Hi there everyone, I want to thank you all for your wonderful posts that have helped us SO MUCH on planning our trip to France. I have read many a suggestion from you all regarding when to rent a car and when to train it. So I am hoping this is close to what everyone thinks should be a good idea.
Need opinions/suggestions on the first of piece of the %26quot;plan%26quot;:
Fly in to Paris and take train to Tours. Rent car in Tours and drive to Amboise for 4-5 days. Drive to Avignon for 4-5 days. Drive to Sarlat for 4-5 days. Return rental car in Bordeaux and take train to Paris for a week. Fly out of Paris...
Everyone seems to say you need a car in Amboise and Avignon and Sarlat for surrounding areas. We are assuming it would be cheaper to keep the car until Paris then return the car and train it between areas and then pick up a car again.
So, what say ye? Thank you all so much in advance. I really appreciate it.
eholden
|||
We have been to France several times and always rent a car. I find it%26#39;s easier to rent and drive myself than to go through the hasle of picking up and returning cars every few days (especially when you are going long distances). Although the trains are wonderful, I still like to drive myself. One word of caution - unless you are fluent in French, I would request a car with a GPS in advance. It definitely helped us find out way around. Amboise and Avignon are both lovely. Have not been to Sarlat. We stayed at a wonderful hotel in Avignon called Hotel Europe.
|||
Thank you for the comments on the GPS. I KNOW my husband NEVER stops for directions so that might make our trip more %26quot;smooth sailing%26quot; if you know what I mean.
We have decided to stay at Hotel Europe from your recommendation on another post.
Thank you for all your input. It sure helps.
eholden
|||
Yes, the GPS saved us from many fights due to %26#39;car aggravation%26#39;. We named ours %26#39;Babette%26#39;.
Have a wonderful time, and I hope you enjoy the hotel. There%26#39;s a great restaurant that you sit outside at night and see the lights pointing up onto the palace that is super. I%26#39;ll have to try to remember the name.
|||
Amboise for 4-5 days in my opinion is too long.
We stayed in Chinon because we had a car, which is less touristy and more charming. Overall, there%26#39;s not much to do in the Loire Valley besides seeing the Chateaus. You may want to do 3-4. We did 2-3 days of seeing chateaus and by the last day we were all chateaued-out.
A beautiful hotel in Chinon: Deidrot. Check it out in the reviews section of tripadvisor.
Yes, a car is definitely best in Loire Valley and Provence. You can do without a car if staying in Avignon, local transport is pretty good. You can also do day-tours with local companies.
|||
The thing is that you could spend a day at each Chateau (especially the bigger ones like Chenonceau and Chambord). We stayed at a beautiful chateau/bed %26amp; breakfast that was really reasonable. It%26#39;s in Nazelles (right next to Amboise) called Château de Nazelles. It was so peaceful - I would definitely go back.
Definitely recommend a car for the Loire valley because everything is really spread out and you really want to take your time and enjoy the scenery and little cafes along the way. It%26#39;s a long drive from Amboise to Avignon so plan on a whole day to make the drive. We did it in reverse (Provence to Normandy). My friends from France thought we were crazy and I%26#39;m like - that%26#39;s only 1/2 way from KC to NY!
|||
What is with all these different threads on this trip??
|||
Because no one responded for two days on the France forum so I put them on two different region forums to see if I could get a regional response. Which I did...
eholden
|||
cdaworld, thank you for the advice on only 3-4 days needed in Amboise at the most. That was one of the questions we had. I will definitely look in to the hotel in Chinon: Deidrot.
pmannon, if we make the drive fun and take the whole day then it will be worth it. We will definitely take time for the cafes and things along the way. I will look in to Chateau de Nazelles.
Thank you so much for your input. It is GREATLY appreciated.
eholden
|||
%26gt;%26gt;? Overall, there%26#39;s not much to do in the Loire Valley besides seeing the Chateaus. You may want to do 3-4. %26lt;%26lt;%26lt;
I could not disagree more with this statement. The Loire area is a fascinating region with fine museums, ancient abbeys and cathedrals, delightful scenery, charming villages, splendid gardens, interesting towns and cities, and lovely rivers to explore. There are at least a dozen châteaux well worth visiting and perhaps another dozen less well known. They represent fine examples of every architectural style from the medieval to the 18th century. The history of the region is as rich as that of any area in France.
There are splendi hotels ranging from the small and charming to the splendid and luxurious and a host of fine places to eat — and to enjoy the local wines which are well worth sampling, as the vineyards are worth visiting.
It%26#39;s also great country for walking and cycling.
If you include the Loire west of Chinon to the Atlantic there is a whole other area of enormous interest, while the valley upstream from Blois and the almost unvisited by tourists Sologne is yet another area with delights to be found at almost every bend in the road.
I spent three months in that area in another life and have been back a dozen or more times since for anything from a couple of days to a week or more. I still stumble upon new places to explore and have yet to feel like any of my time has been wasted.
|||
just another thought...on our trip this past summer we dropped the car off in Tours, hopped on the TGV train, which took under 5 hours. I believe you can get there in 3.5 if you can get a direct train. our friends in france warned us about the long but beautiful drive from Loire Valley to Avignon. so, we did the 2 day of france rail pass which included 2 days of car rental, there are other economical packages similar to that, just check a guide book like frommer%26#39;s or google.
The drive within Loire Valley will be very easy, as signs are clearly marked and the road is pretty much straight most of the time. Yes, do stop by the many charming towns, restaurants, little cafes and vineyards near the many, many chateaus.
I guaranteed that you%26#39;ll be bored after about 5 at most. The gardens were more amazing and the exterior more impressive than most of the dark and gloomy interiors.
one more important thing: Fly in to Paris and take train to Tours. Rent car in Tours. The drive from Paris took nearly 4 hours, our Parisian friend lead us outside of the city and it still took that long. You can take an express train TGV and get there within 2 hours. We made the mistake of driving to Loire and picking up the car there.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Automatic cars are NOT readily available, so book early. I believe only 1 car company had the automatic in Tours, not one of the major car rental companies like hertz or avis, the name escapes me right now. Also, it will be more money than a manual car.
You%26#39;ll have an amazing time.
No comments:
Post a Comment