Avignon to Bordeaux/Dordogne
 

Hello,

I would greatly appreciate assistance in trying to figure out mode of travel and region to stay for my trip in France this June. My husband, 1.5 year old and I will be spending a week in Avignon. That's all planned! However,we would really like to include a some time in Bordeaux and or Dordogne, unfortunately we only have have a few days. Monday morning we will leave Avignon, and we need to be in Paris to fly home on Sunday morning. None of this is flexible.
I've done some initial route planning and can see how long travel is by train or car... My current thought is to take the train from Nimes to Bordeaux on day 1 and Bordeaux to Paris on day 6 or 7, and rent a car in between? I want to stay out of the cites with the car, and want to enjoy the region eating and casually sight seeing with a maybe cranky toddler... Any suggestions on where to stay in this area? Any thoughts on my general plan? (We are reasonably experienced travelers& have already been to Paris & Nice)

I wouldn't go to those locations, simply, not with your constraints, they are too far away.

You'll spend a day getting from Nimes to Bordeaux, more or less. The only direct train I see is 5 hours but doesn't leave till late morning, so you get there very late afternoon. Maybe there would be some others for your dates, though. You said you were in Avignon, however, not Nimes, so more time there to get to Nimes. If you are not in Nimes, just take the train from Avignon, might as well. You probalby have to transfer in Montpellier, but there is a direct train from Montpellier to Bordeaux. SNCF says a lot of construction at Bordeaux gare so might be delays, I don't know what that's about.

My reaction is I'd forget the whole thing. You haven't said why you want to go to Bordeaux so much. If you really want to do something like that for a few days, go to Burgundy, it would be a whole lot more convenient and on the way to Paris, more or less.

Well, I know people would love it if the French or any other railway system would make it easy for them to get from anyplace A to anyplace B, but that's not the way it works. Paris is the train hub, so everything radiates from there. Trains from east to west and west to east across the country are laborious. So Nîmes to Bordeaux will be a pain. Try to find a train to Brive-la-Gaillarde or Périgueux on www.capitainetrain.com.

There is a huge difference between "the Bordeaux area" and "the Dordogne area," so you need to clarify. They are 3 hours apart by car and vastly different areas in every respect. What, exactly, do you want to do and see?

Impossible to suggest where to say without a budget in euros and knowing exactly where you're going.

If you want to visit the Dordogne, I would suggest you read up a LOT on what there is to see and do here, because the possibilities are endless. I live here, and every day think I've only scratched the surface and really need to get myself out there and see more stuff. Every single day.

What's wrong with taking one of the many daily 3 1/2 to 4 hr trains from the Avignon TGV station to Toulouse (one train change), renting a car, then drive 2 1/2 hrs to Sarlat/Dordogne? If you'll already have a car in Avignon, you could also drive 5 3/4 hrs to Sarlat - visiting Carcassonne for 2 hrs half way there.

Then drive 1 hr 10 mins to Brive la Gaillarde, return the car, and take one of the many 4+ hr trains to Paris.

We've visited Bordeaux itself 3-4 times, and have stayed just southeast in the Sauternes area for 4 nights, in St Emilion for a night, and have driven from Bordeaux to Sarlat by various routes several times. We've spent 10 weeks vacationing in the Sarlat/Dordogne region & believe the Sarlat/Dordogne area is a much more interesting place to visit than the Bordeaux area. I fact, Dordogne & Provence are our two favorite regions in France.

I've developed a 20+ page itinerary for the Dordogne that describes our favorite villages, markets, castles, sites, scenic drives, etc. I've sent it to over 1,500 people on Fodors. If you would like a copy, e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach one to the reply e-mail.

Stu Dudley

Christina – thank you kindly for your suggestion about Burgundy. I had it in the back of my mind if this particular travel plan didn’t work then Burgundy might be a good other option.

StCirq -thank you the rail webpage suggestion. It is the sentiment your last paragraph which I have read repeatedly from those who know the area, which makes me want to visit.

My understanding in the scenery is stunning, the food is some of the best in the country and the region is far less busy then other areas. I’m not sure a cave visit would not be appropriate with a child under two, but the medieval chateaus, markets and natural setting would seem to be something the three of us would love to do. I understand the area is very large and different, which is why I am asking for help.

Oh, and its is my husband who has the urge to see Bordeaux. I hoped we could do both and keep us both happy.

I would like to have be able to walk to a village for dinner, or stay in the heart of a village. I would like to be able to keep the driving to a minimum, to see historical site and maybe some boating. So far Belves has come on my radar. For budget, less then 150 euros per night for accommodation.

Stu - thank you very much for your response. The rail/ car idea sounds like a great suggestion and one I will be looking into this evening. I will also take you up on the offer of your itinerary. Many thanks!

>> my husband who has the urge to see Bordeaux.<<

In preparation for our first trip to Europe in 1977, I went to the French National Tourist Office in San Francisco, were we lived (the office is now in LA, I believe). I told the person I wanted to visit Bordeaux. He told me "no". Go to Burgundy instead. Which we did.

In subsequent years, I wanted to try the Bordeaux Medoc wine growing region. One travel book described the villages & wine growing area as "dusty, and the villages have not benefited from the wealth the wine industry has brought in". Many on Fodors have pretty much said the same thing. Only the Sauternes area seemed appealing to me - so we visited it & enjoyed some of it.

We have visited Beaujolais and Burgundy recently for 4 weeks, and enjoyed that region much more - especially Beaune, Dijon, and Auxerre - plus the many chateaux.

Stu Dudley

It takes only one, albeit long, day to drive from Avignon to the Dordogne. Or take more time driving up the gorges de l'Aveyron and down the gorges du Tarn to get to the Dordogne.

The first choice means that you would be in the Dordogne on Monday evening, and you could take the train from Brive-la-Gaillarde on Saturday for your Sunday flight out of CDG. That would give you 4 full days in the Dordogne.

Belvès, while lovely, would not make a great base for a short visit to the Périgord. It's too far out. Stick to Sarlat or someplace close to it. Your comment <<and the region is far less busy then other areas,>> however, is simply untrue. It is incredibly busy, even compared to Provence and Burgundy, mostly because main the sites are packed within a small radius where everyone congregates. That said, in June it will be manageable.

I don't think Stu has been to Bordeaux recently. It has been entirely transformed in recent years by mayor Alain Juppé. It is a UNESCO world site now and was named European Capital of the Year in 2015. An incredibly vibrant city with a stunning new riverside culture, amazing food, and cultural offerings of every kind. The wine country around it I could easily bypass, much preferring the vineyards around Bergerac, but the city of Bordeaux itself is magnificent now.

>>I don't think Stu has been to Bordeaux recently<<

We were last there in 2009. I mentioned nothing about my opinion of the city of Bordeaux - only the Medoc wine growing region around Bordeaux. The city of Bordeaux has, indeed, improved quite dramatically since the 1990s.

Stu Dudley