Dean

We will be in paris for 10 days and are breaking it up with 3 days in the Loire Valley. Should we rent a car from Orly or CDG? Which airport is easier to reach from the 8th district in Paris and which is closer to the Loire? Thank you. Any fave spots in the Loire welcome.

Dean

GARE DE LYON is another option.

Andre

Dean,<BR><BR>Definitely NOT CDG - wrong side of town.<BR><BR>Gare de Lyon would be my preferred option, as Orly is a long ride from the 8th. <BR><BR>Gare Montparnasse would be most convenient, but the signage from there to the A6 is a little confusing (although with a good map/navigator you should be fine - just head for Porte de Chatillon or Porte d'Orleans and disregard the blue A6 signs).<BR><BR>Favourite chateau: Chambord<BR><BR>I really enjoyed driving to the Loire on an alternate route: drove on A11 to Angers and stopped at Chartres and Le Mans on the way. Then saw the unbelievable tapestries in Angers before heading upstream through the Loire Valley towards Tours & Blois.<BR><BR>Bon voyage!<BR>Andre

Vincent

Why go to an airport to rent a car ? Contrary to a common belief on this forum, Parisian motorists are no ogres, and it'll be much less hassle free to hop on a taxi for a short ride to any downtown rental car location rather than trekking all the way to Orly, and from there on head for Porte d'Italie or Pont de Saint-Cloud (gateways to the Loire valley)

ann

Orly would be the best airport. There is a bus (Orlybus) that goes from there to the Denfert-Rochereau metro/RER stop. It costs 5 euros and runs every 15 minutes. Then you take the metro to where you are staying. The orlybus stop is right outside the terminal at Orly, near the car rental places. Did it last month and it was so much easier (and cheaper) than getting from central Paris to CDG. Plus Orly is the south side of Paris and that better for heading to the Loire. I had originally planned to drop my car at Gare de Lyon but decided this would be even easier and it was.

Fred

For the Loire? Definitely Orly. You'll be halfway to the Loire already. CDG is north of Paris and a pain to get south from. <BR>For more Paris information e-mail me: [email protected]

Georgine

Dean,<BR><BR>Just remember---there will be a 10% surcharge for pickup of the rental at the airport. Picking up in town will therefore be less expensive and more convenient.<BR><BR>Since you will be staying in the 8th arrondisement, I would recommend a pick-up at Porte Maillot. We picked up a rental there here several years ago when heading to Normandy and the Loire. (I had booked through Auto Europe, and at that time I think there were using Avis or Budget(if my memory serves me correctly.)<BR><BR>From the Porte Maillot location, all we had to do was make a left a the first corner from in front of the agency, and a second left at the next corner and we went down onto the southbound (clockwise) section of the Peripherique.<BR><BR>Extremely simple---plus this location will be much closer to your hotel area for transport of luggage by taxi or on the metro. <BR><BR>Just be sure to wait until at least 9:30 am before getting on the road (if it is a weekday). If it is a weekend day---the earlier the better.<BR><BR>You can request Auto Europe to fax you a complete listing of their available pick-up locations in Paris.<BR>Believe me, you will not have a problem getting out of the city.<BR><BR>The Porte d'Italie is also a simple location for getting on the peripherique;however, it is on the opposite side of Paris from your hotel location.<BR><BR>Also, remember that you don't have to return the vehicle to the original pick-up location. You can arrange to turn it in at Orly or CDG (no surcharge for returning it there---the surcharge applies only when you "pick-up at an airport).<BR><BR>You could also turn it in at Chartres and train back to town, or any number of other towns along your route.<BR><BR>You need to get yourself a Michelin map of the Ile de France (Paris and its environs) and another for the Loire Valley. Definitely worth the minimal investment.<BR><BR>Enjoy your trip!!

Andre

Dean,<BR><BR>Georgine is right about Porte Maillot - very convenient if you're staying in the 8th. Didn't know there were car rental offices there.<BR><BR>Andre

Fred

"Just remember---there will be a 10% surcharge for pickup of the rental at the airport"<BR><BR>I don't believe that's correct. As long as you're in France there's no difference between where you pick up and where you drop off. I just checked Avis and costs are the same for picking up the same car in Paris and picking up at CDG. For more Paris information e-mail me: [email protected]

StCirq

I don't know why you would bother to go from Paris back to an airport to rent a car, and pay the airport tax, just to get to the Loire.<BR><BR>Take the TGV to Tours and pick up a rental car there (AutoEurope has been good to me for more than 10 years).<BR><BR>Drive from Tours to Amboise and make your base there at the Lion d'Or or, if you're inclined to splurge, at the Choiseul. From there, take daytrips to Chenonceau, Chambord, the castle at Amboise itself and the Clos Luc&eacute; (and don't miss out on Madame Bigot's pastry shop at the foot of the road to the ch&acirc;teau - it's now a full-fledged caf&eacute, Cheverney, Chinon, whatever strikes you as interesting. There are so many ch&acirc;teaux in the Loire and there are so many other sites of interest, it would be hard to plan YOUR trip for you. Get the Eyewitness Guide to the Loire and peruse it for ideas on what to see and do.

do

The train fare will be as much or more than the airport tax..so if you want go to Orly and get the car and have a nice drve..stopping off if you see something interesting to you