thursdaysd

What day do you arrive? According to SNCF you can travel on June 14, leaving Paris Austerlitz for Brive-la-Gaillarde at 17:53, for 86 euro for the three of you, but you'd need to book soon. However, that train doesn't run June 7th and I gather you would miss the 12:28 which in any case is much more expensive. But the car rental place may be closed by the time you arrive in Brive.

If you have a strict budget for this trip, divide the amount by the number of days and keep track. You will obviously spend more on some days, as you will need to drive to, and stock, the gite, but you can split that across several days.

elizabethG

I arrive on july 5th a saturday and my flight get in a 1pm CDG
and what i see by the time I get to Brive the car rental is closed till monday
do you think 500 dollars for gas and tolls is too little for a month of travel ?

jpie

For the car you might also look into a lease versus a rental since you are staying 4+ weeks. We use them every year and it is much more cost effective than a rental and a much nicer program since you have much more control of the kind of car you are going to get. So that way you can choose and automatic transmission and diesel which will also save you money. And you can pick it us and drop it off almost everywhere in France.

This is our preferred service: http://autofrance.net/rates-reservations/

You can calculate the price on their site. And their rate includes full insurance and you are driving a brand new car from the factory.

Once option might also be be to catch a train directly from CDG to the Bordeaux train station. Then you could try to rest a bit on the train and then pick up the car from there and continue down to Sarlat.

jpie

Also I meant to mention that my husband and I spend a lot of time in an area similar to the Dordogne pricewise in France and for the 2 of us we count around 30 euros per day when I am cooking mostly full time-with maybe an occasional ice cream or crepe/ I am guessing that might be an amount for the 3 of you that you could use to guesstimate food costs.

Hope you have a great trip-you picked a lovely area for kids your age-there is lot to do! As a matter of fact,from a budget standpoint you may also want to hop on some of the sightseeing websites so that you can check out entrance fees since those can add to the holiday cost quickly. When we were in the region with friends who had kids your ages they especially enjoyed visiting the castle where Josephine Baker lived because they have an interesting falconry show at the end of the tour. They also enjoyed the boat ride on the river. Here is one example of prices for a 55 minute trip:

http://www.gabarres.com/us/prices-boat-trip1.html

elizabethG

jpie thank you that makes sense 30 euros as day that is what we do cook most with and ice cream /crepe treats many thanks for that budget advice

The other two idea you gave are great
I googled josephine baker and it looks amazing and my older son is abird watcher so he will be
particularly excited the boat looks great - many thanks

StuDudley

My wife & I have rented 55 gites in France. I don't think any gite owner will want to wait up for you past 10pm on Sat.

I would take the TGV from CDG to Bordeaux. One leaves at 4:21 PM and arrives at 8:37 pm. PREM fares are 34E per person if the same rate is available on July 5. The car rental offices are open on Sunday and they have automatics available. I would either pick up a car on Sat and drive to St Emilion for the first night - or just stay in Bordeaux & pick up the car on Sunday & drive to the Dordogne.

We purchase many, many, many roast chickens at the grocery or Farmer's market and have them for dinner with a sauce of 1 1/2 cups of creme fraiche, 2 T of mustard ancienne, and a grating of hard cheese. Feeds 3 nicely.

Stu Dudley

Tulips

There can be quite a difference in petrol prices - with motorways the most expensive, and petrol stations at supermarkets (Casino, Carrefour..) the cheapest.
If you stay off the motorway you will save tolls, get cheaper petrol and cheaper snacks/food along the way - but may make more kilometres.
I think the costs given on Via Michelin are good, but it will depend on the mileage on your car, obviously, and the type of petrol you need.

I also think that driving that distance after getting off a transatlantic flight is not advisable. Find a Formula 1 or Ibis about an hour or so from the airport - these can be really cheap. Then you can be on your way the next day.

StuDudley

Automatic transmissions
We've reserved around 7 automatics in the last 4 years. Every time we arrived at the rental office, one was available. Even in "podunk" offices like the Lourdes airport and a downtown office in Geneva. It seems that there are more automatics available now than there were 10 years ago. We are starting our fall trip in Poitiers this year - but they did not have any automatics available that could be reserved.

I assume you already know that automatics are more expensive, and that if your CC issuer allows it - use their CDW insurance, and don't get any from the car rental company.

