Ready to book train tix. Looks like Bordeaux will be our choice due to Sunday schedule. Air France flight scheduled to arrive at 8:00 am. There is a 10:15 TGV from CDG which I know will be cutting it very close. However next train is at 12:45 and has 2 stops. If we buy refundable tix and miss the early one, can we exchange for later train?

Yes-as long as you purchase the refundable tickets you will be able to change. Read the conditions when you buy the tix-they are usually spelled out pretty clearly. Where are you staying in Bordeaux-have you decided?

We are here in Bordeaux now and it is a Sunday and just to let you know there are lots of shops open and some lovely Sunday markets. We are considering Bordeaux as a place to call home part time in France and so far we aren't disappointed. There is enough to do to be fun but still a liveable, walkable, human-scale place. I think you will enjoy your short stay here :)

Thanks jpie! Have not decided on place to stay overnight yet. Hoping for someplace nice close to train station as only overnight stay before heading out either to Libourne by train to pick up rental car, or picking up rental car in Bordeaux.
Will we find restaurants open on Sunday evening do you think?

BTW you may not need to return your car to Bordeaux at the end of the trip - you can return it to the nearest convenient station for you that has the appropriate car hire co depot.

as for restaurants in Bordeaux, it's a big city. I'm sure that jpie will know more than me, but I'd be very surprised if you couldn't find somewhere to eat there on a Sunday night.

Great. Thanks. Just off phone for car rental, and can drop off in Libourne or Brive, with Brive drop off providing more car options. Now on to see which location has best train schedule for returning to Paris.....

Yes there are plenty of restaurants open on Sunday night luckily. If you like meat then one of the well known places on the main square area is L'Entrecote: http://www.entrecote.fr/french/la-sa...ontenu-mc.html

I think it seems kind of touristy but I haven't tried it so can't really tell you. Our rental agent is a foodie like us so he has been suggesting a couple of places:

This is a place he likes but we haven't tried yet. You can reserve this on thefork.com
7e Péché
http://www.septiemepeche.fr/

This one, Solena, gets good reviews on TA and is open Sunday nights:

http://solena-restaurant.com/wp/

Also La Tupina (gets mixed reviews on tripadvisor but has been well written up) Again you can book that one

http://www.latupina.com/en/

Also for hotels, be aware that the gare is literally righ next to the tram line so you don't have to stay right at the gare-just along the "C" line. But there are a couple of hotels that look okay there for one night pretty much around the corner walkable or one tram stop:

Hotel ibis Styles Bordeaux Gare Saint Jean
68-78 rue de Tauzian, 33800 Bordeaux

Best Western Hotel Gare Saint Jean
15 Rue Charles Domercq, 33800 Bordeaux, France

Bu honestly the neighborhood is a bit better north of the gare, so if you like walking while you are there I would stay nearer the center since it is literally only 2-3 tram stops to the gare from the more fun areas of town.

Wow that's great. Thanks so much for all of this info!