We are renting a car at CDG and driving to Amboise (stopping for the night to see Château De Vaux-Le-Vicomte). We would like to see a Loire château on the way in to Amboise, we are considering Blois and Chambord. We are leaning toward Blois because we want to see the town as well and this may be our best chance to see it. Since we will have all our bags in the car we are concerned about theft in Blois since it is a city, and Chambord is not. We know car break-ins are (were?) common in France, having experienced that in Avignon. Is this a problem to the point we should rule out Blois when our car contains our bags? Is there reasonably-priced garage parking in Blois that is more secure than street parking? We will definitely be seeing Chambord on another day, and the fact that it is further from Amboise is a factor in our decision on whether to visit it on the way in to Amboise. We are not sure if we will be visiting Blois if we don't tour it on the way in, as it is not too high on our list based on our research so far. Also, we are somewhat concerned about driving in Blois since it is a city, we are trying to avoid city driving and parking unless it is not too bad and is worth the hassle.
Posted by
Paris
7839 posts
Calling Blois a city is a stretch. It's a town of 50,000 people. Driving won't be troublesome. As for theft: Blois feels very low-risk to me, but to further reduce risk I'd just aim for an underground garage like the Centre Ville-Chateau parking lot. Ideally backing up into the spot so that the trunk can't easily be seen.
Posted by
3184 posts
Tours may have some rush hour traffic but none of the locations otherwise near you will have traffic concerns.
However, I would never, anywhere in France, leave luggage unattended in a parked car. Drop your luggage off a the hotel, then drive to Blois to see the château. It is not that far away.
Posted by
Normandie
586 posts
Blois is pretty small. I'll echo balso's advice and keep luggage in the trunk, out of sight, and back the car into a parking space; preferably in an underground parking garage. Back it right up as far as you can so the bumper is touching the wall. That would make it very difficult to access.
Plus, if you need to get to your luggage before you head out do it somewhere else before you park to avoid advertising to any watching eyes that there's anything whatsoever in your trunk.
I think advice to never have luggage in a trunk in France is a bit over the top, but I've only lived here full time for over a dozen years, in a large city, a small city, and in a village, so I'm sure I have more to learn.
Posted by
122 posts
@Tocar
Does your guidance also apply to luggage in a trunk, with the trunk contents NOT visible? In other words, nothing within the car itself visible by looking n the windows, and not a hatchback.
We would most likely have the rental car (and carrying our luggage) in Caen, Bayeux, Honfleur, and Beuvron-en-Auge.
Thank you
Posted by
Paris
7839 posts
95% of French cars are hatchbacks. You won't get a rental sedan.
But, unlike in the US where they always seem to be missing in SUVs, I've never not had a luggage cover over the trunk space of a rental in France, so luggage wouldn't be visible.
This being said, the risk is never zero: rental cars can be easily identified and can therefore be theft targets in theft-prone areas: mainly the southeast and popular trailheads. Small & mid-sized towns in NW France feel really low-risk to me, and in larger towns, underground garages give extra security. Take whatever valuables or hard-to-replace items with you in a day-pack (which you shouldn't take out of the trunk at your parking spot, in case someone lurking around sees the full trunk).
Posted by
3184 posts
Rental cars are a target for thieves, even if you leave nothing visible on the inside. Rentals are easy for a thief to find: rental company stickers on the outside, out of department license plate, no floor mats, or even watching you leave the car.
I would never leave valuables in a car anywhere in France.
Posted by
Chicago
9576 posts
Rentals are hatchbacks and if the cover is pulled thieves know there is stuff under there. If you are going to tour with luggage in the car then be sure ALL valuables are with you at all times. Carry a backpack with meds, electronics, ID and money/cards. Even for a rest stop or lunch the valuables go with you. Stripping the car of luggage is not common but can be a catastrophe if they get hard to replace items. We usually base in a cottage or apartment so we can do our travel to sites without our luggage.
Posted by
OP
Boston
7 posts
Thank you to everyone for your thoughtful replies.