bostonjenn

we are flying into paris (cdg), arriving at 11:00 am, and heading directly to amboise in the loire valley for two nights before spending the remaining week in paris (7th arr.) we can't seem to decide whether to rent a car in paris and drive from the airport to amboise and back, or to take the train to tours and rent a car there. what would be more convenient, more economical and more enjoyable? how long is the drive to amboise from paris? any advice would be much appreciated!! thanks!

LVSue

I'd rent a car at the airport! Easy to pick up and return. To take the train, you have to get into town. www.mappy.fr says it takes about 2 1/2 hours by car.<BR><BR>A friend (and others on this site) stayed at Le Blason, 11 place Richelieu, which I had recommended because it had some public parking there.<BR><BR>I love Amboise! Don't miss the Clos Luce, the Leonardo da Vinci museum.

DougP

I'd rent the car at the airport also. The biggest reason would be cost, you pay by the day for a car and if you took the train, would have to pay for that also. Car rental in France doesn't have any mileage charges.

avalon

Definitely rent at the airport and the drive is just about 3 hours and easy

bostonjenn

Rent from the airport it is!! thanks for your help!<BR><BR>And thanks for the hotel recommendation LVSue, but after looking at a ton of enticing hotels in that area, we decided to go with Le Manoir les Minimes. We'll definitely be sure to check out the Clos Luce, the Leonardo da Vinci museum. Thanks again!

Sue4

Maybe I'll see you in Amboise! When are you going? I'm also staying at the Manoir Les Minimes for 3 nights. This will be the second week in May. I'm staying in Paris first for a couple of days, then in the Loire for another week, and back to Paris for 2 more. I'm renting a car in Tours for the week. If you change your mind about the car at airport, I think you can take the TGV direct from CDG to Tours (St. Pierre des Corps), where it's easy to rent car and short drive to Amboise. I'll be alone, and am nervous about getting on the Autoroutes, so will not drive back and forth from Paris. I'm definitely going to stick to the smaller roads!

sdh22

Sue4 is correct. You can definitely take the TGV from CDG as I did exactly this trip 3 weeks ago. Flew in on Air France, caught the TGV at the airport (was about a 10 minute walk to the train station, but it might involve an airport shuttle if you aren't flying AF or Delta) to St.Pierre des Corps, picked up a Hertz rental car and drove to Amboise (and stayed at Le Manoir les Minimes). Train ride was less than two hours if I remember correctly.<BR><BR>Personally I would do it this way again just to avoid having to drive near Paris just after getting off an overnight flight. I was pretty wiped out on the train. Also, the drive from Tours to Amboise is all of 20 or 30 minutes. <BR><BR>Either way you will have fun! Driving in France was a breeze once you got the hang of it.

Andre

Hmm... since you'll be landing from a transatlantic red-eye, the train to Tours / St. Pierre des Corps would be a good idea to give you some rest. <BR><BR>That said, it will most definitely be more expensive than driving if there are 2 or more of you and involve more dragging of luggage...<BR><BR>I would probably book the train if the schedule is convenient (leaves about 120 min. after your scheduled arrival). Can't you stay in Paris first and go to Amboise afterwards?<BR><BR>Hope this helps,<BR>Andre

Curt

Here is another thought on the car rental. I agree, rent at airport. But, on return, do not return at CDG but instead return it to Orly. Orly is on the same side of town as you will be coming from and is more convenient than CDG to get to from Amboise. We did this and it worked out fine. Once you turn in the car you can go the terminal and catch the AirFrance bus into Paris at nominal cost. Unless rules have changed since we did this (2 years ago) there is no additional drop charges to pick up at CDG and drop at Orly.<BR><BR>This can save you some time since you can avoid driving all the way around Paris to get back to CDG. Of course you should verify that your rental company (we used Hertz) has facilities at both airports.

Andre

Agree on Orly as a better dropoff than CDG, but if you're a little braver, it's quite an easy drive to the Gare Montparnasse from the Porte D'Orleans, where the motorway from the Loire ends. All the rental car companies have offices in or around the station and you'll be quite close to your hotel.<BR><BR>Though again, my suggestion would be to rent from Paris (Montparnasse) and return at CDG when flying out.<BR><BR>Andre

bostonjenn

All great points! We've run through all these scenarios and in the end, we decided to avoid the additional transfers and luggage-dragging and go the economical route. In fact, the clincher was probably the 38 Euro/day w/ unlimited miles deal we got through orbitz (minus extras). it turns out this quote was an error, but alamo agreed to honor it since it was their error.<BR><BR>I'm hoping that despite the tiresome flight, we will have a surge of energy once we arrive. Besides, having lived in NYC and Boston, driving is a pleasure everywhere else! <BR><BR>Perhaps Alamo will allow us to return closer to Orly or the city...we'll ask about that. And as for the order of events...again, less luggage-dragging and time traveling back and forth.<BR><BR>You fodorites are awesome...thanks!! <BR><BR>

klondike

Please remember to give us a trip report on how all this planning worked out! We'll be doing your route in September.

Thanks!

Zeke

Drove from Paris to Amboise last week. Stayed at the Hotel Le Minnimes. It was wonderful. You should have a great time. You definitely need a car to see the country side and Chateaus. It's a pleasant drive down we stopped in Chartres and toured the Cathedral.