Dordogne with kids
Jun 27th, 2006, 06:11 PM
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Dordogne with kids
We are renting a house near Sarlat, La Metairie Haute (I don't even know what town exactly) the third week of July. It will be my husband and I, 3 kids, ages 8, 10, 12. I have made reservations at Font du Gaume, made inquiries at other caves,...I know there is a lot to do-but given that all planning and decisions will fall on me,... I will be doing the driving, the communicating in french,...I am starting to get nervous! I would like to have as much planning as possible done in advance. Does anyone have specifics regarding renting canoes to explore the river and castles along the way, a place to go horseback riding, the best caves for kids, any other kid-friendly activities. Also, dinner suggestions. This is my vacation too, so I do not want to cook! Casual restaurants without 5 courses, good prepared food places, ...Thanks so much!
Jun 28th, 2006, 09:09 AM
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Hi AR,
You'll be staying about 4 km outide Sarlat.
Plenty of reasonable restaurants. Wed and Sat are market days.
I think that the kids would like the Gouffre de Padirac - about 1:30 hr by car.
You can rent canoes (are you sure you want to do this w/3 kids) and go on boat rides from La Roque Gageac and Beynac-et-Cazenac.
There is also Lascaux II in Montignac.
There are two very nice Castles - Beynac and Castelnaud - that face each other across the river.
You might find my trip report useful:
Ira Does France
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34676645
Photos at http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...&y=-pla2au
Also look up StCirq's trip reports.
Try not to overplan. Have fun.
You'll be staying about 4 km outide Sarlat.
Plenty of reasonable restaurants. Wed and Sat are market days.
I think that the kids would like the Gouffre de Padirac - about 1:30 hr by car.
You can rent canoes (are you sure you want to do this w/3 kids) and go on boat rides from La Roque Gageac and Beynac-et-Cazenac.
There is also Lascaux II in Montignac.
There are two very nice Castles - Beynac and Castelnaud - that face each other across the river.
You might find my trip report useful:
Ira Does France
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34676645
Photos at http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=...&y=-pla2au
Also look up StCirq's trip reports.
Try not to overplan. Have fun.
Jun 28th, 2006, 11:39 AM
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AndreeRachel,
Relax! You will all have a wonderful time. There’s so much to see and do around Sarlat. I’m a former teacher and noticed lots of educational and fun places for kids. Plan to visit the tourist office in Sarlat soon after you arrive to find out about horseback riding and other activities for children. The tourist office in le Bugue would be very good too as there are lots of attractions in that area and as a bonus it has three internet stations. Tuesday is market day there.
When we were there just this June, the English tour of Lascaux II was at 12:00 and you buy tickets the same day in Montignac on the main street. July is much busier so I’d suggest arriving at the ticket office around 10:00 and buying a combined ticket to Lascaux and nearby le Thot for just a couple of euros more. You can call to get up to the minute information: 05 53 51 95 03. Le Thot has the stuff that couldn’t fit into Lascaux II plus dioramas of life in prehistoric times. There’s also a picnic area and an animal park. At first it seems like ordinary farm animals but then you discover that the goat is an ibex and the bulls are genetic reproductions of aurocks, et cetera. And the mammoth model is way cool.
Canoeing was one of the highlights of our trip and I think it would be great for your kids. We rented a green plastic canoe/kayak hybrid from le Sioux in Cenac for 10 euros each plus one euro extra for a waterproof barrel. Children under 10 are half price. Le Sioux allows three hours for the 12 or 13 kilometre trip from Cenac to just past Beynac but they will pick you up later if you want more time. Maybe they’ll let you have two canoes. Something I especially liked with le Sioux was that the boat came with one paddle with double blades so it was very easy for the guy in the back to do all the paddling. Actually, there isn’t much need for paddling as the very shallow river carries you along at the rate of 5k per hour. Le Sioux opens at 9am and my suggestion is to go early so the sun is at your back and the river isn’t full of other canoes. Bring along a picnic and stop at one of the many sandy alcoves along the river so the kids can have a swim and you can all eat lunch. It would be fun afterwards to visit one of the chateaux like Beynac or Castelnaud that you floated by! If you like canoeing as much as we did you might want to try it in a different place another day, perhaps somewhere along the Vezere.
