lucy54

We are planning a two week trip for the last 2 weeks in October (we can't go earlier). We have read that many places may be closed. Should we consider whether we should still go?
Our plan was to spend one week in a rental in Sarlat, and spend week 2 going towards La Rochelle or towards Biarritz. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

tedgale

I've been there in early October. A place where I very much wanted to dine again was closed; on the other hand, the weather was balmy and mellow.

We cannot tell you whether to cancel unless we know what your "deal breakers" are.

lucy54

How widespread can we expect closures to be? Most restaurants, 50%, ? We are not planning to do Lascaux as we've been there before. Mainly driving, eating, markets, and hopefully visiting a few wineries. Will most attractions be closed?

leslieq

We stayed at La Lanterne in Sarlat...they do close in the fall, but can't remember if as early as October. You could write them and ask about things as well.

A highlight for us was canoeing on the Dordogne. Is that a priority for you? If so, worth it to check.

The towns of course will be available for walking around, which is fantastic...but not sure about such things as Chateau des Milandes (Josephine Baker's house) which was really interesting and had an incredible falconry show.

StCirq

Generally speaking, family-run establishments that rely mainly on tourism, whether they be restaurants or cafés or souvenir shops or specialty food stores or canoe outfits, close down by October 15 and stay closed until the Tuesday after Easter.

So you will not in all likelihood be able to canoe. There aren't any wineries in the Dordogne other than the ones in Bergerac and Monbazillac, so visiting wineries isn't a normal part of touring the area, at least nowhere near Sarlat. The markets are open year-round, except for the odd peak-season Monday ones and the marchés nocturnes. The museums and prehistoric sites and châteaux and such are open year-round, albeit with some of them having limited hours. Obviously, the garden attractions aren't at their best.

If you spend 2 weeks heading to La Rochelle, that will be at a crawl.

lucy54

Thank you everyone! The wording in my original post was not very clear. We would spend one week based in Sarlat doing day trips, and our initial thought was to spend one other week (2 weeks total) going either towards La Rochelle or towards Biarritz.

We do not plan to canoe, and souvenir shops are not our thing. We enjoy visiting different areas and having great meals. The availability of a good selection of restaurants is probably the biggest concern for us based on what we're reading.

Another option we've considered due to closures, would be to spend the second week in Paris where the issue of seasonal closures would most likely not be an issue.

mamcalice

Paris is never closed. And lovely in October.

StCirq

Just to clarify, when I say souvenir shops, I don't just mean the tacky kind, of which there are blessedly few in the Dordogne. I mean shops that make a living primarily from the tourist trade, which includes some very high-end food shops, household goods shops, and so forth. The good restaurants will still be open, as will the ones that are popular with locals. Same with cafés. There will be plenty of things open, and the weather is usually glorious that time of year. Plus, there are no traffic jams.

lucy54

Thanks everyone. After reading all of the above, we have decided on first week in Dordogne, second in Paris. Greatly appreciate all of your comments!