Car Hire in Cannes - Car Rentals in Cannes: see map below
When you hire a car do ensure it has a yellow jacket which must be kept in the car, a warning triangle which you can put in the boot, a fire extinguisher, and a breath test kit to be compliant with French law. And now check there is a Crit'Air sticker on the windscreen. Nice has announced it will be Crit 'Air compliant but we have no dates yet.
It is illegal to use your mobile phone in a car even when stopped with the engine off. You need to be in a private drive or in an official parking place. The only exceptions are if you have 1) broken down and use the phone to call for assistance or 2) have a properly fitted hands free system in the car. If not, it's a 135 euros fine. You can lose your licence for six months in some circumstances.
Motorway Breakdown
Stop on the hard shoulder, turn your hazard lights on, put the hi-vis vest on and set up the warning triangle, if safe to do so, facing the direction of oncoming traffic. Passengers should get out of the car on the side away from traffic and shelter behind the safety rails at the side of the road.
You must call for help from the nearest emergency call box found about every 2km along motorways. Using the call box puts you immediately in touch with the motorway company. The call is free and you just press a button to be connected. A tow truck should arrive within 30 minutes of your call.
If a repair will take more than 30 minutes, your vehicle will be towed. You have a choice at this stage whether your vehicle is taken to the garage to which the truck belongs or one of your own choice. You will be charged a fixed fee - set by the government - for towing based on the weight of your vehicle: €131.94 for vehicles weighing less than or equal to 1.8 tonnes; €163.15 for heavier vehicles. These prices increase 50% if the emergency call is made between 6pm and 8am on weekdays, or at weekends and public holidays. If your vehicle can be repaired at the side of the road, you will be charged €131.94 plus parts.
Be Aware
Running out of fuel or battery charge means a fine of 75 euros and up to 135 euros if the police deem you are in a dangerous place. The French Highway Code says drivers must ensure they have enough fuel to complete their journey or to reach a service station.
Parking in Cannes
Cannes always likes to be ahead of the game... so you can now pay for street parking with your smartphone via a free download of www.whooshstore.fr with Apple store, Googleplay or Appstore. One nice thing, it warns you ten minutes before the end of your paid-for parking and you can extend it if you wish via the phone rather than returning to the car. In the town centre you are able to park free for the first 30 minutes once a day at a parking meter - you still have to get a ticket. It costs three euros for two hours and the meters operate 9am-noon and 2 - 7pm. If you overrun your paid for time, you can be fined 17 euros for each two and a half hours you overstay.
Cannes municipality controls eight car parks. These are Suquet, Ferrage, Cdt Lamy, Vauban, Republique, Croisette, Laubeuf and the Palais. Number plate recognition is used and you are able to park free for three hours on a Saturday and a Sunday. Parking is free for two hours a week and parking after 7pm on a Saturday costs just three euros till 9am Sunday. The first hour of parking is always free. The City Palm bus is free for one person using the town centre's municipal car parks - just show the car park ticket when boarding.
Uniparc manages Gray d'Albion and the Palais Stephanie car parks. The car park by the railway station belongs to SNCF and is expensive although handy.
Each town in the Alpes-Maritimes has slightly different parking rules so do check. For example, in Cannes you are given a few minutes grace if late at the meter but in Cagnes sur Mer you get no leeway. Cannes and Menton have free two hour (12-2pm) parking at meters at lunchtime but not elsewhere on the Cote d'Azur. Double parking in Cagnes and Nice will land you a 35 euro fine. The only town with free parking everywhere is Mougins but you do need a European blue disc (available at local shops, cafes and tourist offices). Cannes - La Bocca also has a blue disc parking system.
CAR MISSING
You return to find your car missing: stolen or taken to the pound? Go to the municipal police to check if it has been impounded (mise en fourriere). The cost of getting the car back now costs 117.50 euros. Ouch!
To avoid this do not park dangerously, obstruct traffic, park annoyingly such as in front of a garage or on the pavement. Do ensure you have your driving licence and car documents with you: without them the police can impound the car.
