lucy54

We are thinking of renting a house in the area of Sarlat for one week in late Sept/early Oct 2008. We would be 2 couples. One couple will be spending an additional week in France to do further sightseeing, possibly along the coast (Il de Re?). Prelimary planning has brought up the following:
1. If you had a choice between Domme, Le Bugue, or Limieu, which town would you feel would be the best base for the week?
2. Would you fly to Bordeaux, Toulouse, or to Paris and then take a train and arrange a rental car near the train station?

With so many areas to visit and so little time, our first choice of Dordogne we hope is a good one. We were in Paris last year and would now like to see other areas. Any comments?
THanks so much for any advice/comments, etc.
Lucy

ekscrunchy

You won't go wrong with any of them. Le Bugue is larger and has a wonderful weekly market. I felt it was the most real of the three in the sense that there was a lot of non-tourist commercial activity. Limieul is spectacularly beautiful, as is Domme. On one of my trips I rented a house in Domme for a week and will be happy to offer tips based on that stay if you wish..

One thing you might consider is flying to Toulouse and renting the car there. You could perhaps spend a few days in the area..the towns near Albi that I visited last spring..Monasties, Puycelsi, Cordes, etc are some of the most beautiful I have seen in many trips to France. From there you could drive up to the Sarlat area and begin your Dordogne sojourn.

You might even drive from the Dordogne to La Rochelle via Brantome and Angouleme (and Cognac) ...and then access the Ile de Re. La Rochelle is well worth a night or two... (we did this drive last spring..)

StCirq

I would choose Le Bugue. It's a wonderful, "real" market town. Domme is too touristy, and Limeuil (I assume that's what you meant) is a bit far afield and has sewage problems (though probably not noticeable at that time of year). But do visit Domme, and have lunch at Le Chai in Limeuil.

I'd take the TGV to Libourne or Bordeaux and then Corail to Périgueux. Pick up a car there and you'll be in Le Bugue in 30-40 minutes.

ekscrunchy

Here is my 2006 report; the Dordogne part comes after the Bayonne/San Sebastian section. I would pay attention to St. Cirq as she probably has the most expertise in this area of all posters here..




http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34894706

MECindylou

Hi Lucy,

I can't find Limieu, but between Domme and LuBugue, Domme seems a little more central. We stayed in Beynac-et-Cazenac and that was a great location for seeing the prehistoric caves, castles, etc of the Dordogne. Sarlat itself is a nice little town, with more choices of restaurants, etc. than the surrounding towns. We went to eat there a couple nights.

A week in the Dordogne sounds great. I think you'll have a good amount of time to see the area. Check out:

Grotte de Font du Gaume - authentic polychrome (colored) cave paintings. (Call soon to book an English tour.)

Lascaux - only the replica cave is viewable; the original is closed. We didn't have a chance to go, but I hear it's very worthwhile, if only for the cave art overview.

Castelnaud - hilltop castle with siege weapons and medieval weapons displays

Chateau de Beynac

Roque St Christophe - cliffside dwelling with prehistoric and medieval reconstructions

There's much more...canoeing on the river, many caves, atmospheric towns along the river like la Roque Gigeac, museum of prehistory at Les Eyzies. You can also visit the nearby Lot - more caves, Rocamadour (hillside pilgrimage site - touristy, but scenic, and supposedly very pretty illuminated at night).



As far as where to fly into, Toulouse looks about 1/2 hour closer by driving than Bordeaux, and Limoges closer still. Just choose based upon the best flight options and possibly things you want to see near each that you might do on your way to the Dordogne. For instance, we didn't go, but near Limoges, there's a village - Oradour-sur-Glane - that was infamously attacked by the Nazi's. It's been left as it was as a memorial.

ekscrunchy

Yes, Oradour sur Glane is most worthwhile. It is, however, a long slog from the Sarlat area. I wrote about my experience there in the report I linked above.

lucy54

Thank you so much to all of you. Off to a great start! Your comments about the 3 towns are exactly what I need to help make our decision. So, regarding where best to fly/train into and pick up the rental, do any of you have any further comment? I think we'd all arrive together, and then drop the other couple off before beginning our 2nd week. Regarding the coast, any special places any one would like to share? I've just begun researching that part of the trip, and haven't gotten very far yet.....

Lucy

StCirq

Well, I will repeat my advice to train into Périgueux as it puts you closer to Le Bugue/Sarlat/Domme, etc., than any other place.

You can fly to Bordeaux and then take Corail to Périgueux, or take the TGV to Bordeaux or Libourne, then Corail.

Michael

I believe that the Limoges airport is predominantly a Ryanair location. It was useful for us when going from the Dordogne to Cambridge, UK, but might otherwise be inconvenient. On the other hand, of the airports mentioned, it would be the closest to Oradour-sur-Glane. But taking an early train to Limoges would probably allow for a visit to Oradour-sur-Glane before driving down to the Dordogne valley.

lucy54

Thank you both. I will look into the train schedule next and check car rental pick-up/drop-off locations....
You've been so helpful!
Lucy