Make sure you reserve a diesel, which gets better mileage and costs less per liter.

NO WAY should you drive on either autoroutes or minor roads from CDG to the Dordogne on Sat arrival day. It's a 6 1/2 hr drive if you take autoroutes/tolls and 8 1/2 if you don't. We never drive more than 1 1/2 to 2 hrs on arrival day. I'm assuming your boys won't be allowed to drive.

Produce at farmer's markets is dirt cheap - so have lots of salads. Baguettes are cheap too - so there's your breakfast. Learn how to prepare Moules/mussels - which are also cheap & plentiful. Lots of pizza places in France and at farmer's markets. Try paella at farmer's markets - another cost-saver.

Stu Dudley

elizabethG

StuDudley There you are.... you are an invaluable resource on Fodors ... you helped me with my trip initially ....
Your suggestion with the train to Bordeaux.. my issue is that I already booked my car from CDG a LONG time ago and the price I received is now such a good price for the car for the month I just looked and it is almost twice the price if I change my booking to Bordeaux plus the train fair... so I believe the most cost effective thing for me to do is drive from CDG.. your suggestion of not driving more that 2 hours on travel day is wise ... I was wondering if you know a village on the way. I would like to stay at least in a picturesque small town if possible on route to Sarlat ?
Any thoughts ????? I am going to check into diesel good idea .. how much actual money should I allow for a month of driving ??? many thanks again !!

Christina

I didn't think you literally meant you were bringing cash with you, but wanted to know how much money to plan for your budget? For food from grocery stores, I find prices in France to be fairly similar to the US, actually (when the euro is converted to dollars). Some things are a little more, some less. It seems fruits and vegetables are about the same, I think, and coffee. Bread and wine are cheap. I haven't bought a lot of meat and stuff like that in groceries so don't have a good feel for that. Cheese isn't cheap, of course, but it isn't in the US, either.

here's a list of Paris grocery store prices from a couple years ago, it seems about right to me
http://www.parisescapes.com/paris_groceries_cost.html

StuDudley

I would stay in Blois the first night. It's about 2 1/2 hrs from CDG. Of course, this is chateau country. Nice town, also. Visit the chateau of Blois on Sat, then Chambord on Sunday. From Chambord, it's a 4 3/4 hr drive to Sarlat on a Sunday with much less truck traffic and construction along the un-scenic autoroute.

We don't pay attention to fuel costs - so I can't give you an opinion on that - except what someone else advised about getting it at a Super/Hyper Marche (which are not usually open on Sundays or during lunch).

Stu Dudley

StuDudley

I just re-read your post and discovered that you have already visited the Loire. Here are two other options:

1. Drive 3 hrs to Bourges and stay there on Sat night. We've visited Bourges, and it's quite interesting with a wonderful church & garden Then it is 4 1/4 hrs to Sarlat the next day.

2. Last year we were going to fly from CDG to Bordeaux and then stay in a B&B in the Gers for a few days. Several days before we left home, we read about a France air traffic controller strike, and I had to make alternate plans for getting to the B&B from CDG. I decided to drive there, but stop somewhere about 2-3 hrs from CDG the first night. I choose the town of Vierzon - which sounded somewhat interesting, as it was described in the Michelin Green Guide for the Dordogne. We caught one of the 2 flights to Bordeaux (out of 5) that was not cancelled - so we made it to Bordeaux OK. Vierzon might work for you. It is directly on the autoroute to Sarlat and 2 1/2 hrs from CDG. There is a Contenital Hotel listed in the Michelin Red Guide with very reasonably priced rooms for families of 3,4,5. www.hotelcontinental18.com . There is also a "Bib Gourmand" restaurant in town with menus starting at 24E (in the '12 Mich guide).

Stu Dudley

ssander

Hi...

I can tell you from personal experience -- a long time ago, but still in my memory -- that it is a BIG mistake to drive much at all after a long and somewhat sleepless night of air travel.

If you insist, then be sure you have good collision insurance. In my case I ran into a concrete road sign about 1 hour outside of Paris. No one was hurt at all, but the car was in the shop about three days.

SS

Gretchen

I am going to check into diesel good idea .. how much actual money should I allow for a month of driving ??? many thanks again !!

Total up you mileage, divide by your car's MPG estimate and multiply by the cost of gas--remembering it is sold in liters, not gallons.