Hello,
I am going to Paris with my 13 year old son for 6 days around the beginning of September. While we primarily care about visiting Paris unfortunately we are staying in a Mariott timeshare closed to Disney.
The train runs from that area directly to downtown so the days we are going downtown I know we will take the train. So the question becomes why would I even think about renting a car?
I am inclined to do this because of the following:
1) We can drive to the train station rather than take a hotel shuttle. Do most RER train stations have parking and how much do they charge?
2) Friday Arrival in Paris. There are shuttles that go to Disney area but I%26#39;ve yet to find one that does not advertise going to downtown as part of their ad. Also the train looks like it would take at least an hour and a half excluding the shuttle time. I figure that we will save at least an hour of time by renting a car. Will I be so %26quot;loopy%26quot; from a transatlantic flight that driving is crazy? Is traffic so bad that even though Mapquest says 35 minutes driving that I should disregard this and just take the train.
3) Not worried about getting lost because of GPS. Love Garmin and I do plan to buy the European card before going.
4) Miscellaneous stops. I think that there are a fair number of places where public transportation is inconvenient. Some places where I%26#39;m thinking driving makes more sense are Fountainebleu (sp) and the other cheauteau in Southeast suburbs. The cemetary where Jim Morrison is buried. The english speaking church we plan to attend and a few others. Are there other places where you would suggest driving rather than taking public transport?
5) Muslim suburbs where rioting took place. Forgive me for saying it but if I took my 13 year old son for a walk in a Muslim neighborhood I think he would be scared and perhaps I should be as well. By driving I can see the suburb and stop someplace and eat lunch without scaring him. Would visiting a suburb such as this be just a terrible idea for an American tourist?
Well those are some of my reasons. We are on a budget and I don%26#39;t want to waste money but I am inclined to think that renting a car makes the most sense.
Last question. When the rental companies say %26quot;no-air%26quot; are they serious??? I am hoping that this is just a way of moving people to the next highest car but I tend to think they mean it.
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It is possible you have over analyzed your situation.
1. There is parking at Chessy (DLP). I have parked here 6-8 times but do not remember it being terribly expensive, maybe 20 -25 euros a day.
2. The train from Chessy to Chatelet is about 45 minutes to one hour. You will not save time by driving.
3. Lost is not the problem with a GPS in Paris, taking the time to interpret what a GPS is telling you in reference to the real time traffic around you is.
4. An automobile will be a hindrance more than a time-saving convenience for most of the places you want to visit. The English speaking church and Pere La Chaise (cemetery) are located in the heart of Paris, you%26#39;ll spend more time looking for parking than any possible gain in time by avoiding public transportation. Paris is not the kind of town through which tourists should be driving, even with a GPS which I believe will be much less effective in this situation than you think.
Cars are more likely to have air conditioning than are hotel rooms but you may find some of the smaller cars without it.
If you were staying several weeks, then yes a car would be nice to visit Chartres, Chantilly, Giverny, even Versailles but you only have 6 days. Save the rental expense and buy a 6 day Paris Visite.
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I live in Paris and do not have or want a car.
You can do most things by using public transportation. It is not as convenient as jumping in a car of course but parking is often a problem when you get to your destination. It will also make your experience more authentic !
Driving is not difficult esp. with GPS and starting at CDG but parking is.
Jim Morisson is at Pere Lachaise in town. There is a metro stop called Pere Lachaise.
Versailles is also on metro.
If you need A/C in car, you have to ask for it. Entry level samll cars may not always have it.
If you stay in main roads you should not be concerned about ethnic neighborhoods.
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Not to mention parking in or near Paris is expensive.
Also be prepared to drive a manual shift car, as this is the %26#39;norm%26#39;. You may reserve an automatic but find on arrival that there are none left.
The Carte Orange pass or the Paris Visite pass for 5 zones will cover your metro/RER rides to/from Disney, Versailles, CDG, all of Paris for the respective periods of their validities.
www.transport-idf.com/frontal…
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I wouldn%26#39;t drive in Paris.
Going to Pere LaChaise, for example, it%26#39;s actually much better to enter via the Gambetta from the north side and explore downhill rather than up. Once at the other side, you%26#39;d have to hike uphill to get back to your car.
GPS is great. But, when the streets are very close together and you have to navigate through many lanes of traffic to make a turn (and stay out of the bus/taxi lanes), and considering all the one-way streets, I don%26#39;t believe it will be as easy as you think.
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Two reasons I do not drive in Paris: Cost and stress. Public transportation is done right here and I let someone else drive while I get to sight see, eat, read or sleep.
With the Forfait Loisirs from SNCF, you get Train and entrance in one, too easy. So many places are reachable by train, metro, tram and bus. I am busy just finding all the reachable sites.
You will not get AC, you will not get an American sized car unless you really upgrade (100+euro a day), you will have to pay for gas, you will have to pay for parking, you will go crazy trying to find parking, and my favorite, you may not get unlimited mileage.
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Jeff,
We just rented a car in Paris and as it relates to your situation, here are my thoughts.
You will not be as mentally sharp as you should be when you arrive. Even with a navigation system it was not that easy to get of of town from the airport.
If you really want to have access to a car, I would suggest you rent it from the Disney Land area. I would NOT recommend driving in Paris. I think you would be just fine going to some of the towns outside of the city and to and from the train station if you want the freedom of not having to deal with the hotel shuttle.
The cost of renting a car almost doubles from the internet quote by the time you add insurance and taxes. Our insurance company covers rental cars, but we still get the rental car coverage every time we travel to Europe. I cannot imagine what it would be like to try to sort through the paperwork of a foreign accident and then try to explain to them that they have to wait for payment from State Farm in the USA.
Have a great time and I am confident that by the end of the first day you will have mastered the RER/metro system.
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Thanks for all of your feedback. I am very impressed at how thorough and helpful all of your posts were and looking forward to posting more questions as planning the vacation is more fun for me than the trip itself!
Won%26#39;t be renting a car. Just doesn%26#39;t sound like it is would be worth the costs involved.
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heh heh - I see I have arrived too late to this subject but it does not matter because you have seen sense.
I drove from Rome to Paris (stopping everywhere along the way) 2 years ago without a problem. Just trying to return the car to it%26#39;s Paris depot was enough to convince me NO-ONE should drive in Paris. It is a whole different kettle of fish.
If anyone wants to drive thru France (as opposed to Paris) make sure you pick up the car from the outskirts of Paris. It will be a lot easier.
:)
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NO - DON%26#39;T rent a car since you are staying in Paris.
Previously drove Orly to Rome (we missed our train) and last year rented a car in the Loire and drove to Burgundy. we picked up our car at Orly and again in the Loire. It is simply not worth the hassle to rent a car when you are staying in Paris because the Metro and RER work SO well! Parking is expensive and hard to find. Petrol is expensive and not hard to find - just expensive. CDW is just expensive, but I%26#39;d rather pay for the peace of mind than end up dealing with insurance people after I return home!
Take the RER to Disneyland. Tickets will be a pittance compared to rental rates (w/ or w/out CDW insurance).
There is NO reason to rent a car IN Paris. If you are traveling outside for a few days, then it is worthwhile, otherwise, it is not, GPS or not......
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