Dordogne back to the States?
 

Planning family trip to Dordogne this fall. The plan right now is for the 2 of us to fly with my parents to Paris, rent a car, spend a week traveling down to Sarlat (Loire, Bordeaux, don't really have this part planned yet). Then rest of family will meet us in Sarlat, stay there a week, then all of us children (all adults) will fly back to States and parents will drive car back to Paris and stay awhile longer. I'll have plenty more questions about this trip as time goes on, but my question right now is can we get from the Dordogne back to the States in the same day, and how? I've been noodling around the aa.com site, but I'm having trouble getting very far. Can you help? Thanks! annieladd

Are there flights from Bordeaux? Or can you catch a very early TGV in Bordeaux in time for a early afternoon flight to the States from CDG? Use Mobissimo or Kayak for flights, and the SNCF site for train schedules.

The only way to get back to the States from the Dordogne in one day is to get up around 3-4 a.m. and drive to Bordeaux, fly to Paris (or London), and catch an early afternoon flight home to the States.

I stopped doing that years ago. Hey, it's SO much nicer to take a train back to Paris, spend a couple of nights there and then go home.......

Thanks for the info, at least that clears things up. So, for those flying into Paris, they'll take the train to Bordeaux, and pick up a car. Then, plan on dropping the car off in Bordeaux, train back to Paris, and stay a day or more. Does this sound like the right plan?

That's what we did last year, getting PREM tickets 2 months ahead of time. We also used a different CRX as a car rental broker, which was cheaper than Autoeurope, but the car had to be returned to the same location (the Bordeaux train station).

I meant that we used CRX as a different car broker.

I agree that it's not possible to get to Paris and out again on the same day. However, if you are in Sarlat, which is on the eastern edge of the Dordogne, it's much easier to get the train from Souillac, about 25 km. from Sarlat than to have to go to Bordeaux and change there. (the train goes directly north through Limoges, Orleans, to Paris.) There is a bus from the Sarlat train station that goes to the Souillac station, - designed to connect with the train going to Paris. Or if you have a car to take back to a rental agency, you can drive to Brive, about 45 minutes from Sarlat, leave the car there and take the same train to Paris. 4 1/2 hours from Souillac, 4 hours from Brive.

Four us will be renting a car in Paris, eventually arriving in Sarlat, so that shouldn't be a problem. But, the other folks will be flying into Paris then taking the train to pick up a car, but where? Bordeaux, Souillac, or Brive, or somewhere else? Which is the best combination of shortest time from Paris to Sarlat, and best choice of car rental. Susan, if I understand correctly, you think Brive would be the best option? I'll check out CRX as well. Thanks, annieladd

My strong preference is to get a PREM fare from Paris (eithe the airport or Gare de Montparnasse) to Bordeaux, then catch the local train to Périgueux and pick up a car and drive from there. But I'm headed to Le Bugue, not Sarlat, so that's shorter for me. You'd have to judge whether Souillac or Périgueux is closer to where you're staying (could very well be Souillac).

Forgot to add that AUtoEurope has been my choice of car rental outfit for more than a decade.

If you want to pick up a car, I think Brive is best. Four hours from Gare d'Austerlitz - no changes. Then an easy drive to Sarlat - especailly since last week a new part of the A89 (east-est) Autoroute opened that connects to Brive. If by chance you are meeting someone coming from Paris, they should stay on the train another half hour, till they get to Souillac, only 25 km from Sarlat. That's 4 1/2 hr.

If I arrive in Brive by train, will I be nearer the airport or Avenue Jean Jaures (downtown location) to pick up the car?

Looks like everything in Brive is closed on Sundays in terms of car rentals.

If I take the train from Paris to Bordeaux to Perigueux, do I end up at the Perigueux Downtown office or near the airport for Autoeurope? The DT location is also closed for Sunday pick up.

Although car rentals in Brive are closed on Sunday, you can pick up a car if pre-arranged. They leave the car in the station parking lot, keys with the hotel opposite the station. Rental agencies in the US dont always believe this, but I've arranged it for a number of people here (we do Sunday changovers for some houses). You have to provide in advance the information you would normally give to the office when you arrive - drivers license, credit card etc.

