I've been reading the posts on Bordeaux and Sarlat, France.

My husband has business travel to Bordeaux end of May. I am planning to go along because neither of us have been to this part of France. It is suggested he fly in/out of Barcelona and drive to Bordeaux. We would need to stay in the Bordeaux area Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday and I'm not sure where. After that the business trip is over and we are on our own.

What I am thinking is:

first few days-
Bordeax area - theater not to be missed
St. Emilion
other must-see places?

Thurs/Fri/Sat
I thought we could use the Sarlat area as a base. I've contacted La Villa des Consuls in Sarlat and they only have Thurs/Fri available but I am waiting for La Lanterne to respond. Hoping to stay in one place for 3 days. Any particular villages from Sarlat that we shouldn't miss?

Sun/Mon
Head to Barcelona for departure.

We are definately in walking villages, wineries (tasting and touring) and good food. Hubby probably would like the caves - I'm claustrophic. We need to get a good map of this part of France for driving.

We are open for any suggestions you have. Thanks.

Why on earth would you fly into Barcelona and drive? Bordeaux has an international airport.

If you click on my name you'll find hundreds of posts about what to do and see in the Dordogne and Bordeaux area. Same for Stu Dudley and Carlux, among others.

StCirq - wow, what a quick reply. I neglected to mention that we might meet a friend who lives in Barcelona. This is still not confirmed. We thought it might be nice(?) to drive from Barcelona through the countryside after visiting? Maybe we are crazy to think this. But air tickets have not been purchased yet.

I have examined posts from you and Stu Dudley. They are full of wonderful ideas - I guess I'm overwhelmed with all the information.

Thanks for your thought on flying directly into Bordeaux. It still might happen.

I suggest that you minimize your touring in Bordeaux/St Emilion & spend as much time in the Dordogne as possible. In 3 days, you won't even scratch the surface.

Ditto flying to Bordeaux - that's what we do.

Stu Dudley

>>drive from Barcelona through the countryside after visiting?<<

I hope you have several days (4-5) to do this. Between Barcelona and France there's the Pyrenees - which will require some time-consuming mountain driving. Some roads may not be open in late May. The direct/freeway route (Figueres/Perpignan/Narbonne/Carcassonne/Toulouse/Agen) is not scenic unless you get quite a ways off the freeway.

If you rent a car in Spain & drop it off in France, you'll incur a hefty drop-off charge.

Stu Dudley

The problem with flying into BCN is that you will have to fly out of there, too, (assuming you rent a car) or spend big bucks (grandes euros) to leave the car in another country.

Yup, IMO you don't have enough time to do a decent road trip from Barcelona to Bordeaux.

Three days in Bordeaux is just about perfect for seeing the city itself as well as the coastal area near Arcachon and the Dune du Pylat. Then, as Stu saus, head out of town, stop in St-Emilion for lunch, and go straight to the Sarlat area.

If you type Bordeaux into the search engine here you're likely to find my blurb on what to do there/restaurants/hotels, etc. I'd cut an dpaste it her for you again but I'm on a new computer and haven't transferred all my files yet.

Fairway: for what it's worth, neither my wife nor I like caves. We liked Lascaux. We didn't feel at all claustrophic, nor creepy-crawly. I suspect the ceiling is about 15 feet high, and most of the cave is perhaps 20-30 feet wide. We can't speak to other caves, however, but then in your short time there, how much rock art can one take in at the expense of other activities?

Thanks to everyone for your help. When I mentioned to my husband about not flying into Barcelona and driving to Bordeaux (as a college at his work suggested), we are re-thinking our plan. We will probably fly into Bordeaux directly.

So the new plan is:
Fly into Bordeaux and spend the first 3 days there - I'll have fun while my husband is in meetings.
Drive to St-Emilion on the way to Sarlat to hopefully spend 3 days... maybe 4 now due to flight changes.

Another question - I'm trying to find rail information for Bordeaux to Sarlat just in case we decide to use that. I'm finding the TGV rail system, but still would like to find the local rail system. We recently returned from the UK and used the rail system into the Cotswolds and it was a perfect way to travel.
TomBoy: Thanks for the info on Lascaux. We may check it out now.

A car will be the best way to see these little villages.

Oh yes, don't even think about visiting and touring around the Dordogne without a car.

And don't take the train to Sarlat. Take it to Périgueux and pick up a car rental there. From Bordeaux to Périgueux (and Sarlat, for that matter), you'll be taking a CORail train. Check timetables on www.sncf.com. It's 13€ from Bordeaux-St-Jean to Périgueux.

But wait, how are you going to get to St-Emilion without a car anyway?

StCirq - Thanks for the rail information. I was getting frustrated using google vs. Fodor information.

We are still finalizing the plans for this quick trip. Little time to plan and so much to see!

We will probably end up renting a car in Bordeaux to drive to Sarlat area and back again for departure.