Hello,
We are arriving at CDG-Paris at 10 AM this coming June and would like to know the quickest or easiest way to get to Amboise by TRAIN to rent a car, which we are going to tour the Loire. Apparently there is more than one way to do this, and many of the responses on this forum are several years old. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Bruce
You could take the train from CDG to Saint Pierre des Corps and pick up a rental car and drive to Amboise. If for some reason you are wedded to picking up the car in Amboise (and you should not be because the rental car options in Amboise are not good), you will have to change trains in Saint Pierre des Corps. In any event, your timing is not great for catching a train from CDG to Saint Pierre des Corps. I just looked at a schedule and the train that you are likely to take from CDG requires a change and the trips takes almost five hours. You'd be better off going to Gare Montparnasse and catching a direct train (I-hour train ride from Paris on a TGV). To get to Gare Montparnasse, you could take a taxi for 55€ for up to four people, catch Le Bus Direct (www.lebusdirect.com) for 18€ per person, or take the RER B into Paris to Denfert-Rochereau and catch Metro Line 6 to Montparnasse-Bienvenue for 10.30€ per person. These options for getting to Gare Montparnasse are listed in my order of preference.
Agree with JHK. Taking the train from CDG will result in an unecessarily looong ride and require at least one change. Better to take a direct train from Gare Montparnasse to St Pierre des Corps where you can pick up a rental car from one of several agencies with offices just outside the station. It's an easy drive of less than 30 min from there to Amboise.
As for getting to Gare Montparnasse, I'm usually all for taking the RER or Metros in Paris, but after a long oversees flight, and with jet lag + luggage, I'd recommend just taking a taxi. You'll be well outside of rush hours, so it shouldn't take too long, and it's a flat fare, as long as you take a metered taxi from the official taxi queue ( not from some tout offering to find you a cab).
Maybe this isn't what you want to hear but why not pick up the car at CDG? The drive to Amboise isn't that far - 2.5 hrs or so via A10 for the most part. Seems like a lot of fuss without much benefit.
"Seems like a lot of fuss without much benefit."
Well, if the OP is coming off a long-haul flight, there is the benefit of not driving for 2 hours and 45 minutes or so while jet-lagged and maybe having an accident and killing or injuring yourself, your family, or strangers. That's a pretty huge benefit IMO. Last time we drove after landing from a flight from New Jersey, I woke up to my husband (F/K/A Mr. I Think Jet Lag Does Not Affect Me) having fallen asleep at the wheel and the car going off the road.
Since the OP does not state having any issues with trains, navigating stations, etc., I would discourage driving from CDG to Amboise. It involves driving halfway around the Paris metro area through some complex interchanges and the busiest stretches of highway in the country.
Bruce,
I’m currently in Loches, ~20 km from Amboise. We’re actually visiting Amboise today. Here’s a few things to consider.
When do you need to return your car? We wanted to train to Tours, then rent our car. We leave on a Sunday and the rental office is closed. Because of that, we rented at CDG and drove directly to Loches. It’s more like 3 1/2 hours.
I slept well on the plane (Delta Comfort +). I’m used to driving in Atlanta and Paris was similar. Our car had GPS which was a necessity.
Check on Tours as a rental location. It’s a bigger transportation hub. Renting at CDG is a possibility only if you sleep on the plane and don’t suffer from jet lag (we stayed up to midnight the first night and were up at 7:00 the next morning and felt fine). Also, don’t do it if you are uncomfortable driving in big cities.
You’re going to love the region. Loches is a great place, off the beaten tourist path.
Please do not rent a car at CDG and drive anywhere after an all night, transatlantic flight. Driver fatigue is the number 1 killer on French highways. The most dangerous stretches are the long, straight segments when the mind drifts due to the monotony of the route and this describes most of A10 to Amboise
You might also consider the possibility of going to Gare Austerlitz in Paris and catching a TER train direct to Amboise. The tickets generally cost less than TGV tickets and eliminating the need to backtrack from St Pierre des Corps, the TER might actually get you to Amboise sooner.
You will need to rent your car before you get to Amboise - the only car rental place in Ambosie is a 40 minute walk from the station, and most of the vehicles are light commercial.
Catch the train direct from CDG to Saint Pierre des Corps and rent the car there.
Well, I've driven from CGD, multiple times, after a long flight and had no problems. With google nav or a GPS system, navigating is way easy. Frankly, hauling my stuff to the train to Paris, catching a train to Amboise, finding the car rental there and all that entails is a lot more hassle than getting a car at the airport where it's set up for a swift, easy transaction. But each to his or her own.
For the record, this is the car rental place in Amboise https://goo.gl/maps/nG1quDTxN5Qk4med6 It's the office with the green sign above theh red car. This is how you get there: if you're really lucky you might find a taxi, but I have never known anyone who has suceeded in that
For quite a distance there is no footpath, so you (and your suitcases) will be sharing the road with big truchs
