I have no attachment to an overnight near Rocamadour, with 7 nights in Sarlat, we can certainly make it into a daytrip, or hit it on our way to Sarlat.

Any other suggestions for an overnight between our nights in Le Puy and Sarlat? Anywhere between Figeac and Carennac seems to make sense, according to Google maps. Somewhere with an interesting place to walk around after dinner and an outstanding casual restaurant is all we would need.

Re: hot July. We're from Florida, so daytime temps will be fine for us, but at night I do like the A/C at 75F or I get grumpy. We'll be fine with fans, I hope.

Advice taken - I decided not to reserve the Sarlat property and have now reserved a gite near Domme with a pool.

I've placed a deposit for 5 nights at La Prince Noir in Les Baux de Provence. I know (some) drawbacks to this location include the parking, lack of night life, and in-out logistics, but it may be that the location will be worth it.(?) I haven't started planning the Provence portion yet, but anticipate we will hit the usual spots over our 5 days.

We will have 4 nights moving from Dordogne to Provence. In the archives StCirc laid out an excellent looking itinerary via Albi through the Tarn Gorges to Castries, but I think there is some parental responsibility on my part to see Carcassonne, which would make this impossible. St-Guilhem-le-Desert looks very attractive to me too. 4 nights/4 towns is appealing for us, or 2 nights in say, the Albi area or som eother area, if that would be worthwhile on such a route.

From Domme to Provence with 4 nights:

Overnights in Figeac, Albi, Carcassonne (or area), and near Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert?

good idea to move to the Domme property, walker - care to post a link ?

<i>Overnights in Figeac, Albi, Carcassonne (or area), and near Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert?</i>

From Domme Albi is not that far that you need to stop there for an overnight, unless you really dawdle to visit places like Collonges-la-Rouge, Carennac, Cordes-sur-Ciel and Najac (three of which are <i>plus beaux villages</i>, plus maybe a stop in Cahors to see the bridge.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...32588561/show/

<From Domme Albi is not that far that you need to stop there for an overnight>

The idea is not to have four driving days but four touring days where dawdling/exploring is the goal. I'm open to absolutely anything during these four days, including substantial driving, if necessary. My first impulse is to mix a couple days of traditional sightseeing (Carcassonne), with a couple active days (hiking trails around St-Guilhem-le-Desert).

Love the photos Michael, I have seen some of your others but not these. Thanks.

<< I know (some) drawbacks to this location include the parking, lack of night life, and in-out logistics, but it may be that the location will be worth it.(?)>>

Those are all significant drawbacks in high season (I've waited 40+ minutes to get up the hill to Les Baux, and that was before having to find a parking spot. Not a good choice, IMO, especially with kids - after dark it's small and isolated. Your kids will go nuts after the excitement of the first view of the ramparts has faded.

You don't need an overnight on the way from Domme to Albi, as Michael says, unless you really pack in the sightseeing along the way (which you may want to do). I'd just stop for a nice lunch in Figec, a stroll around, and move on...but then again, I've seen all the places many times. Up to you.

I understand your impulse to see Carcassonne. I'm very fond of the place, though many are not. I wouldn't spend the night there, though. Move along and spend the night in Sète on or near the beach, or Montpellier (two totally different venues - one a fishing town, the other a vibrant university city.

I think St-Guilhem should wait for another trip when you concentrate on areas farther inland. It can easily be combined with lots of other interesting destination in that neck of the woods.

Les Baux, yes understood. Although if I do my job right my kids will pass out as soon as we walk in the door. :) However, they should be tired from exertion, not from sitting in a car.

Sète is now quite high on my list, thanks. It looks like exactly what my wife thinks of when she thinks of S. France. That could win me some points!

Yes, Sète is an interesting place, but don't get all gooey about it. It's actually not at all like most little Mediterranean portside towns. It's the last "real" fishing village in France on the Med, and has a distinctly gritty character in parts (something to do possibly with the surfeit of sailors?). The port is also expanding by leaps and bounds, and for all I know there may be huge maritime construction going on (kerouac did a photo essay on it here on Fodors last year, I believe). So don't go expecting some idyllic, quaint fishing village. It's vibrant and interesting and has great beaches, but do your homework before you just decide to land there.

All that said, my kids really enjoyed the place for a few days every summer for about a decade.

<but do your homework before you just decide to land there>

Sorry, you just reminded me of Peter Seller's pirate costume in one of the Pink Panther movies. He wasn't in Sète by any chance, was he. :D

The France I get gooey over has Audry Hepburn in it, so you don't have to worry about that! :)

LOL! Was that the Sea Swede movie with the parrot? Yeah, that could've been Sète, all right. It has a bit of that "aura" about it sometimes, when the fog's in.

Audrey sightings are usually about 50-100 kilometers east.

OK, after much reading, I’m creeping closer. Thinking about the second half of the trip now, as the gite in Domme is paid for (http://www.tairedugrel.com).

I cut back Provence to 4 nights at either Uzes or Arles. Will visit Pont du Gard, Avignon, Nimes, Arles, Baux, the usual.

To recap – we’re an active family with two boys 13 and 15, so small towns are great as long as we’re “doing” something in or near them (besides shopping). I would love to see them all, but in reality we will only go out of our way to towns we can: hike to or in, eat in, sleep in, see some exceptional sight in, etc. Shopping and museums are not important to us at all.

