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Advice on a trip to the Dordogne region of France

Advice on a trip to the Dordogne region of France

Old Aug 6th, 2013, 03:06 PM
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Advice on a trip to the Dordogne region of France

I’m fairly early in the process of researching a 2 week trip to the Dordogne region of France in September, 2014. I think I have a fairly solid general outline (listed below but definitely open to suggestions) and I’m ready to start digging into specifics but I'm hoping for confirmation/additional advice for the itinerary as it exists so far to make sure I'm on the right track. I apologize for the length in advance but I think the more specific I am the better.

Some key points about my travel habits. I will most likely be traveling alone and in a rental car. Photography is a hobby so the search for interesting photo opportunities is always key. I enjoy experiencing the culture, food, wine and beer of a region as much as possible. I don’t often visit museums but I will usually try to take in a few. I enjoy taking in architecture and churches. I (for the most part) only take group tours when I have to (I understand I will need to for any of the cave tours). I prefer to explore on my own and I always hope to discover at least a couple of off-the-beaten-path places that surprise me. In larger cities (as examples from other places I’ve visited - Prague, Paris, Athens, etc.) I have no problem covering 10+ miles a day walking and exploring.

I’m currently looking at spending the majority of my nights in Sarlat with day trips around it. In choosing this town, I wanted a decent size (but not too big) town that will offer a variety of restaurants, sidewalk cafes, etc., has some interesting sites to see and is easy to get in and out of. I’m definitely open to other suggestions for different towns along with hotels if there is one that better fits my needs. In Sarlat I’m currently considering La Villa des Consuls, Les Cordeliers, or Le Mas De Castel (don’t mind the walk) as places for my stay.

Below is my initial rough schedule. I believe it is all in a fairly small area so I don’t think I’m overdoing it but I’m sure I’ll hear about it if I am! The days are somewhat interchangeable other than the travel days so if there are better days than others for visiting certain areas I’d love to know that kind of information! I am flying into Bordeaux as it allows me to use my frequent flyer miles.
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Day 1 - Saturday - Arrive in Bordeaux. Spend the night in Bordeaux

Day 2 - Sunday - Explore Bordeaux and work on getting over jet lag. Spend the night in Bordeaux

Day 3 - Monday - Rent a car and drive to Perigueux. Spend the night in Perigueux

Day 4 - Tuesday - Explore Perigueux. Spend the night in Perigueux

Day 5 - Wednesday - Explore the region to north of Perigueux including Abbaye De Chancelade, Brantome, St Jean De Cole, Chateau De hautefort and Bourdeilles. Spend the night in Perigueux.

Day 6 - Thursday - Drive to Sarlat and take in whatever looks interesting on the way (suggestions?). Do some exploring of Sarlat. Spend the night in Sarlat

Day 7 - Friday - Explore the region to the Southwest including Beynac and Castelnaud. Spend the night in Sarlat

Day 8 - Saturday - Explore the region to the North including Lascaux II and St-Amand-de-Coly. Spend the night in Sarlat.

Day 9 - Sunday - Explore the region to the Northwest including Les Eyzies-de-tayac, the Vezere Valley (including Chateau de l'herm, Chateau de Commarque), La Roque-Saint Christophe, Vallee De l'hommr. Spend the night in Sarlat.

Day 10 - Monday - Explore the region to the South including Domme, Daglan, La Roque Gageac. Spend the night in Sarlat.

Day 11 - Tuesday - Explore the region to the East - Rocamadour and Gouffre de Padirac. Spend the night in Sarlat.

Day 12 - Wednesday - Explore the region to the Southeast - Cahors, Grotte de Pech-Merle, St-Cirq-Lapopie. Spend the night in Sarlat.

Day 13 - Thursday - Drive to Bordeaux with stops in Belves and Bergerac. Spend the night in Bordeaux.

Day 14 - Friday - Fly home from Bordeaux.

