Train/ car Rental Dilemma for Bordeaux vs Angouleme France
 

In October, my mother and I will be in Paris and then need to get to a town called Grand Brassac (think this is in the Bordeaux region?) to meet up with some friends who will be staying in the area.
We are thinking of taking the train south and then picking up a rental car rather than driving the whole way. Our B&B recommends we take the TGV to Angouleme.

My dilemma is with the return.
I would like to return to Paris fairly early so we can have most of the day there after we arrive back. The departure times for PREM tickets (based on late September dates-Oct not yet available) seem to be 8:25 from Bordeaux and 8:04 from Angouleme.
Google Maps says it is 145k from Grand Brassac to Bordeaux to and 1:49 hrs driving.
Google says it is 59k and 1:05 hrs to Angouleme.

Seems like we’d have to leave pretty early on a Friday morning to get to the train station in Bordeaux in time to drop the car and make the train. In addition, I don’t see another train listed until 17:20 leaving Bordeaux for Paris (could just be that day?).

In Angouleme, the car rental office does not open until 9 AM and I am hesitant to just “drop” the car and the keys without anyone there to check us in. There are later departures (around noon) but the return price more than doubles and we don’t get back to Paris until after 3 PM.

Any suggestions? Are those drive times realistic? Which would be the better choice in terms of driving to/from the train station?

Thanks!

Dropping the car in Angouleme is much easier than Bordeaux. I rent from Europcar, booking through Autoeurope, have dropped off cars after hours and have never had a problem.

I think you should have a look at the map - Grand Brassac is not that close to Bordeaux at all. In fact it is closer to Perigueux than to Angouleme.(viamichelin says it's only 29 km.)

You might find the schedule better from there.

Carlux-Yes Perigueux is closer, but the tickets are twice as expensive, require a change of trains (some in Bordeaux!)and in most cases take twice the time.

Ronz-Thanks for the info. I've rented from AutoEurope many times too, I just hesitate to drop after hours because there's no proof there was no damage to the car if there's no one there to sign off on it.

Hard to believe that tickets are twice as expensive from Périgueux and take twice the time. You must be getting a great deal on PREMs. The train from Périgueux that goes through Limoges takes about 4.5-5 hours. Between driving all the way from Grand Brassac and taking the TGV (3 hours), it's a wash time-wise.

I wouldn't worry about dropping the car off when the office isn't open. I do it all the time. Just be sure to take pictures of the exterior and interior of the car so you have proof of its condition.

The cheapest PREMS I can find work out to 88 euro R/T for 2 through Bordeaux or 94 euro for 2 through Angouleme.
Through Perigueux, the cheapest for my times is 135 euro and we would have to change trains (hoping to avoid this).
Still, I will consider it and check out the car rental rates and times there.
Also, my dates are not yet available online to book tickets, so prices could change.

In Perigueux, the car rental office opens at 8AM. If it does not specifically say they allow drop off when closed, does that mean they do not?

Which car rental office in Périgueux?

At any rate, I've never seen a car rental website that said they had a dropoff box or said whether or not you could use it after hours if they did. They don't really have a choice, do they, if you arrive when they're closed? They encounter this ALL the time, I'm sure.

StCirq-
It's the one listed on the AutoEurope website for the Perigueux train station.
I asked because on the same website they say "closed but drop box available" when I put in a time before they open in Angouleme. It does not say this for the Perigueux location.

Best way to deal with Autoeurope is their toll free number, if one has accass to it.

1-800-223-5555

Hi K,

> I just hesitate to drop after hours because there's no proof there was no damage to the car if there's no one there to sign off on it.<

Get out your digital camera and take lots of pix, inside and out, of the car, the parking area and the passengers standing next to the car.

Should there be a problem, you have documentation.

From whom are you renting?

((I))