SemiMike

And by safe I mean most importantly somewhere where a car full of luggage (even though locked and concealed) is at minimal risk. My perfect location could be a small, non-touristy village, at a resto where the locals eat (my French is passable enough for that), and in the super ideal, with a dining terrace where the car would be visible. (Not asking for much, am I?) A side benefit would be a Carrefours or such nearby, where we can provision before arriving at our rental apartment. As an alternative, even an aire/rest stop would be OK, but I'm not sure if there are any on our travel route. Suggestions (and even comments on the suitability of my level of paranoia here) would be most welcome. Thanks.

kerouac

Any of the rest stops on the autoroute would be fine. That's the reason they exists.

As for the hypermarkets, you will see the indications along the road for 'centre commercial' and can often spot the Carrefour, Auchan, E. Leclerc, Hyper U or other such signs before you even exit. Obviously, you can also scope them out on their websites.

Christina

Some rest stop would be fine, although maybe not an event. Depends how far you want to drive, you could stop in Meung-sur-Loire which is just a bit past Orleans and very small, but right off the main autoroute. Here's a place you could lunch that is a bit nicer, if you want that.

http://www.lerelaislouisxi.com/en/re...restaurant.php

There is a Hyper U near there, actually, not far from the chateau de Meung-sur-Loire. If you look on this map of the chateau, you can see a Hyper U near the roundabout of the D2 and the D2152 intersection (to the left and bottom direction).

http://www.chateau-de-meung.com/fr/

FrenchMystiqueTours

As kerouac has mentioned there will be ample options for dining at the aires along the autoroute (the Michelin maps denote those aires with full services). I don't have a specific restaurant I can recommend but I can mention a couple of little charming towns right off the autoroute where you could make a detour for lunch. Look into the towns of Dourdan and Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines. I understand your hesitation with a trunk full of luggage but I wouldn't hesitate to stop in either of these towns with a trunk full of luggage and I've visited both of them, though not with luggage. Both places are just a few km off the autoroute at exit 10 on the A10 so they're very easy to access. Saint-Arnoult is more like a village and may not have much to offer for eating but Dourdan is a bit larger and I'm sure there decent dining options there.

Sassafrass

Bookmarking

Coquelicot

What route are you taking to Tours and where do you expect to be around 12-1?

Restaurant meals are one of our main interests in France and I would encourage you not to miss the chance of a good meal by stopping at an aire. We often find good restaurants in small towns or in the country with their own parking lots.

If you can say what your route is and time of day, maybe we can be of more help.

Coquelicot

Another important factor I forgot to mention is your day of travel.

Odin

We have stopped at Routiers for lunch. Maybe you can check which one would be convenient for you. There is a tab where you can enter your itinerary and it tells you which ones there are along your route.

http://www.relais-routiers.com/Relai...iers_index.asp

SemiMike

"What route are you taking to Tours and where do you expect to be around 12-1?"

Well, haven't driven this route before, but I'm guessing the Google Maps suggestion would have to be reasonable: https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Pari...7.394144?hl=en

With a 9:30 AM flight arrival on an upcoming Saturday morning, and our Tours apartment available for occupancy at 4 PM, we have time & flexibility to detour a bit as useful.

And thanks for the suggestions thus far - some good options there. FMT, the Dourdan option looks intriguing and convenient, as you say.

Sarastro

If your plan is to arrive CDG after an all night transatlantic flight, pickup a rental and drive to Tours, I would strongly suggest your rethinking your plan. From CDG, not matter how you reach A10, taking A104 or A86, there will be traffic. I should think that 3½ to 4 hours of driving will be required. Driving fatigued is the #1 cause of fatalities on France´s autoroute network.

This would be a good time to take the TGV to Tours and pickup your car there for the short drive to your accommodations.