I have round trip TGV reservations on a Monday in October from Paris to Tours. I WAS planning on using the Acco Dispo tours to visit several chateaux for the day. However, it appears that you have to pay 54E each (full day tour) + entrance fees to chateaux, etc., so it seems the 54E fee is just for transportation? Seems like it might be more cost-effective to just rent a car in Tours for the day...I would appreciate your thoughts on this, un-known challenges, etc.
Merci!
Shelby
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32746 posts
Is your ticket for Tours or St Pierre des Corps? Some TGVs go to Tours but most go through the suburb of St Pierre des Corps.
I didn't much care for driving in and in the vicinity of Tours. I went there for lunch on a Sunday and the traffic was difficult and road layout not to my liking. The suburb is a bit out from the town.
€54 pp just for the van seems a touch high to me, especially if you have no say in where you go. 2 or a maximum of 3 chateaux in a day is the maximum safe dose.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, US
1005 posts
If they pick you up at the train station, it's probably worth it. You're on a tight schedule, and getting a car and trying to navigate the streets of Tours could easily eat up valuable time--and add stress to the trip. The RS guidebook says they give you running commentary on the way to the chateaux and sell discounted tickets, so there's some extra value in addition to transportation.
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7297 posts
+1 for T. You are assuming that you can find your way around an area you've never driven in, park across the street on the grass field, slog through the mud and walk 1/4 mile to ticket office, wait in line, and get in to see the place. (Never mind the line at the car rental and the short hours that it's open, and an argument over whether that scratch was on the fender when you picked it up.) Pretend you're a CEO visiting a company you're about to acquire, and enjoy the ride with a driver! Ask them if you can buy the tickets from them (probably not) because you don't want to be waiting in line if you can avoid it. I'm personally against doing this as a day-trip run-out, but it's up to you.
Un-known challenge: We picked up our Hertz car in St. Pierre des Corps after missing the lunch hour and cooling our heels until 2PM. We drove off, with our own GPS that we were familiar with. As we arrived at the first chateau, the GPS died. Guess what? The fuse for the cigarette lighter was blown, when we picked up the car. It had been running merrily on the battery. Luckily, our route went back towards Tours, and we were able to get back to the agency before they closed. I now carry fuses in my bag, but there are at least three different dimensions of fuses in use today!
You are paying money for something you need. Rugged individualism and standard-transmission prowess will not be enough.