Pawleys

I think I'm getting closer on my itinerary. To review, I will be participating in a garden tour August 31 to September 10. We will spend two nights in Bordeaux, six in Sarlat then a final night in St Emilion. Each day we will visit two gardens ( Marquessac, Colette, Cadiot, Eyrignac, Losse, etc.) we will also spend a day seeing Lascaux II and the the museum at Eyzies and we will have one free day.

Other than Sarlat and Carlux I don't think we will be touring any of the villages. So I decided to add four days to our trip. Our plan is to pick up a rental car in Libourne on Saturday morning and head back to the Dordogne. Here is what I am thinking now.

Saturday-pick up rental car in Libourne>Biron>Monpazier (maybe have lunch here)>Cadouin>Limeuil>overnight Tremolat.
Sunday- Castelnaud>Domme>La Roque> overnight La Cave. (Could do a late afternoon visit to Rocamadour)
Monday- or an early visit to Rocamadour>St Cere>Autoire>Loubressac >Carennac>Martel. Overnight La Cave. Seems like a lot. What should we definitely do and what should we leave out?
Tuesday- St Cirq La Popie> Pech Merle> Is Figeac too much since we have to drive on to Toulouse? > return rental car at Toulouse airport. Overnight Toulouse.
Wednesday - morning in Toulouse. Fly home midday.
I thought our free day in Sarlat ( we won't have a rental car) we might take a cab to Beynac, visit the village and take the boat ride) other suggestions?

StCirq

Too much, and too much of it not even In the Dordogne, which is fine, but I'd hate to be Right Here and overlook some of the obvious places, like the Pôle in Les Eyzies, some of the great markets like Le Bugue and St-Cyprien, the artist community in Meyrals, the innumerable châteaux, La Roque St-Christophe, St-Léon-sur-Vézère...

If I may pick this apart a bit:

Saturday: don't see how you could do all that in one day. I can't go to Monpazier without spending at least 2 hours (and I'm familiar with it). If you plan to visit the château at Biron, that's another one and a half most likely. Cadouin: the abbey will take at least a half an hour, and the village shops and galleries are fascinating, so there goes another hour and a half at least. Limeuil: well, you have to walk all the way up the hill and stop in all the shops and galleries and see the gardens and so forth and have a glass of something by the river, so there's another 2 hours. And you haven't even included Beaumont-du-Périgord and the dolmens.

Sunday: It's OK, as it's Sunday and things will be closed (maybe - it's still high season). You won't make it to Rocamadour, and it would be pointless as you're heading that direction later, anyway.

Monday: Too much. That would be a 2- or 3-day trip for me, and I already know those places. Plus, you've left out Collonges-la-Rouge, which for me is one of the highlights of that area. I have absolutely no interest in Rocamadour, but that's my personal opinion. If you go to St-Céré, it's well worth it to see the Jean-Lurçat tapestries, but you won't get to them if you're rushing through all these places. Martel, for me, takes at least a couple of hours. Carennac and Autoire and Loubressac, for me, a short stop is plenty. They aren't any more beautiful than what's here in the Périgord Noir.

Tuesday: I really dislike St-Cirq-Lapopie, but that's a personal choice. Anyway, you don't need to linger there. Pech Merle is a wonder - don't miss it. Figeac is one of my favorite places in France. If you can squeeze it in, do so.

It's too bad you haven't budgeted any time for Toulouse itself. It's a wonderful city, deserving of at least a couple of days.

If you do decide to take a cab to Beynac from Sarlat, call well ahead of time. It's nearly impossible to book a cab in Sarlat, as I found out when I had a doctor's appointment there 2 weeks ago. I ended up walking several miles uphill to a cardiologist appointment - must've been good for me, as he pronounced my heart in super-good shape. But the point is, I called 7 cab companies and even stopped at the Tourist Office and asked if they could suggest a cab, and they looked at me as if I were nuts - a cab? Non, that doesn't really happen in Sarlat.

