Hello,
I am hoping for help with this leg of a trip, which I have researched on this board, and need some more ideas.
On June 27,6:30 AM, 4 adults and 4 children, ages 14,11,11,and 9, will arrive at CDG on Air France--all things being on time. We plan to rent a cottage near Sarlat,Dordogne beginning July 29, Saturday.
How best to get to Sarlat/Dordogne? Tired adults may prefer not to drive, but to pick up a car in Perigeux. However, I cannot find Perigeux on the train schedule-- sncf.
St Cirq, where are you? <g>
We will need the car until July 10 when we depart from Paris. Plan to amble on up toward Paris in the 4 remaining days. Not sure how much time this group will want to spend in a city. --Although I cannot imagine missing Paris all together.
Any and all advice appreciated. We are not a wealthy group, so cost is a consideration. (I am about to spend my kids' college savings!)
Thanx,
elisabet

Did you mean PERIGUEUX?

Oh I see what you're saying. Duh. There's no route to there. Hmmm...

Check sncf.com for the new prem fares. Somebody posted recently they got one-way Avignon to Paris for 25 euro a person. It may be cheaper to take the train. Especially since 8 people will need a big van or two cars.

I found info here:

http://www.ter-sncf.com/UK/aquitaine/default.htm

We are also planning a similar trip but in late november. My suggestion is to go by train (directly from CDG). We are going to Angouleme, and from there renting a car. I would not suggest to drive from paris since it is a long drive and you will be tired and so will the kids! Check Eurail (fares and schedules) only for the time schedules.

Yes, I did mean Perigueux. I never did take French in high school--Spanish instead.
Will keep working on this--the spelling and the train schedule.
Thanx to all who have responded.
elisabet

I don't know what your choices are in terms of car rental in Périgueux. You can also try Limoges. From there it's a straight shot down to Sarlat via St. Yrieix and Hautefort (D. 704, I believe). But you may find renting a van perhaps the best solution give the train ticket cost for the number of people you have. compare train ticket prices with what Autoeurope may have to offer: http://www.autoeurope.com/ If you drive, arrange for an overnight stop in Fontainebleau rather than trying to do a full day's drive after a long plane flight.

We took a train from Paris to Limoges and picked up a car there. Very doable and easy access to Dordogne from there.

Elisabet:

Yes, you need the right spelling: Périgueux (not an easy one).

I would not advise driving from Paris - it's not that interesting drive unless you want to make some detours along the way (and there are plenty of those, if you're interested).

I'd spend the night in Paris and then go to the Gare d'Austerlitz and take the regular train to Périgueux, from which you'll have about a 45-minute drive to Sarlat. There ARE trains to Sarlat, so investigate those, too, but there are more freight than passenger trains, and the connections, usually through Bordeaux or Libourne with a really slow, pokey train on to Sarlat, are not the best.
I personally would not take the train to Angoulème or Limoges because the drive from either of those places to Sarlat is not particularly interesting, IMO.
Another alternative is to take the train to Brive-la-Gaillarde, also a lot closer than Limoges or Angoulème.
I have always rented through AutoEurope, and their affiliate in Périgueux is EuropCar, a block from the train station. There are Hertz and Avis and Cités offices there, too.
There are no PREM fares I'm aware of to Périgueux or Brive or Limoges or Angoulème, but you should qualify for one of the discounts for family members traveling together.
Good luck and bonne route!

I haven't gone to the Dordogne yet, but have a trip planned this summer with my husband, mother-in-law & 2 young boys. I've heard/read that it is nice to have a rental car in Dordogne. To get back to Paris, you should probably take the train from Perigeaux to Bordeaux, then take the TGV (high-speed) train to Paris. I believe Bordeaux is the closest TGV hub to the Dordogne. You can check out fares, schedules & routes on www.raileurope.com
Good luck!

cheried::

Generally speaking, the Perigueux to Bordeaux to Paris route is less efficient than the regular train from Perigueux to Paris. It usually takes longer and costs more. There is no need to go all the way to Bordeaux to hook up to a TGV as you don't save any time.

This thread has been great and I would like to take the train to Perigueux--now that I can spell it! St Cirq does seem to have the best ideas, although others in my group have expressed interest in driving in 2 segments, with an overnight part way between Paris and Sarlat. We arrive at CDG around 6:30 AM, so have the day ahead of us. Will try to stay awake to minimize jet lag.
Since we will be a group of 4 tired adults and 4 over-tired kids ages 9-14, we would like to find a hotel/B&B about 2 hours from Paris. Somewhere with a vilage/town to walk in, cafe, castle/fort to visit.
Also, the car rental options in Perigueux seem very limited.
Thoughts??

elisabet:

I don't think you need to make a stop for the night between Paris and Perigueux - I mean, what is the point of taking the train for a couple of stops, getting off, getting to a hotel unloading, spending the night, and then getting back on the train and continuing the journey the next day? It's not that bad - I did it a gazillion times alone with two toddlers, then small kids, then elementary kids. You'll be fine. The effort of getting off the train and checking into a hotel for the night and then resuming the journey the next day is more than the effort of just enduring the 5-hour train ride and then driving 45 minutes to your B&B. The kids will sleep on the train, trust me.
I always rent through Autoeurope, which has an affiliate, EuropeCar, in Perigueux, right around the corner from the train station. Couldn't be easier, and they always have the best prices, and my experience has been that renting in Perigueux I almost always get a free upgrade to the next biggest car.

