I am seeking Fodorite suggestions and comments regarding our itinerary. I love trip planning!

My husband and I are in our late 50's and reasonably active. We are interested in sightseeing and we like to get out into the countryside and go for long walks. We want to see Lascaux and Font-de-Gaume. We have been to France a few times, most recently to Paris and Provence in 2009. We love to have wonderful food and wine. Is it true duck is featured on every menu in this region? Lol, I don't mind duck but hopefully not every day.

We fly into Barcelona where we are spending several days then plan to travel by train into France on May 7th, 2014. I am thinking Toulouse for one night. As my research shows it is a national holiday on May 8th, I thought we'd pick up our car either upon arrival at the train station in Toulouse on the 7th or the 8th if the rental office is not closed that day.

Where to stay in Toulouse? Near the train station might be handy.

Our next reservations will be in the Lot valley at Mas de Garrigue, recommended highly for beautiful accommodation, nice surroundings, and in-house meals that according to our friends who stayed there are fabulous.

Just not too sure what to do after this... thinking of going to Sarlat area to stay at L'Ombriere which is about 18 minutes away. It has great reviews on Tripadvisor. I'm wondering if it would be better to stay right in Sarlat though. It might be nice to be able to just walk to a restaurant for dinner rather than having to drive at night.

Last question. Is it best to drop the car at Brive la Gaillarde and take the train to Paris (our next destination).

Thank you very much for any suggestions or advice you have to offer.

Yes, it is best to drop the car off in Brive. PREM tickets are available from Brive to Paris. Last year we paid 15€ per person from Paris to Brive by ordering the tickets three months in advance.

Instead of Font-de-Gaume consider http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rouffignac_Cave which is completely different from Lascaux. However, the tours are only in French.

Thanks Michael, Rouffignac is a good suggestion. I appreciate that, and the PREM ticket suggestion. I will a make a note on my calendar to order the tickets 3 months ahead.

We love the Dordogne! We stayed at Les Granges Hautes just outside of Sarlat and loved it

http://www.les-granges-hautes.fr/en/

We found duck very prominent on most menus! There are different variations...but yes, lots and lots of duck!

Thanks Jamikins. I have read and enjoyed your trip reports over the years and I'm pretty sure I have Les Granges Hautes on my list of possibilities. We are excited to go to the Dordogne. I hope the weather is good, although even with the best laid plans you can't control that!

Glad our trip reports have been of help!

Here are the pics from our 2009 trip...we had some gorgeous weather but some bad weather as well...but it just makes for atmospheric pictures,right!?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gir...7637225490724/

We been to the Dordogne twice, and preferred staying right in Sarlat. We did like wandering around in the evening and walking to dinner, and leisurely drinks at cafes before dinner. (That being said, we did drive out of town two nights to go to dinner.)

And I will second the advice to drop the car in Brive and take the train from there. If your timing works out right, you can pick him up food at the Sarlat market a day or two before, and have a lovely picnic on the train.

To whet your appetite:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...7624827253292/

I like that picnic idea Lexma90! A delicious baguette sandwich as the scenery passes by. Did you like your hotel in Sarlat and if so would you share the name of it?

>>into France on May 7th, 2014. I am thinking Toulouse for one night. As my research shows it is a national holiday on May 8th, <<

Toulouse won't be too exciting on a holiday - if this is one where all the shops are closed. I would stay 2 nights in Toulouse. On May 8, take the morning train to Carcassonne for a visit. Then after Carcassonne, visit some museums in Toulouse - they usually don't close on Holidays (except major ones). Explore Toulouse more the next day.

Stu Dudley

I like StuDudley's idea -- Toulouse is truly wonderful and has some outstanding museums. I also like the idea of staying in Sarlat -- I found it a delightful place at any time of day, but perhaps especially in the evening. And yes, lots of duck on the menus, but I would be very surprised if you didn't find a number of other outstanding dishes. Enjoy!

>>>would be very surprised if you didn't find a number of other outstanding dishes.<<<

Like Mr Duck's companion - foie gras.

Francebound - do you have my itinerary for the Dordogne? I've sent it to over 1,500 people on Fodors. There are restaurant & meal descriptions on it. If you would like a copy, e-mail me at [email protected] & I'll attach a copy to the reply e-mail. I updated it this past July after our 2 week stay in the Lot.

Stu Dudley



Stu Dudley

You bet I do Stu! Will email you shortly. I am pretty sure I may have used some of your helpful info when we were in Tuscany in 2011.

We stayed at a B&B called Chambres du Glacier. The owners, who run the cafe below, have four or six very large rooms above the main square. Very clean, and the bathroom was also huge. Breakfast was outdoors in the square, at their cafe. No parking provided, but when we were there (in late May), we could easily find parking in a city public lot and walk over to the B&B each day after our touring around the area.

And for our picnic, we had cheese and bread, plus olives, small savory tarts, the local melon, the delicious local chocolate dusted walnuts, and wine of course. And most of that was left over from our picnic of the day before - we couldn't resist all the lovely food, and bought way too much.

Toulouse IBIS hotel at train station is OK.
Do you know that there is now a TGV linking Barcelona to Toulouse?
(There are also many things to see in Toulouse like: UNESCO's listed Saint Sernin Cathedral and again UNESCO listed "Les Jacobins" convent. http://southweststory.com/toulouse)

Some ideas of sightseeing and things to do in the Lot region (cahors is the department's capital):

http://southweststory.com/cahors

and in Sarlat and surroundings:

http://southweststory.com/sarlat

<<thinking of going to Sarlat area to stay at L'Ombriere which is about 18 minutes away.>>

18 minutes away from what?

I would stay IN Sarlat. But how much time do you have for the Dordogne part of your visit? You really need about a week to do it justice.

I have revised plans to include 3 nights right in Sarlat and am hoping to hear back from the Chambres du Glacier as recommended by Lexma90. We will spend May 8 - 14 in the Lot and Dordogne, so a week altogether. We are going to Paris for 7 days afterwards.

Thank you all SO MUCH for your suggestions.