To Sarlat or not?

We have just spent a week in Sarlat in late October. We stayed in town and loved the area. Will you have a car? We had a car to travel around which I think you will need to enjoy the countryside, river and castles and villages.

Our travelling friends flew back to Paris from Bordeaux, instead of the train it only took 1 hour. Maybe that would be a better option. We ourselves flew on to London.

The weather for us was lovely and the trees were just changing colours. We had spent 2 weeks in Provence prior to Sarlat and loved both areas but they were very different.

I personally don't think you have enough time to get down to the Dordogne and take advantage of what's here. There's so much in this region that it would be a shame to spend only a few days.

That said, I don't know how you calculate your train timing. If you take the train from Paris (Gare d'Austerlitz) to Brive, it's 4 hours. Pick up a car there, and drive to Sarlat, about 40-50 minutes. You will need a car when you are in this area, as there is virtually no public transportation.

But you would probably be better off sticking to Paris and the north, and then spending several weeks here at another time.

Hi Co,

>We want to see Paris, Versailles, Mont St. Michel, D-Day Beaches.......
But we are really interested in the Dordogne region.<

You can do one or the other.

For first timers, in Oct, I would recommend Paris and vicinity for a week (daytrip to Versailles). You can then decide on where else to visit.

My trip report might help you:
Ira Does France (Bordeaux, Dordogne, Paris) 2005
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=34676645

Enjoy your visit.

On the contrary I would say go to Sarlat. It's much quicker to get there than you think as a previous poster noted. You're lucky to be looking forward to a longish trip, and there's SO much to France besides Paris. The region is wonderful, and I think you would have a delightful three days there.

No, I don't think you have enough time to do any justice to the Dordogne on this trip. No matter how you slice it, it's 5-6 hours from door to door Paris to Sarlat (whether you take the TVG to Bordeaux or Libourne or Brive and then drive or train on to the next destination). The area deserves an absolute minimum of a week and you've already got a LOT on your destination plate. The Dordogne is not a place to just drop in on for a day or two. Save it until you have time to do it justice.

If this is your first of many, many trips to France, then I would wait till a later trip to see the Dordogne. On the other hand, if this will be your first & perhaps only trip to France, I would skip the D-Day beaches & MSM & spend a week in the Dordogne. I think the Dordogne is a much better "French" experience than the D-Day beaches and MSM. I'm not a big fan of the Normandy area around the beaches, and MSM can be shoulder-to-shoulder crowded at times if your timing is "wrong".

If you choose the latter, I would fly to either Toulouse or Bordeaux and then drive to Sarlat. You could also fly to CDG ant take the TGV to Bordeaux (we did that this year). After the Dordogne, take the train from Brive la Gaillard to Paris (4 hrs). You'll need a car in the Dordogne.

We've spent 10 weeks vacationing in the Dordogne. I have a 20+ page itinerary that describes my favorite villages, markets, sites, scenic drives, restaurants, etc. I've sent it to hundreds of Fodors people. E-mail me at StuDudley@aol.com if you want a copy.

Stu Dudley

hi cocor,

like all of us, you want to see as much as possible. in trying to do that you run the risk of spreading yourselves too thin which is a trap into which all of us have probably fallen one time or another.

I agree with Stu that the dordgone will add greatly to your first trip, more than Normandy would.

You seem worried about the length of the return trip to Paris, but if you do an "open jaw" flight that isn't a problem. the idea is that you fly into one place and out of the other. you could fly into Toulouse, pick up a car, and spend a week or so in the Dordogne, then return your car to your chosen railway station, [say Brive] catch the train to Paris, spend your 2nd week, fly home. [oops, that 's just what Stu said - can we both be wrong?]

or vice versa.

nothing to stop you doing a day trip or even two to the normandy beaches if that floats your boat.

>>or vice versa<<

I would start with the Dordogne - better chance of an enjoyable canoe trip on the river in early Oct vs later in Oct.

Stu Dudley

I think a week in Paris and a week in Dordogne would be perfect. Rent an apartment in Paris and a gite in Dordogne.

The canoe trip probably wouldn't even happen in late October. They tend to shut down by about October 15 unless there is spectacular weather. Other things shut down, too, so yes, if you do this, start with the Dordogne, which I agree is far more interesting and beautiful than Normandy.

Thank you all so much for your help

We are really leaning toward splitting our time between Paris and the Dordogne region.