I didn't see your question about location of rental agencies in Brive - they're virtually all on Rue Jean Jaures, which runs up from the train station. So it's usually a short walk - 50-100 yards.

Susan, is the train station located near the DT station in Brive?

I hope I'm not being rude by "piggybacking" on annieladd's post but mine is a very similar dilemma. We want to go San Francisco to Dordogne but have to go into Heathrow, make a one-day visit to Portsmouth area (social requirement) and then head for Sarlat. Return then from Sarlat to SF best way. Target date is mid April. I am all confused about best way to rent car (UK, France, etc?) take Chunnel or try to fly from Southhampton etc. Of course cost is a consideration. Have no desire to visit London city or Paris; just get to Dordogne after stop in Southhampton.
Really appreciate any advice. Thanks.

Annie:

I've picked up cars in Périgueux on a Sunday by pre-arranging.

Andy - is that you (it's Mellen here)??? If so, you can email me directly (or call) - maybe I can help.

If it's not, sorry.........

You can fly from Brive as well as several other small cities in the Dordogne on Air-Linair to Paris Orly. There are two or three flights a day. Air France can book these tickets. Best of all there is a Hertz rental car agency right at the Brive airport. It is a relatively short ride to Sarlat. We stayed at a wonderful hotel outside Montignac called the Manoir Hautegente - beautiful grounds, swimming pool, stream in front of the hotel and great food. By the way...the flight from Brive to Orly is less than an hour.

The short answer to all of this is that the Dordogne is still somewhat isolated. Less so now that there are more autoroutes, but that is a great part of its charm. This does mean however you cant always get where you want to go as quickly as you might think. And part of the charm of the 'French way of life' is that they take family and eating seriously. So on Sunday, which is the most important day for both, virtually everthing that a NOrth American would expect to find open isnt.

Annie, I dont know what a DT station is. The train station is in the centre of town, but its not a huge town, so fairly easy to get in and out.

We've never flown from Brive - it's faster but 3 or 4 times the price of the train, depending on the day and the kind of fare you choose. Finally, dont assume that the airport rental agencies will be open on a Sunday. This is a tiny airport. They may well come in to meet your plane, but you should confirm with the agency that there really will be someone there on a Sunday. (Europcar also seems to have an office there.)

Susan, by DT, I meant downtown, so I understand now that the train will arrive near the downtown car rentals in Brive. Since some of us will already be there, I guess we could pick up the rest of the folks on Sunday if we can't manage to get a car rented. But, I'll try Hertz and AutoEurope, and see if we can arrange for them to leave the keys someplace for us to pick up. Planning these trips to France is more difficult than the States, but oh so worth it. Thank you everyone for your help. annieladd

We flew from Bordeaux to Atlanta via Paris on a morning flight. I think we got to the airport by 8am.

We drove from Dordogne to the beach near Bordeaux (on the airport side of town) and spent the night before- we loved walking up the dune du Pilat. The drive was longish 3-4 hours, along canals and vineyards.

This was a nice way to end our trip and not really too hectic since an afternoon at the beach is relaxing. We got up at 6:30 and had an early breakfast. We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare- I think the drive was about 30 minutes. The Bordeaux airport is rather small and efficient.

We had the same problem - San Francisco to Sarlat at the end of April. We are flying through London Heathrow as well.

Solution: we added a week before our rental in Sarlat starts and will spend it in Paris. Take the train to Bordeaux, pick-up the car (Autoeurope Puegeot Open Europe), drive to St-Emilion for one night and then on to Sarlat for the month. 8-)

But first - three months of tax season in San Francisco. @-)

Finding this forum is like finding gold. Thanks to you ALL...

Hi Baby,

You might want to take the TGV from Paris Montparnasse to Libourne.

PREMS fare is 25E.

The car agency is right across the street from the train station.

You avoid all of the traffic around Bordeaux.

We stayed at Chateau de Roques in Puisseguin, near St. E.

http://www.chateau-de-roques.com/accueil_a.htm

Have a nice visit.

