debly2

We are three sisters who will be travelling to Bordeaux from Chinon by car. We plan to stay two nights in St. Emilion and two nights at another location--possibly Sarlat. Would we be better off staying somewhere else along the route or is the one day drive from Chinon quite doable? We enjoy quaint villages, markets, wineries so access to any of these would be preferable. Also, any hotel suggestions in St.Emilion would be gratefully accepted.

StCirq

If you're actually going to Bordeaux itself, I'd say scrap the car and take the TGV from Tours right to Bordeaux. It's a really dull drive unless you meander down the coast, and that takes time.

I also would advise against just two nights in St-Emilion (really, a half day or day is all you need there) and two nights in Sarlat. If the idea is to visit the Dordogne, I really wouldn't bother with only 3-4 days. Wait until you have a minimum of a week.

Michael

I would reduce the minimum for the Dordogne to 3 days. One to visit caves and the nearby area, one to see the <i>plus beaux villages</i> along the Dordogne river, and the last one to cover what suddenly you think you need to see and have not seen. Getting the Michelin Green Guide (Limousin/Dordogne?) might be helpful.

Driving from the Loire to Bordeaux only makes sense if one intends to see things in between, such as Poitiers, Saint Savin, Oradour-sur-Glane by taking a little curve toward the east, etc.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...7623276890499/

Taking a route that goes farther west, there are some wonderful Romanesque churches to be seen in the Charente area:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...7622845839973/

debly2

I should probably have mentioned that we will be taking the train from Paris to Amboise and picking up a car there for our 4 days in the Loire. As we will also need a car in Bordeaux and environs, we thought it would be easier to drive down to Bordeaux than to re-rent a car the next day. We thought that the drive would take about 5 hours and were hoping to stop somewhere---possibly Limoges--on our way down. We will be taking the train back to Paris from Bordeaux. We have never been to this part of France but have made a couple of trips to Burgundy and Provence. We know that we can't see everything in 4 days so would like any suggestions.

soods

We are planning on driving in June from Tours in the Loire Valley to Provence. We thought we'd also drive 5 hours and stop for the night. We were looking at a quaint place to stay. How did you choose your stopping point?

Carlux

I am not sure I understand your question yet - when you say you want to go to 'Bordeaux and environs' do you mean that you will be staying in Bordeax or St Emilion? I would advise against trying to drive in Bordeaux if you dont have to.

I also agree that one night in St Emilion is enough - and you could skip Bordeaux, since your time is limited.

Not sure why you are thinking of going to Limoges - it's not on the route from Chinon to the Bordeaux area. Again a place that you probably dont want to drive into. We used to have to go through Limoges on the way down to our house in the Dordogne, and always got lost. It's not an unattractive city, but it's a city, and doesn't meet any of your criteria for quaint villages, etc.

In fact since your time is limited, I'd suggest that you head straight down to the Dordogne from Chinon, rather than head over towards Bordeaux. There's so much more here to see - wonderful villages, Romanesque churches, markets, 1001 chateaux, caves, the river...

Four days is nowhere near enough in the Dordogne, but at least you would get a flavour of the place. Two is NOT enough, and makes it hardly worth the driving.

debly2

Our destination from Chinon is actually Sarlat. From there we plan on staying a night or two in St.Emilion. We will likely not see the city of Bordeaux at all---we will only be in the Bordeaux area. We do however, plan on dropping off the rental car at the Bordeaux train station---hopefully out of town--and heading back to Paris. Would you suggest taking the train to Paris from elsewhere? Also, what route would you take from Chinon to Sarlat? We had no real need to see Limoges, just thought it might make an interesting stop. We are not unused to 5 hour drives---we are Canadians!!

StCirq

1. If you're planning to take the train back to Paris from Bordeaux (which is not the only option), just get an early start and stop in St-Emilion for lunch on the way. No need to spend the night there (and certainly not two). Or spend the night there, then go to Gare St-Jean in Bordeaux next morning.

2. It would be likely easier to take the train back to Paris from Brive (but then you'd need to give up St-Emilion, which wouldn't bother me in the least - there's far more interesting things to see around Sarlat).

3.From Chinon I'd probably drive south through Poitiers and Angoulème and then head over through Brantôme and around Périgueux to Sarlat. I agree you don't want to go through Limoges - it does not make an interesting stop. BUT you definitely might want to go to Oradour-sur-Glane.

Michael

Limoges has improved over the years, and it has a major porcelain museum.

As for the car rental, it may be that taking a longer rental means a lower per day cost, so that to split up the rentals with a day of train travel might not be the best idea.

You may want to stay overnight in Brantôme, depending on the stops from Chinon going south. If so, the next day you might want to see Hautefort on the way to Sarlat. And since you would be going by Montignac, you might was well check to see if you can see Lascaux II the same day.