One good thing to report is that all parking meter fines go to the town and must be spent on road improvements. Sadly, too often, on "sleeping policemen" (known as donkey's back in French) and other humps on the roadBe aware that the hard shoulder is for emergency use only, in case of unforeseen breakdowns.
What to do if you break down
Once you have come to a stop on the hard shoulder, turn on your hazard lights, slip on a hi-vis vest that all motorists in France are obliged to keep in their cars and - if it is safe to do so - set up your mandatory warning triangle facing the direction of oncoming traffic. Any passengers should get out of the car on the side away from traffic and take shelter behind the safety rails at the side of the road.
Who are you going to call?
Repairing or towing a vehicle that has broken down on the motorway can only be carried out by an approved professional. Calling a friend for a tow guarantees unwanted interest from the police.
Read more: A guide to driving in France
You must call for help from the nearest emergency call box (there’s one about every 2km along motorways) as that allows you to be located more easily than if you use a mobile phone. Using the call box puts you immediately in touch with the motorway company. The call is free and you do not need to dial a number - you just press a button to be connected.
A tow truck should arrive within 30 minutes of your call.
Can my car be repaired on the spot?
Short answer: yes.
Long answer: Yes, but … there are rules. If a repair is likely to take more than 30 minutes, your vehicle will be towed. You have a choice at this stage whether your vehicle is taken to the garage to which the truck belongs or one of your own choice.
You will be charged a fixed fee - set by the government - for towing based on the weight of your vehicle.
If your vehicle can be repaired at the side of the road, you will be charged €131.94 plus parts.
For breakdown assistance requiring towing (to a rest or service area, to a garage or to a location chosen by the motorist), this rate varies according to the weight of the vehicle:
€131.94 for vehicles weighing less than or equal to 1.8 tonnes;
€163.15 for vehicles with a total weight greater than 1.8 tonnes and less than 3.5 tonnes.
These prices increase 50% if the emergency call was made between 18.00 and 08.00 on weekdays, or at weekends and public holidays.
Read more: Cost of a week's car rental in France jumps 35% in two years
What if you have just run out of fuel?
According to the Highway Code, drivers must ensure they have enough fuel to complete their journey or to be able to reach the nearest service station without any problem.
If you run out of fuel - or battery charge if driving an electric vehicle - you face a fine of up to €75, rising to €135 if you have stopped in what police consider to be a dangerous location.
Running out of fuel is not considered an unforeseen emergency. Motorists are expected to keep an eye on their fuel gauge and ensure they do not run out
Car Hire
All the usual companies are to be found in Cannes and at the airport. Find cheap car hire here.
Also check out a good value service at http://www.rhinocarhire.com/Car-Hire/France-Car-Hire/Nice-Airport-Car-Hire.aspx
You can look for the cheapest petrol prices in Cannes on www.prix-carburants.gouv.fr
Casino Supermarche in La Bocca is consistently a good price, if not always the cheapest
Also check out a good value service at http://www.rhinocarhire.com/Car-Hire/France-Car-Hire/Nice-Airport-Car-Hire.aspx
You can look for the cheapest petrol prices in Cannes on www.prix-carburants.gouv.fr
Casino Supermarche in La Bocca is consistently a good price, if not always the cheapest
Hire a Ferrari
Always dreamed of driving a Ferrari down the Croisette in Cannes? Now you can. For 89 euros you can drive an F430 from Palm Beach to the Carlton Hotel - it takes about six minutes. Small price to make a dream come true - and you can dine out on it for the rest of your life. Contact John-Marc Ayache at Société Liven Up on 06 11 52 31 51. |
or Hummer
The other extreme for poseurs and poseuses is a two seater mini-Hummer electric car which you can drive without a licence, but only up to 20km per hour, from Wills Car Centre at 24 Marechal Juin, Cannes,
Rate: 120 euros per day Weekly rental: 78 euros per day See website |
or something more practical
For a sensible car at a reasonable price go to National at 12 rue de la Tour Maubourg near the Croisette.
Tel: 04 93 94 67 42. |