Abasket- when we traveled to France 2 summers ago we went to both Paris and the south of France. I found that the price of our ticket was the same for LAX-Paris as it was for LAX-Paris - Marseille with a four day layover in Paris. We considered the train, renting a car but flying was easiest and the least expensive. Our return was Marseille-Amsterdam-Lax on KLM. We also had the grandparents, we were 12 people and rented 2 minivans for the week in the south. Most afternoons the older relatives retired to their room for a siesta so it was nice having 2 vehicles.
I’m not sure if you feel you will be renting a car or not, but just a word to the wise - cars with automatic are a lot more expensive than manual. If you are comfortable driving a manual (not all people are), that is a good way to save money. If you’re not feeling the need to rent a car, just ignore this.
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Abasket- play around with YYZ to PHL to BRU to MRS. I could get something decent on the outbound but not inbound, but I just did a few searches.<<<
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Humm, getting to Brussels is easier with other airlines. No need to stop in PHL. Also, what is wrong with Aer Lingus on the YYZ-MRS via Dublin? Probably cheapest fare and shortest route?
Unless one WANTS to make stops and book multi city with London or Paris, I am not sure that the YYZ-MRS or JFK-Bru-MRS can be beaten. Fwiw, remember that the airport taxes for multiple embarking can add up fast. Taxes often represent the biggest cost of intra-Europe travel. This is especially true at Brussels with its ultra low fares but high departure taxes.
In the end, I think that many of us can build a “perfect” trip to the South of France. The biggest issue is to do so within a reasonable budget. And that reasonable budget has to account for the number of passengers.
For instance, a couple might decide on flying from the US to London (plenty of possibilities for low fares in May) and visit London before taking the Eurostar to Paris for another day before jumping on the TGV to Marseille. After the week in Provence, the return can be arranged from Paris, Nice, or even Barcelone if the wallet is still full of Euros.
The problem is that the train rides are not always cheap and that hauling luggage is NOT that easy as you have to carry it all. This is especially hard for elderly people. Then there is the issue of a large party that bring renting a vehicle into play. Then it becomes easier to rent a car/van that allows one to stay outside the large cities and save on the VERY costly hotels in Paris and visit locations such as Versailles before driving to the South via great cities such as Dijon or Lyon (think gourmet food) and hit the rocky beaches.
Again, it all depends if one has a budget of 1,200 or 2,400 pax for this trip. In Europe, that makes a whole lot of difference as hitting the big cities and keeping a minimum of comfort is not always feasible.
Beyond this solid advice, there are other issues. European cars are also smaller and have little trunk space. You can safely consider a 5X rental car as being just enough for 4 normal people. Then, it is important to check the diesel versus gasoline issue. Getting a gas car will easily double the cost of travel a long distance as the diesel is more performing than a gas car. This is especially true if you happen to get a “American” model powered by gasoline. It is safer to request a diesel powered car and look at one of the SUV or Mini SUV that are very popular. For instance, I averaged 50 mpg with a Diesel Ford Focus (a fabulous Euro version) and got barely 25 with some kind of Chevrolet of similar size. Diesel is available everywhere.
The next big issue is how to cover the insurance. The best bet is to look at smaller rental companies that offer full coverage at a competitive rate. If you stick to Hertz and the likes, look into buying the coverage via the Amex Primary insurance that offers a rate per TRIP as opposed per day. That makes a huge difference between 25 dollars per trip and 20-40 a day. So far, most of my rentals have been via Budget.ie or Hertz when a they accept one of those great discount coupons (think Amex Platinum, USAA, or AAA) but it takes some time to compare the fares over and over. Just like the airfares 
Our failure to pack efficiently really bit us in the rear when taking trains, which we did several times. What a hassle. Another reason to pare down what you take.
You’re going to have access to a washing machine at your family’s home in Marseilles; pack lightly bcs u can wash and re-wear.
If u are going to rent a car(s), u can get more soft-sided bags in there than boxy rectangular luggage.
Ndrsb4, did you not have that long running thread about travel between Berlin and Frankfurt last fall? I would think someone mentioned the issues of combining easy train travel with … the problems of hauling and keeping an eye on your luggage in a train made for daily commuters. I learned the hard way when arriving in London at 8AM on a Monday and switching trains at the Koln station in rush hour.
This goes to the importance of knowing what to expect. A soft bag will help when renting cars but not helping much on a train if heavy. A four wheeler will be of great use for planes and trains, but not so much when renting a car if more than two people are in the small car.
@xiggi, by train i always travel w ONLY a rollaboard.