La Roque St. Christophe looks like it would be a wonderful place for children and adults too: http://tinyurl.com/qy679 We saw young children at Lacave and they seemed to enjoy it. There’s a section with black light that is quite eerie to walk through. It’s a very big cave with lots of walking and climbing and no graffiti. A train takes you partway in and there’s an elevator as an alternative to the first and steepest stairs. Another plus here is that photos aren’t forbidden, at least with our guide. Also, there was no need to book in advance, at least in June.
On the road between Lacave and Rocamadour, just outside Rocamadour, is a farm, the Borie d' Imbert, that offers tours of the cheese making process for a fee to individuals and school group except at lunch time: http://tinyurl.com/j9upu
Sarlat has a lot of restaurants as Ira mentioned. We usually followed recommendations and ate at fancier places but once we took a chance and picked an inexpensive spot with an interesting menu and lots of full tables and it turned our well: le Tourny with orange tablecloths near the tourist office. Bistro l’Octroi, in the fork in the road on the north extension of rue de Republique was our favourite good value spot. Great food and generous quantities even on the 17 euro menu. Creperies are easy to find and would be a good choice too.
Bring a lightweight cooler bag with you from home so you can carry along picque-nicque supplies during the day and you don’t have to waste time or money finding a lunch spot. Freeze a 1.5 or 2 litre almost full bottle of Evian, or several smaller bottles that you can refill from larger ones, to keep your lunch cool and provide you with ice water later in the day.
Relax! You will all have a wonderful time. There’s so much to see and do around Sarlat. I’m a former teacher and noticed lots of educational and fun places for kids. Plan to visit the tourist office in Sarlat soon after you arrive to find out about horseback riding and other activities for children. The tourist office in le Bugue would be very good too as there are lots of attractions in that area and as a bonus it has three internet stations. Tuesday is market day there.
When we were there just this June, the English tour of Lascaux II was at 12:00 and you buy tickets the same day in Montignac on the main street. July is much busier so I’d suggest arriving at the ticket office around 10:00 and buying a combined ticket to Lascaux and nearby le Thot for just a couple of euros more. You can call to get up to the minute information: 05 53 51 95 03. Le Thot has the stuff that couldn’t fit into Lascaux II plus dioramas of life in prehistoric times. There’s also a picnic area and an animal park. At first it seems like ordinary farm animals but then you discover that the goat is an ibex and the bulls are genetic reproductions of aurocks, et cetera. And the mammoth model is way cool.
Canoeing was one of the highlights of our trip and I think it would be great for your kids. We rented a green plastic canoe/kayak hybrid from le Sioux in Cenac for 10 euros each plus one euro extra for a waterproof barrel. Children under 10 are half price. Le Sioux allows three hours for the 12 or 13 kilometre trip from Cenac to just past Beynac but they will pick you up later if you want more time. Maybe they’ll let you have two canoes. Something I especially liked with le Sioux was that the boat came with one paddle with double blades so it was very easy for the guy in the back to do all the paddling. Actually, there isn’t much need for paddling as the very shallow river carries you along at the rate of 5k per hour. Le Sioux opens at 9am and my suggestion is to go early so the sun is at your back and the river isn’t full of other canoes. Bring along a picnic and stop at one of the many sandy alcoves along the river so the kids can have a swim and you can all eat lunch. It would be fun afterwards to visit one of the chateaux like Beynac or Castelnaud that you floated by! If you like canoeing as much as we did you might want to try it in a different place another day, perhaps somewhere along the Vezere.
La Roque St. Christophe looks like it would be a wonderful place for children and adults too: http://tinyurl.com/qy679 We saw young children at Lacave and they seemed to enjoy it. There’s a section with black light that is quite eerie to walk through. It’s a very big cave with lots of walking and climbing and no graffiti. A train takes you partway in and there’s an elevator as an alternative to the first and steepest stairs. Another plus here is that photos aren’t forbidden, at least with our guide. Also, there was no need to book in advance, at least in June.
