Hi. In 6 weeks we will be spending a week in this area, outside of Sarlat. First time for all in this area. Kids 12 and 14. Here is rough draft of itinerary:

We arrive Sat and will grocery shop on way.

Sunday-we are meeting St Cirq and her husband and touring the St Cyprien market. What do we do in the afternoon knowing a lot is closed?

Mon-am-Sarlat walk
12:45 meeting St Cirq for lunch and then have reservations for English speaking tour of Font du Gaume. suggestions for afternoon knowing a lot is closed

Tues. canoe trip from Cenac to just past Beynac-suggestions for late afternoon

Wed.- Lascaux IV (is it open yet?
La Roque St Christophe, St Leon Sur Vezere,

Thurs-Beynac, Castlenaud, La Roque Gigeac

Fri-Ch Milandes, Domme

Questions-are the gardens worth it for teens? if so, which would you suggest-Marqueyssac or D'Eyrignac? How about Ch des Milandes?

Any suggestions as to what I am missing or changes are much appreciated.

Are these areas too far a drive? Rocamandour? Figeac? Monpazier?

The teens would probablY enjoy Marqueyssac more than D'Eyrignac.


Stu Dudley

How do you feel about a hot-air balloon ride?

Terfied of heights. No balloon ride but thanks.

Stu, that is where I was leaning. Where could I fit it in?

Rocamadour is just across a river from the Dorodogne so can't be too much of a drive I guess and it is amazing - kids will love it - 2nd most visited tourist site in France I read after Mont-Saint-Michel. Tome an amazing site though some may say it's a tourist trap - well as a famous pilgrimage site for centuries that is in keeping with tradition - trying to extract money from pilgrims and not also tourists.

and great for kids of any age is the Forest of the Monkeys - La foret des singes- is near the top level of the pile of levels hewn out of a cliff that is Rocamadour.

https://www.google.com/search?q=roca...HRc6B-0QsAQIHg

https://translate.google.com/transla...n/&prev=search

Near Rocamadour in the Dordogne itself I think is the famous Gouffre de Padirac - again kids that age will love it - you take an elevator or stairs deep down into the cave and ride a punt propelled by a punter thru the cave system. Hopefully the guides are still not smoking when punting as incredibly to me they were years ago when I took my French son there. I'm sure they can't now.

http://www.northofthedordogne.com/padiraccaves.php

>>Stu, that is where I was leaning. Where could I fit it in?<<

It's best in the morning - so visit it first thing Thurs or Friday morning.

Rocamadour is 1 1/4 hrs from your gite.

Stu Dudley

Too much driving. If we do Font du Gaume and Lascaux I think that is enough caving.

a few changes...


Sunday-we are meeting St Cirq and her husband and touring the St Cyprien market. What do we do in the afternoon knowing a lot is closed?
Take a drive to Cadouin and tour the abbey. Or drive to Limeuil, stopping at the Chapelle St-Martin on the way, and have a picnic by the water and walk up the (steep) hill - some shops should be open. Go into Meyrals (very close to St-Cyprien), take a walk around and see if any of the artists' studios are open. Visit the Tourist Office websites of Sarlat, Le Bugue, St-Cyprien, and Le Bugue and see what's planned for June 26. There are likely a fair number of things.


Mon-am-Sarlat walk
12:45 meeting St Cirq for lunch and then have reservations for English speaking tour of Font du Gaume. suggestions for afternoon knowing a lot is closed.

Tues. canoe trip from Cenac to just past Beynac-suggestions for late afternoon
Visit Le Pôle in Les Eyzies, and the Prehistory Museum.

Wed.- Lascaux IV (is it open yet?
La Roque St Christophe, St Leon Sur Vezere



Thurs-Beynac, Castlenaud, La Roque Gigeac. IS THIS A HARD DAY WITH ALL THE STEEP HILLS AND STEPS WITH BEYNAC AND CASTELAUD?


Fri-Ch Milandes, Domme
You can do more on this day. But you should plan to have the kids see the falconry show at Les Milandes. It's usually late afternoon.

CONSIDERING MONPAZIER. COMMENTS AND WHERE DO I FIT THIS IN?

All of the Thurs & Friday sites are within 10-20 mins of each other. Why not wait until you wake up in the morning, see what you feel like, visit the first hilly site - determine if your legs ache - and then make a plan. Ch Milandes would be an excellent visit to put between two villages with climbs. The Birds of Prey show is certainly not the only reason to visit Ch Milindas. Do you and your family know much about Josephine Baker's history????

The gardens/playground at Marqueyssac would be a good visit between two hill towns - but get there before noon for good view of Beynac across the valley to the west.

I've never had any problems waking the streets of Beynac, Roque Gageac, or Domme. Climbing up to the Beynac castle from street level is a little challenging - but you can drive up to the castle instead.

I believe that Lascaux IV is open - check their web site. We'll be there in Sept.

Stu Dudley

PS - Monday shop closings are mostly in the morning. I actually prefer Sarlat on Sundays & Mondays when the umbrellas and outside displays are "put away" and don't interfere with admiring the lovely architecture in Sarlat. Actually, except for Sarlat, Perigueux, Figeac, Cahors, perhaps Le Bugue - Mondays and Tuesdays are not any different in the villages that most tourists visit in the Dordogne area. Monday closings are more commonplace in Provence - where you are headed next.

Stu Dudley

answered most of this in my email to you, some of which is quoted above, but will add that you can drive up to both Beynac and Castelnaud. From the parking lots at each, it's not hard to reach the castles, the harder being Castelnaud.

And for those who might be interested, Lascaux IV's opening has been delayed until this fall.

Rocamadour is an hour and a half at least at the end of June from Sarlat, and I completely disagree that kids would enjoy it. It's a tourist mob, it's full of cheap t-shirt and trinket shops, and the rest is bad restaurants. If you're interested in Black virgins, it's the place to be, but it is not the second most visited site in France, it's the second most visited pilgrimage site in France - there's a big difference.

The kids probably would love the Gouffre de Padirac, but there's no reason to drive all that way when they can go to the Gouffre de Proumeyssac between Le Bugue and Audrix and approximate the same experience, only with a ride in a basket down to the bottom rather than an elevator.

We don't have any Tuesday closings around here at all. Monday afternoons practically everything is closed in all villages, with the occasional Vidal or Leader Price open. In Les Eyzies, there's the highly unusual, and highly overpriced, market on Monday mornings. From mid-July to end of August you will occasionally find the odd brocante or nail salon or foie gras store open on Monday afternoons, but mostly that is precious off-time for all stores. All year long.

Who said anything about Tuesday closings???

Stu Dudley

Again, thanks all. My husband just had hip replacement surgery a month ago so not sure what to expect but he is getting stronger every day.

If I did Monpazier, where would that fit in?

Sunday afternoon. I would have lunch there (which I did last time we visited).

Stu Dudley

have lunch where stu?

Monpazier
http://www.northofthedordogne.com/monpazier.php

Has anyone been to the flower festival in Monpazier? We will be in that area the 3rd Sunday in May and was wondering what to expect if we decide to alter plans and go?

There are flower festivals all over the Dordogne in May. They are all pretty much the same: local pépinières show up with truckloads of flowers, bushes, trees, vegetable and fruit plants, etc., and set them up as an outdoor market. If you don't live here and aren't planning to plant things, I shouldn't think they'd hold much appeal, except to see some beautiful displays of local flora.