sharone

We will be making our first ever visit to France at the end of May next year and staying 10 days in Sarlat in the Dordogne. We fly into Bordeaux on a Wednesday and should arrive in the town at about 4.30 - 5pm, I know there is a market on that day and was wondering if it will still be super busy at that time for us driving in and being able to park.
Neither of us speaks a word of French so we are going to be busy trying to learn at least some basic words and phrases in particular about filling up the car etc.
Our main queries are - are we likely to find restaurant menus (in Sarlat itself) in English as well as French?
How easy or difficult is parking in all the towns around that area?
Are fuel stations plentiful?
Is it right that you need to carry a breathalyser in your car and if so do the rental companies provide this?
Thank you in advance for any help or advice anyone can offer.

rhon

Markets are usually finished by 1pm, so it should not be a problem. End of May is still not peak season. We spent two weeks in the region, (not in Sarlat )in early May 2014, and did not have problems parking. If you click on my name and scroll through 'On the road again ' you can read what we did in our two weeks in the area.

We have never had a problem finding fuel. We always buy fuel from the supermarket service stations. Here you fill up , drive to the exit where there is a booth with an attendant where you pay. Remember the number of the bowser. Sometimes supermarket outlets shut over lunch during the week and may not be open on Sundays. We bought our fuel at Cenac (this was always unmanned) where we were staying, so not sure about Sarlat outlets. When not open, fuel can be bought using credit card. You do not say where you are from. Some foreign cards do not work where there is no facility to sign - that is where there is no attendant. I think the breathalyser rule has been shelved. We have never had one and will be in France in a couple of weeks .

We have very basic French and have never had a problem. We find the people very accommodating of our limitations and we do make an effort to speak French. Learn some basic and polite phrases, always say bonjour when you are in a shop. Please, thank you, bon journee.

We self cater and do not eat out a lot, so I will not comment on finding menus in English. Sometimes though, a menu in English will identify that restaurant as a "tourist " place. We are comfortable with menus in French. Everything is edible, so it is more individual perceptions that are the issue. If you do some research before you go and have a guide book or translation app , you should not have a problem . Trying new and different foods is part of the appeal of travelling.

Bon voyage.

StCirq

I hope you didn't mean that you are flying into Bordeaux from the USA and then planning on driving in a rental car to Sarlat. That would be dangerous to you and everyone else on the road.

Markets all over France start shutting down at noon that time of year. Sarlat is no exception. That said, parking is often a hassle in Sarlat, unless your accommodations provide you a dedicated space.

With a few exceptions, if you find English menus, you probably don't want to eat there if regional food is what you're after. On the other hand, learning what the regional dishes are is not complicated, as there aren't a whole lot of them.

Filling up the car = en plein, s'il vous plaît. Make sure you know the difference between gazole and sans plomb because putting the wrong fuel in your car will set you off on an unpleasant sidetrip. Inside the gas cap you should find information on the type of fuel. Make sure if you use a self-serve station, you read and grab the right hose. There are plenty of fuel stations all over.

If a station is unattended (and in May most will be between noon and 2:00 or 2:30), don't expect to be able to pay with a credit card unless you have a true chip and pin card. Many stations will be closed all day Sunday.

Parking in villages and small towns is not a problem. Parking lots, if they exist, are marked with a big blue P sign. If you park on the street, you'll have to go to an horodateur, pay for however much time you want to spend in the space, take the ticket, and put it on your dashboard. Alternatively you can go to any Tourist Office or tabac and get a disque bleu for nothing or a couple of euros. Place it on your dashboard with your arrival time showing on the clock dial.

The breathalyzer issue is an odd one. By law you are supposed to carry two in the car at all times. In practice there is no mechanism for being fined for not having one. I doubt rental car outfits provide them, but you can buy them at most tabacs and supermarkets. It's a good idea to have one, and use it, as the BAC in France is .05, and it's strictly enforced.

Be SURE you understand how speed limits work. Even a few kms over the liit in any area could yield an expensive fine, and it will be months before you get the letter in your mailbox back home - by that time the fine may have doubled or tripled.

