Here are some tips if you want to drive in France. Don't.
Just joking.
I do have to say, it is quite an experience, pretty scary actually especially if your car does not have any power since people honk at you but there's no way to go any faster when you are going uphill. Drivers have not been very nice to me, maybe because I'm a bad driver, and I am rarely forgiven. It's hard driving a stick shift, adapting to a new road with foreign signs, different driving practices. Sadly, it is a necessity sometimes.
I got a one way rental from Aix-en-Provence to Annecy for 2 days for about 166 € including additional insurance. It was the cheapest I could find and for the summer I forgave myself for this price. Not sure it was a good price but really it was the only choice.
Some of the cities were really scary to drive in, like Marseille, where everyone is meal. Parking is also difficult - I had to park rather far away from the center of town in Cassis and Marseille, which isn't the worst because it means parking could be less expensive, but still sucked. Here are some sample street parking rates in the cities.
Aix-en-Provence - 2 €/hour
Cassis - 4 €/hour
Marseille - 1.50 €/hour
Guess that's not a lot of data points. One night I parked in the garage in Aix-en-Provence, arriving around 8.00pm and leaving the next morning around 10.00am, and my parking was 6.50 € total. I was a bit bitter I could not find free parking, but there was some kind of crazy fight or argument going on outside the apartment and I think people were destroying cars, so in the end it was probably the right decision. Also, my teacher had her car window smashed by some random people, so perhaps sometimes it is better to exercise caution.
For gas, usually you pump the gas and then pay inside the store. HOWEVER, I encountered one gas station which required prepayment, told me they debit your card, but you are only charged for what you consume. They failed to tell me (or maybe I failed to understand or should have asked) that I had to go back into the store after to pay the exact amount, and since I used under the amount I authorized, they charged me that full amount. Sad times. So, just be careful.
Otherwise, nothing too much about driving. Google maps works fine as a GPS, so one does not need an extra navigation system from the car company. I felt pretty safe on the roads except when I was being honked at for being slow in which I got very stressed, but otherwise nothing much.
Good luck!
Additional information: I forgot to discuss this, I looked at my bill after I had already returned the car and paid, and noticed that the exchange rate Europcar gave me was absolutely horrendous. I think I paid a 10% or more premium. The worst thing is it was on the initial estimate, and I should have perused that more closely, but I did not. So, check your bill and if you are using an international credit card and they do this to you, I recommend paying cash in Euros so you do not get screwed on the exchange rate.
Just joking.
I do have to say, it is quite an experience, pretty scary actually especially if your car does not have any power since people honk at you but there's no way to go any faster when you are going uphill. Drivers have not been very nice to me, maybe because I'm a bad driver, and I am rarely forgiven. It's hard driving a stick shift, adapting to a new road with foreign signs, different driving practices. Sadly, it is a necessity sometimes.
I got a one way rental from Aix-en-Provence to Annecy for 2 days for about 166 € including additional insurance. It was the cheapest I could find and for the summer I forgave myself for this price. Not sure it was a good price but really it was the only choice.
Some of the cities were really scary to drive in, like Marseille, where everyone is meal. Parking is also difficult - I had to park rather far away from the center of town in Cassis and Marseille, which isn't the worst because it means parking could be less expensive, but still sucked. Here are some sample street parking rates in the cities.
Aix-en-Provence - 2 €/hour
Cassis - 4 €/hour
Marseille - 1.50 €/hour
Guess that's not a lot of data points. One night I parked in the garage in Aix-en-Provence, arriving around 8.00pm and leaving the next morning around 10.00am, and my parking was 6.50 € total. I was a bit bitter I could not find free parking, but there was some kind of crazy fight or argument going on outside the apartment and I think people were destroying cars, so in the end it was probably the right decision. Also, my teacher had her car window smashed by some random people, so perhaps sometimes it is better to exercise caution.
For gas, usually you pump the gas and then pay inside the store. HOWEVER, I encountered one gas station which required prepayment, told me they debit your card, but you are only charged for what you consume. They failed to tell me (or maybe I failed to understand or should have asked) that I had to go back into the store after to pay the exact amount, and since I used under the amount I authorized, they charged me that full amount. Sad times. So, just be careful.
Otherwise, nothing too much about driving. Google maps works fine as a GPS, so one does not need an extra navigation system from the car company. I felt pretty safe on the roads except when I was being honked at for being slow in which I got very stressed, but otherwise nothing much.
Good luck!
Additional information: I forgot to discuss this, I looked at my bill after I had already returned the car and paid, and noticed that the exchange rate Europcar gave me was absolutely horrendous. I think I paid a 10% or more premium. The worst thing is it was on the initial estimate, and I should have perused that more closely, but I did not. So, check your bill and if you are using an international credit card and they do this to you, I recommend paying cash in Euros so you do not get screwed on the exchange rate.
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