As mentioned this is just my initial rough draft of the itinerary and I am fully open to suggestions including other sites I need to consider.

Thanks in advance!
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Old Aug 6th, 2013, 03:56 PM
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Day 12 - pack up and leave Sarlat. End your day in Cahors, and eat at Le Balandre which good food and an incredible wine list.

Browsing through these pictures might give you some idea of what to see.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...7624827253292/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...th/4932563072/
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Old Aug 6th, 2013, 04:46 PM
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On our recent visit to the Dordogne, we stayed at Villa des Consuls in Sarlat and enjoyed it very much. However, we also spent two nights at Domaine de la Rhue near Rocamadour, which we loved! From that location, we visited Pech- Merle, St.-Cirq Lapopie, Collonges-la-Rouge, Autoire, Carrennac, and Loubressac. Staying there eliminated all the backtracking to Sarlat.
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Old Aug 6th, 2013, 05:33 PM
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Both Michael and Digbydog give you good advice there. And Cahors is a lovely town, plenty of photo opps, and you could easily stop at villages on your way there from Sarlat such as Daglan or Gourdon. I would also consider melding La Roque Gageac and Domme into the one day you go to Beynac and Castelnaud on Day 7. They are all close together, and the twilights are still late in September, so you can end your day with dinner in Domme, and enjoy stunning sunset views over the river valley below. That would then leave Day 10 free to make a proper exploration south of the river: places like Belves, Cadouin with its stunning Abbey, Eglise St Avit-Senieur & the frescoes at Montferrand-du-Perigord...all very photogenic sites. On your way back from Cahors to Bordeaux, consider stops at villages like Monpazier & Issigeac, and Chateau Monbazillac.
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Old Aug 6th, 2013, 06:50 PM
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Agree with Micheal. Leave Sarlat when you go to the Cahors area. No need to travel 4 hours there and back to Sarlat, and the traffic can be horrible in Cahors.
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Old Aug 7th, 2013, 04:38 AM
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Great advice from everyone so far! I had actually originally planned on spending a night or 2 in Cahors so I'll look into adding that back into the itinerary. Does anyone have recommendations on a place to stay in Cahors? Beautiful photos Michael. They definitely made me wish I was going this September instead of 2014! Thanks!
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Old Aug 7th, 2013, 05:34 AM
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Here's our take on The Dordogne from Sept.'12. We stayed in Sarlat for 1 week.

Pick out the places you are going and skip over the others. There are many restaurant ideas in Sarlat. We were there during Herritage Weekend which occurs every Sept. If you are there at that time, the lights and activites in Sarlat are excellent.

Eyrignac Gardens and Marqueyssac Gardens were beautiful for walking and taking photos. Actually the whole area is a photographers dream.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-and-paris.cfm
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Old Aug 7th, 2013, 06:36 AM
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We're not big fans of Cahors (been there 5 times - including this past June) - not enough "old" architecture, compared to other similar-sized cities in the region. Their market is great, however. We much prefer Figeac, and a drive along the Cele River. The Cele is very photographic with the houses built into the cliffs. Get to the Figeac tourist office when it is open (closed for lunch) and pick up a copy of their wonderful walking itinerary. I think you will enjoy Figeac much more than Cahors. We were in Figeac for a day this past June also.

I also agree with the others about staying near Cahors/Pech Merle/St Cirq Lapopie. We were in St Cirq this past June also. This was perhaps our 4th visit there, & I was surprised how charming the village is. Sure there are tourists there - but we arrived just as lunchtime started and many of the tourists were not on the streets - they were having lunch somewhere. There were zero postcards stands on the streets (pet peave of mine) and no "trinkets" there either. Very lovely village. You'll want to take many pictures from the road into St Cirq Lapopie.

I recently added a "Bastide town" driving route to my Dordogne itinerary - which I've sent to over 2,000 people on Fodors. If you would like a copy of the entire itinerary, e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach a copy to the reply e-mail. In case you already have the itinerary, below is the Bastide section.

