lovetotravel12

Here's what I have put together thus far. Would love any critiques! We arrive on a Saturday evening and are a family of 13 adults including 9 cousins aged 24-30. We are staying in Saint Geyrac.

Sunday: early morning to market in Rouffignac for supplies, lunch, visit Grotte de Rouffignac, villa for rest of the day to relax, maybe a side trip to the nearby Garden of the Imagination (I’d like to see this and it’s close).

Monday: Canoe the Dordogne, stop riverside for lunch, end in Castelnaud and visit the castle and town. This can include a swim, stops at little villages for coffee, etc. Q: I have heard that the canoeing is crazy crowded....see bike question below.

Tuesday: visit Lascaux and Le Maison Fort de Reignac.

Wednesday: Cooking class (10-2) for lunch then go to Sarlat for late afternoon and maybe dinner to see it in the evening.

Thursday: Possibly a wine tour to include lunch and visit Bergerac. Or see the garden at Marquessac (so) or Hautefort. Thoughts?

Friday: Rent electric bikes in Castelnaud. Ride to Daglan, Domme, etc.Stop for a lunch en famille continue on to other towns to explore. OR rent in Sarlat and ride to Beynac or ride to Cazoule on the Voie Verte. Stop for lunch. Should we do this in place of canoeing?

We plan to spend evenings in the villa with a trip in to Perigueux for one night.

I plan to write a trip report upon our return.

StCirq

Saint-Geyrac is a pretty fair distance from the things you are wanting to visit. It's particularly distant from Daglan. I would never consider putting 13 adults on electric bikes and having them travel around the area. It won't be horribly crowded in September, but the roads won't be clear, either. The river won't be terribly jammed at that time of year. Just so you know, kayaking is a WHOLE lot easier than maneuvering clunky canoes on the river, especially if there's little or no current.

Don't miss Vessuna when you go to Périgueux.

lovetotravel12

Thanks StCirq. I'm really struggling with our plans. We need to do something active most days. Good point about the canoes. I suppose it can depend on the water level. Some of the bike paths are not on roads, they're on former RR tracks...but you know that! What do you think about Hautefort and Marqueyssac as destinations?

lovetotravel12

Thanks StCirq. I'm really struggling with our plans. We need to do something active most days. Good point about the canoes. I suppose it can depend on the water level. Some of the bike paths are not on roads, they're on former RR tracks...but you know that! What do you think about Hautefort and Marqueyssac as destinations?

My son is a Roman ofile and has Vessuna on his list!

kja

First and foremost, note that I defer to StCirq for all information on the area!

But FWIW, with that many people, I trust you are laying out a variety of options and making it possible for them to pursue them? For example, some people visit the Dordogne primarily to see it's prehistoric art -- will those for whom that is a priority be able to do so (will they have a car, the requisite reservations, a way to meet up with the rest of you, etc.)

And I trust you are keeping opening / closing times in mind? IME in the area, some things closed for a long mid-day break....

Kudos for trying to organize this event! I'm sure everyone will find some moments that are much more wonderful than anything they imagined.

twk

I took a group of six to the Dordogne in 2011, and while you are right to look at active pursuits, odds are pretty good that not everyone will want to do the same thing. For example, there's nothing wrong with having some folks canoe while others do something else. From a driver's perspective, cyclists seemed to be more in danger in the Dordogne than in Provence--the terrain is such that you come upon cyclists with little warning.

StCirq

Both Hautefort and Marqueyssac are good destinations, though neither stands out to me as mind-boggling. I would do more prehistoric sites, personally - Cap Blanc, Font-de-Gaume (though you'd need to get up at the crack of dawn and get in line as advance tickets have been sold out since early January), the Musée Nationale de Préhistoire and Le Pôle in Les Eyzies, maybe the Gouffre de Proumeyssac, a gabarre ride in Beynac or La Roque-Gageac...but whatever you do I wouldn't plan on doing it in a pack. That would be wearing on you and anyone around you.

Check the official websites of all the nearby towns and villages. September is a prime month for festivals and expositions, which are always lively and fun.

Carlux

I agree with StCirq regarding Marqueyssac and Hautefort - especially Hautefort, which is not near anything you will be seeing. (Although not that far from St Geyrac, somewhere I have never heard of despite living 23 years in the area. A nice chateau (of the 1001 in the Dordogne) but a longish drive. Also would skip Bergerac. Some of the drive along the river is good but then it gets really boring. I don't think its worth the time for what you are going to see when you get there.

However think about St Leon sur Vezere, a wonderful village with picnic tables by the river and an stunning Romanesque church.

Most of my other choices are closer to where I live, not far from Sarlat - St Genies, St Amand de Coly.

And don't forget that Lascaux has now opened a new and enlarged facsimile of the original cave. Not 'just a copy' but a work of art in itself.