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This is the rental car-an Opel Zafira. - Paris
This is the rental car-an Opel Zafira.
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Paris Transportation: Driving tips and advice posted by real travelers and Paris locals.
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Driving: Where to park freely (2)
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  • Updated By GUYON on May 28, 2005
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  • Gare de l'Est - Paris
    Gare de l'Est
    by GUYON
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    Look at the photo of Gare de l'Est. On the left side of the station there is the entrance of the parking ALSACE. If you take it you have an access to a paying underground parking. But have a look at the way, before the barrier of the parking. You will see a lot of cars parked, FREELY. They are owned by SNCF (transport authorities) employees but they have no sign or card. So if you have a French rented car and if you go there early in the morning or late in the evening you will get a free covered parking. As the previous tip. This information is not in the guides and when it will be, it will not be a tip.

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    Driving: To park in Paris is fine
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  • Updated By GUYON on January 12, 2003
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  • Fines - Paris
    Fines
    by GUYON
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    It is an art to park in Paris if you decide to not use one of the numerous and expensive public parkings. Avoid to park in front of a car entrance (a curb), at a taxi place (they ask the police), on a "Axe Rouge" (red axle = urban thruway), at a bus stop (yellow marks on the ground). Be careful when you park on a forbiden place especially if the sign showes a tow away car. At night and the Sunday your risk is low. Nethertheless, last Sunday morning, I left my forbiden park place at noon just when the police arrived....

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    Driving: Where to park freely (1)
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  • Updated By GUYON on May 28, 2005
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  • Voie des Sculpteurs - Paris
    Voie des Sculpteurs
    by GUYON
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    Often, VT members ask where to park freely and safely. I suggest La Defense, on Voie des Sculpteurs or Voie des Batisseurs (they are covered ways) You need a precise local map to find these 2 ways which are at the same place. To find a place, you must go either 12AM to 2PM or after 5:30 PM or during the week end. Avoid to park where it is written in yellow LIVRAISON (delivery) your car would be towed quickly. The area is free and frequently visited by the police (the police office is nearby). The RER station La Defense (line A) and the metro station Esplanade (Line 1) are nearby. Some VTer's ask me how to know more about this place. It is a true tip. That means you never find it in a guide, you do not have to follow a sign FREE PARKING. If that occures, do not waste your time to look for the parking : it will be surely full. Buy a Paris map with a map of La Defense and be cuning.

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    Driving: The Peripherique (beltway)
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  • Updated By GUYON on December 18, 2002
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  • Peripherique - Paris
    Peripherique
    by GUYON
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    The last wall which encircled Paris was built in 1840 and demolished in the 50' to be replaced by a large beltway called the Périphérique. It must not be confused with the "Boulevards des Maréchaux" (or which are large ways, initially devoted to allow to bring troups and ammunitions to the rampart. These are within Paris and have traffic lights. You can use them if the beltway is saturated. The Peripherique is a highway. It exactly surrounds Paris with 3 or 4 lanes in each direction. The speed is limited at 80 and frequent controls are made by photo-radar. Almost all the exits are named by a Paris "door" (Porte) according to the doors of the former wall. When you enter in the Peripherique you must know at what door you have to exit. The motorways are directly linked with the Peripherique. The beltway is divided into 4 parts : North, South, West, East. It is also divided into 2 ways : - péripherique interieur : for the lanes which go around Paris in the directions of watch hands. - peripherique exterieur : for the lanes which go in the opposite direction. It is the vocabulary used on the signs. Pay attention. If you are in the wrong direction, go out from the Peripherique. You must find the corresponding entrance for the opposite direction.

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    Driving: Driving out of Paris
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  • By Gypsystravels on May 17, 2006
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  • You may drive with a valid U.S. driver's license in France. In addition, it is recommended (not required) to carry an International Driving Permit or attach a French translation to your US driver's license. You must also be at least 18 years old and hold a valid credit card. There are several good car hire companies throughout Europe, I would recommend one of the following; ADA – 0825 169 169 Avis – 0820 150 505 Europcar – 0870 607 500 Hertz – 0720 903 905 The speed limit is 50 km/h (30 mph) in the towns, and 90 km/h (55 mph) on the open roads.

