My husband and I will be traveling to the Loire Valley then Paris in April. Is it better to fly in and out of Paris then rent a car or take a train OR fly into Lyon and out of Paris?
Are there towns that you recommend visiting or staying along with Lyon?
Thank you for all suggestions
When we visited a number of chateaus in that area we flew into, and out of, Paris and rented a vehicle at the airport. Our visit was part of a longer trip down into Spain and back up to Paris.
Hi Laurie,
I took a train from Paris to the Loire Valley, stayed in Tours & Angers and visited other cities & chateaus. But, this is an area where a car is a big advantage to have much more flexibility. Angers has a fantastic fortress, and it contains beautiful medieval tapestries.
We enjoyed staying in Lyon during a different trip, but if this is your first time in Paris, I would give those days to Paris.
What is your full itinerary? How does Lyon fit into your plans? Lyon is about a 5 hour drive from the Loire Valley.
If you'll be arriving in Paris after an international flight it would be best to take a TGV train from Charles de Gaulle airport to the Saint Pierre de Corps station near Tours. Then rent a car for exploring the Loire Valley.
Laurie,
Lyon is a 6 hour drive from Tours (an example of a Loire Valley location). From Amboise about 5 hours. How long will you be in France? Were you thinking that Lyons and the Loire Valley were perhaps closer together? Forgive me if I misinterpreted your question.
If you are just considering Paris and the Loire Valley, as per the title, I suggest flying into Paris, taking a train to the Loire Valley (St. Pierre de Corps e.g.) and renting a car there. Return the car in the Loire and take a train back to Paris for the latter part of your trip. Driving in Paris is not for the faint-hearted, plus parking is expensive and a car is unnecessary there.
If you are adding Lyon to this trip as well, I have no advice to give, having never stayed there, but I would take a train there after seeing the Loire Valley. There is a fast TGV from Paris that takes about 2 hours. You don't need a car in Lyon if you are staying just in the city. Give us an idea of how much time you have. I would go from CDG to the Loire (e.g. Tours), have a car there for ? days, return it and take the train back to Paris. If going to Lyon, change train stations and take a TGV to Lyon, stay there for ? days and TGV back to Paris to see that wonderful city. Taxi to CDG for return. If no Lyon, then drop that portion.
Have a fun trip!
I made a mistake. We are visiting the Loire Valley and Paris only. Your responses are very helpful. I'd love to hear the best towns to stay in the Loire Valley. Thank you
Hi It depends a lot on what you want to visit. From Nantes to Sancerre, it's 400 kilometers. You'll need to choose a smaller area. The most visited cities are Angers, Saumur, Tours, Amboise, Blois, and Orléans. You should also add to that many smaller towns that are also interesting, and which are sometimes a little outside the valley, like Loches, for example. It's also important to know that the Loire Valley is a tourist designation and doesn't correspond to a historical region. The most visited part roughly corresponds to Anjou and Touraine, and in particular the section of the valley that runs from Saumur to Blois. South of Orléans is the Sologne, where the towns and villages are very different from those in the Loire Valley. West of Angers begins historical Brittany, with yet another distinct architectural style in its villages. In short, the Loire Valley is more of a patchwork of different terroirs.
After picking up your rental car you could stay just about anywhere that has accommodations in your budget. What type of experience do you want? How many days will you have in the Loire Valley?
One option would be to stay in Amboise. It is about a 30 minute drive from Saint Pierre de Corps station. You would be within an hours drive to several chateaux including Chambord, Azay le Rideau, Villandry and Blois. Chateau Chenonceau is only 15 minutes from town and, of course, there is the Chateau d'Amboise right in town. Lots of dining options if staying in town.
If you do a search on the forum for Loire Valley, you'll find lots of info. You can filter the results for the last year or 2 to get more recent information.
Here are my suggestions regarding rental car:
Do not rent or return at the airport. First, you are tired. Secondly Paris freeways take some pretty strong navigation and city driving skills. It is Stressful!
Instead simply take a train to a location outside Metro Paris and pick up/return there. You will be glad you did.
I also encourage an automatic since it gives one less thing to deal with while driving.
I found watching some you tube videos regarding driving in France prior to the trip exceptionally helpful, particularly in learning the meaning of different signs and how right of way works in France.
LaurieD,
So if you have four days, not counting on arrival day (land at CDG, take train to the Loire Valley.....St Pierre de Corps). Rent your car and go to a close by town to stay in (e.g. Amboise). You can spend the next two days exploring the area. I would visit nor more than three chateaux, and see some of the other offerings there. (Vnieyards, troglodyte sites, mushroom caves near Saumur.) Return the car and take the train to Paris to enjoy some things that this wonderful city offers. A taxi to CDG before flying home is what I would choose, but the RER is popular public transportation to the airport.
How long is your trip?
Have fun!
Laurie, we were just there. We deliberately rented in two bases with a mind towards contrasting a big city (Tours) with a smaller place like Loches.
Got a killer Tours splurge rental to suggest, if you'd want.
I am done. the end
