One should always make rental car arrangements before coming to France. Doing so means much more reasonable rates and savings of probably, on average, 50%. Here is the info on the rental cars. I have used Auto Europe, Avis, and Holiday Auto as well as Kemwel and have been happy with all four. I have also used Budget, but haven't been all that impressed. They will usually match the lowest rates of one another if you tell them that you've found a great rate elsewhere.

For rental cars, if you're into Citroen's, there used to be a rental car company named Citer which used to offer nothing but Citroen's, but I think that's now been bought by National. If it's a minivan you desire, then look into the Renault Espace. The Peugeot 407 is comfortable and big enough for four or five passengers. In any case, it is just about the size of a BMW 5 or possibly slightly smaller. Of course, you can also get a lot of great German and Italian cars as well as even a Seat (Spanish company owned by and based on Volkswagen platforms) or two. If it's a sedan, then the Peugeot 607 or the latest Citroen C5 flagship should be good in spite of how bland the C5 is compared to grand Citroens of the past. They are both going to be between the size of a BMW 5 Series and BMW 7 Series. Diesel fuel is easy to come by and it's much cheaper too. So between the better mileage and lower price, your per kilometer price using diesel may be around 50 to 60 % of what a gas/fuel-injected car would cost. And the turbo-diesels have good torque to get you running quickly. Make sure your insurance covers you in France. - Narayan Sengupta