better to rent car leaving Paris or entering Tours?

Since you won't be jet-lagged and you will have the option to rent from Orly or other non-CDG rental spots, I would say the options are equivalent. We just did the train from CDG to Tours and drove from Tours to Amboise. It went fine and was a preferred option for us because traffic getting from CDG to the south of France is consistently bad and flew in that morning.

Also note (if it matters for you) that you can get automatic transmission cars in Tours (the St Pierre de Corps TGV station stop). We got a car from EurorpeCar via AutoEurope and it was great - no issues and the car was really nice.

I just did Amboise-Dordogne-Provence by car, so if there's any other information you are interested in regarding the travel days of your trip, let me know. There wasn't much to it really.

-Matt

You can't encounter something nice on a six-lane tollway unless you have researched and made a list of what you want to leave the highway and see. Since you won't be sleepy from the flight, it's entirely a matter of taste. The other issue is whether there's a drop-off fee for using a second rental spot. OTOH, many airport rentals have fees before you get off the shuttle bus!

One possible disadvantage is that rural offices have fewer hours and longer lunch hours. So don't plan to arrive in St. Pierre des Corps (NOT Tours) at 11:50 AM!

We rented in St. P and were glad we did. Do you have a euro GPS?

We had the same reservations about driving in or near Paris. We took the train from Paris and rented the car at St Pierre as well. Very happy with that choice for us. Very easy. We rented from Autoeurope then, and there was an Avis office at the St P station. If you look at or call Autoeurope you can learn the office hours. When we returned the car we did so after hours as arranged at the time of the rental and it all worked perfectly. Then we boarded the train that took is directly to CDG for our departure. It was all seamless. This was a few years ago. Have a great time..the Loire is a beautiful region. We have been happy with Autoeurope on past trips and are renting again next week. Getting the GPS from Autoeurope now could be much cheaper than getting it at the rental counter.

Driving from and to CDG is a harrowing experience. Take the train and then rent. There might be a drop off charge so be sure to check and see if it is worth it. I rented a car this summer from and to CDG and will never do it again! Also, tolls can get expensive. I set my GPS to avoid tolls and drove through the countryside. I used my own GPS and did not rent the rental cars. Some have free and some charge by the day. I bought a Europe chip for my GPS and it worked fine. We also bought a good map on ebay that covered our trip. We still do not trust electronics all the way. Maps do not loose power and crash. Wonderful sightseeing and it only took 30-45 minutes longer than the expensive toll roads. Also, we stopped at a couple of small brasseries/restaurants and had great local food. Gas was cheaper too.

Auto Europe is a US-based broker that connects you to a variety of reputable rental companies for a good rate. They charge your card and you download their voucher to present to the rental company when you get the car. It's worked well for us several times. Or look at websites for Hertz, Avis, Europcar, and other companies to comparison shop. The only real advantage to dealing directly with a company is that if you don't get the car you ordered or have some other problem you haven't paid them yet and can look for an alternative, while the prepaid Auto Europe voucher commits you.

I'd suggest driving from Orly or some other location in the southern suburbs you can easily reach by Metro or RER with your luggage, rather than taking the TGV to St-Pierre, solely to avoid paying twice for transportation the same day. Your TGV tickets will cost, and then your car rental will cost. If you just drive, you're paying the same rental plus gas and tolls which won't come close to two TGV fares. But driving can also be tiring.

If you drive you could build in a stop someplace like Orleans near your route, if time permits and interest is there.

Generally you won't have dropoff charges as long as you return the car within the same country, but check this as part of your shopping -- of course. Have fun!

I am taking the train from CDG to St Pierre des Corps to pick up a Hertz car,very easy to do.It can be done easily from Paris as well.We are staying in Vouvray which is 9 km East of Tours.
Mike

Thank you all for your solid good advice. It sounds like car rental at the Tours station is the way to go for us. Good info about GPS and paper map backups too.

Chris H

The only thing is that getting out to Orly in itself can be more of a pain than just taking the train to Tours . . probably not as expensive, but takes almost as long!!!!

I think you're fine with your plan to train to Tours and then get the car there.

We took the TGV right to Tours and rented a car right there at the train station. As soon as you exit the main building, the rental office is off to the right and their cars are located in a parking lot directlybehind that. The woman who helped us was very polite, respectful and spoke English. Within 15 minutes we were behind the wheel and off we went to find our gite.
From Tours, we drove up the Loire river and crossed over into Amboise and had lunch there... what a beautiful place! It felt like Paris at the entrance to the castle! They even have Amorino gelato there.
I suggest heading up to Chaumont sur Loire, as this was the best overall castle + gardens we've ever visited in Europe... absolutely beautiful!

For rental advice, book in advance and be sure to get a GPS. If you're hesitant to pay for it or think "I have a map," let me tell you why you should absolutely positively get it. I am excellent with directions... in fact my motto is "I've never been here before but I know exactly where I am and how to get to ___ from here." Well, not in France. First, no matter how fast you're flying down the roads, there will be 2-3 cars piled up behind you ready to pass you up like you're sitting still. And whoosh, you just flew past the unmarked road you should have turned left on... unless you had GPS which will tell you "prepare to turn left in one-quarter mile". Next, the little towns you are driving through to get to the other side often have a half dozen signs telling you which way to navigate your way through... as the village's roads weren't made for cars. You're mostly fine if you know which sign is yours, and which sign is for locals, and which sign is for tractors... you can see where I'm going here.
have a GREAT time! Jean-Paul

Oh and one more thing! Sept 19 + 20 are France's heritage days when there are tons of castles, buildings, monasteries, etc open for guided tours which are normally closed to the public 363 days/year. We visited 2 privately owned castles in the Loire valley (Le Château du Gué-Péan and Chateau de L'Islette ) that weekend.
We did see many fantastic places we would love to return to, but our favorite was Loches. There are three castles on one hilltop town. Very nice place to eat lunch, explore and shop, and then have a cream-tea before heading out.
http://www.beyond.fr/a/calendar09.html

Driving in France is easy, but the first experience, if your pick up you car in Paris, can be a bit distressing. Traffic is traffic anywhere, and your first time with the GPS can be a problem. I would rent in a smaller town. By the time you are back to CDG, driving will be a piece of cake.