I just have one more question..... I am checking the open jaw tickets from expedia.com:

LAX (home) to Toulouse: about $2000/person
Paris to LAX: about $2000/person

This is 4 times the price of a round trip ticket between LAX and Toulouse (non-open jaw).

Should we be looking at a different site for our tickets? Open jaw just seems so much more expensive

Thank you again....

Your fare should be closer to $1000/person. You may be entering them as one way fares rather than entering them as a "mulitple destinations" or "multiple cities" itinerary.

No need to do the openjaw for this small distance - especially at such a huge cost. You can easily get to the Dordogne on the train from Paris for fraction of the cost of doing an open jaw.

Or look for an internal cheap flight from Paris to Bordeaux and back which you may also be able to pick up very cheaply on a discount airline rather than open jaw. Although I think with the extra hassle of the airport, the train is still a better choice. The TGV in France is a super efficient and cost effective way to travel.

You are doing 2 one-way tickets instead of a multiple destination/open jaw.

Go to www.delta.com & do
LAX to Toulouse
CDG to LAX

Try to get an Air France LAX to CDG flight to minimize time in the air & interium stops.

There are many reasons to fly to Toulouse & start your trip there instead of Bordeaux. Toulouse itself is in my "top 5" cities in France. On the drive up to Sarlat, you can visit Albi (one of my favorite medium sized cities), the interesting Bastide town of Castelnau de Montmiral, the perched village of Cordes sur Ceil, St Antonin Noble Val & the Gorges de l'Aveyron, another perched village of St Cirq Lapopie & the nearby *** cave of Pech Merle (best example of pre-historic paintings AND stalactites & mites), The pretty Cele River, Figeac, Rocamadour, Gouffre de Padirac, Carennac, Martel, then on to Sarlat.

I wold fly to Toulouse, visit Toulouse, & spend the night there. The next morning (but not on a Sunday or Monday) visit Albi. Then Castelnau (1 hr visit max), and Cordes (couple hours visit). Then continue north & if you got an early start, visit St Antonin (Sunday AM market), and drive around the Gorges de l'Aveyron a bit - perhapps stop in Bruniquel. Then head up to St Cirq Lapopie late in the afternoon (to avoid the crowds), and stay there 2 nights. Visit Pech Merle, Lot River, Figeac, & Cele River, & back to St Cirq. Early next morning visit Rocamadour, Gouffre, Carennac, Martel, and then follow the lovely Dordogne river to Sarlat - perhaps stopping at another cave on the way - Lacave.

Rent a Gite in the Sarlat area & stay 1 week.

Last morning, head northeast towards Brive la Gaillard, visit interesting Collonges la Rouge, then on to Brive where you'll return the car & take a train to Paris.

Stu Dudley

Stu's route is tops. you'l not do any better if you sit and try to work it out for a year.

If you have 16 days total in France, you have to take into consideration that the 1st and last day are travel days, hence you have 14 days in France. That being said, you could devote 7 days in Paris and the immediate environs i.e Versailles and a few other sights within the Ile de France region. 4 full days in Paris itself is usually adequate for most 1st timers, with 3 additional days to visit sights nearby.

If you choose to head south toward Sarlat and the Perigord region, then you should allow 7 days for leisurely sightseeing. Sarlat, Montignac (the Lascaux caves), and even an excursion to Figeac and Cahors. The area is visually appealing so don't rush through it.

This is country France at its' best, so take it in slowly and enjoy..

I could see 4 days in Paris, 3 days getting to Normandy by car and visiting D-Day beaches and Mont St. Michel, 2 days driving to the Dordogne, visiting a chateau in the Loire valley on the way. 4 days in the Dordogne, drop the car off in Brive and take the train back to Paris, and there are two days not accounted for which could be allocated to Normandy, Paris or the Dordogne.

You probably have a reason for the Normandy beaches, so I won't comment there.
I thought Mt. St. Michel looked far more interesting in various photos than in person. On this basis, I'd suggest dropping it.
Echoing the above, if you plan to ever return (assuming you like France), I'd suggest saving Dordogne for when you can do it justice. There's plenty in the north of France to get the flavor.
3 days in the Dordogne is like 3 minutes in a hot tub....you realize you like it, but you have to leave before you can adequately enjoy it.

I agree the Dordogne for two days is not enough, you will definitely need a car to get around -- a week in a gite is very special if you go the best markets are at St. Foy Le Grande each Saturday and this area has wonderful gites.