Dordogne Valley
 

My husband and I are going to France in a month. We are trying to decide on Train/car or car only and part of the problem is getting in and out of the Dordogne Valley. Is it worth it? What is there to see that's interesting? <BR> <BR>Thanks

There is regular train service to Bordeaux and Perigueux; many of the smaller towns (especially the bastides, the fortified villages) are not on a train line, so you do need a car. Take the train to either Bordeaux or Perigueux and rent a car for the trip into the Dordogne Valley. <BR> <BR>There are caves - dwellings with prehistoric drawings and caverns with stalatites and -mites; fortified castles, churches, abbeys and towns; museums (more historical/cultural than art); towns and castles built on cliffs; boating and canoeing on lakes and rivers; boat rides on the rivers; horseback riding, hiking and walking; truffles, foie gras, walnuts and wine.

I was in the Dordogne in September. It was gorgeous. The reason to go there would be the scenary and the food. This is the place to go for foie gras, walnuts, etc. We found the food to be much better and much cheaper than Paris. There are also few crowds and very few American tourists. There are not a lot of tourists attractions, just beautiful scenary and good food. If you like driving around, seeing beautiful countryside, castles, rivers, etc. and then having a great long lunch with wonderful wine, it is the place for you. The caves are pretty cool too, we would recommend Font de Gaume. We took the train to Bordeaux and drove through the vineyards to our inn in a small town called Meyrals. I would think a car is a must.

We took a train from Paris to Brive and picked up a car at the train station. Brive is a very easy town to navigate and quite centrally located in Dordogne. Ask your hotel to book you tickets for the reproduced cave at Lascaux as well as for the real caves at Font de Gaume. Consider stopping in Rocamadour. <BR>Happy eating!

Gretchen, yeah, it's worth the effort. You might consider Sarlat as a base - plenty of facilities, good market, convenient for day tours around the region. I suspect you will spend time making lists of hotels and restaurants and villages for use in planning your return visit, and the one after that.

30 yrs ago, I stayed at the Hotel Cro-Magnon in Les Eyzies-de-Tayac and thought it a nice hotel. One of the walls in our room was the cliff face. It was recommended by Fodor's back then. <BR> <BR>I really liked the region and hope to get back for a longer stay soon

The Hotel Cro-Magnon is still pleasant, we stayed there six years ago, in a street-side room with double-french doors, and had lunch at their wisteria-draped restaurant across the street. In Sarlat, we stayed in an ancient hotel right at the town circle, with fabulous cuisine. Their tower room, although tiny, was charming. <BR>The area is definitely intriguing, and quite beautiful. Bon voyage!

Yes, do go! And we would recommend getting a car. There are so many wonderful little towns and villages of f the beaten path. We were there in June. Drove from Paris to a friends home in St Antonin Noble Val, which is near Caussade. <BR> <BR>We started out with a couple of days outside of Paris in the Loire region then slowly drove through the Dordrogne region. Stayed at a wonderful small

Let me try that again! <BR> <BR>That wonderful small chateau we stayed at was the Chateau D'Arnac near Brive. Check them out, as they have a website. Great rooms and food. Another great place further south is Auberge du Moulin de Labique. Also has a web site. Gorgeous place. There are many in this area and they are very inexpensive with great food. <BR> <BR>Every little village and town is wondeful and has something charming to offer. We would highly recommend the Dordorgne area. It was probably the best part of our trip in June and not just because we had friends in the area! <BR> <BR>There are many web sites for info on things to see and do and places to stay. Just do a search or email me and I will send you links. The best thing is just to get in a car and drive and stop when you see something that catches your fancy! It will be very often! <BR> <BR>Have a great time!

I second the Chateau d'Arnac. Stayed there 1 1/2 years ago - and the chateau by itself is worth the trip. Once there, you will definately need a car, the scenery and small towns are fantastic.

We spent three nights in the city of Sarlat-en-canada last May. It was wonderful. We stayed at the Hotel La Madeleine. Very comfortable, in the center of town. The town is great, perfect to use as a base for visiting the whole region. <BR> <BR>I have sent my parents and a few of my friends to this hotel and the all loved it. Thre rooms, due to the strong dollar) were about $65.00 a night and rather large as compared to most hotels in France. <BR> <BR>So, be sure to stay or at least visit Sarlat, you won't be disappointed. <BR> <BR>Have a good time.

Thanks everybody for all your help. My husband has now agreed to drive but he only knows automatic which makes car rental twice as much but I know we will be happy we did it. <BR> <BR>We will stay in Sarlat but I am having trouble with the next step in our itineray. I want to get to Arles from Sarlat and from the map, it looks like a very long drive for one day, especially if we go to the Gorge du Turn. Anybody have any experience driving this route? <BR> <BR>Thanks

Please give web adresses of lovely chateaus; i.e., the Auberge and the Moulin de labigue. Thanks

This is for Joan O...The web addresses for the places to stay are: Moulin de Labique...www.moulin-de-labique.fr/ for Chateau D'Arnac it is: www.chateau.mcmail.com/ Check them out, they are both wonderful!