StuDudley

I think we both agree that St Cirq is worth a visit if one's in the neighborhood. I think I'll drop/forget the term "dinky" since both you & the OP took it to mean something negative - other than "small". My mother used the term often.

We visited St Cirq in the 80s & 90s when we were doing the "once over lightly" tour of France. We've visited it several other times (after we retired in 1999) on our many 2 to 4 week stays near Cenac in the Dordogne, and also from a 2 week stay in Puy Eveque on the Lot.

The OP will be starting the day near Sarlat & eventually traveling to Provence. I assumed they would take the A20 south, and St Cirq is just off the A20 at exit #57. Then Figeac is a short drive away on the very scenic D41 along the Cele River. This is one of our very favorite scenic drives. They would spend Friday & Sat nights in Figeac. Visiting St Cirq on a Friday late-afternoon might avoid any Saturday crowds. On Saturday they could visit the Figeac market, then take the Tourist Information walk around Figeac. If there is time remaining in the day, they could visit Conques. Or they could visit Conques if they choose to exit Figeac by heading west, instead of getting on the A20 south.

The next day is the dreaded Sunday. Montpieller was mentioned as a stopover. You definitely don't want to visit Montpellier on a Sunday when almost all shops will be closed. It is VERY difficult to drive into Montpellier because of all the central city driving restrictions. I recently had to drive the wrong way over a one-way bridge to get to the rental car return office at the train station. Better options would be Carcassonne, or perhaps Aigues Mortes. Not Pezenas, Rodez, or Millau (the city - not the bridge). However, if you want to stop for the night in Millau and visit the Gorges du Tarn (lots of caves - which you don't want) - let me know. I have an extensive write-up on visiting the Gorges. We recently spent 2 weeks there. But it will involve a lot of slow driving.

Stu Dudley

kerouac

dinky1

adjective
INFORMAL

1. 1.
   BRITISH
   (of an object or place) attractively small and neat.
   "a dinky little restaurant"
2. 2.
   NORTH AMERICAN
   disappointingly small; insignificant.
   "I can't believe the dinky salaries they pay here"

tomboy

Dinky is also a name given to the small motor-driven cart driven on the railroad tracks of a mine, used to pull the carts full of coal out of the mine.

alainr

Sorry about the mixup about "Dinky". I didn't want to cause a small dustup. i think of it like "rinky dink"--inconsequential, not worth it.
Thank you for the heads-up about Montpellier, especially on a Sunday. I will check into Aigues Mortes. We were in Carcassonne on our last trip to France and it adds more total driving time to Gordes.
We have a hiccup in our travel plans. we planned to take a TGV from Paris to La Rochelle, pickup a rental car there and then head to Dordogne, Provence, and then drop it off in Lyon before going back to Paris. Just found out that one cannot get a one way car rental in La Rochelle. We didn't want to deal with driving out of Paris. Any suggestions?
I’ll check if we can do a one-way car rental pick up in Bordeaux.

alainr

thank you for mentioning Conques. I will check it out.

joannyc

I was able to pickup a one-way rental in La Rochelle in the Fall, 2019. I returned the car in Toulouse. I used Hertz and did have a one-way drop off fee. First time I’ve ever paid that fee.

kerouac

Europcar doesn't usually charge a one way fee within France. At least they didn't before covid.

StuDudley

In my 40 or so rentals, I have incurred only 1 drop off fee for returning the car to a different location in France. That was about 18 years ago from the location in Biarritz (I think). It was explained to me that the Europcar office there was a special kind of franchise - different from other locations. About 6-8 years ago, I started to notice that Hertz was charging a drop off fee - but Europcar was not. My upcoming Europcar pick up in Strasbourg in Aug & drop off in Dijon does not charge a drop off fee.

Contact Europcar or Kemwel (same company/broker).

Stu Dudley

dugi_otok

WAS

TGV from Paris to La Rochelle
3 nights La Rochelle
1 night Brantome (Sunday);
I know we will miss the Sunday market(Saturday is the market in Sarlat).
5 nights Sarlat--countryside, not the city
2 nights Carnnac
5 nights Gordes
3 nights Marseilles -return car
3 nights Lyon

CHANGE TO

TGV from Paris to Bordeaux. Rent car and drive to Sarlat.
5 nights in Sarlat. hotel- La Villa des Consuls. https://www.villaconsuls.fr/en
1 night in Rocamador. BnB- Domaine De La Rhue. http://www.domainedelarhue.com/
1 night in Figeac (or Conques)
1 night in St-Guilhem-le-Desert (or Montpellier)
3 nights Uzes
5 nights St-Saturnin-les-Apt BnB- https://masperreal.com/ (18 min drive from Gordes)
3 nights Marseille-return car (consider Aix-en-Provence instead)
3 nights Lyon
https://goo.gl/maps/zvJyJTegAExNqRyY7

zebec

Bonjour Alainr,
Je propose Conques et aussi Figeac. But don't overlook Belcastel. All of those plus a few more, are featured in our looooong TR-Photo essay below.
Hope your trip goes well!
I am done. the end.
En Pays Villefranchois: photo essay (part one)

alainr

We are debating where to spend the night between Figeac and Gordes. What do you think of Sete for one night easy stop on the way to Gordes? versus Aigues Mortes?
Otherwise, finally our itinerary is set!!