Car rental in France
The country a car was made for
France rewards a road trip like nowhere else in Europe: a full day's drive can take you from Channel beaches to Mediterranean coves, past vineyards, châteaux, gorges and Alpine passes on the way. Whether you're renting for a week on the Riviera or leasing for a month-long tour, the distances are civilised and the roads are superb.
Where you can go
- Provence & the Riviera - lavender, hill villages and the Côte d'Azur from Nice to Saint-Tropez
- The Loire Valley - the great châteaux, an easy loop south-west of Paris
- The French Alps - Chamonix, Annecy and the high passes toward Italy and Switzerland
- The Dordogne & the south-west - castles, caves, wine and the Basque coast
- Alsace - the wine route and half-timbered towns along the German border
- Brittany & Normandy - wild coastline, D-Day beaches and Mont-Saint-Michel
Driving in France
The motorway network (autoroutes) is fast, well-kept and mostly tolled - pay by card at the barriers or use a toll tag. National (N) and departmental (D) roads are free and often the more scenic choice.
Two things to know: many cities (Paris, Lyon, Grenoble and more) require a Crit'Air low-emission sticker to enter, and rural priority rules still favour traffic joining from the right in some towns. Fuel and services are plentiful on the autoroutes; rural stations can close on Sundays.
Good to know
France is the ideal base for a longer European trip - one-way journeys between French cities are straightforward, and neighbouring countries are all within a day's drive. Pick a city below to see its pickup points and check live prices for your dates.