taconictraveler

We have four days between our house rental near Bergerac and our apartment rental in Paris. dates: Sept. 30 to October 4.

We'd love some ideas about routes to take, and will have a car, so we can do a "road trip" or stop in one place for a couple of days.

We're thinking about maybe going up to Limoges, then perhaps Tours (tho' we've stayed there before) and maybe Chartres, (where we've also been, but liked).

Another possibility is driving to Lyon and then driving up thru Burgundy, where we were for a week way back in about 1980.

Or, might we drive toward La Rochelle, to see the coast off-season?/

What I'd love to hear about is charming little towns or villages, with pretty surroundings, or marvelous little inns, that we would never hear about except from Fodorites who've been there.

A good example would be the Relais du Lyon d'Or in Angles sur L'Anglin, about which a fodorite wrote not too long ago.

Any ideas gratefully received, with thanks.

StCirq

I wouldn't go to Limoges unless your actual destination is Oradour-sur-Glane. Or if Great Aunt Minnie lives there. Not a pretty town.

I would go to La Rochelle, Ile de Ré, Saintes...that area. Between Bergerac and there you can pass through some lovely scenery and towns in the Cognac area.

Michael

Limoges has been upgrading itself and expanding its pedestrian section around the cité. If one likes porcelain, its porcelain museum is a must. It is a pain to drive in and out, but Limoges, as a provincial town, is no worse than many other towns. On the other hand, I would either choose to go down toward La Rochelle, or from Lyon drive through the Auvergne (a stop in Le Puy-en-Velay is definitely worthwhile)rather than going back up towards Burgundy, which would be on the way to Lyon.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...7623313123155/

zeppole

Do you know this interactive and picture-rich website?

http://www.france-voyage.com/towns/perigueux-6198.htm

and this:

http://www.logishotels.com/en.html

taconictraveler

thanks all. this is just what I need. Will check all this out!

Michael

Rather than going to Lyon you could follow the upper Loire into the Auvergne, going from Paris via Sens, Auxerre, Sancerre, La Charité-sur-Loire, Apremont-sur-Allier (a plus beau village with a wonderful garden at the base of the chateau) into the little known Bourbonnais and on down south.

taconictraveler

Michael: Your photos are lovely!

We are going in the other direction,i.e. Bergerac to Paris, but could still follow your advice in reverse. I'll check that out as well as Zeppole's suggested sites.

And St. Cirq, I like your unvarnished truth!

taconictraveler

Further to St. Cirq: No Aunt Minnie in Limoges, but we do have Oradour sur Glane on our list of possibles. I've been wanting to see it ever since I learned of it a few years ago.

michele_d

Oradour sur Glane is like no other place I have ever been. It is as if time stood still since the horrors of that day. It really strikes you when you walk around the cemetery and nearly all the headstones have the same deceased date.

taconictraveler

Zeppole: that site is utterly fantastic! It is highly interactive, and I've just become addicted to it! I spent the last 1.5 hours on it!! But it gave me so much information. Many thanks.

StCirq

Oradour-sur-Glane is surely a brain pounder. Go there. It will floor you. But go on to La Rochelle and the coast.

ira

Hi TT,

Lyon would make nice stop for 2-3 nights, and Auxerre is a pleasant place for an overnight.

taconictraveler

HMMM: Auxerre...never been there. will check it out.

St. Cirq: Any suggestions of where to stay in La Rochelle, or on Il de Re?

Michael

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...57622755059630

and the next 6 pictures.

Blaise22

Michael, I realize this thread is a few years old, but your photos of Conques, Estaing and Cordes-sur-Ciel really caught my eye. I'm wondering what time of year these photos were taken because in searching on the Internet I can't find more appealing photos of these towns.

Michael

I took the photos last May, and the weather in Conques was not that great. Cordes-sur-ciel was taken a few years ago.

Michael

Correction: Conques was taken in June. Trust the information given on Flickr.

Blaise22

Michael, thanks for responding. I didn't notice that it showed a date on there. I just noticed how lush and green the scenery was and I love the way the towns look with drab, gray skies. I know I am not the norm, but I love that kind of weather.

Michael

Then you would have loved Berlin in the last couple of days.

ira

Hi T,

If you haven't yet visited the Gorges du Tarn, I suggest driving from Bergerac to St Chely du Tarn (overnight) on to Conques to stay at www.moulindecambelong.com (1 or 2 nights) and on to Limoges (no suggestion) before going to Paris.