Clancypants

We plan to fly from Australia to London (2-3 days), then to Paris (2-3 days) then drive to join a cruise in Barcelona in mid November. We have about 7 days for this drive - MUST include Dordogne for day or two. Never been to Europe before but want to cram in as much as possible on this "sampling" week as we will return to fave parts next year for extended period. We are quite used to driving very long distances. Want to see the most picturesque sights - want to avoid any long stretches of boring bits! - preferably not on fast auto routes! Feasible to go clockwise, head to Lausanne and take in a bit of Switzerland, then to Dordogne and onto Barcelona? Or would it be better to stay in France and go anti clockwise to say la Rochelle, then Dordogne etc? Must stress, we do not want to spend more than 2 days in one place, won't be taking any organised tours, and don't really expect to do much anywhere else other than say "we've been there" and will know where we want to come back to! just want the best countryside to look at! The highlight of this holiday is the cruise, and the driving is more of a fact finding mission! hope this makes sense ... I look forward to your suggestions or comments

Gretchen

You might want to take a train to the Dordogne and rent your car there. And do remember while you are used to driving long distances, you are also in a country with wide open spaces. France will be more population centers, and traffic, etc.

StuDudley

No offense - but if you just want a quick "look-see", why don't you rent some Rick Steves videos, and use them to determine which areas you'll want to spend more time in.

November is not the best time for drives through the countryside & visits to small villages. Many things close in November - including some hotels.

A day or two in the Dordogne???? Not advised !!! That's not enough time to see much of anything.

My suggestion for a November visit for a first-timer:

6 days in London
6 days in Paris
Fly to Barcelona to catch your cruise
Rent Rick Steves videos to determine where you want to visit next year.

Stu Dudley

ira

Ditto Stu

3 days in London and 3 days in Paris is giving short shrift to both.

Visit France another time.

Michael

Drive from Paris, see Chartres, a couple of chateaux in the Loire valley and then drive to the Dordogne via Poitiers and Limoges (see Oradour-sur-Glane on the way). While perhaps not the most interesting drive, keep in mind that it is a day'sdrive between Paris and the Dordogne, so you will not be spending that many hours in so-so countryside.

leuk2

I think I have to agree with Stu. Explore Paris and London, They will make great stopping off points for the next trip. You can't see it all in one trip.

Masterphil

Clancy...

I am the kind of guy who likes driving all over the place also! I also like "fact finding missions."

I drove over 2000 miles last year. The link to the trip report is as follows:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm

I thought Dordogne was nice, but I wouldn't sacrifice time in Paris to go there. I really liked Provence and the Cote d'Azur.

If I were doing it, I would take an overnight train from Paris to Nice or Cannes, rent the car there and drive across Southern France over to Barcelona.

Good luck with your decision.

Clancypants

Thanks so much - I guess we're all designed to do things differently! Masterphil I look forward to reading how you did it - here in Australia we live 2700km from our nearest Australian capital city, and 3500 from my "home" capital - so the drive is done regularly and we love it. I also travel between my 2 homes in Western Australia, 150km round trip, once and often twice a day.Good thing we love driving altho I am well aware the driving in Europe would be vastly different. I hadn't thought much about train travel but overnighting as you suggested sounds terrific. As I tried to explain, this trip is just a "taste of" trip - two sons 23yo and 18yo with us so it's more an opportunity to spend extended time together! Husband and I will do the leisurely look around next time. Unfortunately, Nov is the only time we can all take a month off so we have to make the best of it!
Any further suggestions greatly appreciated.
Thank you all who have responded.

StCirq

Oh, you'll have plenty of time to spend "extended time together." You'll never leave the car. Especially if you don't want to drive on the autoroutes and want "scenery" all along the way. It will probably take you the full 7 days to get to Barcelona from Paris driving on the N and D roads, in November, no less, when you have very limited daylight hours. And lots of things in those charming little towns along the way will be closed, including hotels and restaurants.


Further suggestions are to follow Stu's advice and forget the drive. Fly.

Love the fact that advice from the 2,000-mile drive-by expert about the Dordogne was that it was "nice, but...."

Fact is, what you have planned will not measure up to what you expect of it at all. You will have such limited exposure to the places you mention that you will have no legitimate clue whatsoever as to what you should see on this next "in-depth" trip at all. You will NOT know where you want to come back to and visit. If you want an example, two days or less in the Dordogne in November might very well turn you off the place entirely - Sarlat will be a wasteland, all the cool shops will be closed, many of the restaurants will be boarded up for the winter, it will be a bleak and unwelcoming landscape - this, in one of the world's most beautiful paradises for much of the rest of the year.

The logic behind this trip is flawed. Forget your original plan and spend 6 days in London, 6 days in Paris, and fly to Barcelona. It's NOT the time of year to do a scouting trip for a future in-depth tour of France.

Gretchen

AND what's wrong with spending "extended time" with sons in nice surroundings of the cities.

kerouac

I am known for making big loops around France with about 500 km between each stop. It is quite a pleasant way to see passing scenery, but you really must stop from time to time to see some of the sights.

www.viamichelin.com is good for working out itineraries, toll prices (if you use autoroutes) and travel times.

Clancypants

Thank you Gretchen and kerouac! OK so I am terribly naive about travel in Europe - I was beginning to think I had committed a dastardly crime with what I was proposing! oops! A couple of years ago my husband and I "adopted" a young German girl backpacking her way around Australia! Like me, she didn't have much concept of what was involved in getting around a foreign country - we ended up buying suitable clothes for her, buying airline tickets for her when she realised she couldn't get to certain places as quickly or easily as she thought... this is a VERY big country. We had lots of laughs and taught each other a lot! I guess I still have heaps to learn!

Underhill

One other thing to consider...with 4 of you and your luggage, what size rental car will work for you? Roads in the Dordogne aren't all that wide, especially if you want to go into villages. Do keep that in mind when you choose your vehicle.

Gretchen

Yes your country and ours are wide open spaces and sometimes not much to see or enjoy in between. Just because you "can" drive, doesn't mean you "must".
I honestly think you need to stay longer in the cities--if you want, take a day trip from Paris (Giverney will be closed--Chartres is beautiful and a good town to have a good lunch), but even with 6 days (e.g.), I would not leave!! As St. Cirq has pointed out, the Dordogne may be largely "closed for business" and you won't even get a taste.
If you wanted a day trip with a great flavor taste, take the TGV to Lyon and enjoy a memorable meal in a gastronomic town.
Fly to Barcelona. It's just a long drive. Maximize your time,money and experiences.

ira

very good advice from St Cirq.

ST C ad Stu D probably know as much about te Dordogne rgion as the rest of us put together.