elisabet

Advice for driving from Chenonceaux, near Amboise, to Perigueux in the Dordogne? It looks like a 3-4 hour trip. I am wondering about which route to take. We hope to arrive near Montignac at 4PM on a Saturday. (Oh! A week from tomorrow!)I have the Michelin map book and D675 looks most scenic and direct, but I know rural roads can be quite slow. We (being parents and kids 9,11 and 14)would like to have a scenic drive and to stop for an informal lunch, possibly visit a spot of interest. I tried to web search several of the towns along this route, but did not find any information, except on Nontron and Brantome. These both look interesting, but I thought that someone might have some advice--Fodorites usually do!
We will also do this trip in reverse, from the Sarlat area to a more easterly Loire town, Meusnes, near Aignan. The highway north of Limoges did not sound lovely, but perhaps Limoges makes that route worthwhile. Ideas? Thanx!

uhoh_busted

I can't advise you on your route, only to say that you will simply LOVE the Dordogne. I have pictures and recommendations from our trip in May on Virtual Tourist (gosh I wish Fodors had a way we could post pictures) www.virtualtourist.com/radiomom
click on all travel pages and look for Beynac We REALLY loved the region. It will be terrific for your kids. Can't imagine them not finding it wonderful, between all the castles and the caves with prehistoric paintings (visit Font de Gaume...really wonderful).

RonZ

Hopefully StCirq or another knowledgable person will see your post. I've taken the route you suggest, but over a couple of days. The D roads are normally a lot more pleasurable to drive on [and sometimes faster] then the N roads, which can be clogged with trucks. But no way you will make it in 3-4 hours even on the most direct route. Suggest you do some route planning on mappy or viamichelin.

StCirq

I would definitely not take the D675 all the way unless you want to be in the car most of the day.
I'dgo down through Chateauxroux, then take the A20 to Limoges. Make a stop at Oradour-sur-Glane and plan to be there at least an hour. There are a couple of little cafés in town where you can get something to eat before or after you visit the museum and town.
From there you could hook up with the D704, which will take you straight to, and allow you to avoid the traffic snarls around both Périgueux and Brive. Montignac.

Wayne

I'd go southward via the autoroute south as far as Poitiers, then branch off on D741 heading south all the way to Rochechouart, then pick up D675 to Brantome and finally Perigeux. It's back country driving, and though not extremely scenic, it has lots of little villages along the way. That's probably a bit more than a 4 hour drive, especially if you want to take your time and make some stops along the way. But that's the fun of driving. For a normal person on a normal day, it shouldn't take more than 4 1/2 hours maximum. I'd suggest you just stop at some interesting village south of Poitiers for lunch, and find a restaurant that looks good. You'll enjoy it. Good luck.

Amanda

We planned a trip from Arles to the Dordogne using viamichelin which told us it could be done not using the freeways much at all in 5 1/2 hours. 8 and 1/2 hours later we arrived, not including the 1 1/2 hours extra for a quick lunch and two wrong turns that took a long time to be corrected because there was nowhere to turn around.
If using back roads, be aware that travel will take longer than you think!!!

elisabet

Thanx for all the ideas about which routes are best. Since we will also do this trip in reverse, we may try both the route through Chateauxroux and then return by way of Poitiers. I especially appreciate the comments about length of driving time. So difficult to tell by looking at the map.
We leave from Boston in 2 days!
Gratitude to all who have helped in the planning.