France by Car or train
 

Planning a family (4) trip in France this July. Starting in Paris but not staying there. First stop is Bayeux, Normandy to see the D-day sights and history for 2 days. Then going to Bordeaux for 3 days. From there, we are going to Barcelona. At present, am thinking a car from Paris to Bordeaux, then the train to Barcelona. Considered the train but it seems more expensive and less flexible. Particularly if we take a side trip to the Dordogne region from Bordeaux (is this a good idea?). I am allowing a full day for the Bayeux to Bordeaux and Bordeaux to Barcelona excursions. Thoughts?

Is there a reason why you've chosen Bordeaux for 3 days?

If this were my trip, I'd spend that time in the Dordogne instead. Much more interesting and scenic. You could make a stop at Carcassonne before dropping the car in say Perpignan on your way to Barcelona.

How much time do you have for the whole trip? Two days in Normandy is pretty short shrift. Three days in Bordeaux is excessive, but not enough to see it and venture into the Dordogne. It's hard to see where you're heading with this without knowing how many days total you have.

I would drop Bordeaux and straighten the travel line to Narbonne, which would take you through the Dordogne. You could one the way visit a Loire chateau or two, stop by Poitiers to visit its Romanesque cathedral or instead stop by St. Savin to visit that church which has exceptional frescoes. Closer to the Dordogne you could stop by Oradour-sur-Glane. After the Dordogne you could visit Albi with its church and Toulouse-Lautrec museum, continue to Carcassonne and on to Narbonne where you would drop off the car and take the train to Barcelona.

For pictures from the Poitou (the area between the Loire and the Dordogne), so to:
http://www.photoworks.com/members/sl...842&key=mksfca

I agree with the others - skip Bordeaux. I hope your 2 days in Normandy & 3 in the Dordogne does not include the travel day. I also hope your family of 4 enjoys 7 hours on the road between Normandy & the Dordogne. The "lost" day of travel between Perpignan/Narbonne and Barcelona is unfortunate too.

That's a lot of travel time, compared to "being there" time.

Stu Dudley

3 days in Bordeaux? No thank you.

Picking up on Stu's point...
France is a fairly large country and you'll be traveling some vast distances, heading north before going south. It's a shame to be wasting valuable vacation time like that.

Picking up on Stu's point...
France is a fairly large country and you'll be traveling some vast distances, heading north before going south. It's a shame to be wasting valuable vacation time like that.

Hi Bio,

www.viamichelin.com says it is about 6 hr from Bayeux to Bordeaux and 6 hr from to Barcelona, so it is doable.

The Question is, "Why"?

If I wanted to visit Normandy and Barcelona, I would fly into Paris, visit Bayeux, return to Paris for a few days and fly to Barcelona.

Have you become jaded by Paris?

((I))

I should have mentioned that we love wine and the trip to bordeaux is an important element. I love the idea of going to the Dordogne region. Can it be done as a day trip from Bordeaux. I see there are tours from there. But, if we have a car I prefer exploring on our own. I realize the distances are fairly large but they seem doable. So, my main question still stands... Car or train.

ira... Not jaded by Paris, just been there, done that and want to see more of France.

How many wineries and wine cities have you visited in France? Visiting a winery in France is nothing like visiting one in the Napa/Sonoma valley. I think you may be quite disappointed in your decision to spend time in Bordeaux and bypass the Dordogne. 35 years ago when we first wanted to visit France, Bordeaux was one of the destinations. At our local France Natl. Tourist Office here in San Francisco, they pursuaded me to visit Burgundy instead. Now after years of travel in France, visiting wineries or wine areas is not something that I center my itinerary around - I've been disappointed too many times in the past.

No - the Dordogne/Sarlat is too far from Bordeaux for a meaningful day trip.

Stu Dudley

Hi bioengr; If you must visit Bordeaux, the tourist office has a full day tour leaving at 9:30am, that includes a great lunch. We stayed near St. Emilion and this bus picked us up in St. Emilion. The chateau we stayed at www.closbertinat.com/ is in the village of St.Sulpice de Faleyrens, a few miles from St. Emilion. When we left after three days, we left as 'family'. Lovely people. iris1745/dick P.S. They only have a few rooms, but they do have a family room.

Bergerac, in the Dordogne, has a wine institute/tasting room/wine museum, and Monbazillac is nearby. That could satisfy your need to try out wines in that area. The chateau in Monbazillac is one place where the wine tasting and purchasing is similar to practices in the States, but one does not visit the wine making facilities there.