St Cirq, you are the most patient person in the cyber world! I did not explain clearly. I meant that the other adults wanted to drive the entire way from CDG to Plazac, where we will stay. Also, when I contacted Europcar, the rate was quite high--both on the website and at the local office here in Maine. The US Europcar rep said there were fewer new cars to rent out due to the war, so higher rates. I certainly see your point about staying on the train. And your plan gets my vote if it is economically feasible.
How easy to get from CDG to the Gare Austerlitz station?
And just a comment: I realize that I must sound like a person who never ventures out of the woods....Well I am! I don't even like to drive to Boston.
I will keep trying to work this out so Everyone in my group is happy.
Thank you for helping me to make sense of this.

I get it now. Sorry about that. First of all, you say you've contacte EuropCar - but have you contacted AutoEurope? They aren't the same. AutoEurope (www.autoeurope.com; 1-800-223-5555) is a broker that uses, among others, EuropCar as an affiliate. I think you will get a better rate if you contact AutoEurope (and they will match or beat anyone else's quoted rate). It is definitely true that car rental rates have gone up in recent months.

Getting to the Gare d'Austerlitz isn't all that hard (unless you're driving!). You could take two taxis (about $100 euros with luggage for both); it's possible you could all fit in one of the taxi vans, but I think they are 7-seaters, and not 9-seaters. I've never done it, but you could arrange for one of the Paris shuttle services to take you - that might be cheaper. You could take the Air France bus to the Gare de Lyon and grab taxis there, but it probably wouldn't save you much money (the AF bus is, I believe 11€ a person). The one thing I would never do is attempt public transportation (RER/metro) with a group of 8 and luggage. I think a taxi would be your best bet.

I continue to work on this. St Cirq, you inspire me. It is like a puzzle to be solved.
I found a shuttle that will meet a flight and can take 8 passengers.--15 euros/person. Perfect.
But I wonder, do hotels ever have shuttles that meet guests...or would those hotels be out of our league? I am hoping for 4 beds, 1 or 2 rooms for less than $200. Am I dreaming?
Then next day to Austerlitz for the train.

The Hotel de France, 102, boulevard de la Tour Maubourg, has a quad room for less than $200 and two doubles also for less than $200. The Hotel Duquesne-Eiffel also has a quad for under $200. But are you looking to sleep 8 people or four for that?

Maybe I am missing something, but why not have the shuttle take you directly to Austerlitz? There's a train a little before 1:00 that gets you into Limoges with no changes shortly after 4:00. Then you could crash in Limoges, a cheaper and smaller city, before picking up your car(s) for the next day. Actually, that's what we did when we stayed in the Dordogne.

It seems like you would have two nights in Limoges before your cottage comes free. I would strongly suggest that the next day after you pick up your car, you take a ride to Oradour-sur-Glane, where the Nazis wiped out the entire population of 634 and the French have left it as it was--bicycles, sewing machines, everything, as a memorial. Truly a sobering, riveting experience. (Don't mix it up with another Oradour that is in the same area.)
http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oradour-sur-Glane

As I recall, Austerlitz is a smaller rail station, so you might want to eat at CDG and perhaps buy snacks for the train before the shuttle picks you up.

4 people for $200.--I realize I wasn't clear. Sorry! Although if it could be done at that price for 8.....But we would prefer not to sleep in the sewers or under bridges.
LVSue, I posted a while ago, but it seems not to be here. Hope I'm not repeating. Am wondering about schlepping kids with bags around Paris from 6:30 arrival 'til 1PM train.
Am still having difficulty with Sncf website. Cannot figure out types of tickets, prices. I guess my brain doesn't think in French.

Michael, thanx also. Auto Europe is having a reasonable price this weekend (yes I will have to finally decide!) pick up at Perigueux, return to Paris.

St Cirq, it appears that there is a Europcar, which is the provider, near Hotel de France. At Esplanade des Invalides. Is it realistic to drive into this part of Paris at the end of our trip to return cars and spend our last night in Paris?
Much thanx also to indytravel, Marel, usbeauty, Carla. You are All wonderful to offer advice. Tonight I dine with travel companions, and other friends who are seasoned travellers.
Hope they don't all blow me and my careful plans out of the water!!