Sue878

We are going to be leaving our rental car in Orleans. Which station will we be going out of from Orleans to Paris? I've put in info to get tickets but it doesn't show the station. I need to know which site to leave the car at? I know it will show up after I buy the tickets but we may just wait until we are there to get them.

Christina

It depends which station you buy your ticket for, that's all. Trains regularly leave both to Paris (Orleans Centre and Orlean Les Aubrais which is the TGV station a bit out of town).

PalenQ

Orleans main train station - caled Orleans - smack in the center of town and several car rental agencies right opposite it - Orleans main train station is Les Aubrais-Orleans, about a mile out of town so you want Orelans not Les Aubrais which has no car rental agencies at it - you may get minor discounts on tickets Orleans to Paris Austerlitz but regular fare is pretty low so you could just cop tickets once in Orleans - well see if there is any discount but discounted tickets are train-specific and non-changeable non-refundable - I'd check www.voyages-sncf.com to see what savings you may get if not much just buy in Orleans - these are mainly regional trains that do not require seat reservations - just hop on any train with a valid ticket.

For lots of goodies on French trains: www.seat61.com - great info on discounted tickets; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

PalenQ

Orlean Les Aubrais which is the TGV station a bit out of town).>

No TGVs or high-speed trains serve Orleans or Les-Aubrais Orleans stations but TER (regional trains) - thus there are no huge savings for booking in advance and full fare to Paris is maybe 25 euros or so - a one-hour ride.

Sue878

Thanks PalenQ: So I when I book the rental car I will specify city center and take train from the main train station. Would this be easier then returning car to airport/CDG then getting back into Paris to hotel? S.O.does not want to drive into Paris. I know there will probably extra charge to return it to Orleans.

DonTopaz

Sue878, it sounds like you're coming from somewhere south of Paris and you want to get rid of your rental car before getting to the center of Paris. If that's the case, it might be easiest to plan to leave the car at Orly (which, unlike CDG, is south of the city), and then you have a variety of easy methods to get into central Paris from Orly. Orleans isn't especially challenging, but it will still be easier to find your way to Orly airport than to a rental car office in center-city Orleans.

Sue878

Yes Don we are renting from CDG then going to Normandy, Brittany & Loire Valley (Amboise) and we didn't want to drive into Paris so I was thinking of just dropping car at Orleans. I will check it out. Thanks!

PalenQ

Blois would be an easier place to return the cr and hop on the train - you'll miss nada between Blois and Orleans - a big busy city and it can be hard IME of living there off and on for a few decades to navigate from the autoroute to the train station/car rental area. Orly makes sense to me - straight shot on autoroute from Loire.

PalenQ

You don't have to drive into Paris to get to CDG but you do have to take the autoroutes skirting it - avoid rush hours and that may not be too bad - or on a Sunday or Saturday - otherwise things can be backed up at times but still no hassle - easy to do IME of doing it many times.

PalenQ

Here's a thought - on the last day drive to Chartres, visit the world-famous cathedral there and then either drive to Orly or CDG - Orly if no hefty extra fee for not taking back from where you picked it up. From Chartres you can skirt the western part of Paris on autoroutes to CDG or easier of course just to go straight to Orly and not fool around with Paris traffic a'tal.