Rosiekins

My husband and I just spent two weeks in the Dordogne - Perigord Noir region of France exploring caves, castles, bastide villages, marches, and a jardin. Highlight of the trip ~ hot-air balloon ride with Lionel Druet - Montgolfiere Chateaux in Beynac! (He speaks French and English.) We glided over the Dordogne river and past Castelnaud with the evening sun shining on the Perigordian limestone chateau and village houses. A totally different perspective of the area! Caves that we visited: Pech Merle, Rouffignac (don't go if you're claustrophobic), Cougnac, Font de Gaume, and Lascaux II. Most tours were in French but some places provided booklets in English. In La Roque-Gageac, we took a 1-hr gabarre (light barge) ride on the Dordogne with Gabares Norbert (tour in French, headset provided for English). We stayed at a B&B in Sarlat - Le Jardin - delightful English couple own the place - and recommend the less-touristy Wednesday marche. Rented a charming rural cottage for a week in Marquay - Le Bois de Guinot - perfect for 2 people, garden area with table and chairs to dine outside, cuckoos "chiming" in the woods, and wonderful owners next door (very private area). This was a perfect location for sightseeing in this area! Also went to Les Jardins du Manior D'Eyrignac and the troglodite fort of La Roque-St-Christophe. Can't wait to return and see where the wind takes us!

michele_d

Hi Rosiekins,
I'm so glad you loved the Dordogne. We stayed at a B&B in Beynac last year and we would watch the hot air balloons float on by everyday. Spectacular against the green hills.

We too loved the area. So much to see and do, 4 days was not nearly enough. Something we absolutely loved was visiting the Marquessac gardens in the evening. The gardens were lighted with hundreds of candles and musicians were located throughout the gardens. Such wonderful memories.

We can't wait to return too.
Michele

Rosiekins

Hi Michele,
I would love to go the Marquessac gardens and the evening visit sounds magical. Did you know that some scenes from the movie "Chocolat" were filmed in Beynac?
Time to start saving my pennies and dollars.
Rosiekins

Carlux

The part I remember from Chocolat is at the beginning, where people are walking up a hill in Beynac in the snow. We saw it in Australia in scorching heat, and immediately wanted to get home. Not to snow, but at least to the Dordogne.

Rosiekins

Yesterday, my husband found a "for sale" listing in Beynac for a house that is on that cobbled street in Chocolat! No pictures of the house but the ad mentions that movie scene. Great opening scene! Watched the movie when we returned home from our trip and we immediately missed the Dordogne. Other village scenes were filmed in Flavigny-sur-Ozerain.

michele_d

We happened upon the Marqueyssac gardens by accident. Someone we met at Font de Gaume mentioned it so we decided to try and find it and we did. The candelit evenings are every Thursday in July and August and the day we found out about it was on Thursday...such good luck. It was truly a magical experience. Wandering around through the candlelit gardens while the musicians played. A highlight of our trip to Europe for sure.

I took so many pictures in Beynac. Thank goodness for digital. All the little streets leading up to the castle were so delightful to wander through. Such wonderful memories.

kenav

Rosiekins - We'll be heading to this region in September. Which of the caves were your favorites? Which could you have done without?

Rosiekins

Our favorites were Cougnac and Pech Merle (30 mins east of Cahors), both of which have stalagmites and stalactites, as well as prehistoric cave art. At Cougnac, there are two caves. The first one you visit doesn't have cave art but incredible stalagmites/tites! You walk to the 2nd cave which is well worth the short walk. Rouffignac was amazing, but if you have claustrophia, you'll probably want to avoid it. You go in .5 mile by a small electric train and will see wooly mammoths, horses, a rhino, goats, and a 16-foot-long horse! TIP: The caves are cold - about 55 degrees F! Dress warmly. It would have been helpful to watch the 20-min film with English subtitles before we went on the Pech Merle tour (French with English booklet). The only cave that we could have skipped - Lascaux II but only because it's a replica but it's still worth a visit (English language tours available).

Rosiekins

Kenav - Another way to choose caves - where will you be staying in the Dordogne? If you'll be near Les Eyzies and Montignac (a nice Wednesday market), close caves are Grotte de Font-de-Gaume, Rouffignac, and Lascaux II. South of Sarlat, Cougnac (about 20 miles) and Pech Merle. One of the "prettiest villages" is St. Cirq Lapopie and is a nice combination with Pech Merle. Enjoy your trip!

