Leely

Hi all,

A friend and I arrive in Paris on the afternoon of March 29. We have reserved a hotel in the city for April 6, 7 and 8. This leaves us 8 nights. We've both been to Paris a number of times and would like to see more of France. We plan to rent a car.

We’re torn between Burgundy and the Dordogne.

We’re pretty hardcore sightseers and don't need to "relax" every day. Priorities are historical sites, medieval, Romanesque and Renaissance architecture, would like to squeeze in Oradour sur Glane either coming or going if possible, art/museums. We like to drink wine but aren’t interested in touring vineyards.

Based on initial reading, in Burgundy I'd love to see Dijon, Beaune, Auxerre, Vezelay and Abaaye de Fontenay. In the Dordorgne/Lot, the wish list includes Rocamadour, some (just one? Peche Merle?) Prehistoric caves, Sarlat, Beynac and Castelnaud, among other things. I know all this isn’t doable, so I’m wondering what I can/have to cut and what I can keep.

Can anyone help me winnow down into a sensible driving itinerary that may fast-paced but not completely insane? Breadth not depth is okay for this trip as I’m sure I’ll return. We're leaning toward the Dordogne but we’d really like to squeeze in even a tiny bit of Burgundy somehow.

Don’t mind changing hotels but we’d prefer just one or two one-nighters max.

I’ve bought the Cadogan and the Michelin Green Guide for the Dordogne.

My apologies for vagueness and likely geographical mistakes. Advice, suggestions, opinions, and dogma welcome.

Thank you all.

StuDudley

We just returned from 4 weeks in the Beaujolais & Burgundy region. Last year we spend 4 weeks in the Dordogne, and we've visited there for 4 weeks on three prior trips.

I think the Dordogne is the more interesting of the two. Many more things to do than in Burgundy, and greater diversity also. In fact, I think is's the most diverse region in France. Lots of chateaux, caves with stalagmites & tites, caves with pre-historic drawings, cute villages, pretty countryside, nice gardens, great dining, historic cities, Medieval castles, etc. We stayed in one spot near Domme & saw most sites from there. There is enough to do in the Dordogne to keep you occupied for several weeks.

In Burgundy, there are not as many small cute villages as in the Dordogne. Lots of Chateaux however, and Dijon is one of my favorite towns. No Caves & no rivers of any note. We found ourselves driving from site to site more than we did in the Dordogne. We stayed near Beaune & it was several hours to Auxerre, Vezelay, Tanlay, etc from there. If you stay in Dijon, this would reduce the driving.

If you want to visit both areas, perhaps take the TGV to a Limoges, pick up a car, visit Oradour, spend 5 nights in the Dordogne, then drive to Burgundy & stay 3 nights. If my math is correct, you leave on a Tuesday out of CDG. Monday night stay in Dijon & take the 6:30am TGV that gets you to CDG at 8:20 for your flight home.

On the drive from the Dordogne to Brive, to Clermont-Ferrand, to Lyon, then to St Etienne, then Lyon, then Dijon check with www.viamichelin for the drive time & see if that's too much for you. Older maps might not show the freeway around Clermont-Ferrand as being completed - but it is. We were there for 3 weeks this past July.

Stu Dudley

robjame

I would support Stu's recommendation. Mind you Burgundy is fantastic and very worth a visit. However if I had to make a choice ther is no contest. Go Dorogne, stay in a central plce close to Sarlat and enjoy. There are many caves, chateaux, markets as well as much food to eat and wine to drink. The scenery is even more spectacular than Burgundy in my opinion. You won't be bored.

StCirq

I agree that there's more to do and see in the Dordogne and overall prettier scenery. The wine's better in Burgundy, though.

Trying to squeeze both in in 8 days is going to mean a fast-paced trip. I'd pick one and explore it in depth. And if you opt for the Dordogne, I'd take the train from Paris to Limoges and pick up your car there. The drive from Paris to the Dordogne isn't all that inspiring. From Limoges to Oradour is only a half-hour drive, if that.

If you see just one cave in the Dordogne,I'd choose Font-de-Gaume. Peche-Merle is awesome, but it's not in the Dordogne (Rocamadour isn't, either, but it's not far away), and a bit of a drive if all you really want to do is see a chromatic cave. In the Dordogne itself you have a dozen or more to choose from all within a short distance of Sarlat.

