Driving from Paris to Loire Valley, Dordogne Then back to Paris

Never having done this myself, my only suggestion is to plug any itinerary ideas into ViaMichelin to see how long it takes - and don't forget to add time for meal stops, bathroom stops, traffic, etc. http://www.viamichelin.com/

Also, do you have to start and end in Paris? If you haven't bought your flights yet, look into flying closer to where you actually want to be. There are lots of airports all over France; for instance, Toulouse or Bordeaux may work better for the Dordogne. Flying where you want to start the trip will save lots of time and avoid backtracking.

Thank you, I'll check that website. We will be picking our daughter up in Paris. We have already purchased our flight.

I'm doing something similar at about the same time, though we're including Normandy as our first area to see. One difference, we get the car at CDG airport, but are returning the car in Bordeaux. We'll take the TGV back to Paris and spend a week there.
Have fun,
Ed

Have fun, Ed. We did that road trip last time. Giverny, Roen, Honsfleur, Bayeux, Omaha & Utah beaches, St. Malo and returned home a different way to see Chartres. Another person on this forum, Ed from Pensacola, planned it for us!

Might be a bit much to fit into 5-7 days, including arrival and departure. The Dordogne is far from Paris. As Harold said, you'll need to plug in some destinations into via Michelin. To me the Loire is easy to add on to Paris, but the Dordogne not so much. But only you know what pace you like to keep!

Like Kim and Harold I would be a bit carefull too. You can take the TGV to Tours, pick-up your rental car there and visit the Loire region. Decide to go elsewhere if you have time left. If you are crazy or not is not the matter, it’s more how much you can handle. In the first place get used to driving in France for safety reasons and you will remain more relaxed and enjoy what you are going to see. Drop-off near another TGV or other well located station for going back to Paris.

May is still shoulder season, so finding a place to sleep will not be a problem and making decisions more easily while on the move.

I'd consider taking the train to your furthest destination and renting your car there. Then you can work your way back to Paris, or Loire Valley to return your car.

Do plan to be in Paris at least a night before your flight back to the US.

We've driven on a road trip out of Paris before. We will arrive and spend 3 days in Paris before our road trip and another 3-4 after. Also, we'll be paying for 3 adults. Thought round trip car rental might be most practical, but maybe I'm wrong. It would be ideal to go back a different route, if possible.