Car Rentals in Paris France

Paris, France, is a city filled with beautiful sights, iconic images and romantic tendencies. It's also a city filled with lots of cars! Due to the size of the city and the number of attractions it holds, it can be tempting to simply rent a car and drive to where you wish to go. While car rentals in Paris, France, may be less expensive than taking a taxi during your visit, there are some things you need to be aware of before driving in the city of romance. Here's what you need to know about car rentals in Paris, France.

Renting a Car in Paris, France

A valid United States driver’s license is acceptable for car rentals and driving in Western Europe, but not in Eastern Europe. If your trip sees you heading outside of Western Europe, then you may want to look into applying for an international driver's license.

Due to Europe's high automobile accident rate, most U.S. insurance agencies won't cover you overseas. If you rent a car in Paris, France, expect to pay between $10 and $20 a day for insurance.

It pays to call ahead and reserve your car rental in Paris, France -- about three weeks prior to your arrival should suffice. Let the travel agency know when you're going to be needing the car and to where you plan to drive. You can pre-pay for the car rental as well. Most rental car agencies familiar to Americans also do business in Paris, so you can use the Internet to search for the best rates and make, change or cancel any reservations right online.

Driving a Rental Car in Paris, France

Driving a rental car on a Paris, France tour, can be a wild, and if you're not careful, dangerous experience. Your attention is necessary at all times because the speed at which the traffic flows is Europe is quite high and European drivers are very unforgiving.

Most car rentals in Europe are small cars and they nearly all feature stick shifts. If you don't know how to drive a manual transmission, this is definitely not the place to learn!

The majority of previous visitors to Paris, France, advise not to attempt driving in the city, but if you're heading outside of the main flow of traffic, a car rental can be a welcome addition to your sightseeing freedom. Most importantly, before driving in Europe, you should familiarize yourself with the country's traffic signs and patterns. For example, in the country's many roundabouts, it's the incoming cars that have the right of way, not the other way around as we're used to in the United States. Many of the rules of the road are different when you travel in Paris, France and having someone familiar with the territory in the passenger seat is a must. Rent a car in Paris, France, and you'll learn first-hand just how exciting driving can be!