bellicose432

hi! i'm trying to plan a trip to france and italy for next month and would appreciate any suggestions on how to execute this trip. i would like to go from paris to rome by train, and along the way visit the dordogne, specifically Les Eyzies. i've been considering basing myself in perigueux for the time that i am in the dordogne because it seems adjacent to the caves, but am having trouble finding trains from perigueux to les eyzies and then to rome. i'm pretty sure i'll have to go to a bigger city, like bordeaux, in order to get to rome, but how best to navigate the in-between part of my trip? any and all suggestions are heartily welcome...

thanks!

eva

rex

I consistently try to give a "can-do" answer to most questions here... but this seems like a bad idea to me.

First... Dordogne in December? you need some advice on people who have done this.

Second... Dordogne by train? I can't see it being anything but a big hassle, and a lot of cab rides to make up what you can't do by train.

Third... take a look at www.whichbudget.com - - maybe there is a way to salvage this plan by flying from somewhere in southwestern France to Italy.

Best wishes,

Rex

cmt

I do not have expertise about this, but since I did take a train to Les Eyzies de Tayac once five years ago, and I did go to the Combarelles and Font de Gaume caves (though not the sane day I arrived), I'll try to answer superficially.

Yes, it's possible to take a train to Les Eyzies from Perigueux. When I did this in 2000, there was very infrequent service, but the ride itself was short. From the train station in Les Eyzies, it's a very short walk to one of he hotels (short enough that I very easily did it with my luggage--bigger than 22&quot. It's an easy walk into the center of town and to the entrance to Font de Gaume. From there, it's a longer (just a very few miles), but still easy, walk along the road to Combarelles. Given the infrequency of the train service, i think it would be extremely impractical to use Perigueux as a base if you are traveling by public transportation and you plan to visit the caves located in Les Eyzies.

bellicose432

hmn... that's what i was afraid of. i wasn't really planning, though, on touring the dordogne - just stopping through on my way to rome. as for traveling in december, this is when my vacation days kick in and they don't roll over until next year so i have to use them now and if i'm going to be in france, i really want to see my neanderthals.

so... TGV from paris to perigueux, hostel in perigueux, train from perigueux to les eyzies, train from perigueux to bordeaux to rome through nice doesn't work? it all sounded so easy once i thought i had it figured out...!

thank you so much for your input. this travel coordinating stuff is tricky...

bellicose432

cmt - i chose perigueux because i couldn't find a train from paris to les eyzies. it doesn't have to be perigueux - i was just afraid les eyzies would be expensive to stay in due to the tourism. is there a better town to stay in when i visit the caves?

rex

<<train from perigueux to bordeaux to rome...>>

I guess I'm just a grump. This part sounds awful to me. Kinda like Uruguay to Newfoundland.

Someone else would give it a thumbs up, I suppose.

ira

Hi B,

It's doable.

The 08:51 departs Paris Austerlitz for Perigueux (arr 13:55) and connects with the 14:03 to Les Eyzies.

Although you can go through Toulouse, it seems that the easiest way to get to Rome is to go back to Paris and take the night train.

See http://plannerint.b-rail.be/bin/quer...n?L=profi&

StCirq

This is not a good plan. It's do-able, but that doesn't make it a good idea.

Les Eyzies isn't any more expensive than Périgueux, and neither is expensive. It's a very affordable part of France. Train service to Les Eyzies is possible, but a pain. And then, after Les Eyzies, you either have a series of really complicated maneuvers to get to Rome through Agen or Toulouse, or you have to go back to Paris, which totally defeats the idea of a "stopover."

Les Eyzies is pretty much a ghost town in December. And there are no traces of Neanderthals there. In fact very few Neanderthal remnants were ever found in the Dordogne - only at Moustier, la Ferrassie, and Régordou. If you're on the hunt for Neanderthals, your stopover should be in Düsseldorf.

bellicose432

you folks have been incredibly helpful. i think what's messing me up is the idea of using the dordogne as a "stopover" from rome and getting perigueux in the mix. i was under the impression that les eyzies was a more expensive place to stay than other cities. is it possible to get a train from paris to les eyzies? (someone mentioned taking a train to les eyzies) because if it is possible, i'm thinking what i might do is go from paris to les eyzies, stay there for a few days - maybe do some bike touring? - and then go back to paris and take the night train to rome. that's a little bit less of a hassle, no?

again, thanks so much for all of your help - it's been invaluable. imagine me with all my luggage waiting hours for a train to les eyzies from perigueux?

ira

Hi B,

I gave you the info you need to plan your visit.

You can buy all of your tickets at www.sncf.com

StCirq

bellicose:

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE the Dordogne - have a second home there 4 kms from Les Eyzies - but this is a totally illogical idea. Les Eyzies is NOT a city. It's a very, VERY small town. It's dead in winter. It's overcrowded in summer. It's not attractive. Bicycling around the region for a few days in December sounds like a total horror to me. It will be frigid - rainy, icy, possibly snowy. Things will be closed. None of the things that would normally be of interest - the local market, the wine tastings, the scenic train ride to Sarlat with tastings of local food - will be in operation. A lot of restaurants and hotels will be closed for the season. There won't be any festivals or events.

Train connections to Les Eyzies exist, but are few and far between.

Your plan does not make sense. You will be traveling a HUGE distance for virtually nothing - unless a visit to a prehistoric chromatic cave is of paramount importance to you (and they have nothing to do with Neanderthals!).

bellicose432

you guys have convinced me - i'll just go straight from paris to rome, maybe visit a city along the route and get my anthropological fix in rome. i can't stress how helpful you've all been; travel guides can give you ideas but they just can't beat talking to people. thanks so much again!

ira

Good decision, B.

StCirq

Phew! I"m glad you decided to abandon that plan. DO come back to the Dordogne some spring or fall and stay awhile - you won't be disappointed!

Enjoy Paris and Rome!

Amart

We had the same problem with our plans for this past summer. We ended up going first to Rome, then to Paris and then taking a long day trip to 2 caves (Lascaux and Font Da Gaume?) via train to Brive. We used http://allophilippetaxi.monsite.wanadoo.fr ( Philippe Mouret [[email protected]) to pick us up and take us around. Philippe will pick you up in Bordeaux also. My husband, who would have driven, really enjoyed being able to relax and the cost wasn't much more than a car rental. He was great, got us to the caves, made the reservations ahead of time (for Font De Gaume, you will need months) and got us to the train back on time. Or, you can take the train, rent a car and spend the night. Our day was exhausting, but fun.

gastroDW

Ira

If the train from paris arrives in Perigueux at 13:55 and the train to Les Eyzies leaves at 14:03 is it really possible to make the connection. 8 minutes seems like pushing it

rex

Not sure why you are extending this two months old discussion - - is your circumstance so (or almost so) identical to the original question(s) and follow-up(s)?

In any event (and while I still cannot see anyone proposing to tour the Dordogne by train)...

Unless you're carrying steamer trunks (and have one of those uncommon, but not unheard of platform changes where you have to down steps, under one track and back up again)... then 8 minutes in a small Gare SNCF like that will be entirely normal, and should be stress-less.

ira

Hi G,

Good advice from Rex.

StCirq

Most train connections in Périgueux are under 10 minutes, so 8 minutes isn't a problem at all. You could pretty easily make one in under 5 minutes. Jump off - jump on, it's that simple.