CaliNurse

Hello all. We arrive into CDG midmorning, and are considering renting car there, instead of TGV to Bordeaux, to reach Sarlat.
It's about a 6 hour drive to Sarlat according to mappy, etc. But having come off a long flight with likely insufficient sleep, thinking we'd best break up the trip. But where? Orleans? Detour to Blois or Amboise? Other ideas? If possible, we'd like to stay somewhere more picturesque and interesting than just a chain hotel along the highway.
Merci beaucoup pour votre conseils Fodorites!

DalaiLlama

I'd go to nearby Fontainebleau and keep walking - that's the way to safely get over the jetlag, walk walk walk rather than driving.

kerouac

Blois would be a lovely setting to relax the first day.

lindybrock

Hi there
My daughter and I have just returned from France and we drove from Paris to Clermont-Ferrand and then turned off to a small town called Pierrefort to stay the night. It was very lovely and we stayed at a 12th century castle B&B called Chateau de Lescure. Can't recommend it enough. Lovely people, reasonably cheap and a nice relaxing break before the drive to Sarlat.
Hope you have a lovely time

Sarastro

Think seriously about attempting to drive any distance after a long transatlantic flight. Taking the train from CDG to you destination is a much wiser choice.

StCirq

It's a long boring drive to Sarlat from CDG, even if you punctuate it with an overnight. Just hop on the TGV at CDG and continue to Libourne or Bordeaux, and if you can't do the next leg to Périgueux and pick up a car, spend the night in Libourne or Bordeaux and then continue the next day. Alternatively (and I do this all the time), go into Paris, take the slow train to Périgueux from the Gare d'Austerlitz, pick up the car and drive the 45 minutes from Sarlat. Or get off at Limoges, pick up a car and spend the night at Oradour-sur-Glane, visit the site, and move on to Sarlat the next day.

Carlux

Another option if you're coming to Sarlat is to get into Paris, Gare d'Austerlitz and take the train to Brive la Gaillarde - 4 hours. (There's usually one around 10, another around 2 p.m.) Rent your car there and be in Sarlat in about 40 minutes. Or stay in Brive and move onto Sarlat the next morning.

CaliNurse

Thanks so much for all your replies ('cept the first--were you bored, Dalai!? ). I rally appreciate you all taking the time to answer.

Love idea of breaking up the long drive at a lovely place in a small town....but yes,even with that, it does seem a lot of driving on top of an overnight transatlantic flight.

If train, it will be direct from CDG, so we dont have to travel into Paris to catch another train. (Maybe we're just the unlucky ones, but public transport to/from CDG , and the airport itself, usually has been a hassle, and the vans have been hit or miss in terms of quality/reliability) I'd rather just follow the intra-airport TGV signs to the train and take it there.

Decision is affected by concerns re actual arrival time of the plane from USA on AA (we take this for the miles). In the past, we've had delays from SFO (via DFW) so am hesitant to pre-book anything leaving from CDG onward.

Another option was the quick flight from CDG to Toulouse on Easyjet, but it leaves too early on a Sunday (when we arrive) to make it.

Libourne? Hadnt considered that!! Off to do more research!!

Again, thanks to you, Fodorites!!!!

kerouac

Don't worry about driving for a few hours -- the adrenalin will keep you going, not to mention the full daylight of morning.

StCirq

It's about 6 hours if you don't stop, IME. That's about twice as much driving as I can handle after a sleepless night on a plane. AND, it's a bore.

Lexma90

One time when we were taking the train (to Bordeaux) right after a flight, I booked a later train. Then, when our plane and luggage were actually on time, I was able to change the ticket to the earlier train. I don't remember the fares or the exact change fee, but it was something like 5 euros, total, for the two of us. That trip, we took the train to Bordeaux, then picked up a rental car for the 1/2 hour trip from there to St. Emilion. We spent the night there, then headed off to the Dordogne the next morning.

CaliNurse

Thanks again. Kerouac, thank you for the encouragement! I see some lovely little overnight places near Blois, and it's soooo tempting!! But...there's the reality of probably having had little sleep, dealing with car rental and getting out of Roissy, a boring drive (thanks for the heads-up, St cirq)after the Loire area, etc.
Train sounds good, and a chance to catch some shut-eye, although on the surface of it, potential for missed connections. So Lexma, thanks for your tip on booking a later train, but keeping our fingers crossed that we arrive in good time and get through the arrival process with minimum hassle.
Merci a tous!!

kerouac

I would even recommend the Ibis hotel in the center of Blois. Even though many Ibis hotels are prefab places in the burbs, the <i>Ibis Centre Blois</i> is a lovely modernized traditional hotel at a very reasonable rate. It is just a few steps from the château or the delightful restaurants and cafés down by the river.

CaliNurse

Well, i was leaning to driving from CDG, if only to avoid the uncertainty of plane/train connections between our arrival time (as yet unbooked) and train or plane (Easyjet or Air France) departure times from CDG.

Having just read that there will be unpredictable French rail strikes throughout 2011, my decision is made: rental car it is!!

The rates for the Ibis are fantastic. ON the Ibis site, if you book at least 20 days in advance, there is a nonrefundable room rate of $ 58 !! Thank you for the recommendation, Kerouac.

I posted in another thread asking about Blois--any recommendatins will be greatly appreciated. House of Magic? Chateau? Sound and Light show at night?

Thanks again to all of you.

Carlux

If your source for strikes in 2011 is Palenque, you should know that he has mostly put up this information to be provocative. There may be, but I would not plan a holiday just to avoid the possibility.

If you do decide to drive, you might consider Loches. We used to stop there, as it's an attractive, not too large town, well located between Paris and the Dordogne. We've stayed at the George Sand, which was very nice, with a good restaurant, although we haven't been recently.

2010

Would you consider catching a connecting flight from CDG to Bordeaux and spending the night there? You can pick up your car at the airport and leave the next morning for a pretty drive to Sarlat.

StuDudley

We NEVER drive from CDG to the Dordogne - or Provence either. We'll either fly to Toulouse (one of my favorite cities in France), or to Bordeaux. Recently, we've took the TGV from CDG to Bordeaux - very relaxing after an all day traveling event. We live 10 mins from SFO and the flights/airport hassles are very tiring for us.

If you are worried about missing a TGV - purchasae 2 PREM tickets for different times.

Stu Dudley

CaliNurse

Hey Stu, I live 20 mins from SFO!

Thanks to Stu, Carlux, and 2010, in addtion to al others!!

Thanks to you all, i've reconsidered...again!! Please, Fodorites---be gentle with me! I truly, truly appreciate your differring opinions and responses, and ideas.

Yes, the strike info was from Palenque--an agent provocateur, eh??

The news is, there's a flight(s) from SFO to Toulouse, that goes via LHR on British Airways, code-sharing with American Airlines. Works for us, as we accumulate Aadvantage Miles. The times work well, without long layovers anywhere, and with a 5 pm arrival into Toulouse. That really simplifies the arrival, and decision-making. Carlux, we will take your advice, staying overnight after the long travel day, but waking up refreshed (in Toulouse, rather than Bordeaux).

Stu or others, any recs for accommodation in Toulouse. There's a Courtyard right at the airport, which is convenient for just dropping into bed straight off the plane...but will not be convenient for a walk around Toulouse and dinner prior to getting some shuteye.

CaliNurse

2010, apologies! it is you who inspired me to decide on a refreshing overnighter prior to driving the next morning to Sarlat! Encoure une fois, merci merci a tous!!

StCirq

There's an entire thread out there right now about hotels in Toulouse.