Would you stay overnight?

[WestYorkshireGirl]

Quite inexperienced with regards to flying and want to take 4YO to Nice in June. First trip anywhere other than UK with a child in tow! Flights from Manchester leave at 08.00 and arrive at 11.20am. We need to hire a car, but have no idea how long it takes to find the hire car place and sort it out (will book in advance), then get out of the city, drive to gite which is about an hour away and get some provisions along the way. Considering the flight is at 08.00, when do you need to arrive at the airport? We have an hour's journey.
Do you think all that with an early start would be asking for trouble and we should stay the first night in Nice, going a day earlier? This would mean we only had to worry about getting from Nice to our gite on the second day and stop at the supermarket (never quick in France!)

Think we might have to do this coming back at the flight back is at 12.20 and we have to get out of the gite, drive back to Nice, take hire car back. Again, don't know how long before you need to arrive for flights...

Any advice appreciated.

Hi. The car hire offices are in the airport building and the cars are just over the road in a car park. We used Sixt last time I think. Whereabouts will you be driving to? The main routes can be busy but I think you should be fine to do it on the same day. It's easy to return the car. You just leave it in the car park and hand the keys back in. You need to be at the airport about 2 hours before the flight I think. Do you have sat nav? We used ours a lot in the South of France last time we went.

You'd be better off staying at a Manchester airport hotel before your flight so you don't have too early a start. You need to be at the check-in desk around 6am. But it is not a long flight and you should get fine to pick up a hire car and do an hour's drive when you land. It's what most people do.

If you kea e at 8am on the way back you will have plenty of time to drop your car off before having to check in fir your return flight.

kea e = leave

Thanks for your advice. Feel like a very novice traveller!

I think you will be fine to get up and off early.

You need to be at the airport by 6.00am to check in. I see you are W Yorks ? same here. I leave an hour to get to Manchester and/or Leeds Bradford airports. So an early start - but that will work in your favour in this instance.

When you land in Nice - you will probably not leave the airport until 12? Luggage, passports etc. I don't know about hire cars there, but have picked up cars from other airports and they are generally pretty well located close by.

It may be that your earliest check in time at your villa is inthe afternoon anyway? Have you looked at that? When we have hired places it is often check in time at about 2pm or a little later.

That leaves you plenty of time to get sorted, work out where you are going and pick up some shopping en-route. Be aware that supermarkets in France don't always open on a Sunday - so get enough in for the weekend.

make use of google street view before your trip -s o you know the route you will be taking and any landmarks which will assist you in finding your villa. I spend quite a long time researching in advance of our trips and it really can be beneficial.