Is this a doable itinerary for the Dordogne?
 

Arrive Toulouse at 11 40 am.
Pick up rental car and drive to Albi.
Have lunch and explore Albi
Drive to Cordes…overnight at Hostellerie du Vieux Cordes

Thurs am..drive to Villefranche-de-Rouergue see market\ ?stop at Najac on way

Drive to St. Circ and explore town …see caves at Peche Merle

Drive to Figeac and spend night.at BW Hotel Le Pont D’Or

Am dive to Rocamadour and spend night at Beau Site

Am drive to Périgueux and see market

Drive to Brantome and explore

Overnight at Hostellerie Les Griffons in Bourdeilles

Drive to Sarlat..overnight for 2 nights at Hotel Le Renoir explore area…


Drive to Toulouse overnight for 2 nights at Hotel Athenee ?lunch at La Récréation in Les Arques on the way stop at cazals

or

stay 3 nights in Sarlat and leave by 9:30 to 10 am Wednesday…drive straight to Toulouse

On the way to Toulouse you might want to visit Montauban for its Palce de la République and Ingres museum, and also Moissac for its abbey.

Looks pretty good to me. Just see if you can get creative coming back from Bourdeilles to Sarlat so that you don't have to backtrack through Périgueux - you might want to swing to the east of it on the way back.

I'm not sure I understand what your options are for the Sarlat - Toulouse stretch. How many nights do you have after arriving in Sarlat before leaving from Toulouse? You will definitely find more than enough to keep you occupied in the Sarlat area (so much that personally I wouldn't bother making the trip north for a single night's stay in Bourdeilles). On the other hand, lunch at Les Arques is a treat (good luck finding it!;)), and the Zadkine Museum there is interesting.

Be sure to time your trip to Pech-Merle appropriately. I believe there are only two tours a day (something like 10:30 and 2:45, but don't take my word for this).

And here's wishing you the very best of luck with the parking map you'll be handed at the Hostellerie du Vieux Cordes :)

That is certainly do-able, but I would make a change.

I would cut out the Perigueux/Brantome/Bourdeilles leg, and spend that time in the Sarlat area instead. Two nights and possibly 1 1/2 days is about one-fifth of the time time you should spend in that region. There is much much much more to see in the Sarlat/Les Eyzies area than the Perigueux/Brantome/Bourdeilles area. If you could squeeze an extra 2 days out of your trip, then add in the northern leg.

Also, the Rocamadour to Perigueux to Brantome is more driving than I usually like to do in a day.

Stu Dudley

I'd agree with the others about cutting out Brantôme/Bourdeilles and Périgueux. The two villages are quite lovely, but it's a long way to go, since you will be returning to Toulouse. I wouldn't go to Périgueux just for the market either.

There is so much to see in the vicinity of Sarlat that 3 or 4 nights there would not be too much.

As you are staying the night at Rocamadour, you might want to visit the Gouffre de Padirac on your way north. You could also visit Carennac before heading down the Dordogne towards Sarlat. On the other hand, if you are heading for the Périgord market from Rocamadour, you won't have time to see anything en route if you want to get there before it closes.

Those sound like good suggestions. We had trouble finding somewhere to stay in Sarlat on Sat. night so that is why I added Brantone/Bourdeilles.Also because the area seems nice. We found 2 nights at the Le Renior(Sun. and Mon)
Maybe we could stay in one of the little towns on that night(like Beynac or ...?) and then move to Sarlat the next two nights if we give up Brantone. I read a book that the Saturday market in Sarlat goes all day. Is that true? I was debating whether to spend one or two nights in Toulouse. My sister is leaning towards two since she has an early flight( I luckily don't fly out until later in the day). What are your thoughts as to whether 1 or 2 nights in Toulouse are warrented? If we spend one night we would have an extra for the Sarlat area. Do you feel that the nights in Figeac and Rocomadour are good? We have 8 nights altogether.

How many nights you have in Toulouse is not important - it's how much of the day you will be there. If you take the walking itineraries in the Michelin guide, about 1/2 to 3/4 of a day is fine.

Your itinerary is fantastic all the way to when you leave Rocamadour. After Figeac, visit St Cere, Autoire, Loubressac, Castelnau-Brentoux chateau, Carennac, Gouffre de Padirac, then Rocamadour. As I suggested (any many others have too), skip the northern leg and after Rocamadour, head north & see Martel & then drive west on the Dordogne River visiting the hotel chateau at La Treyne.

There are scads of places near Sarlat where you can stay. St Cirq just published a list of about 10 or so & I'm sure she can do it again. Try to stay in Beynac, Roque Gageac, or Domme for the best location & views.

Stu Dudley

Hi, cparris. When is your trip? I'm going to be there during the first part of May, and am staying at the Hostellerie des Griffons for 2 nights (I'll be training in from Paris to Angouleme), and also at the Le Renoir in Sarlat for several nights. I have 15 days to play with, so am still deciding exactly where to stay and for how long.
I'll also be staying near Rocamadour for a couple of days, at Domaine de la Rhue. I haven't decided where to end up for the train back to Paris (or CDG). Want to see Figeac and Cahors. I would love to get to Albi, but don't think I'll be able to get that in this time.

If you're going before May, write a report (and review of those hotels)!

Sue, We are leaving at the end of April/beginning of May.

From Bourdeilles you can go east past Thiviers to route 709 (or is it 704?) which will take you to Sarlat. Don't forget to look back on the long uphill after the Hautefort turn-off for a beautiful view of Hautefort.

>>> Don't forget to look back on the long uphill after the Hautefort turn-off for a beautiful view of Hautefort.<<<

Don't just look at Haoutefort - visit it. Wonderful chateau & great gardens.

Stu Dudley

cparris:

The Saturday market in Sarlat doesn't go all day, even in high season. In April/May it will likely be shut down by 1 p.m. But you do not HAVE to go to the market in Sarlat. As I believe I posted on another thread, you can experience essentially the same market in St-Cyprien on Sunday, Le Bugue on Tuesday, Montignac on Wednesday (plus small market in Sarlat that day), Lalinde and Domme on Thursday, and Le Buisson on Friday. I would not plan my trip around a particular market.
There are scads of nice hotels and B&Bs right around Sarlat. Since you have a car, you'd probably be better off staying outside Sarlat anyway, as traffic is horrible these days, even that early in the season. Here are some to look into:

Le Relais des Cinq Châteaux in Vitrac
The Plaisance in Vitrac
Hôtel Bonnet in Beynac
l'Hostellerie de la Ferme Lamy in Meyrals
La Belle Etoile in La Roque-Gageac
La Domaine de la Barde in Le Bugue
L'Abbaye in St-Cyprien
Le Moulin de la Beune in Les Eyzies
Hôtel Laborderie in Tamniès
L'Esplanade in Domme

If stopping in Hautefort, I would choose the 17th century hospital--now a museum--over the chateau.