Loire valley by car
 

I will be side-tripping (solo adult) to the Loire Valley in July 2011 for a couple of days with my two boys (ages 6 and 11) I am thinking about about renting a car from Paris to make the journey. I really am not interested in fighting Paris traffic. Should I rent a car from the airport or risk a more local car rental place? Or would it make more sense to take a train to Tours and rent a car there? We have not made hotel reservations yet. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

It is very easy to rent a car at some in Paris office near your hotel and make an exit, first to the périphérique (the loop around Paris) and then on to A6 - A10 to the Loire Valley. You´ll save a bundle on train tickets and train station pickup surcharges (currently about 38€ in addition to the rental cost). I have done this many times and it is not the least bit difficult.

When returning to Paris, you may want to leave your car at Orly which is along the inbound route via A6.

If you have driven in & out of Paris many times like Sarastro has done, and can have one of your boys to help navigate - then do so. Otherwise, get PREM train fares to Tours & rent a car there.

Stu Dudley

I wouldn't hesitate to rent a car in Paris and drive, but it's also easy to take a train to Tours and rent, so your call. Do keep in mind that a 2-day rental will be as expensive, probably, as a 3-day rental, so if you can spare 3 days, do it. Weigh the costs against the train.

Oh, I missed something...don't rent locally. Rent in advance from AutoEurope or Kemwel,.

We picked up our lease car near Orly and just zipped on down to the Loire Valley from there. Very easy.

Navigating out of Paris is easy - just plot the quickest route from the rental office to the peripherique and circle until you reach our exit. Don;t listen to thoe who say it's difficult to drive through Paris - it;s not. Using a car to get around inside the city makes no sense since there's never any place to park, but driving isn't bad.

Not sure what plan you have but do look into staying at one of the castle or manor hotels for a really great experience - esp for kids. We stayed at the Chateau de Reaux - 15th century - near Chinon and loved it. And the prices are surprisingly modest.

Three years ago, I rented a car out of CDG. I did drive to Normandy first, so getting out of Paris was quite easy. I drove back from Provence on a Sunday, and getting to the airport was a real nightmare. Besides the two hours it took to return once I got to Paris, I actually got lost in the parking garage trying to return the car. Having the car was great to tour the Loire though and I didn't have kids. If you are going to go the car route, I would consider renting from Orly instead of CDG because it is in the southern part of the city. I am also a strong advocate of using a GPS. I rented one for 10 Euro a day during the France trip, but purchased one with US and Europe maps when I returned the next year. I rented the car from an airport because I got a much better deal on the price.

>>Navigating out of Paris is easy <<

For a New Yorker it might be easy and StCirq lives in DC and travels to France quite frequently (she has a second home there). I live in/near San Francisco & spend 2 months each year vacationing in Europe - mainly France. My wife drives & I navigate in Europe. My wife speaks/reads French quite well. Driving in/out of Paris is still quite stressful for us. I couldn't imagine what it would be like if I had to both drive and navigate, and could not read French directional signs.

Travelbug. If this is one of your first few trips to Paris and you are not accostomed to inter-city driving - take the train to Tours, Amboise, Orly - just any way to avoid driving in Paris. Maybe I'm a wuss (is that the way you spell it?)

Stu Dudley

Rent from Europcar on the Avenue d'Iitalie, which leads directly to the Périphérique.

If I were traveling with a six-year-old boy I would take the opportunity to ride a train to Tours and pick up a rental car there. Reserve ahead and you can usually get a pretty good price. Definitely stay in one of the castle hotels as suggested above. If you are planning to visit chateaux in the Loire do some research and decide which ones will offer the most to your family's interests. Will you enjoy battlements and stables more than fancy furniture and gardens?
Also look into son et lumiere shows at some of the chateaux.

You can also rent a car from Tours or St Pierre Des Corp the stop one station before Tours. There are some great hotel in tours 'centre ville' for kids, try myweekin for ideas with kids in the Loire Valley. I have driven from Paris and it was a nightmare, the traffic, but it is easy once you know but the first time can be daunting.

You can rent in Tours and if you don;t want to go that far before renting you can also rent a car in Blois.

Michele_d: We're renting a car and picking it up at the Esplanade Des Invalides at 8a.m. and are staying in Tours that night; can we see Versailles & 2 Chateaus in the Loire Valley the same day?
Thanks,
Som

I'm with Stu Dudley and several others on this one. I've driven in Paris, and would do so again if I had to, but given a choice I'd opt to be wuss and avoid it! Tours or Amboise would be good renting centres, but I agree it would be better to pre-book before going there.

<i>can we see Versailles & 2 Chateaus in the Loire Valley the same day?</i>

Not in the sense of visiting them, only as a drive by. Not counting the driving, finding parking, getting tickets, in other words the logistics behind every visit, Versailles will take a half a day--there's the chateau, the gardens, le Hameau, etc. Then you still have to get to the Loire. Maybe you can see Versailles and Chartres in the same day.

Definitely get your car in Paris and drive out of there. It will give you confidence for the easy traffic elsewhere. Even in the unlikely event that a car rental place existed in the dead center of Paris like Notre Dame, it is always super easy to get out of the city to the ring road. Getting back into the city isn't as easy, but if you know how to read a map or follow GPS instructions, it is quite doable. Just let the fast and nervous cars do what they want to do and stay with the flock of calm cars, which are the great majority.

Thank you all for the great advice. I drive in LA and Vegas traffic all the time but the last time I was in Paris was 1986 and my French is pretty rusty. I will "wuss" out and get a car in Tours. I love the idea of a castle stay. My boys would love it. Now, I have 6 days to tour the Loire Valley and the D-Day beaches. Will this be doable by car? Normandy is a must. My oldest son is a huge WWII fanatic. So, I would like to spend the bulk of my time there. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Travelbug,
Something that we did when we were in Amboise was to attend the son et lumiere (sp) in Amboise. http://www.renaissance-amboise.com/i...ref=BC71375081

It was a wonderful evening that I think they kids will really like. Even though it is in French it is a live play that is played out on the lawn in front of the castle. Members of the community, age 3-80 play all the parts. There are live animals, fireworks, juggling and so on. A lot of fun.

Michele :)

Thank you Michelle. I looked at the link and will be adding this to our itinerary. I also looked at Chateau de Reaux but had a hard time finding a site that would give me rates and a reservation link. A chateaux stay would be fantastic. I just hope my budget holds.