Please sign in to post.

Loire Valley or Other Day Trips From Paris

Posted by on

Hello,

My husband and I have booked a very short vacation in France. We will arrive to CDG Terminal 1 at 11:00 AM on the 5th of June and leave from the same Terminal on the 7th of June at 4:00 PM.
Since we have already been to Paris, EuroDisney and Versailles many times, we thought of heading straight from the airport to the Loire Valley, Staying in Amboise for 2 nights and then taking the train back to CDG on the last day.

I know that my schedule is tight. Shall I drop the idea, maybe fine-tune it a little bit or consider new destinations?

In case Loire Valley is doable, shall we rent a car from CDG and drive straight to Amboise or take the trains with many interchanges (Since we will miss the direct train from CDG due to our landing time)?

Thank you.

Posted by
305 posts

Before my itinerary was drastically changed (we are now flying into LHR). At the suggestion of several on this board, we were going to land at CDG, take a 2 o'clock train to Tours, pick up a car and continue on to Amboise. You could probably do the reverse on the return.

Happy Travels,
Laura

Posted by
1091 posts

I think that your plan sounds reasonable. I would just be prepared to rent a car at CDG in case there is a rail strike that day.

Posted by
8 posts

We’re planning a trip to the Loire this fall. You can get the TGV to Tours. Assuming you want to visit some chateaux, the Tourist Office in Tours (and Amboise, but fewer options) organizes chateau tours. Given your extremely short timeframe (and assuming no rail strike) I’d stay in Tours for your 2 nights to avoid additional transit time to Amboise. Both tour offices organize the chateau tours so you can compare.
http://www.accodispo-tours.com/tours.html
Bon chance!

Posted by
7312 posts

dina, because you haven't included your home country in your Rick Steves profile, we can't tell if you are making a transatlantic flight on the 4th of June, or visiting from, say, the EU. It makes a difference in answering your OP question. I certainly would not spend that much time on the train (even the TGV) for such a short visit. Have you already visited Versailles, Chambord, Vernon, Fontainbleu, Rouen, and other lovely places closer to Paris?

I believe we've taken the TGV directly to St. Pierre des Corps from the CDG rail station. The car rental hours in St. P d C can be a problem, however. Unless you're from California, I can't imagine why you would want to drive that far on such a short visit.

This topic has been automatically closed due to a period of inactivity.