Renting a Car in Paris - Driving in Paris

Apr 17

Renting a car in Paris seems to be a good idea until visitors understand what it means to be driving in Paris. Renting a car in Paris may seem to grant you ultimate freedom, but in reality driving in Paris is a nightmare. Traffic and congestion in Paris is horrific. Dealing with Parisians while driving [...] [...more]

Posted: under Destinations and Places, Driving in Paris, Paris.
Tags: Driving in Paris, Paris vacation rentals, Paris vacations, Parking in Paris, Renting a Car in Paris

Renting a car in Paris seems to be a good idea until visitors understand what it means to be driving in Paris. Renting a car in Paris may seem to grant you ultimate freedom, but in reality driving in Paris is a nightmare. Traffic and congestion in Paris is horrific. Dealing with Parisians while driving in Paris is a scary experience and finding a parking spot proves to be almost impossible. Like most cities, the municipality of Paris did everything to discourage the use of cars.

Parking is strictly regulated. Your car will be towed within minutes if parked illegally. If you are lucky enough to find a street parking spot, you will have to go back to the car every 2 hours to add more money to the meter. Otherwise, you will arrive at your car to find a parking violation ticket or two. Parking violations provide a big source of revenue for the city of Paris. Most street parking consists of meters. Use a prepaid card that can only be purchased in Bar Tabac, bars that are licensed to sell cigarettes. Paris residents get priority and may purchase a resident permit which offers great discounts and allows them to keep their spots for weeks or as long as they pay. Those parking spots are pretty much unavailable for visitors and minimize the number of available parking spots even more. If you still end up renting a car in Paris and decide to make use of public parking you need to make sure that you find space and are aware that costs could run up to $25 per day. We strongly suggest that you drop the idea of renting a car in Paris and use public transportation, a taxi, bicycle or your feet.

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Advice for Driving in Paris - Paris Vacation Rentals

Apr 17

Driving in Paris is definitely challenging and you should definitely read up on advice for driving in Paris before doing so. Parisians tend to be aggressive drivers that get upset very easily. The traffic and congestion in Paris is almost unbearable which further stresses Parisian drivers to the point of losing their minds. The best [...] [...more]

Posted: under Destinations and Places, Driving in Paris, Paris.
Tags: Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees, Driving in Paris, France, Paris holiday rentals, Paris vacation rentals, Paris vacations

Driving in Paris is definitely challenging and you should definitely read up on advice for driving in Paris before doing so. Parisians tend to be aggressive drivers that get upset very easily. The traffic and congestion in Paris is almost unbearable which further stresses Parisian drivers to the point of losing their minds. The best advice for driving in Paris is not to do so but if you are going to anyways, make sure you prepare yourself. Drivers in Paris are much less civil than in London or Los Angeles and don’t respect many regulations. Some of them would undoubtedly run you over if you cross the street too slowly. Visitors in Paris are urged to admire Paris’ beautiful architecture from the safety of the sidewalks or your Paris vacation rentals window. There are many lodging options for you to choose from within Paris such as hotels, more affordable Paris vacation rentals and Paris holiday rentals.

An important piece of advice for driving in Paris: Careful around the Arc de Triomphe. The most terrifying experience while driving in Paris is to cross the Arc de Triomphe. It is one of the most admired monuments in Paris but it also one of the most dangerous. L arc de Triomphe is located in a district called l Etoile and is where several Avenues originate including the world-famous Avenue des Champs Elysees. The problem is that there are 10 avenues that circle the Arc de Triomphe and an enormous flow of cars arriving from all sides. Unfortunately, there is not much advice for driving in Paris around the Arc de Triomphe. There are no priority rules except that weaker drivers stop and stronger driver run. Skip renting a car in Paris and instead let your decisions to be focused on the most perfect of the Paris vacation rentals.

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Should You Drive in Paris - Paris vacation rentals

Apr 17

The city of Paris is a very complex and difficult to understand. If you are trying to decide whether or not should you drive in Paris, there are many things to consider. There is a web of streets going in all different directions that makes it difficult for even locals to get a good sense [...] [...more]

Posted: under Destinations and Places, Driving in Paris, Paris.
Tags: Drive in Paris, France, Paris vacation rentals

The city of Paris is a very complex and difficult to understand. If you are trying to decide whether or not should you drive in Paris, there are many things to consider. There is a web of streets going in all different directions that makes it difficult for even locals to get a good sense of direction. A GPS is definitely of great help for visitors in Paris. In fact, should you drive in Paris, never attempt to do so without a GPS.

Following are the hurdles that you will find, should you drive in Paris:
- Difficulty understanding the street layout of Paris
- Aggressive Parisian drivers
- Constant traffic and congestion
- Difficulty finding parking spots
- While parked, the municipality makes it difficult to keep meters paid
- A police force that exists almost solely to give you traffic violations

Should you drive in Paris? For the above reasons, we strongly suggest that you don’t. Only rent a car if you intend to explore the surrounding areas of Paris or other cities in France or Europe. Use public transportation and taxis to get to and from your Paris vacation rentals. Paris offers plenty of wonderful lodging options including hotels and spacious, affordable Paris vacation rentals.

