Car Rentals at Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport

Paris Charles de Gaulle is also known as the Roissy Airport, and is located approximately 25 km, or 16 miles northeast of Paris. It is the largest airport in France, and also one of the largest in the world, with passenger figures which exceed 58 million per annum. The airport is a hub for the airline companies of Air France, Delta Air Lines and Easyjet, and some of the most popular destinations served include Algiers, New York, London, Dublin and Casablanca. All facilities are available for arriving passengers within the airport’s three terminal buildings, which include the Charles de Gaulle car hire companies. Car hire is especially popular at this location for passengers who wish to travel to the surrounding areas of Paris, and to other cities nearby.

At the airport there are many satellite terminal buildings, as well as main passenger areas, and each terminal is dedicated to a number of airline carriers. In general, Air France has a large space in Terminal 2, and the low-cost and charter airline carriers operate from Terminal 3. Terminal 1 is the largest and older of the terminal buildings, as is was the first to be constructed, and its unique circular and ‘octopus’ design is particularly famous. It has seven satellite buildings for boarding and arrival operations, but facilities for arriving passengers are found on the upper levels of the main building. Level five has the baggage reclaim areas and the customs offices. The Charles de Gaulle car rental companies are also found in the arrival areas of all terminal buildings. However, should you need to transfer to another building, the CDGVAL automatic light rail system is available, and is free to use. The rail system connects all three terminals, as well as the remote car parking areas and the RER and TGV railway stations of the airport.

Car hire companies found at theaAirport include Hertz, Sixt, Avis, Europcar, Budget, Easycar, National, Alamo and Auto Europa, and these are all internationally recognised companies offering competitive rental rates and a wide range of vehicles for hire in Paris. Avis is a company that has many years of experience, and offers the unique service of the Avis Preferred membership. Avis can be found in the arrivals area of Terminals 1, 2B, 2C, 2D and 2F. Passengers are also fond of the car rental services of Europcar, Hertz, Sixt and National. Hertz is the largest provider of car rental services in the world, and along with the other car hire companies, can be found in Terminals 1, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D and 2F. Europcar has offices in Terminal 3 as well.  

These popular car hire companies are also located at the other major airport in Paris, known as Paris Orly Airport, and therefore, passengers can arrange, from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, one way hires, which will allow the vehicle to be delivered to another rental location. Passengers who have departure flights from Paris Orly can then use their rented car from Charles de Gaulle for travelling all Paris attractions, and then return it to Paris Orly when they are leaving the city. One way hires are available from most car hire companies, and can also be returned to other rental locations in the city or surrounding areas.

From the car hire companies at Charles de Gaulle Airport, passengers can rent additional equipment, such as child seats, satellite navigation systems and luggage racks, and disabled passengers can use hand controls free of charge. This device is useful for customers with a lower limb deficiency, as it operates the brake and accelerator pedals of an automatic vehicle. Hand controls, as well as all other additional items of equipment are best reserved in advance. Since that this is such a large and busy airport, it is also wise to book your rented car as early as possible as well.

Vehicles available at this airport location are most often arranged into various car groups, such as Mini, Economy, Compact, Intermediate Premium and Full Size Van. Customers will therefore select a category, rather than vehicles by its specific make and model. Cars of a smaller model are generally less expensive to hire, and are ideal for those who don’t have too much luggage to transport. They are also fuel efficient. Smaller cars may be similar to the Renault Twingo, Opel Corsa and Citroen C3. Larger sedan models available include the BMW Series 1, Citroen C5 and Mercedes Class C, while vans seating seven are the Opel Zafira and Renault Espace. A van ideal for nine is the Renault Trafic Combi.   

The main roads leading from the airport are the A1 and the N2. The A1 leads south to the city of Paris, as well as north through the Parc naturel regional Oise-Pays de France, and to further areas such as Lille. The N2 highway that borders the airport on its southern and eastern sides heads in a north-easterly direction. From Paris, the A4 leads to Reims, the A5 heads south to Dijon, and the A6 is followed to Lyon. To the west, the A11 leads to Le Mans and Rennes. Driving in the centre of Paris should be attempted with caution, as the roads can be very busy, and there are usually limited parking spaces available. A rented car is therefore best for the outskirts of the city. However, regardless of where you drive, be careful to always follow the speed limits, which in Paris are as follows:  110 km/h or 70 mph on motorways and highways, 90 km/h or 55 mph on open roads and 50 km/h or 30 mph in urban areas.

Further details regarding the Paris Charles de Gaulle car hire companies can be found online, in particular from the website of your chosen car rental company.