chutney

I'm trying to decide whether to take the train or drive from St. Remy to Bordeaux. I will be by myself and meeting my husband in Bordeaux. He will be just arriving from the US. Looks like about a 6 hour drive. About the same as the train, but I would have to change trains and deal with my luggage by myself. That's really the only draw to driving over taking the train.

Not sure what the roads are like. I would have GPS in the car.

StuDudley

I would budget 6 1/2 to 6 3/4 hrs for that drive. It's all autoroute - so it is an easy and boring drive. Most difficult part will be navigating in Bordeaux.

Stu Dudley

Michael

If ordered early, train tickets would be cheaper than driving a rental car.

kerouac

It's not difficult to drive at all. You can check www.viamichelin.com to get the best or most scenic route, and it also tells you of any road tolls and how much your fuel costs will be.

chutney

Thanks for your quick responses. I'll look at the Michelin map route.
Are the roads signs to the train station clearly marked? That is where I will be picking up my husband.

dugi_otok

Stu described the drive as I would. The GPS will be a good co-pilot for you. There are numerous service areas along the route. You will need to learn the toll payment system.

http://www.autoroutes.fr/index.htm

kerouac

Usually when you arrive in a city, the directional signs are marked "Gare" or "Gare SNCF". When driving to any unknown city when I want to find the station area, I always look at a map ahead of time to have an idea of where the station is in relation to "centre ville" or other major landmarks. If you know that the station is on the left or the right of the center of the city, or along the river or whatever, it helps a lot when you can't find the right sign.

ParisAmsterdam

Much as I love to drive in France in this case I think I'd take the train. If you stick to autoroutes all day it's much like driving a 4 lane divided highway anywhere... boring.

The added benefit of taking the train is you'll be much more relaxed and fresher when you arrive, especially as where you get off is the same place your husband does. ;^)

tomboy

It's almost all Xway; yes, boring, but you pass interesting places. Orange, Carcassone, Albi

As Xway driving goes, it's pretty calm. No complex interchanges, no crazy traffic, just simple, uneventful, and yes, boring. But the adjacent landscape changes considerably.

MaineGG

If you do decide to drive, take a few minutes to pull of at the Aire de Repos Belvédère d'Auriac on the A61 near Carcassonne. There's a beautiful view of the Citadel from there.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationP...oussillon.html

Personally, I'd recommend taking the train if you don't have so much luggage you can't easily handle it.

aliced

We are driving the reverse direction, but with many stops and it's two of us. Single, I'd take the train; easy to navigate connections, presume you will not have an overabundance of luggage, which large pieces would be on the same car as where you sit (doublecheck this); your carryon/tote goes on rack above your seat. Soooo, relaxing to see the scenery, and catch 40 winks.

chutney

The more I read everyone's posts, I've decided to take the train. We will rent a car at the Bordeaux train station. I should be able to handle my bag. I usually take a 22" rolling bag and big tote, but this is a long trip. I will already have been with my sisters and mother for 10 days in Paris and Provence, then have another 2 weeks with my husband in the Bordeaux region, Dordogne and Paris. I will probably take a 24" or 25" bag plus tote.