Bastide Towns
My wife & I have always enjoyed visiting Bastide towns. In June '13 we stayed for 2 weeks in Puy l'Eveque near Cahors on the Lot River, and visited 17 different Bastide towns from there. A Bastide town is a purpose-built town with a square grid layout modeled on ancient Roman towns. They are quite different from other medieval towns which have winding streets that grew willy-nilly over decades. In Bastide towns, there is almost always an arched arcaded market square at the center of the village. About 350 Bastide towns were built in southwest France between 1229 and 1372, in a medieval burst of urbanization. They were built on land owned by feudal Lords (English King, French King, local feudal lords, abbots, bishops) in the hope of creating commerce, which the lord could then tax. Bastides were built so rapidly that it was almost like an "arms race" with one lord building 2 towns, and then the other lord "calling" his 2 towns and raising him 1 - building 3 towns.

A Bastide was a "planned" community where goods were traded in the town square and the farther you got away from the town square, the closer you got to the raw product. The town was laid out to optimize the movement of goods from the "fields" into the town square. For example, grains were grown outside of town, and then moved to the outskirts of the Bastide town where it was then ground into flour. Then it was move closer to the square where there were people who could package it before it finally arrived in the square for trade. The streets were laid out so some could accommodate two carts at a time (1 coming & 1 going), 1 cart going in one direction, a pedestrian-only street, and another half-meter wide street that carried rain water and waste. All of this is explained & demonstrated quite nicely in the Bastide museum in Monflanquin - which should be your starting point for visiting Bastide towns.

Here is an itinerary for a "perfect" day of visiting our 2 favorite Bastide towns in France and a fascinating medieval village nearby (plus a castle).

Leave early in the morning and head south on the D710 past Belves. Then before Fumel, take the D162 west then the D150 to Monflanquin*+. From Sarlat this is a 1 1/2 hr trip - so if you leave Sarlat at 8:30 you should arrive in Monflanquin around 10:00 - just when the tourist office opens - which is where the Bastide museum is located (don't know if it closes for lunch - probably does). The Tourist Office is located on the north end of the town square. There is parking at the south end of Monflanquin - you'll see it. As you walk towards the central town square after parking (along Rue St Pierre), note the large late 1800s photographs displayed in windows along the street, which depict what the buildings on the street looked like in the late 1800s. Go to the Bastide museum as soon as you arrive at the Tourist Office. It took us about 30 mins to visit the museum. Then pick up the walking itinerary (in English) and visit the Bastide town. Our visit to the museum and town consumed 1 1/2 hours - so if you arrive at 10 you should be finished at 11:30.

Next, take the D272 north (changes to the D2E when you leave the Lot-et-Garonne dept & enter the Dordogne dept) and then the D2 to Monpazier*. If you leave Monflanquin at 11:30 you should get to Monpazier at 12:00. Park in the large visitor's lot and quickly walk to the town square where the Tourist Office is located. I don't know what time it closes - hopefully not before 12:30. Pick up a walking itinerary at the Tourist Office and proceed on the walk. There are plaques posted along the walk (in English) that describe the various points of interest. Monpazier is perhaps the most "famous" Bastide town in the region - so it will be more touristy. There are some souvenir shops in town - but there were much fewer "tacky" ones than I anticipated. At one time there was a Bastide museum in town and it still might be mentioned in a few guidebooks. We asked the Tourist Office where it was located, and they did not know. Another merchant said it might have been "just around the corner" - but there is definitely not a museum open now - it may be under renovation & could re-open in the future. The main square in Monpazier is fantastic. As you will see, it is a great place to have lunch. Do that. It should take you around 2 hrs to visit the town and also have lunch. If you arrive in Monpazier at 12:00, you should be "finished" at 2:00.