Here’s what I’ve got:

Arrive July 18 in Le Puy at around 5pm – collapse.

Day 1: (Friday) Le Puy am, easy hike near Puy Mary pm, overnight Salers.
Day 2: Slow drive to Domme, through Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne area, maybe lunch in Carennac.
Days 3-8 Domme (this part should work itself out).

Day 9-12 ??

Day 13: St Guilhem le Desert for a day of swimming and jumping off of Pont du Diable and exploring.

Days 14-18 Provence in Uzes or Arles for 4 nights (last day we fly out of Lyon at 7:30 pm)

So, the tricky part for me now is the trip from Domme to St Guilhem over 4 nights.

The options appear to be (route wise – not thinking yet about where to overnight):

1) Through Figeac, Conques, Estaing down to St Guilhem with the attendant small towns and activities along the way.

2) Though Cahors, Cordes-s-Ciel and Albi area, Brousse-le Chateau, possibly up to the Millau Viaduct then down to St Guilhem.

3) Same as 2, but from Albi through Castres to Carcassonne, Narbonne, then St Guilhem.

I’m leaning against #3, but not strongly. Albi had been a “must visit” but I’m wondering if #1 would compensate for missing it.

Any opinions are as always appreciated!

I would do Domme>Figeac>Rodez>Millau>St-Guilhem, with stops along the way.

Thanks StCirq, this part of trip may take me awhile, it’s harder to find info in English on great walks/hikes in the area. I've ordered a book on short hikes in Dordogne, but there is less info I can find on Aveyron.

Our first travel day, Saturday, from Domme we can visit the Cahors market early, then Peche Merle, then St-Cirq-Lapople (on a Saturday afternoon in July – dumb idea?). Then head to overnight in either Figeac or Najac. I've seen a few pictures and brief descriptions of a trail from St-Circ that follows the river and is cut into the cliff side which looks pretty cool, does anyone know if that’s a nice way to spend a couple of hours?

As I’m envisioning it, this could be a “perfect day” for us: morning town – blockbuster sight – lunch or picnic in a town with an activity – leisurely evening drive to next destination. We have plenty of spectacular outdoor places in the US that we've visited, so our outdoor adventures in France need to have a cultural aspect. Here’s the book I ordered for the Dordogne http://dordognehikes.com/.

Would Figeac be a little “low key” for the kids compared to Nijac?

I realize the options are endless for 6 nights between Dordogne and Provence, but working from both ends I've (almost) got it down to 4 nights between Najac(?) and St Guilhem! A couple of 2 or one 3 night stay would be a bonus, but not a requirement. I think we could stay 2 nights in St Guilhem easily.

<i>blockbuster sight – lunch or picnic in a town with an activity </i>

The view is nice enough, but no better than the view of the Dordogne from Domme or the top of Beynac. Picnic might be possible on the remains of the chateau, otherwise I did not notice any place where picnicking would be possible in the town itself.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...57623164797649

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...57623164797649

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...57627132588561

Najac offers good views too, and should have good hiking in the area:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...7627132588561/

Just trying to shorten a day that is too long.

Here's definitive info on hiking in France: http://www.gr-infos.com/

I think you'll be bored silly with two nights in St-Guilhem. The main attraction is the gorgeous, but utterly spare, abbey.

Don't know anything about that hiking trail from St-Cirq-Lapopie, but I don't even like that town at all, so I try to stay away from it. I do like Najac, and you can break up the time with a leisurely boat ride there.

You might want to veer off the main route and meander around Lamalou-les-Bains a bit; the town itself is fairly interesting, though much revolves around the casino, but the area is known for its microclimate - think palm trees and oleanders. St-Affrique could be another diversion, and the Grotte des Demoiselles.

Thanks Michael, You may be right about it being a busy day. Also a good point about cliff side village overload. This part is still in the early stages, but Albi still calls, I think we can’t miss Albi. Maybe two nights in Cordes at the top of the town in a B&B and full day exploring Albi in between our nights there.

St Guilhem is definitely somewhere for us to spend a full day, Swimming and bridge jumping at Pont Diable am and relaxing and exploring the town pm. There’s also Les Demoselles, which we could see either coming or going. The hikes around town look OK, so maybe they’re not worthwhile for us. Either way, we could stay overnight or not, depending on the rest of the trip.

Thanks StCirq for the hike info – not too much to review, is it! :)

Anyway, I’ve got a lot to work out, so I’ll be putting my nose to the grindstone.

I recommend Albi. It's St. Cirq that adds more time than you anticipate. If you can find a smaller town for shopping, it would be better than Cahors in terms of time, although I would stop by to see the bridge.

walker - I'd love to know if you chose Uzes or Arles and what hotel/gite while in Provence area. We're researching that area as well but for June....

In Provence there's Uzès which is very nice,you can visit the Haribo, candies museam and factory, then Avignon, there you can visit many places or you can plan for the festival (but it's in July, maybe next year?). Then i know a place call Escapade Vacance
http://www.escapade-vacances.com/
My wife, our children and I were there last year and there were activities organised by the village (guest house), like visiting the region by bicycle for example. The food was good in the South of France.

Have a nice time.
Adrian