Do you often dream of France? About how great it would be, on a fine summer day, to stroll past the fountains in the Parisian Tuileries Gardens or, putting on a new shirt, slowly sip coffee on the Rue Édouard Herriot in Lyon. About how beautiful the Marseilles sunsets are on the Belges Quay, where you dropped by to drink wine in one of the local restaurants. Or about the serenity that evenings in Nice and Cannes give.
Imagine a huge canvas of an unsurpassed master, on which right before your eyes, with an insane palette, the songs of Mireille Mathieu merge with the images of paintings by Francois Boucher, the perfumes of Chanel with the first patterns of Yves Saint Laurent, where Belmondo's charisma meets the deep taste of wine from the province of Alsace, and heroes of Victor Hugo beckon to take part in all the vicissitudes of such a crazy action.
How many colors from this palette would you try? A dozen? A hundred? Maybe all at once? You are incredibly lucky, because right now we will go on an unforgettable road trip across the expanses of France. And all we need for this is to rent a car. This will be discussed further.
The geography of France is quite diverse. There are plains, alpine mountain passes, and steep serpentines. A car breakdown and the search for the nearest workshop in such places can take quite a lot of time and completely ruin the experience of the trip. That is why you should play it safe and trust the agency with the option of assistance anywhere in the world. Such services are provided by the Rentalcars agency.
Booking conditions
The online car booking procedure on the Rentalcars website follows the standard scheme: choosing dates, specifying the region, pick-up point, drop-off point, type of car, adding the required options and filling out a short questionnaire. Payment is made on the spot, at the office of the company, upon receipt of the car keys.
- Fuel policy. The customer receives and returns the vehicle with a full fuel tank.
- Mileage. In the overwhelming majority of cases, Rentalcars rents cars with no mileage limit, however, some car brands are subject to restrictions.
- Additional options. The list of additional paid options includes the following: insurance, child seat, GPS navigator, winter tires, wheel chains and ski bindings.
- Airport taxes. If the client has chosen the airport as the pick-up point for the car, the car is subject to an additional fee for being in the parking lot. The cost of such a service is 37.5 euros. The check is valid for a month.
- Road assistance package. The option is a visit of a specialist to the place of your car breakdown and elimination of the malfunction. The package price is 35 euros and is valid for the entire rental period.
The AviaSales low price calendar will help you plan your trip to France in advance.
Required documents
The procedure for booking a car does not require any additional certificates and papers in addition to the standard package of documents. It includes:
- international passport
- national passport
- international driving license
- bank card with an amount equal to the amount of the collateral. When renting a luxury car, you may need several bank cards.
The driver must be at least 21 years old. Drivers between 21 and 25 years of age are subject to an additional “young driver's fee” ranging from € 30 to € 300 per month, depending on the rental period. Another prerequisite is driving experience from one year.
Book your hotel room in advance, during high season they run out very quickly. Check out the best deals to date:
Departure outside of France
Car communication with the EU countries does not require any additional documents; it is enough to have both passports and an international driver's license with you. The only exceptions are the countries on whose territory there is a "road toll", for which you will need to purchase a special permit (vignette) at the state border. The list of such countries includes:
- Austria
- Bulgaria
- Hungary
- Romania
- Moldavia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Czech Republic
- Switzerland
In the vastness of France, there are also toll road sections. Among them:
- Tunnel Mont Blanc, connecting France and Italy - 54 euros round trip, 43 euros one way.
- Frejus Tunnel connecting France and Italy - 54 euros round trip, 43 euros one way.
- Millau cable-stayed bridge - from 7.80 to 9.80 depending on the season.
- The bridge between the city of La Rochelle and the island of Ré - from 8 to 16 euros, depending on the season.
- Tancarville Bridge - 2.60 euros.
- Bridge of Normandy - 5.40 euros.
- Channel Tunnel - in case you suddenly decide to visit Foggy Albion, be prepared to shell out from 23 to 79 British pounds.
Don't miss the best deals on last minute tours to France.
Car rental cost
Like most other rental agencies, Rentalcars is primarily interested in long-term rentals. Therefore, daily car rental may not be the cheapest pleasure. It is much more profitable to rent a car for a week or more, in which case the daily rate is reduced several times.
Consider the daily rates for various categories of cars, subject to weekly rentals.
