scdreamer

As part of a five-week road trip through France, Spain, and Portugal, we will have eight nights in Dordogne in early September. We are booked for the first three nights in a hotel in Brantome and the final five nights in a house Sarlat.

We are a retired couple in early 70s, enjoy walking, historic sites, medieval villages, good food and wine, Not much appetite for shopping.

We definitely want to see cave art - any suggestions on the best/easiest place for that? Any other suggestiobns for destination restaurants, villages, etc? Thanks

joannyc

I’m sure it will be a fantastic trip! Nice to hear that you’re going to Brantome, you don’t hear it mentioned very often on Fodors. I did a day trip there and enjoyed it. I recommend Lascaux Caves IV for your cave painting visit.

I spent 7 weeks on my last trip in western France. Maybe you can find something helpful in my TR. Western France - A TR in Pictures

Have fun planning and enjoy your trip!

Michael

Lascaux IV for the most famous and perhaps largest cave art in the Périgord, but it is a reproduction. Another one is Rouffignac, which has a mine train take you one km. into the cave. These are monochrome pictures, but are the original. It's been a while since I was there, but at that time Font de Gaume required reservations, Lascaux II encouraged them, while Rouffignac pretty much guaranteed access without reservations if you aim for first thing in the morning. When staying in Brantôme, visit Bourdeilles for its small Renaissance castle set on the grounds of a Medieval fortress.



For a small village, go to Saint Jean-de-Côle, also near Brantôme:

tomboy

Pech Merle is another cave with paintings. But Lascaux is closer to Sarlat.

plambers

we spent a week near sarlat in 2017 and fell in love wth this region. We arrived early for Font du gaume and got a reservation. We also visited Lascaux. Font du Gaume was awe inspriring.

TPAYT

The Dordogne was on my favorite vacation list. Stayed in Sarlat.
Font de Gaume was an experience never to be forgotten.
Here’s my trip report with some of our fantastic sights.

Toulouse, The Dordogne(based in Sarlat) and Paris

jpie

I will second the suggestion of Rouffignac, particularly if walking/stairs is a challenge to either of you. I accompanied two women in their 80's so the train was a very good suggestion versus standing for longer periods or needing to go up and down stairs which is true of some of the other caves. Also they do have an ipad touch with the tour in English if you don't speak French:

Practical infos

FTOttawa

We didn’t visit either Lascaux because we’d seen so many reproductions of the paintings at a temporary exhibit in Bordeaux. Probably an error, will just have to go back.

This article seemed quite helpful in making a choice between Lascaux 2 or 4:
https://www.campingdubournat.fr/en/l...ich-to-choose/

Font de Gaume is not too difficult after the initial uphill climb to the entrance, and it is fantastic. Booking the tickets online is super challenging. It was necessary to use the French side of the monuments nationaux web site; the English side just wasn’t functional this spring.

Issegeac is a lovely visit for its half timbered houses, and while you are down that way you might check out the cloisters at Cadouin.

You’ll certainly end up in or near Les Eyzies at some point for your cave fix. We ate a delicious lunch at the Bistro des Glycines,

aliced

We too passed on all the Lascaux reproductions and went to Font de Gaume from Sarlat, believe we were there 5 nights too. The Aquitaine Musee in Bordeaux is extraordinary, and is laid out by date, so wonderful reproductions there. It is worth a full day in Bordeaux while a lengthy drive. In Sarlat try and have dinner at Chez le Gaulois. Memorable , lines await outside, and worth it - not white-tablecloth-fancy, if you need that, do Le Presidial. Be sure and get to Rocamadour. I have to laugh at the Fodorites who find visiting this village beneath them, while we found its landscape, hotel/dining, shoppes, a favorite amidst our Dordogne travels and far more to offer than several in the area, also beautiful, but too quiet with few amenities. We were there in late September, and upon revisiting our pictures find no evidence of over-crowding. We stayed at bottom of the grand staircase at Hotel Terminus, and the dining there was very good turned out in old copper skillets. You will have plenty to see in your five days!

tomboy

Be sure to buy some walnut oil in Sarlat.
We wondered why it was so tasty, on salads, etc.
It tastes far more walnut-y than walnut oil from California, etc.
I inquired at a walnut mill (where we later bought more) how it could be different.
The fellow asked, "what do your walnuts look like?". I described, and he gave me a nut he was soon to press.
It was quite darker than the ones we can buy in a US store.
Turns out, US walnuts are treated with bleach, making them lighter in color (and, making them tasteless by comparison). French walnuts are not so treated.

Another thing to sample there is foix gras. Even a little taste.
Personally, I don't care for it....to me, it tastes like liverwurst. But others delight in it.
But, just so you can say you've had some, when you next read about it.......

TPAYT

I see someone above mention Chez-Les-Gaulois in Sarlat.

Our absolute favorite meal in Sarlat. Or I must say 2 meals as we returned few nights later.

Since our apt. was in Sarlat we tended to go out touring all day and return to Sarlat for dinner. Many excellent restaurant choices but Gaulois was our favorite.
Just sayin’

YankyGal

And walnut liqueur - yum.

FTOttawa

And trappe au vin de noix — the rind of the cheese has been washed in walnut wine.

tomboy

For those reading this who think a walnut is a walnut, as I did:---

The French walnut on a scale of walnutiness being a 10 of 10, the American walnut was a 3.
Major difference.
Interestingly, the French walnut has a different species name than the American walnut. Who knew?
That may account for the difference, but I suspect it's the bleaching effect.

Michael

One farmer now retired at the SF Farmer's Market claimed that his walnuts had a thinner shell than the standard ones because they were a different variety. On the other hand, I've made nocino from French walnuts and American ones and I could not tell the difference.

This article probably settles the issue:

https://www.frutas-hortalizas.com/Fr...es-Walnut.html

tomboy

Thanks, Michael. Settled.
What's nocino?

1994

https://www.tastingtable.com/1254411/what-is-nocino/

Michael

The Italian equivalent of eau de noix