Car Rental

[sippican]

DH is very wary about renting and driving in a foreign country, has visions of being locked up in a dreary cell for any minor traffic violation! :eek:

Anyway, I think I have him considering renting from Villefrance so we can DIY. Hertz has a great rate right from the port.

Will we need extra insurance? Any other suggestions to offer to make our rental experience successful?

[giraffelt]

Renting a car in Europe is really no different than in the US. I would suggest getting an International drivers licences - sounds more official than it really is, but sometimes the rental company asks and if you are stopped in a foreign country the license is multilingual. Easy to get through AAA- no test involved just a photo and payment.

 

As to insurance check with your domestic auto insurer but you probably aren't covered for overseas. I always take the total insurance package just for ease of mind. When I rented from Hertz in Italy i took the super insurance package - (yes, expensive but driving a mercedes on the Amalfi coast I didn't want to have any worries. ) I wanted to make sure that the coverage was total without deductibles so I said to the agent - If I drive the car over the cliffs into the ocean am I totally covered. The answer was "No sir, you have to return the keys but not the car".

 

I find driving in Europe easier than in North America because the roundabouts are more efficient than traffic signals - just go with the flow.

 

Beware however of the days and hours of operations. Most rental locations in France close from 12-2 and very few are open on Sunday.

 

larry