Next, head southwest on the D2, and then the D53 south to Chateau Biron. If you leave Monpazier at 2:00 you should arrive at Biron at 2:15 - just as it opens after the noon to 2:00 lunch closing (that's why I suggested doing Monpazier before Biron - and backtracking a bit). Explore Biron*. Work was being performed on the Great Hall in June '13 - so hopefully it will have been completed. Biron will be about a 45 min visit, so you should leave around 3:00.

Leave Biron heading north on the D53 and then west on the D2 west (which changes to the D104 when you re-enter the Tarn-et-Garonne dept) past Villereal (another interesting Bastide town with a two-story covered market) and then the D207 northwest (which changes to the D14 when you enter the Dordogne Dept - jeeze you'd think that this renumbering the same road could be solved) and head to the third Bastide town - Issignac*. If you leave Biron at 3:00 you should arrive in Issigeac at 3:30.

Issigeac+ is a charming medieval village that doesn't appear in many guide books. It is a little different from the two Bastides that you have already visited, in that it does not have a town square, and the roads are not laid out in a grid pattern. Pick up a walking plan (in English) at the tourist office at the north end of town. Issigeac has lots & lots of pretty half-timbered buildings. The Grand Rue runs through the middle of town and I think the section of Issigeac east of the Grand Rue is more interesting than the section to the west of Grande Rue. Some tourists may prefer Issigeac over both Monpazier and Monflanquin. Issigeac is about a 45 min visit.

It is about 1 1/2 hrs back to Sarlat on the D25, passing through another Bastide town - Beaumont du Perigord, which has a nice central square that you can see from the D25. You should get back to Sarlat by 6:00.
End of Bastide day

Stu Dudley
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Old Aug 7th, 2013, 07:29 AM
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Have a look at my trip report which includes some of the places you are interested in, perhaps the pictures will help you decide..http://sujaa.wordpress.com/2012/06/0...taine-and-lot/
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Old Aug 7th, 2013, 02:05 PM
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Stu, thanks for posting your latest itinerary. Your Bastide Drive looks wonderful. I will copy it and use it for my upcoming trip. Thank you.

And Jump, you mentioned you like photography. You will not have to "search for photo opportunities.". They are around every bend and corner. Enjoy the planning. That is half the fun.
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Old Aug 7th, 2013, 04:48 PM
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Agree that you will be overwhelmed by photo opportunities. It's one of the most beautiful areas in the world.

And much as I like and appreciate Stu Dudley, we disagree on a couple of points (which is always fine). I like Cahors. It's not a tourist-friendly town, except maybe for the wonderful Pont Valentré. It's a "working town," and I like that...just normal citizens going about their business in a city that's not overly pretty or gussied up.

And I absolutely detest St-Cirq-Lapopie, except for the remarkable geography (which, frankly, isn't any more remarkable than hundreds of other sites in France). If I had to pinpoint the most notable thing about it, it's that it has probably the highest concentration of Made in China items of any village in France. Even Domme, which is bad on that score, can't come close. And since it was voted Most Beautiful Village in France last year on some French TV show, it's overrun.

But I digress...the bastide information is priceless. The entire history of the bastides is fascinating.
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Old Aug 8th, 2013, 02:51 AM
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I was torn about whether to visit St.-Cirq Lapopie. It seems that about half the people on this forum detest it, and the other half love it. We decided to stop for lunch, because it was on the way from Pech-Merle to Domaine de la Rhue. We thought it was a pretty little town, and mid- June it was not overrun with tourists. We had a very good lunch of sandwiches and homemade ice cream. I'm not a shopper, so I didn't notice the "Made in China" chochtkes. St. Cirq is right that it is one of many pretty French villages, so I'm not sure I would go out of my way for it. However, it is easy to see in conjunction with Pech-Merle.
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Old Aug 8th, 2013, 08:33 AM
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Thanks again for all of the great information and the links to photos, etc. that people have posted. Much appreciated!
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