Pawleys

St Cirq, thanks for taking the time to analyze my trip. I appreciate your feedback. Unfortunately four days is all the extra time we have so Toulouse and the area around it I'll have to save for another trip. I hope we'll have a chance to get a peek when we stroll to dinner Tuesday night.

Other than the Wednesday morning market in Sarlat I don't think I will have a car when we are in an area that has a market. We might be able to change the Sunday route to include the St Cyprien market. Our hotel reservations are already made for one night in Tremolat and two in La Cave so that part is not flexible.

We will see two chateaus while on the garden tour Losse and Hautford.
So let's see where I can trim back. Saturday I guess I could leave off Biron.
Sunday I could rework to include St Cyprien.
Monday I'm trying to do a loop. Which places should I omit? I'll plan to get to Rocamadour before breakfast. Hopefully, avoiding the crowds. Maybe, I should leave out St Cere and and Martel and do Collonges.

And as far as our free day on Thursday I Hate to hear that taxis are tough. I had that same experience in Tuscany. I would love to spend some time La Roque or Beynac and do the boat ride. I may have to sign up for one of the trips out of Sarlat.

rosemaryoz

I agree with St Cirq- I think you are trying to fit a two week itinerary into a four day tour! And I think you'll be rushing past many interesting lesser known spots, just to squeeze all this in, unfortunately.

Why not hire a car at Europcar Sarlat for the free day of your Tour, and use that time to drive to Beynac, La Roque Gageac, take a gabarre cruise and then Domme at the end of the day? They are all close together, and very accessible, so it's a good use of that day (and not much dearer than taxis, I suspect). You can also pre-book your cruise tix online to save time (eg Gabarres Norbert), and then plan your day around that timeslot.

I would not trim off Chateau Biron either - it's worth the visit. I would leave Limeuil till Day 2, after you leave Tremolat. And then you could also visit Chateau Fenelon as you head east to Lacave.

I also agree that you are trying to see too much on the Monday. Maybe go early that morning to Rocamadour, to avoid the crush. And once again do not trim of Collonges-la-Rouge! it's very distinctive compared to the other villages you've listed.

I would also pre-book your tix for Peche Merle, and then take it from there. The drive to Toulouse will take longer than you think, as it will still be busy getting around in early September.

Pawleys

Thanks for the suggestions, rosemaryoz, i'll check out the possibility of renting a car for that Thursday. I'll also check out Fenelon I had not read about it. But, I like the idea of visiting the market on day two.

rosemaryoz

Yes, I do love a good village market myself! I think on that Sunday, you'd easily have time to go to St Cyprien market in the morning, then head east towards Lacave, and visit Fenelon on your way in the afternoon. It has a very interesting history and is architecturally imnpressive, and takes about an hour or so for a self-guided walk through.

Limeuil is a pretty village, but to me not necessarily a 'must-see' if you've already been to really striking places like Beynac, Domme & Monpazier, so you could skip that on Day 2 for the market visit, I think.

kja

Just a few comments, taking into consideration the excellent feedback you’ve already gotten and the responses you’ve offered about your constraints.

I enjoyed Rocomadour, but would have easily given it up for the chance to see some of the other things on your wishlist. JMO.

Seeing Pech Merle was, for me, a highlight of a highlight-filled treasure trove of travel moments. If you can get a reservation, consider making it a priority!

IMO, you could take much better advantage of your “free” day in Sarlat than just a visit to Beynac and a garbonne ride – which, together, can take all of a few hours. Renting a car for that day could be a great idea!

Good luck!

Pawleys

Thanks for your reply, Kia, there seems to be a consensus that Pech Merle is not to be missed. I checked out the website and they only listed tours in French. maybe they don't offer tours n English after summer?

StCirq

The website says you can schedule tours in English. There's a place to contact them for that. It also says they have brochures in English (and many other languages) to guide you through the cave, reading as you go. It has nothing to do with time of year. There's also a number you can call, but they suggest that you use that only if you have a large group (more than 19).

