France, England, Wales

I hadn’t seen your earlier question, but clicking on it now, I see you got a lot of replies and suggestions, and it’s great you got such good feedback. So, now that you’re focusing on just France in October, I’m curious - how long is your vacation going to be, and where in France are you thinking? You could get a lot of new suggestions and feedback! Have a great trip, enjoy the pre-planning part, and let us all know if there are more questions. France has a lot to see and do (and eat)! There are certainly lots of answers 😊

The previous thread is at https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/two-countries-too-much for folks who would like to see the previous discussion....

Isn’t trip planning fun? I love it. You can’t go wrong in France. I suggest you go to your original post and let people know of your decision. That way they won’t continue to give you suggestions that no longer fit into your plans. Have a wonderful trip!

If you/re still looking at about two weeks total, I'd suggest a week or so in Paris and the rest of the time in an area that appeals to you -- Normandy/Brittany, the Loire, the Dordogne, Languedoc, the Riveria, Provence, Burgundy, Alsace, or elsewhere. Most likely you'll want a car for the non-Paris part, which you could pick up there after a train ride from Paris. Depending on your itinerary, you might fly home (either directly or via Paris) from your endpoint, or there are fast trains (TGV) from various cities direct to CDG airport. (But if you take a train to CDG, try to get there the night before your homeward flight rather than risk missing it because of a connection problem. There are plenty of hotels at CDG.)

If you determine it's best to fly in and out of Paris (sometimes there are massive savings from doing that, but not always--check!), it's a good idea, if practical, to go straight to your non-Paris destination initially and work your way back to Paris. That way, you are not having to rush back to Paris on the next-to-last day of your trip, which makes for a major chunk of a day not spent sightseeing. It's better to do that travel leg on your arrival day, when you may be dead to the world, anyway.

I was able to fly into Nice (with a change of planes in Amsterdam, I think) for not much more than the cost of a non-stop flight to Paris back in 2017; however, airfares are very origin- and destination-specific, and you may find a Paris RT makes the most economic sense for you. Don't discount the value of your time, though, and the very real issue of financial risk from an unprotected connection if you have a flight into Paris and a separate ticket (airline or train) from Paris to your first stop. There's no amount of time you can allow for that sort of transfer that 100% guarantees you won't miss the connection, so ask for assistance on this forum before making final decisions.

I would end with Paris if you plan to fly home from there -- i.e. start at your furthest point -- train there on arrival, then pick up the car the next day and do your rural exploration and finish in Paris so you are there for the flight home. Don't spend your last great day of travel on the logistics of rushing to Paris to catch a plane the next day.

If you do spend time in Nantes don't miss this:
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2019/09/13/les-machines-de-lile-nantes/
Be sure to make reservations for the elephant ahead and plan to be there on a day when the carrousel and workshop are open to participate in not just observe.

Hi,
I am not sure where you are flying home from. If it is CDG, then the person who brought up getting to Bilbao (your furthest destination) first and working your way back toward CDG is a good one.

In my experience when renting a car in France and dead heading the rental, there is no additional cost. Obviously you must pick a city that rents the company you use. I like landing in Paris and staying a few days to get my body back in time with where I am. Then train to some smaller location to rent my car. Like Chartres. Or Bordeaux. Or Lyon (a bit on the big side). You can return the car where there is rental office and a train station. Or return to CDG with the car. Returning a car to CDG has been much easier renting it at CDG and trying to get out of the airport pointed in your destination's direction.

Try Europcar for help. I have frequently received the lowest rental price from them, and their helpful suggestions of where to rent and return the car have been brilliant.

wayne iNWI

Just to add re: renting a car from a smaller town like Chartres. We really wanted to do that, but could not get an automatic transmission. If I remember correctly, even the hours when the rental office would be open were severely limited, and it was a weekday we were looking at.

We unwisely ended up renting from Gare Montparnasse, which meant more than an hour of stop & go driving through the streets of Paris to get to the Autoroute. If we had it to do over again, we would rent out of Orly since we were headed to Chartres.

Of course, post-Covid everything may be different.

I will just point out that Bilbao to Nantes via Lourdes or vice versa in 11 days is tight. Personally, I would skip the Nantes-La Rochelle stretch (Nantes is OK, the coast is pretty, but there are few highlights); there are fast trains to Paris and car rental options in La Rochelle.
Due to slow transportation, if you are set on Bilbao I would keep the car, and drive back across the border to Biarritz or Bayonne for the drop off (then plane or train to Paris). But going no further than San Sebastian will save time and give you a very pleasant taste of Spain and the Basque country.

Just place info, not driving, on Nante & La Rochelle - Nantes has the fabulous mechanical beasts, don't miss, but also a good cathedral & very well-done acknowledgment of the city's role in the slave trade; La Rochelle's harborfront church has plaques etc about the emigrants to North America, even some of their names, maybe your people. That'd be a wow!

Just a few details about car returns:

Bordeaux airport: really easy. Outdoor. I don’t remember about getting train to CDG, but I do remember that booking a return flight from Bordeaux to the U.S. (via CDG) was very expensive.

Avignon TGV station: really easy, outdoor, and you have a 1 - 2 minute walk to the train. The only downside was that we had a really hard time finding a gas station to refill the tank. We were not coming on an autoroute, and our gps didn’t give info about credit card acceptance. I think we tried at least 4 places before we found one, at a supermarket, where we could use cash. Others were unmanned and rejected American cc’s.

CDG: doable, but much more complicated than the others. The signage along the way is less than wonderful. The returns are inside a multi-level garage, with spiraling access ramps. You have to be ready to read signs quickly. A bit white-knuckle, but, as I said, doable.

I’m hoping for an October trip to France, too!
I envy your visit to La Rochelle. My first trip to Europe, way back in 1985, I’d planned on a few days there (pre-Internet, I made no advance reservations for the hostels and 1-star places I stayed). Unfortunately I failed to realize that it was Bastille Day - not a bed to be found. It was an incredibly gorgeous day and having to leave was the only regret of my stay.

I have never fully understood the apprehension that I often read about returning a car at CDG. Consider that there are two entrances to the airport, one on the west from A1 and a second on the east via N2; there are gas stations near either entrance to top off the fuel; frequent signs are in both French and English; and the drop off point is but a very short walk to the check in counter. There are even free luggage carts to help with bag transfer.

I don´t think that there is an easier airport anywhere for rental car pickup/drop off. There are no buses to wait for, just drop off the car and roll you luggage to check in. I don´t know how it could be simpler.

17 days is not enough for the entire country, so my may need to decide if your priorities are in Provence/MED coast or Paris and the north.

I would go with Paris for 5-6 nights, the Normandy (don't miss the Bayeux Tapestry and Mt. St. Michel) for 2-4 nights, then Loire Valley for 3 nights (stay in Blois). That gives you enough to see either Strasbourg and Alsace or head down to Bordeaux in the SW.

In the alternative, do Provence and the Rhone/Saone River cities and towns as well as the MED coast, including Monaco, Nice, Cannes and more. We did a great river cruise for a week on the Rhone/Saone and loved it. That will take up to 10 days and then you could take fast train to Paris for what is left.