Soft luggage i use only when family has to cram a helluva lot of stuff (i.e. skis, snowboard) in a rental car.
GMT, I agree with you and my point was to be careful when planning a trip with different travel modes. For instance, if one travels with planes and trains and plans to rent a car, it will be important to consider the trunk space and number of passengers. It is surprising how quickly the trunk of a common eurocar will fill with just two suitcases.
There are no steadfast rules, but I think that many first time travelers to Europe are surprised to find out that what works in the US does not always translates very well to other countries. Of course, all of that might be old news for people who travel on the East Coast and are used to trains vs planes. Not so much for us Texans who try to take the car to go to the bathroom.
I’ve BEEN BURNED ENOUGH to know not to mix n match travel modes, wrt to type of luggage to use. Either pack for rental car or pack for train.
My only exception to this is in Japan. In japan, u can pay a very reasonable fee (~10 bucks) in the airport to have your bag delivered to your destination. I send my skis ahead using this service, so I’m unencumbered on the bullet train.
I’ve deliberately replaced all my larger luggage pieces w narrow rolling duffels for ease of movement down train aisles.
The other thing about a rental car is that a SUV/big car will be VERY difficult to park over there. There’s a lot of parallel parking, and a lot of parking in very small, tight quarters. Our family of 4 stuck with small compact cars the whole way.
Lol xiggi I know but I have a problem and prob need a 12 step program. I always know better but don’t follow thru.
Iberia is another good airline that I’ve used and changed planes for other locations throughout Europe in the Madrid airport. Older d was affiliated with a summer art program that was based near Toulouse and she flew to Toulouse on Swissair, changing planes in Zurich, another major airport.
I’ve never had a problem myself with luggage but another summer when D’s program was based in Brittany, six hours west of Paris, British Air did manage to not board her luggage when she changed planes at Heathrow. They did deliver to her location but several days later. She did have some stuff in her carry-on for her immediate needs but she did need to do some local shopping for some items, not a big deal in the long run but she didn’t have a lot of time to deal with that.
A friend of ours took her granddaughter with her to the Cape where she has an apartment. Flew Jet Blue from NY to Boston and Jet Blue never located their luggage or delivered it the entire week they were there.
This is a fun thread, since it started I have now discovered I am taking my nearly 90 year old mother to the northern reaches of the UK to visit family, where we can leave any large luggage at the home base & then we will do some week long jaunts from there plus probably two weeks in France, she has always wanted to see Paris and we will likely go to a friend’s house in central France. I have previously been to visit most of the places involved so that familiarity takes some stress away from dealing with the senior citizen aspect. It’s great to read all these hints in preparation.
My brother did already share that tip about manual vs. automatic. I drove manual decades ago and I am the only one going who has ever driven one…so…not sure I want to venture to learn on a rental car again - I’ve seen too many bad Amazing Race moments with people in manual cars who don’t know what they are doing!
I’ve purchased the AmEx car rental insurance before - does it cover international rental - or for an increased fee???
Sometime flying through Frankfurt can save a few dollars. Keep looking!
We were in the UK in November and here is my tip for train tickets. Try and buy them 24 hours in advance because the rates are much better and you can reserve your seats. Luggage storage was minimal. Also, I found it fascinating that twice a day you can travel from Edinburgh to London via train in less than 2 1/2 hours.
As a humorous note - we took 82 year old MIL to Paris and on day 2 found her at the front desk accusing the maid of stealing her underpants…(she didn’t pack any because she read they took up too much room and thought she would wash her single pair each night)
H and I have always opted to take the car insurance offered abroad as we feel the extra money far out way the hassle of dealing with a accident in a foreign country. Also, there is many times a penalty fee for picking up a car in country A and returning in country B.
The one I talked about is different from declining the coverage when paying with an Amex. It is different as the coverage is primary. One needs to sign up and from there every rental is covered for a flat fee. I believe it is 18 in California and 25 elsewhere. I also believe there is a limit of 42 days for uninterrupted coverage. It might be 31 days abroad.
https://www295.americanexpress.com/premium/car-rental-insurance-coverage/home.do
I’d suggest to call Amex and ask for that department. They will send you a detailed contract and you can request proof of coverage to show the rental companies.
Yes, the one I paid before was $25 and had the 42 days coverage (much longer than I needed) - plus I had my own auto insurance.
If you bought it before, it should still be in your file and linked to the Amex card. My understanding is that they add it to bill every time you use the Amex card for a car rental. Automatically that is. It’s a very good deal and one worry less.