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    Driving: PARIS BY CAR
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  • Updated By Lady_Mystique on August 23, 2006
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  • Paris Traffic - Paris
    Paris Traffic
    by Lady_Mystique, 2 more photos
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    "One driver out of every twelve in Paris has killed a man. On foot, the Parisian is as courteous as the citizen of any other city. But mounted, he is merciless." ~ Irwin Shaw ~ The infamous rotary at the Arc de Triomphe is a perfect example of this: police are stationed on the Champs-Elysées side to keep unwitting tourists from walking directly across eight lanes of traffic to the Arc. As a rule, the fastest and biggest car wins. 'Priorité à droite' gives the right of way to the car approaching from the right, regardless of the size of the streets, and Parisian drivers make it an affair of honour to take this right even in the face of grave danger. La plupart des automobiles du monde marchent à l'essence. Les autos françaises marchent au klaxon. Surtout quand elles sont arrêtées. Translation: Most of the automobiles in this world run on gasoline. The French autos run on horns. Especially when they're stopped. ~ Pierre Daninos ~ Technically, drivers are not allowed to honk their horns within city limits unless they are about to hit a pedestrian, but this rule is often broken. The legal way to show discontent is to flash your headlights. If you don't have a map of Paris marked with one-way streets, the city will be impossible to navigate. BTW Parking is expensive and hard to find. But you probably aleady knew that!

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    Driving: Cars #2
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  • Updated By tiabunna on June 15, 2006
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  • 'Smart' car parked in Paris - Paris
    'Smart' car parked in Paris
    by tiabunna
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    At the other end of the scale from the Ferrari in my previous tip are these ‘Smart’ cars, now ubiquitous in Paris. Of course, one features in the film ‘The DaVinci Code’, where it shows surprising performance in reverse! It must be said that, with parking at a premium and fuel costs high, they make considerable sense in Paris. What’s more, as seen here, when parked they take only half the width of a pedestrian crossing. (Don't try that in Australia!) I find it really surprising that, in Paris, there seems little concern about where or how people park (though I did see one car which had been wheel-clamped): thinking about this since my return, I do not recall seeing any parking meters in the streets.

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    Driving: Cars #1
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  • Updated By tiabunna on June 15, 2006
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  • Ferrari at Hotel de Crillon - Paris
    Ferrari at Hotel de Crillon
    by tiabunna, 1 more photos
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    The Hotel de Crillon is one of the top hotels in Paris, fronting the Place de la Concorde. It isn’t the sort of place which fits my travel budget (‘promotional rooms’ from 500€), but should it fit yours, the phone is 01 44 71 15 00. Outside, it’s likely you will find some prestigious motor cars, carefully watched by the uniformed doormen. I’ll have to admit it, this is a blatant excuse to put up photos of this gorgeous Ferrari I found parked outside. Interesting to see the Swiss number plate too (second photo). Hmm, a Swiss based top model Ferrari, I wonder could it belong to a certain racing driver …?

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    Driving: Car renting
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  • By Dee22 on January 11, 2004
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  • Need some wheels? - Paris
    Need some wheels?
    by Dee22
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    If you need a car to get around in Paris or to get moving from Paris, there is many possibilities for car renting at the trainstations. For example Gare de l'Est offers different car renting-companies and when my brother and I wanted a car to go from Paris to southern France in 2002, we found a Renault Twingo for an okay price near Gare de Montpanarsse.

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    Driving: Leave the car at home...
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  • By Henrik_rrb on July 6, 2004
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  • Say what you want about Paris and the french motorway-system, but the people who planned it wasn't the most clever in the world... I just love Paris, it's probably the most impressive town in the world for me, but I was just seconds from hating the town for the rest of my life! We went down, with car, from Sweden to Portugal this summer, and were really pleased with the fantastic (although EXPENSIVE) motorways in France. Then we came to Paris... You might think that they built the motorway around the big capital...? No way...! Instead you have to get off the highway, and find the ringway around Paris, to even be able to go on south in the country. Needless to say, we got lost. If it wasn't hard enough to find the right way, when we finally found it the way was closed... Could have killed someone right then and there... After nearly three hours, lost in the worst parts of Paris, we finally found the way out of the town, and I could go back to loving Paris again... But please, until the idiots have built new ways around Paris, leave the car at home on your Paris/France-trip!

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