Getting back to CDG - Train or Car?

Hi Phoebe, We always spend our last night (before an early flight to San Francisco) at Ibis Hotel CDG Terminal (hotel code 1404). We turn in our car in the afternoon and catch the free bus to the termial for our early flight. Your flight is not early in the morning so you could stay in Paris, turn in your car, and ride the RER or the Air France bus or the Roissy bus to CDG. As for French drivers; they are skilled and courteous. If you drive in American cities, Paris will be no problem, except maybe for navigation. Keep your map handy and stop every now and again to plot your course. Have fun.

Might as well return the car to CDG and avoid hauling your luggage around. I'd suggest taking a wide route to the west of Paris and end up on the north side of the city so you won't have much traffic to deal with the next morning. Chantilly would be a good town for the last night. You might want to plan a route from Amboise that takes you through Chartres and Giverny in order to visit the cathedral & Monet's home/gardens.

You could return your car in Amboise and take the train from there to CDG. Since it's wise to be at CDG three hours before a flight home, the latest you should leave Amboise is 08:32, changing trains in Les-Aubrais-Orleans, and arriving at Aeroport Paris Charles de Gaulle TGV at 11:31.

For timetables for either Tours-Aeroport Paris Charles de Gaulle TGV or Amboise-Aeroport Paris Charles de Gaulle TGV, go to www.bahn.de and click on the drop-down menu in the upper right-hand corner for English. After you get summary timetables for each route, click on "Details for all" to see the connecting points.

www.viamichelin.com gives a driving time estimate of 2hr34min for Amboise-CDG with most of the route being on motorways, but that's under ideal conditions.

In one version of his book Rick suggested staying at Senlis on your last night in France. I did that and I drove up from Amboise via Chartre on the day before my flight. It worked really well. The town is interesting and I had some time to explore it. I had a rental car and I did drop it off the morning of my flight. BTW I went to the TI in Chartres to try get help figuring out how on earth to get there. The woman did a map quest, but through up her hands in dismay when she saw what the recommended and gave me her own directions. ; ) She sent me to the south and up the east side of Paris. I was to follow the signs to Nancy until I saw Lille and then I was to follow them! She said have faith. It will work and she was right! I recently checked the directions on the michelin site and they recommend the same route. So, check out that site for specifics.

Pam