According to CAA an IDP is “An IDP is a document which, when accompanied by a valid driver’s license, enables a person to drive vehicles for tourism purposes in many foreign countries” (source). It costs 25 CAD and can be purchased through outlets like CAA in Canada (even if you are not a member).  Not every country requires the driver to have one, but be weary of cross border driving that can be prevalent in Europe.  For example I was only visiting France, but one of the roads I needed to take crossed over into Italian territory for a distance.  Italy does require an IDP, so I got one just in case something would happen during that leg of the drive.

When I first decided to book a car and drive around France I figured I would just print directions and use those with an atlas to get to my different destinations.  It turns out that driving in some parts of France are a lot more complicated with lots of tiny roads that create a web-like infrastructure.  In brief, super easy to get lost.  While renting a GPS with your car is one option, another possibility is to download the maps off google maps and have them available offline.  Although it won’t give you traffic details and readjust for any accidents that happen, it will still guide you even with no cellular service.  For more details on how to use the feature check out this page prepared by Google: link.

The best way to get your traffic updates in live time is to tune your radio station to 107.7 FM.  All they report on is what is happening on the roads which is perfect if you are decided on a route or if you want to know how long the delay will be.

This is such a big and complicated one because of the variance depending on where you call home.  Speaking from a Canadian perspective, my standard car insurance only covers me in case of accident or theft in Canada or if I rent a car in the United States.  Therefore, when I rented a car in France I had the option to go without insurance and hope nothing goes wrong, or take their insurance.  Personally, I am risk adverse so I decided to take their insurance.  However, be warned that the insurance is EXPENSIVE… like more than what I paid in rental fees.  Make sure you get those costs upfront in order to plan them in your travel budget.

This can be a big financial addition to the trip.  Gas prices in Europe can vary but expect to pay between 1.30 to 1.54 Euros per litre.  Tolls can give you a bit of a sticker shock (especially if you come from Canada where they are so rare).  For example, taking the Mont-Blanc tunnel costs 43.50$ (one-way).  This can add up quickly and should be considered when deciding whether to a rent a car or take local transit like the train to get around.

My general recommendation is to go smaller than bigger.  Parkings are incredibly tight (not those extra wide costco parkings!) and people will slip into every nook and cranny there is on the road to park.  Roads can also be narrow and you will be absolutely shocked when you realize what looks like a one way street is really not.  The only thing to keep in mind is how much space your luggage will take based on how many people you are.

If you didn’t know already, most cars in Europe and France have a manual transmission.  If you are not comfortable with this type of transmission, I would not recommend trying it out for the first time in France.  You can rent a car with automatic transmission but expect to pay a premium for it.

While street parking is a rarity, I was pleasantly surprised to find an abundance of parking lots at fairly reasonable prices.  In all the cities I visited in France, I was easily able to find a parking lot that well located and had vacancies.  Generally, the first hour is free and then you are charged per quarter hour.  Expect to pay about 8 Euros for about 5 hours.