We are traveling in a few weeks to France for 10 days. We are flying in to Paris and then are going to take the train to Angouleme and rent a car. After 3 nights, we are heading to a town near Avignon. We are debating whether to take the train and then rent another car in Avignon or whether to just drive. The train ride will be around 6 hours with a change in Paris and then an hour drive on both ends between hotels. From what we can tell when mapping the route, the drive can be between 7 to 9 hours. The expense will be about the same. We don't mind long drives and have driven in Italy, England, and Spain. We would love to hear from others who have driven this trip and their thoughts on train versus driving, suggested routes, how long it really takes, etc. Thank you!
Susan
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
Susan, are you sure about that 6-hours via Paris thing? I think the best you could do is 7, and that is from Angouleme. If you are driving back to Angouleme, you might as well drive to Toulouse. From there the train is a quick as 3:30. (And I think the drive to Touluse might be a little quicker than to Angouleme, depending on where you are leaving from). There are some great things to see on the way, but it sounds as though you are in a hurry. Re renting a second car: It might not still be as much of a deal, but if you will be taking the train back to Paris from Avignon you should price out the France rail-drive pass. It lets you rent a car in short increments for a decent rate. That's what we did on this route years ago. Of course we were not in such a hurry as you and did make stops on the way south, eventually returning our first car in Perpignan and taking the train to Avignon. Really great destinations! Have a terrific time.
Posted by
Portland, Oregon, USA
320 posts
Susan: Here are my thoughts on your question: 1. What I like about driving is that I can go wherever I want whenever I want - there is no steerting wheel on a train. Some of our best memories come from getting lost on purpose. But that generally works better for us on shorter jaunts. 2. We have done this drive (we broke in up into two shorter drives). Gorgeous countryside. Discovered some really enjoyable out of thw way villages and restaurants, etc. If you could find that other day it might be better for you. The ease and convenience of the train had advantages - relax with a picnic lunch on the train and a really good book - still lots of beautiful scenery. 3. The downside of a big long drive is the weariness - particularly for the driver. I have a deal with my wife - after a long long drive I get to take a shower first and afterwards I get twenty minutes or so of quiet time with a glass of wine to de-compress. Have fun.
Posted by
Austin
973 posts
You could lose vacation time by returning the car in Angouleme, taking the train, and rerenting a car, and you only have 10 days ( is that including arrival and departure days?). I would drive, even with a moderate drop off rate.
Will you return the car to CDG, or at a train station near Avignon?
Posted by
Pensacola
9110 posts
Not counting stops, you can drive from Angouleme to Avignon in six hours. If you go down through Bordeaux, it's four lane the whole way and you'll be sitting on eighty just to keep up with traffic. I can't price trains, but the tolls on that stretch are something like sevenry-five bucks and the gas maybe a tad over a hundred. What you should also check out is the differential between renting a car twice for short periods, vice just renting one for the whole time. You also say that you're an hour from the hotel at each end, it's going to cost somthing to do that by public transportation. Then there's the trip across Paris, which ain't free - - and will probably eat up and hour (and since you brought up Paris, are you sure the routing isn't through Bordeaux St Jean ?). I don't suspect that there'd be a second-city drop fee.