Paris to Dordogne travel?

Old Aug 18th, 2013, 07:33 AM
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Paris to Dordogne travel?

My husband and I are planning a trip to France and Italy. We plan to fly to Paris, spend a few days there, and then we would love to go to someplace like the Dordogne. However, we aren't sure the best way to get there because from what Google says, it looks like it's almost 6 hours drive to get to places we want to explore like the Jardins de Marqueyssac and the Chateau de Beynac. So here are our questions:
1) Is there someplace near Paris where you can go outside of the city to explore castles, bike and canoe/kayak on a river that would be comparable to the Dordogne??
2) If not, is it worth the trip to explore those castles and canoe around the Dordogne River?
3) What's the best way to get there from Paris? We were thinking of taking a flight or train from Paris to Bergerac, but then we would still need transportation to get from there to where we want to stay and explore near the Jardins de Marqueyssac and the Chateau de Beynac. Renting a car after paying for train or plane tickets seems like it would get expensive, wouldn't it?
4) We have driven around the US Virgin Islands where they still drive on the left side of the road, but other than that, our driving experience has only been in the States. Since we aren't familiar with French roads and driving laws, is it feasible for us to rent a car and drive from Paris to the sites in the Dordogne like the Jardins de Marqueyssac and the Chateau de Beynac? Maybe it's not a big deal, we have just never driven in France before.
Thank you so much for your advice!!! : )
pureleigh is offline  
Old Aug 18th, 2013, 07:47 AM
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French drive on the same side of the road as americans, steering wheel is on the left as well--no difference from what you would rent in the States. Expense of a rental is not much different as well. Driving laws are also similar but you have to adapt to the 'roundabouts'.
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Old Aug 18th, 2013, 07:56 AM
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You're overthinking this. Driving will be easy, but first fly to Toulouse (or take the train but it's a good six hours, can't be helped, it's a long way and there are mountains...). In Toulouse, get a car, and a bit over an hour later you're in Beynac.

You'll love having a car, anyway, gallivanting around such a beautiful region at your own leisure on secondary and tertiary roads is what you may remember more later on than the specific targets you have in mind now.
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Old Aug 18th, 2013, 07:59 AM
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How many days do you have to spend the Dordogne region? That is really going to dictate if it is feasible/viable for you to go there.

A train ride would be the relaxing way to get to the area. Then you can rent a car for a couple days to see the area.

Where are heading to after the Dordogne? Driving is easy. No worried there. We stayed in Beynac during our week in the Dordogne. We also visited the Marquessac Gardens for the evening lights. Just beautiful and so very memorable.

If you can fit it into your schedule, I would go, but not if you only have a day. The Dordogne region is absolutely a must see IMO.

A bit more info will help us to help you make an informed decision. St Cirq is the real expert on the area so listen to her advice (when she responds), she knows the Dordogne better than anyone on this forum IMO.
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Old Aug 18th, 2013, 08:08 AM
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Agree that it's not a day excursion, minimum three days (plus travel days) or don't bother. As an alternative to Toulouse which is closest to, say, Beynac-et-Cazenac (careful, there is a Beynac near Limoges), you can take the 3-hr train ride to Bordeaux and get a car, it's a good two hours from there to Beynac-et-Cazenac, and on the way there you have any number of nice places and landscapes, so don't rush - Bergerac is just one of them. Read up on the region, and watch some travel DVDs, Rick Steves for example has a nice one, as does Rudy Maxa I seem to remember.
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Old Aug 18th, 2013, 08:51 AM
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Agree that if you are taking the time to get there it deserves at least 3-4 full days not including your travel days. Where are you going afterwards? You can fly from Toulouse to Venice...but where you head afterwards might dictate your travels.

We have stayed around Sarlat the two times we visited and think its a great base for the area.
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Old Aug 18th, 2013, 09:13 AM
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I wouldn't fly to Toulouse, nor would I take the TGV to Bordeaux. If you know how to work the French online train-ticketing system (www.voyages-sncf.com), you should be able to get a train ticket from Paris to Brive-la-Gaillarde for under 20 euros, and then you're 45 minutes from Sarlat. Rent a car in Brive; you'll have to have one if you have any hope of visiting anything in the Dordogne. I always rent from AutoEurope. A small car won't cost more than about 30 euros a day, and if it's a diesel, which it likely will be, one tank of gas will last a week.

BUT, don't bother with the Dordogne unless you have a bare minimum of 5 days to visit. There's simply way too much to see and do (lots more than Marquessac and Beynac...lots!).

Driving a car isn't much of a challenge if you drive a stick shift (an automatic will be hard to come by, there will never be a guarantee you'll get one, and it will up the cost of the rental considerably). A quick perusal online or in a French atlas of international road signs is all you'll need to understand signage...with one exception: in France you don't, or rarely, follow route numbers. You have to have advance notice of what towns you are headed for and which are the major destinations, so if you're driving from St-Cyprien, for example, and headed for Beynac, it's helpful to know that Beynac is on the road to Sarlat, because they signs may say only Sarlat. But that's what maps are for.

To answer another of your questions, there are castles all over France from all historical periods. There are innumerable rivers where you can canoe and kayak. Although France has hundreds of gorgeous regions, none of them is anything like the Dordogne - they are all unique, with their own attributes. I would suggest you get the Michelin Green guide to France and a couple of other guidebooks if you want to learn more about various areas of the country. If you're set on the Dordogne, get a guidebook or two specific to that area.

Have fun planning!
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