We are planning an itinerary that includes the Loire Valley and Burgundy. We are hoping to limit car rentals to "local" commutes. Longer hops would preferably be by train. However I don't see a suitable train between Loire and Burgundy -- either option I see is a 5hr+ commute.
What would you suggest?
I'm seeing some trips from the TGV in Amboise that are less than 4 hours.
In any case, you could go into Paris, have a nice lunch, and catch a train to Dijon. The Dijon leg is about an hour and a half.
Thanks for the reply @Adam. I'll take a closer look at the TGV route map.
To get from Amboise to somewhere in Burgundy you will probably need to go through Paris. That will involve either the slow train to Paris or the slow train to Saint Pierre des Corps then the TGV to Paris. As the TGV to the Burgundy region starts at Gare de Lyon it makes sense to take the slow train from Amboise direct to Paris - Gare Austerlitz to Gare de Lyon is a lot less of a schlepp across town than Montparnasse to Lyon.
The alternative would be to travel from Amboise to Saint Pierre des Corps and the catch the once a day train that heads towards Lyon
A couple of things to note: Amboise isn't in Loir -, Loire is a department just south of the Burgundy area, Amboise is in the Loire Valley west of Burgundy, and the TGV doesn't go to Amboise. The fastest train from Amboise only travels at 120 mph.
Limiting car rentals can greatly increase the amount of money you spend for car usage. There are fixed fees paid each time you rent and rental rates themselves are typically lower for longer periods than for shorter periods. An example of fixed fee you really only want to pay once are: additional driver fees, location surcharges, environmental fees, and road tax charges.
I would rent once and use the rental to drive from the Loire Valley to Burgundy.
Thanks @Simon for the details on the rail options
Thanks @Tocard for pointing out the benefits of a single long car rental vs. multiple short rentals. Good to know.
