Help! Train ride to Brive or Souillac on Saturday, No rental car found!
 

I am planning to visit the Dordogne region from Paris with train stop in either Brive or Souillac on a Saturday.(whichever in your opinion is the easier option) I find that Car rental companies close at noon on Saturdays. Does any one know of any solution to my problem? Also does any one know how to book a rental car through the French website of Hertz or Avis? The websites are in French and I am totally lost. Thanks in advance for any input and help.

First off, check AutoEurope and Kemwell - better than Avis or Hertz, IMHO and they won't have closed offices on Saturday afternoons (that's ridiculous!).

Second, you have lots of train options for arrivals in the Dordogne, starting with Libourne and Bordeaux, and Périgueux and Brive and even Toulouse - none of which will pose a problem picking up a car on a Saturday afternoon.

I guess maybe the place you've rented in near Souillac, or else you wouldn't have mentioned it, but there isn't a train station that I know of in Souillac - you take the train to Brive and then a bus to Souillac - PITA as far as I'm concerned.

I trust you know about PREM fares and the importance of booking well in advance (assuming you can deal with the nonrefundable, nonexchangeable tickets).

Hi,StCirq, again I do not know how to thank you enough. I have not booked any hotel yet. I just thought Souillac/Brive is closer to Sarlat and it will save some driving time. I am going to follow your advice and get busy with my research. By the way, what is the difference between voyage-SNCF and TGV-europe.com?
Which one should I deal with? Thank you and thank you!!

I use www.voyages-sncf.com. There's lots of useful information on this site about buying PREM fares. Do a search so you know exactly what you're doing.

Périgueux is actually closest to Sarlat, but the TGV doesn't go there. But you can get a TGV to Libourne or Bordeaux and then take the CoRail to Périgueux. You'll be much closer to Sarlat if you do that.

According to the AutoEurope site, the rental office in Brive closes from noon till 4PM on Saturdays.

Stu Dudley

Sorry St Cirq, but there IS a train station in Souillac - just not in Sarlat. The bus takes you from the station in Souillac to Sarlat. There are no rental car agencies in Souillac however.

Normally the car rental agencies in Brive are open Saturday afternoon - there is one train that comes in around 2, and another around 6. If they know you are coming, they will keep the office open for a few minutes after 6 till you arrive. (Like many other business in the Perigord, they will close for lunch, but then open up again.)

Hi, thanks Stcirq, StuDudley, and Carlux. I did some research and decided that Bergerac is the stop where I will collect the rental car from AutoEurope. I thank you all for suggesting different ideas and options. An informed decision means less regret. Thanks a lot.

How are you planning to get by train to Bergerac? Or are you flying? Bergerac isn't a "normal" choice for car pickup for the Périgord - though it's not necessarily a bad one (just means more driving than you have to do).

Sorry, Carlux, got mixed up about thee bus from Souillac to Sarlat - thought it was Brive to Souillac. But if there are no car rental agencies, moot point.

Hi, StCirq, I plan on taking the train from Paris to Bergerac, which takes less time than the train travel from Paris to Perigeuex.( strange but true) However, I am listening if you have other suggestion. When you said " just means more driving than you have to do". Can you be more specific as to what you are comparing to and where I should take the train to in order to make the best use of my travel time? It seems to me that Bergerac is close and I will not have problem locating a car there. Please advise, Thanks a lot!