Whathello

St Cirq is very knowledgeable about Dordogne on top of being a very nice lady.
Being US she also understands both sides of the story.
So I recommend to follow her advice.
The breathanalysor is a dead one. Law was to be passed and probably was voted but never enforced. So you don't need it.
As StCirq says pay attention when refueling.
gazole - fioul - diesel means fuel.
Essence means gas.
Sans Plomb means unleaded.
GPL means LPG
Gas in French means LPG never benzine. Pay attention to this false friend word.
As also said English menu often means tourist crap.

French is very easy to learn, I speak it without any problem.

One essential thing to know about the French is that they are not rude basterds but will behave like such if you don't greet them properly.

Bonjour is the key, hello works but not saying anything is considered very rude.
Have a great time dordogne is fantastic.

sharone

Thanks so much for all this advice, we are coming from the UK and we only have chip and pin cards here so that shouldn't be a problem. We refer to the cars fuel as petrol here rather than gas, we shall be sure to check with the rental company whether it's unleaded or diesel.
It's good to know the market will most likey have ended, our accommodation has parking close by.
It's seems a shame that restaurants that post menus in English feel that it is ok to serve rubbish food, we are definitely not foodies but always like to eat the food of the country we are in.
We absolutely intend to learn as much of the basics of the language as we can, we did that for our trip to Italy so hopefully we can pick it up ok.
Once again thanks, this is very helpful, I shall certainly read your trip report Rhon.

Whathello

Hi Sharone.
Dordogne saw a lot of fights between the English (holding Aquitaine at that time) and the French trying to reconquer up to Bordeaux.
Therefore you have a lots of beautiful castles to visit too.
And if you hear somebody calling you a Godon they refer to the nickname of that time : English soldiers swore so much that French used a deformation of 'goddam' to form les Godons.
Enjoy the place.

TDudette

Others can correct me, but at self-serve gas stations, your credit card should have chip technology. If yours doesn't (or you don't know) I suggest you stick with manned places.

StuDudley

>>self-serve gas stations, your credit card should have chip technology.<<

Chip & pin. With one exception - chip & signature has not worked for us.

Stu Dudley

StCirq

<<It's seems a shame that restaurants that post menus in English feel that it is ok to serve rubbish food>>

I think you have missed the point. Restaurants that post menus in English aren't all serving rubbish food; they just aren't all serving true regional specialties, but rather watered-down versions of them, or pizza, or hamburgers, or sandwiches and salads (most of which words are almost impossible to mistake in French, anyway). But if you find what looks like a nice little restaurant tucked away on a side street, it may well be catering to French visitors and not to English speakers and hence will not have menus in English.

Also to the point: If you are going to be traveling around to small villages, it is unlikely you will find many menus in English. It is best in any case to go armed with the French vocabulary to order and get what you want to eat.

The market will not "most likely have ended." It will have been over hours before your arrival.

Thanks, whathello, for reminding me about essence. We hardly ever see the word at stations around here, so I neglected to mention it.

AGM_Cape_Cod

We had a lovely time staying in Sarlat several years ago. Look for my trip report with restaurants we visited. My advice to people traveling without being able to speak the language is to learn the names of things you will not eat- i.e. my father would never eat kidneys so he know the word for kidneys in many languages so to avoid them. If you are open to a variety of foods then you will have an adventure. Have a great time.

sharone

Thank you AGM, that's a good tip re the food. I have a real problem in that my husband won't touch cheese, I'm really hoping I can get him to try some whilst in France, it would be a crime not to. I shall certainly read your trip report.

kja

Re: menus: Look for a copy of Patricia Well's menu reader.

kerouac

The plastic tag on the key of your rental car says what kind of fuel you need to buy.

fuzzbucket

If your husband won't touch cheese, there's no reason to force him to eat it. If anything he orders comes with cheese on it, he can just put it on your plate. More cheese for you!

Just walk around and see what other people are eating. Sit down where the waiter tells you to and point to what those people had and smile.

Whathello

Have the name of what you like / don't like written down.
If you don't speak a word of French there is a high probability that pronouncing a French name will be unintelligible.
I listened today to my GPS on the iPhone which is set in English
I had to read the names of the streets to understand ...

topeater

I loved reading David Lebovitz's book, My Sweet Life in Paris. I found it a really good introduction to French culture and his information came in really handy when shopping, going to restaurants, etc. Plus, it's really funny and there are some good recipes included.