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Driving from Paris - France vacation rentals

Apr 17

Driving from the north of Paris to the south takes about 12 hours using the city’s efficient network of highways called auto routes. Europe is relatively small and driving from Paris is a good way to explore France and other countries in Europe. Since the mid-90’s it is easy to get from Paris to London [...] [...more]

Posted: under Destinations and Places, Driving in Paris, Paris.
Tags: Driving from Paris, France, France accommodations, France vacation rentals

Driving from the north of Paris to the south takes about 12 hours using the city’s efficient network of highways called auto routes. Europe is relatively small and driving from Paris is a good way to explore France and other countries in Europe. Since the mid-90’s it is easy to get from Paris to London by car. Using the Eurotunnel will get you there in about 6 hours. Italy is an 8 hour drive, Spain is a 10 hour drive and Brussels is a 3 hour drive. Drivers driving from Paris should be aware of a few tips about driving in France. The French highway has a speed limit of 130 km per hour.

This speed limit has been strictly enforced for the past few years and it would not be weird to see cops waiting for you to make an error while driving from Paris. Respect the speed limit while driving from Paris and you will be fine. Car is definitely the best mode of transportation if you intend to tour several cities. There are a few rules to understand while driving on highways:

• Respect the speed limit
• Left lanes are used by cars traveling at faster speeds. Slower cars should stay on right lanes. It is dangerous to drive slowly on the left lane and French drivers are likely to tailgate you.
• Don’t go too slow either
• Don’t travel at the beginning or end of holidays or long weekends in order to avoid long hours of traffic.

Look for the best lodging options for you such as hotels and France vacation rentals. France vacation rentals are spacious and more affordable than hotels. Look into the variety of different France vacation rentals available to you.

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Geography of Paris - Driving in Paris

Apr 17

The geography of Paris is divided into 20 Arrondissements that take the shape of an escargot. There is no logic in the way the streets were created. The geography of Paris consists of a web of streets that are very hard to understand. The Peripherique is a highway that follows a ring shape around the [...] [...more]

Posted: under Destinations and Places, Driving in Paris, Paris.
Tags: Driving in Paris, France, Geography of Paris, Paris holiday apartments, Paris vacations

The geography of Paris is divided into 20 Arrondissements that take the shape of an escargot. There is no logic in the way the streets were created. The geography of Paris consists of a web of streets that are very hard to understand. The Peripherique is a highway that follows a ring shape around the Arrondissements.

Nowadays, the peripherique is almost always congested. Paris is a large metropolis of almost 12 million people and, like most large cities, traffic is horrendous. Paris is an old city and the urbanism was never orchestrated to make sure that visitors would understand the logic of the geography of Paris. Streets have names instead of numbers. Driving in the US is usually quite simple because of street numbers. Driving in Paris is confusing, to say the least. Using a GPS or a guide while driving in Paris is a must.

If you will be based in Paris, look into reserving Paris vacation rentals or Paris holiday apartments.

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Paris’ Golden Driving Rules - Driving in Paris

Apr 17

Traffic and parking violations are a large source of revenue for the City of Paris. Police officers will ensure that you will comply with traffic laws and Paris’ golden driving rules while driving in Paris or pay a fine. Paris vacation rental guests should be aware of the tight parking situation and its potential to [...] [...more]

Posted: under Destinations and Places, Driving in Paris, Paris.
Tags: Driving in Paris, France, Paris, Paris Driving Rules, Paris vacation rentals

Traffic and parking violations are a large source of revenue for the City of Paris. Police officers will ensure that you will comply with traffic laws and Paris’ golden driving rules while driving in Paris or pay a fine. Paris vacation rental guests should be aware of the tight parking situation and its potential to cause acquisition of fines. Vacationers should also be careful when driving in Paris because the police will fine you for:

• Excessive speeding
• Speed limits are strongly enforced with fixed and mobile radars all over the city. Parisian police are exceptionally sneaky. If you must drive while in Paris, make sure to carefully observe and respect all speed limit signs. It is not uncommon for speed limits on the same street to change. This is especially true on The Quai of Paris. The Quai is where Princess Diana died. Follow the flow of cars very carefully. The Peripherique, the ring around Paris, has fixed radars that may cause you to get caught speeding and get fined.
• Noncompliance with some of Paris’ golden driving rules

Paris vacation rental guests that want to drive should know that Paris’ golden driving rules are to:

1. Buckle up
2. No talking on the phone while driving in Paris (unless you have an ear piece)
3. No drinking and driving in Paris
4. Respect red lights

There is zero tolerance for violation of Paris’ golden driving rules. While you are in Paris on vacation, enjoy the city and avoid the stress of having a car. If you get stopped while driving in Paris, be nice and polite and don’t speak French (even if you understand or speak French). Most of the cops won’t speak English and if things are too complicated and the violation is minor, there is a good chance they will let you go. If you receive a fine while driving in Paris, you may pay it or let them go after you in your hometown whether that is Miami or New York. Unless you injure someone else, chances of encountering problems on your trip to Paris are slim.

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