We will be in Nice the last week of July 2008. We only need a rental car for two days midweek. Is it necessary to rent before we leave the states, or would it be just as easy to rent when we get there?
Thx!
Jan
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you can make just as good a deal when you get there but your question begs another question....why do you need a car? Mostly, on the riviera a car is a pain. You can traverse the entire area by bus and rail and it is easy and cheap.
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We%26#39;re American! We like to get off on our own on our own timetable (think cowboy mentatlity) We just want it to go into the back country, and I%26#39;m afraid buses would take too much time. Am I wrong?
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If you have internet access in Nice, I%26#39;m guessing that you could probably locate as good a deal there as you can get before you leave. The local experts may have a different opinion about that, however.
I think a car is a good idea for part of your stay. You can get to places faster and, as you say, on your own schedule. Parking may be a problem at some of the more popular places however.
One place to visit nearby is La Turbie above Monaco. The Trophee des Alpes is interesting and there%26#39;s a great view of the Riviera. You could go there after Eze le village. http://la-turbie.monuments-nationaux.fr/
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We use Autoeurope, the 800 number.
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%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;you can make just as good a deal when you get there%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;
I have never found this to be the case if you can arrange for a rental through a broker (Autoeurope for example) before you leave. Arranging for a car in advance through a broker will always save you money (and %26quot;alway%26quot; is a term I rarely use here on the forum).
Unfortunately, brokers will not handle rentals for periods shorter than 3 days. Indeed, after a little research, one might find that the total cost of a one or two day rental often approximates the cost of a three day rental. Renting a car in France for just one or two days is financially impractical. It can be done of course but it is very expensive, in part due to the numerous %26quot;one time%26quot; charges: pickup fees and road tax fees.
If you only need a car for 2 days, there should be plenty of public transportation options available to satisfy your yearning for exploration.
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Personally as you only want it for two days I would wait until you get there to give you greater flexibility.
You may find when you get there that you don%26#39;t want to have a car after all.
If you are staying at a hotel they will be able to assist.
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I tried to rent a car last July in Nice by walking into the rental places beside the Meridien hotel. They only had large and incredibly expensive cars available, around the 300 euro a day mark or more. Everything else was already in use. The staff in Sixt, who I have always found helpful, explained that cars are brought from other areas for the peak holiday period but they bring only enough to meet bookings with a handful for walk ins.
If you want to go inland a car is more or less essential. If you are certain that you want a car for a day or two, my advice would be to book before you leave the US.
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That%26#39;s true about the three day rental, but nothing prevents you from returning it early. And the phone call is free.
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If a 2-day rental and a 3-day rental is about the same cost (which it is from my experience), then why not just keep it for 3 days and explore more places? I have not been to Nice during the last week of July so I don%26#39;t know about traffic. If traffic is not an issue, then having a car is always better than a train or bus. Some of the buses to the smaller villages are not very frequent at all.
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Understand your desire for flexibility but the end of July is one of the busiest periods on the coastal roads and not a good time to hire a car. It will take quite a time even to get out of Nice and hit the roads to the %26quot;back country%26quot;.
If by the back country you mean the touristy destinations like St Paul de Vence, St Tropez etc. the traffic there will be bad too.
Parking in itself could be a problem.
If you know exactly where you want to go recommend checking out if there are public transport alternatives, as these will give you less headaches than trying to drive yourselves in peak season.
If you do decide to rent a car, definitely book it in advance. Check out the cost comparison sites to get an idea of rates. The advice above about hiring for 3 days being cheaper than 2 often holds too and as said you can always return a car early. Just check your bill when you get back because sometimes the car hire firms%26#39; computers default to different rates. In our experience they will always refund any discrepancies though.
If you try and hire at the last minute from an in town rental agent, you will always get stung. At least 24 hours notice is required for them to bring in smaller cars etc from the airport or wherever they store the majority of their vehicles.
Have a great trip
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