Loire Valley and Dordogne: train vs. car rental

The Dordogne requires a car to get much out of it. We love this area and now that we no longer drive, it is off our plates. We miss it. The Loire is also an area where a car is very important as it Burgundy. We hve managed Brittany and Normandy pretty well without a car although either place is better with one.

I will be interested in what you find. We are traveling in early April to the Loire and Dordogne and I gave up on the idea of public transport and arranged to rent a car. It seemed like we would have to rely on tours, which are expensive and limiting.

Both the Loire Valley and the Dordogne are much easier seen by car. The reason is that train transport was developed during the 19th and 20th centuries primarily to link the cities of the Loire ( ie Blois, Tours, Amboise, Angers) not necessarily the chateaux of the Loire. So, while you may be able to visit two chateaux in a day by train and bus, the transfers between destinations can be really time-consuming, thus limiting what you are able to see in a day. By car, not only can you visit several chateaux in a day— you’ll see many more at close range as you drive past them. And you might find yourself drawn to stop at interesting places you hadn’t planned on visiting when you reviewed your
itinerary for the day during breakfast.
The Dordogne is even more rural than the Loire with very few towns having train stations— Sarlat is one that does. Bus service is skeletal, so without a car you really are constrained timewise to just a few attractions.
The other advantage of a car is that you can set out to sightsee all day and then overnight somewhere en route to your next destination. Relying on public transit means basing yourself in a place you need to return to each night, until the day you finally pack up and have the burden of storing your luggage somewhere other than the trunk of a car.

If you’re considering having a car for as long as a month, you might want to see if leasing is an option. Peugeot dealers will lease cars for as little as 21 days.
www.AutoEurope.com is a reputable agency for renting and leasing cars in France.

Here's the website for SNCF, the French railway system. See what options you have for train connections between and within these three regions. France's rail network is very Paris-centric, so you might have to return to Paris to get from one area to another, a bad use of your limited time.

I think you'll find it worthwhile to keep the car from Caen to Bordeaux. The car makes all your three regions much easier to see, and the direct distances between them aren't very long. You'll have much more flexibility about your schedule, where to stop for meals or nights, what sights to see when, etc. Driving is easy outside the big cities, and there are bypass roads around towns you don't want to stop in. Keep in mind that your limited time in France is valuable -- wasting time to save money can be a false economy. I hope you enjoy these three amazing parts of this amazing country.

EDIT -- Buses also connect smaller cities and towns in these areas that may not have train service. But I think you'll find them equally or more inefficent and inflexible. Rome2Rio.com can help you find bus and other options for whatever plans you develop -- but if you're buying tickets it's better to use the carriers' own websites or pay as you go.

It seems in the last 2 years there are shuttles to the chateaux from various towns. Not sure what you wanted in the Loire, but worth considering. There are articles here on how to do Loire without a car. So that may be another week you can reduce car rental fees.

Not sure if it makes sense but you might look at doing two rentals. One Caen and drop back there and then take the train to Bordeaux and pick up a car near the train station and return it at the airport. You go through Paris and it takes 6 but not sure that is worse than driving into the area. We picked up a car (National) near the Bordeaux train station last spring to tour the Loire valley and returned it to the airport. We really enjoyed the Loire valley and based in a very small town - Azay Le Rideau. It was wonderful. It was about 3 1/2 hours from Bordeaux.

We are not in a rush either and prefer to slow down and enjoy our time rather being on the go the whole time.

Years ago I took the train from Paris and stayed several nights in Amboise. From there I was able to book a mini-van tour that visited a number of chateaux in a single day - but at a leisurely pace. On arrival day I rented a bike and rode out to the nearest chateau - don't remember which one. In town there is the castle and the Da Vinci residence to visit, plus the town itself. So possible to fill your time without rushing around.

While each chateau is unique, how many does one really need to see?

I believe the tour company I used was: https://www.accodispo-tours.com/

You could pick up a car again in nearby Tours if a train connection didn't work for the next leg of the trip.

I cannot comment on the Loire, but as a big fan of public transportation who traveled around the Dordogne in 2019 via train and bus, I say: Rent a car if that's an option for you. For those who cannot do so, I would say "Don't give up on the Dordogne, but pack time and patience." As already noted, you just can't get to very many small places in one day if you don't have your own wheels. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the Dordogne, but I didn't see many of the tiny places and had to move from one small city to the next to have access to the buses I needed to reach the few small places I managed to see.

Visiting the Dordogne without having a car is like preparing a meal without having a kitchen.

You will not starve but you will only have eaten sandwiches without having the slightest idea of what you could have cooked with a kitchen.

Thanks all for the input. Confirms our thought that the car rental the entire time is the way to go. We will compare the various renal agencies against the leasing option. There are many resources out there that give good pointers already.

What I remember most about visiting chateaus is that many are set way back off the roads used to get there. To me a car is best for getting around that area.

JoLui - I love your analogy and completely agree! Last year, we rented a car at CDG, drove to the Loire Valley, stayed in Azay le Rideau, drove to Saint-Cyprien, Dordogne, stayed for two weeks and drove back to CDG. Can’t imagine what we would have missed without a car.

My sister and I are in our late 70’s and did not have any issues. In fact, we loved it so much, we are going back this October for a month to visit the Cote du Rhone area, two weeks in Goult in the Luberon and four nights in Saint Paul de Venice. This time we are returning our car at the Nice Airport and flying back to CDG. Flying home from there.

I can't help regarding the Loire Valley, but about the Dordogne Valley region (Périgord area) which actually includes the Lot Valley (Quercy area), if you want to add a few places to see, I made a Google map showing the main places to visit such as "Most Beautiful illages in France", caves, castles, etc. And some possible activities (partial list obviously). There is a short historical description for each location and an internet address when available.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1OdPOg8AgsNn0Jlv1cNHkujaWv9p_Jpc&usp=sharing

Great map, thanks JoLui

Working on my attitude to remember "wasting time to save money can be a false economy", very true, but sometimes easier said than done!

For the time you are considering you might look into leasing a car. AutoEurope, the same wholesaler that many recommend on this forum for car rental, also brokers car leases. The minimum period is something like 3 weeks. You get a brand new car. All insurance and spouse as additional driver are included. It takes a little bit more paperwork in advance to book. And the cancellation isn't as flexible as regular rental car (I think requires 48 hours notice). And pick up drop off locations are more limited. So they don't have Caen for pick up but do have Paris or Calais for your plans. And they do have Bordeaux drop off. Searching a random month of May 1 to May 29 for automatic transmission pick up in Paris and drop in Bordeaux the all inclusive no deductible price was showing about $1500. More if you wanted a bigger model. Our experience doing the same in 2022 through AE with the car from Renault was very easy and we were very happy. Enjoy the planning!

I agree with the poster who suggested renting one car up north around Loire then train to Bordeaux and pick up second rental at train station. You ca ln pick up/drop off at the Gare St Jean then there is a shuttle bus from train station to airport (8€ pp). You may save some $$ with this option. Definitely worth at least checking out. And, as others have said, you will want a car for both the Loire and Dordogne.