6 weeks in France April to early May

Thanks so much! We have the itinerary sort of in place from Rouen and Normandy. It’s deciding if to drive from the Loire Valley down to Dordogne to Toulouse and then maybe onto Nimes. Giving up the car and go by train in Nice for the week. I think we have enough time to enjoy, correct?

Note that by returning the car to a location other than the pickup you will have additional fees to pay.

With your plan you will rent 2 cars (one for Rouen-Tours and a second for Bordeaux-Toulouse) and will therefore have to pay these fees twice.

That being said if you want to spend a couple of days in Bordeaux and since a car is useless if you only stay in the city center, going by train to Bordeaux from Tours is not a bad idea.

This wasn’t your question but since we just took the train from Paris to Rennes, picked up our car in Rennes then traveled throughout Normandy, then final drop off Lille…

You don’t say, but if you plan to stay in Rouen at all, I would not pick up the rental car until the day you depart Rouen. Parking is not terrific and a car is unnecessary in the city. We arrived at rush hour on a Friday in our car. We didn’t know that we would encounter that situation.

Also, dropping off a car at a different location but within France was not very expensive.

Thank you for the replies. I think we are undecided about going to Bordeaux. So we might keep the car and drive from the Loire Valley to Dordogne area and carry on south to Toulouse. Comments? We recognize the cost of dropping off at a different location. From what I’ve read on the different regions, a car can help you get around in areas that are not serviced well by train or bus. I also see it’s important to be aware of parking and not go into larger cities if they are not on your wish to see list.

And yes we thought we would stay in Rouen for 2 nights then travel onto towards Mt St Malo.

If you skip Bordeaux don't bother switching cars, keep the same car for the Dordogne where it will be more than indispensable, and return the car to Toulouse Matabiau train station.

Wanting to visit the Dordogne without a car is like wanting to cook a good meal without a kitchen. You won't starve but you will only eat sandwiches. :)

And since you will have time (and a car), don't forget that the Dordogne is not only Sarlat-la-Canéda and its surroundings recommended by Rick Steves, the Dordogne valley extends over about 200 kms with similar landscapes.

RJTravels,
Good plan to rent in Rouen. If you plan to see the city a bit, rent it only on your way out of the city. If you don't plan on spending a day or two there, take the train straight to Rennes. The drive from Rouen to Rennes, etc. is lovely however, if you take the smaller roads. If you are visiting the DDay beaches area, staying in Bayeux is ideal.
After the Loire, you could drive to the Dordogne area. It would take 4-6 hours depending on your route. I would keep the car, you will definitely need it in the Dordogne region. Or you could also drive to Bordeaux for a couple of days. (Parking there, if you have to pay, isn't very expensive. We stayed at one place with free parking in a locked yard and another one with $15.00 euro a day parking in a garage.) The drive from Bordeaux to the Dordogne area (e.g. Sarlat) is 3-4 hours (not on the Autoroute) on smaller roads.
I wouldn't drop the car until I left the Dordogne, at Toulouse if you wish. Then the train to Nice as you plan. (I don't know about train times or routes.)
The drop-off fee for a different city in France, if at a big enough town/city, shouldn't be very expensive.

To check drive times from place to place, go to viamichelin.com. It usually shows more than one suggestion for routes (fastest, scenic, etc.) Just add an hour or so to allow for rest/food/comfort stops. We almost always choose the scenic route, but your trip may be different. It is a helpful site.
Bonne chance et bon voyage!

Thank you again to those who've replied to my itinerary, I truly appreciate the information and suggestions.

You are going to have a wonderful trip! We really loved our time in Normandy/Brittany and found navigating the nicely paved roads very easy.

One traveller listed their itinerary on here and had a link. I don’t see it anymore. Could they link it again please?