LLindaC

Hi Rosie! We just returned from two weeks in Dordogne as well. We spent one week at the Domaine Rochebois in Vitrac, which was quiet and away from any crowds- wonderful! We probably passed you on the streets. Did you see Rocomadour? Gorgeous! We also spent a week in St Emillion and Bordeaux. I am trying to write my trip report tonight. I'm glad we got to Roque-Gagneac before they closed it....what a nightmare!

kenav

Roseikins - We will be staying in two places. One near Rocamadour and the other in Les Eyzies de Tayac.

LLinda C - How long will Roque-Gagneac be closed?

Rosiekins

LLindaC - We didn't make it to Rocamadour or St. Emilion. Wish we had! We spent our last two days in the Bordeaux area and went to the world's largest sand dune along the coast. Vitrac sounds great and looking at the map of the area, it looks like a good location for seeing things in the area.

Kenav - Look for a separate posting from Carlux for more info about La-Roque Gageac. Carlux apparently lives in the Dordogne area. Your locations sound good for sightseeing.

hopingtotravel

Well, missed something here.

Tried to post the other day. Breakfast in 2005 at La Roque Gigeac on a foggy morning with a view over the river. Suddenly, a hot air balloon loomed out of the mist. What a sight! Now, why is La Roque Gigeac closed? What happened?

Rosiekins

Hopingtotravel - We'd save our US dollars/Euros and take a balloon ride again in France! La Rogue Gageac - check other postings on the France forum -- very good, detailed info on the 320-ton rock, road closing, etc. The people writing on this forum thread live in the area -- excellent reports.

LLindaC

Just freaky....really bad for the tourist industry! I hear that it will be closed until July.
We didn't get to the sand dune that day, but DID spend a day in the town of Arcachon. We had massive seafood platters on the beach and took a walk around all the HUGE mansions built in the late 1800's. What an incredible place! The town is really cute as well.

Blackiev

Hi Rosiekins, I live in the Charlotte NC area also, and scheduled to fly to CDG in early Sept. for a two week exploratory visit to the "Dordogne" region. Retiring in two years, and moving to southern France is my ultimate goal. Finding a small 'villa' to move to, is the reason for this two week trip. I'm taking the TGV to Marseilles, then rent a car to the area around Sarlat. Any suggestions??
Blackie

Rosiekins

Have you booked your TGV ticket yet? We took the TGV to Marseilles 3 yrs ago and rented a car there to drive to the Digne-les-Bains/Sisteron area. Not an easy airport/car rental place to get around in for us and lots of traffic. Fortunately, we had booked the TGV from Avignon to CDG for our return -- much easier, less hassle, less traffic. If you haven't booked yet, look into taking the TGV to Angouleme or Bordeaux. We flew from CDG to Bordeaux via Air France and rented a car from Hertz there which was easy. Sarlat is wonderful! You may want to consider renting a gite for your stay - a week in one area and a week in another area. Do you have an idea of where you'd like to buy your "villa"? We rented houses/gites in Salignac-Eyvignes and Marquay and both were good locations for exploring the Perigord Noir. If you're interested in the Bergerac area, you'd do better to stay closer to there since it's about a 1-1.5 hr drive from Marquay to Bergerac. There is a large British population in the Dordogne, so more English speakers if you don't speak French. The French people in this area are wonderful! They were very patient with my "Franglish" and whenever I expressed an interest learning their language, they gave me opportunities to practice (even though it was painful for them). We flew from Charlotte via US Airways with good flights. We live near Asheville. I'd be glad to give more help if you have other questions. Also check out the trip report by LLindaC.

Blackiev

Thanks for your input, I really appreciate it. I think that I will adjust my schedule as per your recommendations since I'm fairly flexible, travelling alone and have two weeks to travel in the area. Have not ordered my TGV tickets yet, but will do so this coming week. I should also check into Gites in the area and reserve a room for 1 just to make sure of having a place to retire to at night.
Thanks again for your help.
Blackie

Carlux

An update on La Roque Gageac. The road is closed to cars while works are in progress to solidify the cliff. Boutiques are open, Restaurant Belle Etoile is closed, Plume d'Oie is open. Some people have been evacuated. The original prediction was that work would be finished by mid-July, when the really busy tourist season starts. No indication yet if that will really happen.

Yes, I do live in the region - about 15km. from Sarlat. Came here on holiday, decided we had to live here, and have been doing so for the last 16 years. Still can't believe our luck (also hard work!)

Rosiekins

Carlux ~ How fantastic! I understand why you decided to live there. I hope my watercolorist has not been evacuated from his little studio.

Blackiev - check out the little gite - Le Bois de Guinot - in Marquay. It was a good location and would be suitable for one person. The owners live in a house "next" door but we felt the gite was very private. It was nice knowing someone was nearby if we needed help. The owners moved there from England.