StuDudley

>>The wine's better in Burgundy, though.>>

And a LOT more expensive.

Stu Dudley

Lexma90

Here's another vote for the Dordogne. I agree with all the good points noted above. I like wine, but I'm not "into" it so much. When we visited Burgundy, it was nice but I'd vote for the variety of the Dordogne.

robjame

St Cirq - I am surprised. IMO a Cahors red has it over any Burgundy.

Leely

Hmm, I'll have to hit the wine store on my way home this evening to investigate for robjame and Stu.

Thanks for the replies. I hadn't thought of the TGV to Limoges; that makes a great deal of sense. I'll have to save Burgundy for its own visit, perhaps in the fall.

Any thoughts on a base for the Dordogne? I know opinions vary widely. I'm a bit of city slicker and like to be in "town" or a happening village in the evening so have been leaning toward Sarlat. But if traffic will be a nightmare even in March/early April...

Thanks again for your help. I appreciate it very much.

StuDudley

If you want to be in a town with some cafe's, restaurants, etc - Sarlat is really the only choice. Perigueux is more of a "real" town (Sarlat is a little touristy), but Perigueux is not centrally located and there's some ugly urban sprawl that malkes getting in & out a little difficult.

The Dordogne & Sarlat might be quieter than you think in the evenings - especially in March & April. Don't expect a lot of night life (actually, don't expect much of any night life, except restaurants).

For Burgundy, plan an Alsace & Burgundy trip in Sept - that's a perfect time to be in both places. Geraniums flowing out of every nook & crannie in Alsace, robust vineyards, and the grape harvest. Dijon had several special festivals going on when we were there for 3 weekends this past Sept.

Stu Dudley

StuDudley

Now that you've settled on the Dordogne, do you have my 20+ itinerary for the Dordogne?? I've sent it to hundreds of people on this travel board & the aol travel board. E-mail me at [email protected] if you want a copy. It includes lots of restaurant write-ups from my wife's diary, my favorite villages, scenic drives, etc.

Stu Dudley

Michael

Limoges has an excellent porcelain museum. If picking up a car in Limoges and using D704 to get to the Dordogne (you wouldn't if you decided to see Brantôme and Bourdeilles on the way, both worthwhile), stop by Hautefort to visit the medicine museum in the 17th cent. hospital building which also contains a very good tourist information office hwere you can pick up all sorts of borchures.

StuDudley

>>stop by Hautefort to visit the medicine museum <<

Visit the Chateau and Chateau's garden there also.

Stu Dudley

ekscrunchy

Leely don't worry about traffic getting in and out of Sarlat, especially at that time of year. It is really a large town rather than a city and in two visits, one in May and one in October, I never encountered any type of real traffic. Very little to do at night except eat, though, as far as I could see.

Leely

Stu, thank you, I do have your Dordogne file and it is excellent.

I wasn't thinking about nightlife in Sarlat (that's <i>not</i> me), but rather having a few restaurants in town open before Easter. While we'll certainly go elsewhere for dinner, I imagine at least few evenings I'll just want to walk and imbibe and not have to worry about driving.

Again, thanks for all the advice. I see another poster has started a thread about hotels in Sarlat. How convenient.

Underhill

robjame,

You mean a Cahors red is better than, say, a Roman&eacute;e-Conti? Or a Savigny-l&egrave;s-Beaune, or a Vosne-Roman&eacute;e, or.....? Please!

StCirq

But robjame, Cahors is not in the Dordogne, so as much as I adore a good Cahors (more than any Burgundy, for sure), I can't attribute that wine to &quot;the region.&quot; We've got Bergeracs and P&eacute;charmants and Monbazillacs and Fitous and a lot of other &quot;petits vins,&quot; some of which (particularly the P&eacute;charmants) I absolutely love, but nothing with the panache of a simple Bourgogne. That said, no one in their right mind would eschew a trip to the Dordogne because it isn't a &quot;wine region,&quot; even if they were complete wine mavens. Even the local Intermarch&eacute;s carry an extraordinary range of wines from all over France, and the specialty places like Julien de Sauvignac can satisfy even the most discerning oenophile.