((I))

Hi Ira, I just jumped to the most recent post, and thought you were calling me Baby! Ha! annieladd

Hi, Ira. We are doing one of those lease/buyback arrangement with Puegeot (though AutoEurope), so places we can pick-up is more limited than a straight rental. Plus we are picking up the car during a weekend holiday. Just decided it's easier to pick-up in Bordeaux and drive directly to St-Emilion - an excuse to visit St-Emilion and pick some wine to enjoy while we are in Sarlat. We are also staying in a chateau for the night.

Thanks for the suggestions, however. We did consider several options.

Have a nice visit, B.

Carlux,

How do you arrange for the bus from Sarlat train station to the Souillac station.

Just go to the train station. In fact, if you go to the SNCF site http://www.voyages-sncf.com
and say you want to go from Paris to Sarlat, it automatically books you on the bus (autocar)

I have another (uninformed) question. Susan says to leave from Gare d'Austerlitz to get to Brive. Where is the Gare d'Austerlitz, and how do you get to it from CDG? annieladd

You take the RER and métro or you take a taxi. Me? I take a taxi.

Yikes, this is getting complicated. Let's look at this the opposite of my original question. I'm trying to get various family members from Paris to Sarlat on a Sunday (but I'll consider another day if you think that's crazy.) So, is there an easy way to get on a train at CDG, get close to Sarlat, rent a car, and get to the hotel? Or is this Austerlitz place, (which they'll need to get to from CDG in a taxi) the way to go? I'm sorry to be such a dunce about this, but it just gets complicated. I'll already be in Sarlat, and could go pick them up in a town near Sarlat(and worry about cars on Monday), but while we're still figuring out the exact number, there could be too many people/luggage to fit into my one car. Or I guess I could try to rent another car for them on Saturday, and the two of us could pick them up. Please excuse my frustration, I'm just new to this. annieladd

With your help and the nice hotel's help, I think I have my alternatives figured out. 1. Taxi from CDG to Gare Austerlitz then train to Brive then car rental. 2. Taxi from CDG to Gare Austerlitz then train to Souillac and connection by bus to Sarlat. 3. TGV from CDG 2 TGV to Bordeaux then connection to Sarlat by regional train (TER), then rent a car. 4. TGV from CDG 2 TGV to Libourne then connection to Sarlat by regional train (TER), then rent a car. Hotel has offered to help pick up family in Sarlat on Sunday, then they could rent car in Sarlat on Monday. I like this idea.

This taking a taxi from CDG to Austerlitz sounds like a bit daunting, so I'm leaning towards options 3 and 4. Unless, that means much more time traveling. Any thoughts? annieladd
annieladd

>4. TGV from CDG 2 TGV to Libourne then connection to Sarlat by regional train (TER), then rent a car. Hotel has offered to help pick up family in Sarlat on Sunday, then they could rent car in Sarlat on Monday. I like this idea. <

Bingo!

What time are you scheduled to arrive at CDG to make the 13:45?

The train station in Liourne has a cafe that sells sandwiches. beer, etc. Right across the street are a couple of small bars, that have fresher sandwiches for a little less.

Look for PREMS fares (39E) for CDG/Libourne about 90 days in advance.

Don't be surprised if the train to Libourne is only 2 cars, it's still a TGV.

((I))

The TGV from CDG to Libourne is definitely your best bet. Do check the Sunday TER schedules to Sarlat, though - there are fewer trains Sundays than other days usually.

Department of dumb questions: Can you take train from CDG to or toward Sarlat without going into Metro Paris?
Thanks,

Hi Andy,

Read the two posts immediately above yours.

((I))

I know I can't go to sncf and find times for October yet, but I just want to get a feel for what's avilalbe from from Paris CDG to Sarlat via Libourne (hopefully) on a Sunday. I'm just plugging in earlier dates to see what's available, but I'm stumped. What station do I plug in for leaving Paris CDG? I just put in earlier dates, leaving on a Sunday and returning on a Saturday, and I got Montparnasse to Libourne then Sarlat, Austerlitz to Souillac to Sarlat. Is Montparnasse or Austerlitz the station at CDG?