- Fiat 500 etc. - from 32 euros;
- VW Polo etc. - from 35 euros;
- Peugeot etc. - from 38 euros;
- Opel Mokka etc. - from 39 euros;
- BMW Series 1 etc. - from 44 euros;
- Peugeot 3008 etc. - from 46 euros;
- VW Touran etc. - from 48 euros;
- Skoda Octavia Combi, etc. - from 50 euros;
- VW Passat SW etc. - from 55 euros;
- Ford Galaxy etc. - from 65 euros;
- Mercedes-Benz Classe E etc. - from 65 euros;
- Citroen Jumpy etc. - from 79 euros;
- Jaguar XF, etc. - from 90 euros.
Please note that the rental price already includes insurance and all fees required for free movement. This is the final figure, nothing else needs to be paid.
Also, after receiving the keys to the car, an amount equal to double the rental cost will be blocked on your bank card. This amount is called a deductible (deposit). The blocking will be released automatically after you return the car back to the office.
You probably didn't think about it, but you can get to France, in particular to Paris, not only through the sky, but also by land. Such options are suitable for those who are afraid to fly or want to significantly save on the cost of the trip. Compare the cost of train tickets:
And on the bus:
Fuel and refueling costs
There are 4 types of fuel used in France:
- AI-95 - 1.35 euros per liter;
- AI-98 - 1.40 euros per liter;
- Diesel fuel - 1.17 euros per liter;
- Gas - 0.69 euros per liter.
Most profitably, you can refuel within the city, in contrast to the province, where gas stations slightly overestimate the cost of a liter of fuel.
Features of traffic rules
Particular attention, on the roads of France, is given to compliance with the speed limit. It is forbidden to use so-called "anti-radars" here, and the roads are literally crammed with speed cameras. It is also worth highlighting such a feature as a ban on talking on a mobile phone while driving, even with a hands-free headset. This rule came into force in 2015 and applies to absolutely all road users, including cyclists.
Otherwise, the rules are no different from those of other EU countries. Speed limits: city - 50 km / h, suburb - 90 km / h, highway - 110 km / h, expressway - 130 km / h.
If you don't feel like bothering about finding flights and hotels, look for a ready-made tour to France. Often, a package tour is much more profitable than buying tickets and booking a hotel separately. The best prices for tours are offered by the OnlineTours service, enter the dates and see for yourself:
Penalties
Hurry to catch the sunset on the azure coast? Reduce your fervor.Speeding can bankrupt you between € 45 and € 180. Spent a day at the winery tasting wines from the cool cellar? Don't drive! If your blood alcohol level exceeds 0.5 ppm, you will be in big trouble. By the way, since 2012, the presence of a breathalyzer in a car is a prerequisite, avoiding which is punishable by a fine.
Remember, the French Highway Inspectorate has every right to stop the car and collect the violation on the spot. That being said, never try to bribe a police officer, even if you face the harshest fine. In the absence of the amount required for payment, the driver has the right to refuse to pay the fine on the spot. In this case, the employee of the road inspection is obliged to write out a receipt, with which you can appear at the bank branch or pay online.
And so that upon arrival in France not to puzzle over how to get to the hotel you need, use the online booking of transfers around the world Kiwi. The whole procedure is very simple - choose the date, the place from where you need to be picked up, the level of comfort of the car, make an advance payment and that's it! At the exit from the airport, a driver with a sign will be waiting for you
Traffic fines in France are strictly classified. There are 5 penalty classes in total:
- 1st class - from 11 to 33 euros;
- 2nd class - from 17 to 33 euros;
- 3rd class - from 22 to 75 euros;
- 4th class - from 45 to 180 euros;
- 5th grade - from 90 to 375 euros.
In case of evasion of payment, the case is referred to the court, and the amount of the fine may increase tenfold.
Parking
In France, the issue of parking is quite acute. For example, you are prohibited from leaving your car for more than 24 hours on a public street. At the same time, you still have to pay for parking. This can be done through the street terminal, with a special card, which can be purchased at any tobacco kiosk.
The issue with the capital is more complicated. Due to the heavy traffic congestion and the struggle for the cleanliness of the environment, from 8 am to 8 pm, entry into the city is prohibited for cars manufactured earlier than 1997. For that, there is also a positive moment - a free online service for booking a parking space www.parkingsdeparis.com.
As they say - "beauty requires sacrifice." We accept Paris as it is.
And if ideas for traveling in France run out, use the online excursion booking service. The most popular excursions in Paris:
