tour operator, or the local French embassy if you are in any doubt about this document. An international driving license is a document you will need to obtain in your own country, before coming to France. About-France.com is not a car hire company; the role of this web page is to allow travellers to compare cheap car hire options offered by a number of companies and/or brokers, and to book car hire on line using the services of the companies concerned. By using this form, you will be taken to carhireengine.co.uk, a U.K. based car-hire broker working with reputable low-cost car-hire operators throughout France and worldwide. By using this service, you will have a choice of cheap car hire options from several different companies, often including unbeatable rates. Any booking contract made through this site is a contract between you, the user, and the car hire company selected. Under no circumstances can About-France.com be considered as party to or guarantor of any car hire contract entered into by users of this website. Travellers are reminded that it is unusual for car hire companies to guarantee a specific model of car; in virtually all cases, advanced bookings will guarantee a specific type of car (compact, economy, limousine, etc.), but not a specific make. This is true even with the largest operators, except when specific terms of contract guarantee a particular make of vehicle and/or model. Other useful sites:
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