Need suggestions- a week Paris and week in Aquitaine (order?)

I like going to my more distant destination first but if you are traveling from the USA, I do not renting a car from SFO upon arrival. Been there, done that and it was a huge mistake -- jet lag is a bear for me. I'd take the train to Bordeaux from CDG and make my way to Paris later.

Is Bordeaux your destination in Aquitaine? I might consider an open-jaw flight from Seattle to Paris and Bordeaux to Seattle. Spend your first week in Paris, then take the train to Bordeaux and rent the car to see that area and then fly home from there. It's another option to think about, unless you really want to drive from Paris to Bordeaux with a stop in between and then backtrack to Paris when done. It looks like Delta has a non-stop from Seattle to Paris and then the flight from Bordeaux to Seattle has one-stop in Amsterdam.

If you are flying overnight, I would then take a train to a city in Aquitaine and pick up a car there the next morning; finish in Paris. Always use the first day to get to your furthest point. That day is a loss anyway and you gain a day that way as you don't waste the day before the trip home rushing back to Paris for the flight. Spend your first week in the country and then your last week in Paris and you are there for the flight home without harshing the mellow with a race back to home base.

If you haven't bought your tickets yet, why don't you fly to Bordeaux but home from Paris. Delta routed us from the US to Bordeaux via Amsterdam, avoiding Paris. It cost the same as a Paris round trip, so we saved train fare or extra flights.

Thanks for the suggestions. We will be flying on American Airlines via buddy passes so have to go in and out of Paris. Will be taking a rental car south since it will be the cheapest travel option (we can get a very good rate via Auto Europe). Plus my husband loves to drive. He has driven in Paris before and it doesn't phase him. I understand being tired after all night flight, so if we do pick a car up at CDG we probably wouldn't go far. Any recommendations for a town 2-3 hours drive from CDG towards Bordeaux? Thanks again.

Orleans, about 2 hrs maybe less; Blois a bit over 2 hrs; Amboise, around 3 hrs. Any of these would be a nice place to stay overnight.

I'd second Nancy's advice, and I'd probably give the nod to Blois over Amboise if only because it's closer.

Robert, that would be my choice also. We spent a night in Blois and I really enjoyed it.

What about staying in Chartres? It's about 2 hours away from CDG if there is the usual amount of traffic

Chartres is closer, so it might be a good choice if the driver is tired. However, it means a longer drive the next day.

If they're driving back to Paris then I think Chartres might be a good stop on the way back. Might even be a good place to drop off the car and take the train in to Paris, that's what I did. And I agree with Robert that it makes a pretty long drive the next day to Bordeaux.

We are also thinking about dropping the car in Versailles. Does anyone know the cost to get from Versailles to Paris by train? Thank you!

I think it's about 3€ for one way.