The Dordogne & Loire Valley?

Old Apr 24th, 2017, 03:21 PM
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The Dordogne & Loire Valley?

Greetings! We are a family of 5 (kids 11,9,8) and we will be spending the last 2 weeks in August in France. The first 6 nights in Paris and then have 6 more nights to spend outside the city. So a few questions:
1. We were deciding between renting house in The Luberon and making day trips vs. hotel in the Dordogne +/- the Loire Valley if there was time. Any prefs which is better as a fam? I'm kind of leaning towards a hotel in the Dordogne since the grandiosity and mystery of staying in a chateau like hotel would be amazing for the kids.

2. The 2nd question is, given that we are flying out of Paris - is there time to visit the Loire as well? Would the kids even enjoy it?

3. Finally - looking for potential hotel recs in a The Dordogne. Higher end preferred. Lots of property to explore and a pool is a must.

Thank you in advance!!

JS
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Old Apr 24th, 2017, 04:11 PM
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The Luberon is in the Provence, far too far away for day trips in the Dordogne. What you could do is visit one or two chateaux in the Loire valley on your way to the Dordogne. Rent the car in Paris, drop it off in Brive-la-Gaillarde on your return and take the train back to Paris, although with a family of 5, driving back to Paris in one day might be cheaper.
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Old Apr 24th, 2017, 04:19 PM
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Can't do both regions in the short time you have unless you simply drive through them. Pick one or the other. What do you and the kids prefer? Splendid châteaux in the Loire or fabulous landscapes and castle ruins and such in the Luberon region?

It will be high season, possibly hot - with so little time you may want to "do" Loire (closer), and after a castle or two (the opulence becomes much of a muchness pretty quickly) and make time for a Normandy beach - see http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/de...mandy-beaches/
http://www.franceforfamilies.com/fra...rmandy/beaches

But reserve quickly!
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Old Apr 24th, 2017, 05:04 PM
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You could rent a house in the Dordogne.

https://en.gites-de-france.com/
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Old Apr 24th, 2017, 09:05 PM
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Six nights - possibly only 5 days??? That's not much time at all. The Dordogne and Provence are our two favorite regions in France. The Dordogne is a tad time consuming to get to & from - perhaps 3/4 day lost getting there & 3/4 day lost getting back to Paris by train. Less lost time getting to & from Provence & the Loire. However, if your kids get bored with more than 3 chateaux - the Loire might be a "bust".

Provence (Avignon TGV) is 2 3/4 hrs from Paris, and you could return to CDG airport from Avignon too.

You don't have time for 2 destinations outside of Paris, IMO.

Stu Dudley
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Old Apr 25th, 2017, 12:55 AM
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In August it will be close to impossible to rent a house in the Dordogne for less than a full week, Saturday to Saturday. And in August the Dordogne will be absolutely heaving with tourists, jamming up the roads and the rivers and the sites and slowing you down. It's not even the end of April yet, and it's already crowded in the tourist towns and at the markets.

If it were me, and it's not, I wouldn't even contemplate roaming all over in a car after your Provence visit. You certainly don't have time for two different destinations. I would take the train from Avignon to Lyon, visit there for a day or two, then rent a car and drive around the Dijon/Beaune area. Pretty countryside, a few castles, great food. Then take the train back to Paris.
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Old Apr 25th, 2017, 05:27 AM
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I wasn't planning on doing Provence and the Dordogne. It was going to be an either/or thing. I was considering pairing the Fordogne with the Loire Valley but with only 5 nights, it seems I'll have to pick one.

Given that it's August and I have 3 kids, can you recommend one over the other?

I'm leaning towards the Dordogne now and would love some recs for hotels that have great properties and are on the higher end.
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Old Apr 25th, 2017, 08:04 AM
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I think that the Dordogne's castles and caves give it an advantage to the Provence for children; in particular Castelnaud as a museum of Medieval warfare, with demonstrations, and the château des Milandes for its raptor show.
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Old Apr 25th, 2017, 08:12 AM
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>

That description is meaningless. What, to you, is a "great property" and how many euros do you wish to spend per night?

As I mentioned above, you don't have to "pick one" of just two choices. There are innumerable places you could visit in August that won't have you sweating in traffic jams, running around searching for parking, shoving your way through shoulder-to-shoulder markets, and standing in lines in the heat with cranky kids. I mentioned one, and michelhuebeli mentioned another, but there are others.

You could go to the Bassin d'Arcachon and up the coast toward La Rochelle and Ile de Ré or Ile d'Oléron. You could head to the Auvergne. You could go to Brittany...
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Old Apr 25th, 2017, 09:24 AM
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I agree with Michael for the Dordogne with children. The last week of August is not as hectic as the prior 6 weeks.

Stu Dudley
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Old Apr 25th, 2017, 12:57 PM
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We'll be staying in the Dordogne for two weeks In July and I think StCirq is absolutely correct.

The area is beautiful in itself rather than having a leaning tower or Grand Canyon to tick off. We are renting a stunning house for the duration and after 25 years of rushing around we have little intention of doing more than lazing around, drinking wine and wandering down to the river.

Simply don't see the point in joining hoards of traffic in stifling heat.
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Old Apr 25th, 2017, 01:06 PM
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Where are you staying, BritishCaicos? Come by for an apéro? In July we'll be lazing around, too, by the pool and under the shade of the cabana. August 1 we'll be out of here if we can manage it.
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Old Apr 25th, 2017, 01:57 PM
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Hi StCirq

We are staying on the North bank, just East of Tremolat. Looks very peaceful with plenty of country lane walks.
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Old Apr 25th, 2017, 02:14 PM
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Would the kids like the Loire - well for a castle or two - Amboise would be a perfect base- Chenonceau just a hop away and Chambord not far -the two consensus best Loire castles- Amboise has a neat one too.

Have you considered renting a chalet or camping car in a campground? Really family fun places -swimming pools -kids'play areas and lots of other kids -many camps have chalets or RVs and such so you do not need a tent.
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Old Apr 25th, 2017, 03:28 PM
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Yes, it's going to be gorgeous there. Lots of chances for lovely country walks. How about you contact me at [email protected] so we can meet for an apéro or you can come by chez nous.
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Old Apr 26th, 2017, 02:33 PM
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Hi,

My vote would be for the Dordogne over Loire with kids (having been to both with school age kids). We were there in june so don't know what it is like in August. Would definitely try and get a place with a pool.

We rented a cottage at the Domaine de Monrecour which was 5 mins from Beynac (the castle in "EverAfter").
http://www.monrecour.com/en/appartements

We had a few meals at the hotel restaurant which was very good. We spent afternoons at the pool and had some easy dinners using food purchased at local markets.

Highlights were the Chateau des milandes birds of prey show and medieval warfare museum, both noted above. We also spent one day in the Quercy visiting the Gouffre de Padirac and one day going to the area where Lascaux II is located to see the replica cave paintings. We also rented paddleboards/kayaks along the river which was fun for the kids.
http://www.sup-perigord.com/home/

My trip report is here:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm
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Old Apr 26th, 2017, 04:46 PM
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Even if looking for dreamy castles the Dordogne no doubt has many more of these - real fortified castles than the Loire where most of the chateaus are palaces built not for defense but good looks - maybe a real chateau-fort - fortified castle in Dordogne would be more impressive?
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