We're planning a road trip from Paris through the Dordogne in mid-September this year. We'd prefer to keep our trip flexible (w/o room reservations). Does this entail any great risk of not being able to find lodging at reasonable prices? Also, how to best find lodging when we reach a small town/village?<BR><BR>Thanks

A nice hotel in Dorgogne is likely to be around 100 to 200 euro. I'd call this very reasonable. Would you?

I am hoping st.cirq or some of the other locals will help us w/some suggestions as we, too, are planning to be in the Dordogne area following a self-drive Midi canal barge trip in September. Many years ago it wasn't difficult to find a hotel room late afternoon of the same day, but I don't know how touristy the area has become in recent years. Most towns have a &quot;Syndicat d'Initiative&quot; (SI), the local tourist office, who can help with brochures and info re: hotels, gites, chambres d'hotes etc. They are very hepful, generally and will even phone around for you. I'd try and find out about local holidays/events in advance, though, as it could be really difficult if a foire or festival were taking place around that time. Otherwise I've never had a problem. <BR><BR>Anyone out there w/more current info???

I visited the Dordogne for the last two weeks of September in 2002. We only booked out first night's hotel - in Monpazier (absolutely gorgeous little bastide). Other than that, we typically called from the hotel in one town to a potential hotel in the next. Never had any problem booking on one day's notice. . .the only place we ran into trouble was in Sarlat, on a Wednesday afternoon (they have a Thursday and Saturday market). It was pretty stressful for an hour or so (trying to decide whether to abandon the market plan, or continue looking - the hotel counter at the tourist office had closed). But, we drove around a couple of times and finally found a very reasonable room and were able to stay two nights. <BR><BR>I absolutely loved the area - the tourist season *really* dies down after the first week of September apparently (and that was our experience) - which is perfect. It was great weather and incredibly picturesque.

I almost forgot - not sure what your budget is or what you look for in a hotel. I look for cleanliness, private toilet/shower, central location, safe area and I try to avoid chain hotels. We typically spent around 50-70 Euros a night. They were quaint (and I don't mean run-down by that word) little hotels. I'd be happy to give recommendations if there are particular cities you're considering. Parking was never a problem either. . .

The key question is: when are you traveling? If it's in July, August, or the first two weeks in September, you are at great risk of not being able to find suitable lodging at reasonable prices unless you book ahead. As I wrote to someone else on Fodor's who was looking for &quot;unlisted farms and chambres d'h&ocirc;tes&quot; - there ARE no unlisted properties. Everyone has everything listed with the tourist offices in Sarlat, Le Bugue, St-Cyprien, Lalinde,Belv&egrave;s, Domme, Beynac, La Roque-Gageac, and every other pretty town in the Dordogne, and from 8 am until 7 pm the tourist office people are sending backpackers and people who just arrived by train and car to these places. Do yourselves a favor and book in advance if traveling during these times. At the very least, contact the tourist office in Sarlat and get their Guide H&eacute;bergement, which lists all kinds of accommodations and call a day in advance. If you want to stay in a hotel, and there are plenty (I think 60-120 euros is about average for the area), you must reserve in advance if traveling during these periods.<BR>Lastly, the market days in Sarlat are Wednesday and Saturday, not Thursday and Saturday. Other market days (which can affect accommodations availability) are Thursday in Lalinde, Friday in Montignac, Tuesday and Saturday in Le Bugue, and Sunday in St-Cyprien.

St. Cirq may be right, particularly along the Dordogne river. But my gut feeling is that you might have no problems as long as your touring day ends around 4 p.m. You might also have less problems in other parts of the Dordogne, such as around P&eacute;rigueux or Brant&ocirc;me. These areas are less crowded than the immediate river area.