On the road between Lacave and Rocamadour, just outside Rocamadour, is a farm, the Borie d' Imbert, that offers tours of the cheese making process for a fee to individuals and school group except at lunch time: http://tinyurl.com/j9upu
Sarlat has a lot of restaurants as Ira mentioned. We usually followed recommendations and ate at fancier places but once we took a chance and picked an inexpensive spot with an interesting menu and lots of full tables and it turned our well: le Tourny with orange tablecloths near the tourist office. Bistro l’Octroi, in the fork in the road on the north extension of rue de Republique was our favourite good value spot. Great food and generous quantities even on the 17 euro menu. Creperies are easy to find and would be a good choice too.
Bring a lightweight cooler bag with you from home so you can carry along picque-nicque supplies during the day and you don’t have to waste time or money finding a lunch spot. Freeze a 1.5 or 2 litre almost full bottle of Evian, or several smaller bottles that you can refill from larger ones, to keep your lunch cool and provide you with ice water later in the day.
Jun 28th, 2006, 12:10 PM
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There's a horseback riding outfit in Audrix and another in Allas-les-Mines. There are a gazillion canoe places and a gazillion simple restaurants where families can eat well and simply. You don't need to plan all this stuff in advance, though for canoes you might want to go the day before and reserve, as you won't believe what the river is like in July - wall to wall canoes, kayaks, and bathers. You might consider kayaks, too- they're easier to handle as long as there hasn't been a major rainfall. And definitely go on the Dordogne, not the Vézère - the Dordogne's incredibly clean and there are beaches where you can stop and swim and have a picnic (a nice spot is at the bridge at Castelnaud - there's a nice little casual restaurant there, too, if you don't want to lug a picnic). Personally, our favorite canoe outfit is in St-Vincent-de-Cosse, between St-Cyprien and Beynac. We usually have them drop us off at Cénac and canoe back about 8 kms. Takes 2-3 hours.
The gabarre trip that runs out of Beynac is also fun - good narration. And the walnut mill in Ste-Nathalène's an interesting visit.
Some simple restaurants my kids love are Le Mentalo in Les Eyzies, that place I mentioned at the beach at Castelnaud, Le Chai in Limeuil, the Café de Paris in Le Bugue, Roma Café in Sarlat, Les Délices de Caroline in Campagne, Café de la Rivière in Beynac....but really, you don't even need this information...there's something good and simple to eat around every corner.
The gabarre trip that runs out of Beynac is also fun - good narration. And the walnut mill in Ste-Nathalène's an interesting visit.
Some simple restaurants my kids love are Le Mentalo in Les Eyzies, that place I mentioned at the beach at Castelnaud, Le Chai in Limeuil, the Café de Paris in Le Bugue, Roma Café in Sarlat, Les Délices de Caroline in Campagne, Café de la Rivière in Beynac....but really, you don't even need this information...there's something good and simple to eat around every corner.
Jun 28th, 2006, 04:32 PM
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Wow-thank you so much everyone for all the great advice. Since you are all so helpful, I'll ask a few more questions. Do you think we should bring our own riding helmets, or will they have them? Also, we are renting a car-I would love a navigation system because I've grown to be ridiculously reliant on mine at home. Is the driving difficult there-fast, scary,...? Are signs well posted? I do speak french, so that might help. FYI- I am a great driver (25,000 miles/year)-just not aggressive! Finally, we are dropping our car off in Perpignan and staying over night before we go to Barcelona-any thoughts on Perpignan? Thanks again!
Jun 28th, 2006, 04:49 PM
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You mean helmets for horseback riding? If so, yes, you should probably bring them. I don't recall ever being issued a helmet when riding in the Dordogne. I don't think the French are as safety-conscious about those things.
Driving in the Dordogne is a plesure. Only problem you'll have is major backups in river towns like Beynac and La Roque-Gageac, and on market days, when the traffic will probably be quite awful. It's neither particularly fast nor scary, and the signage is excellent. Get the Michelin yellow map of the area (379, I think) and you'll be fine.
I don't know Perpignan very well, except that it's the French town that gets the most days of sun every year, so that's a good thing, eh?
Driving in the Dordogne is a plesure. Only problem you'll have is major backups in river towns like Beynac and La Roque-Gageac, and on market days, when the traffic will probably be quite awful. It's neither particularly fast nor scary, and the signage is excellent. Get the Michelin yellow map of the area (379, I think) and you'll be fine.
I don't know Perpignan very well, except that it's the French town that gets the most days of sun every year, so that's a good thing, eh?
