Getting to Paris from Saint Emilion

The train is only 2 hours from Bordeaux, if that makes a difference.

It's really your call based on what your real objective is. If it's to see a bit of rural France, 6 hours on the autoroute won't be much use to you, you'd be better off taking 4 or 5 days and stopping along the way. If it's to be in Paris, the train is the fastest option.

Hi Lynn,

As noted above, it really depends on what you want to do. For example, with driving one could stop by the sobering and educational WWII ruins of Oradour-sur-Glane. You'll also see various châteaux scattered along the countryside and get a feel for how the landscape changes between animal husbandry, food cultivation, and grape cultivation.

Some of that could also be experienced on a train.

But there's one thing I feel I should mention. I recommend you use the via michelin.com website to estimate your travel cost by car. Perhaps you're correct that it may only be "$40 to rent a car," but keep in mind that there will also be tolls on the Autoroute (similar to U.S. Interstate Highways), which may be as high as 55.60€, depending on which route you take, as well as fuel, which could easily be 50€ or more. Factor in the relaxation and enjoyment that goes with having a crew do the driving (on a train) versus you assiduously watching for speed limit changes while shaking off tailgating French drivers, and a train trip may start looking pretty darn good.

There may be lots of train options, but to get from Paris to Saint-Emilion, I'm guessing you'd have to actually do some kind of train or bus transfer change(s) or tranfer(s) to actually take public transport from Saint-Emilion to Paris. If you're already driving from Spain, maybe you'd be keeping your rental car to get to Saint-Emilion, than could drop it off in Bordeaux, and take the train from there to Paris. Maybe, though, you're planning on picking up a car in France, avoiding possible expenses of dropping a car off in a different country than the one where you picked it up, if you're driving in Spain too.
Anyway, for what it's worth, years ago, in the days of francs not euros, we did the trip in reverse, starting in Paris, and taking the train, but actually breaking the trip up into 2 days, and staying in Amboise, in the Loire Valley, the first night. After renting bikes and pedaling out and back to visit the Chenonceau chateau, we caught the train to Bordeaux, where we picked up our rental car for the drive to our gite outsde Saint-Emilion. Can't tell you the price, but we saw lots of countryside over our two legs of the journey. We then drove around wine country for a few more days days, seeing a lot but taking a slower pace.
Nowadays, as Adam mentioned, a direct train from Bordeaux to Paris could be cheaper and faster than you were originally indicating, if time was of the essence and you weren't tied to having a car. However, if you have the extra time and didn't mind backroads, and have an extra day to spare, taking a car would get you off the Autoroute, let you experience the countryside via byways, and taking 2 days to do it could cut the overall driving time each day. Either way, being in southwestern France means you can't make a truly bad decision. Is time or money a bigger concern? Or scenery? .

Many years ago we drove in 2 stages from Paris to the area of St. Emillion. From what I remember the drive took much longer than I expected, and was mostly pretty boring. That was before the Autoroute through the area was built, but while that has undoubtedly cut the time drastically, I doubt if it increased the charm of the drive. I have taken the train on the Paris-Bordeaux route a couple of times recently, and thought it was pleasant and scenic. The last time, though, was before the time of the trip was cut from 3 1/4 hours to 2. So if it's just a question of getting between 2 points, I'd definitely recommend the train. And I wouldn't recommend the drive unless you do it in several days so that you can actually see some worthwhile sights.

I turned in my car in Bordeaux, stayed a couple days, then took the train from there. If I had it to do over, I might have kept the car while in Bordeaux. Public transit isn't anything like Paris. There are buses and trams but they shut down before most people are finished with their dinner. I preferred the train ride from Bordeaux to Paris because it's quick and easy (but I was alone so not the same cost savings for just me).

Thank you so much everyone! Your information was very helpful. We are actually on a fairly tight schedule to get to Paris, so the train from Bordeaux does sound like the best option. I appreciate the tips.

-Lynn