Pawleys

Thanks, I will work on that and a rental car. Any suggestions of where to rent one in Sarlat?

StCirq

You don't have any choice. There is only one car rental outfit, Europcar, fairly near the train station.

rosemaryoz

For the Pech Merle tours, even if it in French, it would still be valuable to go. When you arrive, they will give you an English brochure, and the guide will most likely check during the tour to ensure you are following the narrative and getting a good view of everything. I was there in early April with a friend who did not speak any French at all (we were in a group of about a dozen), and our guide was fantastic at keeping her informed as we went through. It's definitely worth it!

Pawleys

So for our final full day- check out of hotel in La Cave. 11:15 tour of Pech Merle> St Cirq La Popie.(Will everything be closed for lunch? ) > Figeac> 2 1/2 hrs to Toulouse. Return rental car to airport. Cab to hotel downtown. Is this doable? Other ideas?

StCirq

Why would everything be closed for lunch? It's a tourist town. It's a weekday. Everything will be hopping.

You'll probably want at minimum an hour in Figeac, so yes, the rest of the day is totally do-able, especially since it will be light until around 8:30 or so at night. I'm pretty sure there's a shuttle bus into town from the airport, BTW, but you can check on that.

StuDudley

11:15-12:30 Visit Pech Merle
12:30-2:00 drive to St Cirq Lapopie & visit
2:00-3:15 drive along the Cele river (not the Lot river) to Figeac
3:15-5:30 visit Figeac
5:30-8:00 drive to TLS
8:00-8:45 return car & taxi to Toulouse hotel.

You might save 45 mins by "quicker" visits to St Cirq & Figeac.

BTW, St Cirq Lapople was awarded "Village of the Year" a few years ago. Here is a very recent article from France Today magazine.
https://www.francetoday.com/travel/t...llages-france/

Stu Dudley

Pawleys

Thanks so much, St Cirq and Stu. I can already tell this is a place I'll have to return. There are too many wonderful places I have had to bypass. I certainly appreciate all of your thoughtful responses. And Stu I have purchased the Green guide and the maps you suggested. And am checking out your restaurants suggestions. We'll have 5 nights in Sarlat without a car so I have to come up with a few more there.

kja

One of my favorite restaurants in Sarlat was Le Grand Bleu
http://www.legrandbleu.eu

(My other favorite there, Rossignol, appears to have closed.)

StCirq

Le Grand Bleu is wonderful, but it's fairly pricey and a bit of an uphill hike from the centre ville.

You might also look at Le Petit Manoir and Les Jardins de l'Harmonie.

And there are plenty of smaller, less expensive places to choose from all over town.

Pawleys

I've checked out your suggestions and they look charming. Ambiance is almost as important to me as the cuisine. 2 questions. Do I need to reserve most of these restaurants far in advance? And is it considered rude to split plates? I split A plate with my dining companion all of over Italy. We enjoyed several courses and lost 3 lbs. But in looking at the restaurant websites that you suggested there are many set menus and I imagined the portions might be too small to split.

StuDudley

We dine at around 40 different restaurants in France every year. For September, I'll reserve a restaurant about 10 days in advance for arrival night dinner in a new area. Then once I'm in an area, reserving a couple of days in advance seems to work OK after I've "checked out" the menu & ambience in person. I would reserve Grande Bleu a week in advance - sooner if you know you really want to dine there.

We never split main courses - if that means 2 plates for one main course. My wife usually orders two appetizers and I order an appetizer & a main (plus amuse bouche). We often split a dessert. Cheese courses fill us up - so we'll often pass on the cheese course or order a menu that has the option of cheese or dessert.

As I recall, you are dining at Le Vieux Logis and Chateau de la Tryne and perhaps Pont de l'Ouysse. I would not ask them to "split" a main course for you at these Michelin starred restaurants. I would also reserve them 3 weeks in advance.

Stu Dudley