Jax76

Hertz managed to lose my reservation for a car in the Loire, so now I have to drive from Paris on a national holiday.

Some questions:

1. How dangerous is it to leave luggage in the car for a few hours during a stop?

2. If I were going to stop, does anyone have an opinion about whether to take the A10 all the way and stop in Orleans (there's a Joan of Arc chevauchee) or take the A11 to Chartres and then take a slower route to Blois (I think it's the N10)?

Or would you just drive straight to Blois? I do not do well driving for even two hours straight and I may be jet-lagged.

Thanks!

Thanks for your help.

basingstoke2

With the caveats that one person's experience is only that and that I may just have been lucky - I often do leave luggage in the car, but not in sight same as when at home, and never have had a problem. In fact, the only time I ever had mycar broken into was on my nice suburban street.

Michael

From Paris or CDG or Orly? That makes a difference. If from CDG, you might want to stop near Fontainebleau overnight after driving around Paris (which could take a couple of hours if there is a <i>bouchon</i> for one reason or another).

nytraveler

Do not EVER leave anything visible in a car. Put all luggage in the trunk when you pick up the car and keep the inside ofte car empty. Also whenever possible park te car with the trunk against a tree or wall of something - so it's harder to break into.

StCirq

Can't you get another rental car from, say, Auto Europe or Kemwel? And why can't Hertz come through with another car? Because it's a holiday? How come they could reserve you one in the first place?

Jax76

I have a foot injury so need an automatic transmission. Hertz accidentally cancelled out the reservation -- the closest they could find me a car (for the 1st, 2d or 3d) was Paris Orly. So that's an extra 100 miles of driving plus gas and tolls. Go Hertz. None of the other car companies have automatic transmissions available either.

Christina

I presume that is because you are booking at the last minute and one day things are closed (the 1st of May).

I don't know, I just found a Mercedes A A/T on Europcar at Tours St Pierre des Corps train station on May 2nd available, although perhaps you means some other date. I got that car once from Europcar and loved it. It's not cheap, but no 1-2 day rental is. It is 85 euro per day.

AussieFrance

Hi if you're talking about leaving luggage on the back seat in France we do it all the time. Just don't leave anything of obvious value. Paris to Orleans is 1h40 and Paris to Blois is two hours so you're nearly there. Paris to Chartres is 1h35 so it isn't really much better then you have to take smaller roads to Blois which is another 1h30! Why don't you take the motorway to Blois and just stop at a service station or rest area when you need a break. I know it's not very exciting but it'll be more restful in the long run. We've just bought a house in Blois and I've been blogging about places to eat and visit if you're interested. www.aussieinfrance.com Search Blois and Loire Valley. Enjoy your stay!

Dukey1

Well, if all ELSE fails you COULD take the TRAIN to Blois and pick up an Avis car (assuming availability) right at the SNCF rail station and avoid the whole Paris traffic extravaganza entirely.

Sarastro

Firstly, you may not want to hear this but never leave anything in your car that you do not want to lose.

Secondly, do I understand that you plan upon arriving CDG on May 1st after an all night, transatlantic flight and want to drive towards Blois? If this is correct, in the strongest of terms I shall attempt to discourage your even considering this. The drive from CDG to Blois is over 3 hours on a normal day. On May 1st it could be 3 hours before you reach the south side of Paris. And no, ORY is not 100 miles out of your way if you want to go to the Loire Valley, CDG is. ORY is on the south side of Paris next to A6 which is the route you normally take to reach A10. Unless someone has actually seen the Parisian holiday traffic, such as what you are planning to experience, it is very difficult to understand fully. The roadways will be absolutely gridlocked.

DO NOT attempt to drive from CDG on May 1st. Spend the night in Paris, go to ORY the following day and pickup a rental from there.

Jax76

I will have already spent 3 days in Paris. There are no cars w/automatic available in the Loire Valley. I've checked.

Christina

well, I checked also and found one on Europcar so I'm not sure what the issue is. They will even allow pickup on May 1st.