judyrose

What do you think of this itinerary for a June 2004 trip to Provence and Dordogne area?We've been to Paris so we are keeping that area short this time.
CDG to Avignon by TVG. Day in Avignon sleep there.( Hotel suggestions?)
Next day drive to Fontivielle and stay 3 nights at Mas de La Tour.
Drive to Gorges du Tarn area and stay at Chateau le Caze 2 nights
Drive to Cordes sur Ciel by way of Albi. Stay one night Aurifat B&B.
Drive to Rocamadour stay at Domaine de la Rhue 2 nights
Drive to Sarlat stay at the Madeleine 3 nights.
Drive to Carcassone stay overnight.
Drive to Toulouse to take the train to Paris for 2 nights. Stay at Familia Hotel.
Thanks for the input!!

StCirq

Looks pretty reasonable to me, but be aware that Sarlat is pretty packed, even in June, and getting in and out from the Madeleine will be a chore. If you're not planning on spending a lot of time in Sarlat itself (which certainly is worth at least a day, especially on market days), you might be better off staying somewhere in a nice town/village nearby.

judyrose

Thanks StCirq. That's exactly the kind of information I was looking for. Do you think Hotel les Glycines is a better choice? I would like to go to the market in Sarlat. How hard would it be to drive and park there? Can we take a bus from Les Eyzies? Do you know of a better location/inn to stay in that area?

TuckH

I'm VERY partial to staying in small Chambres d'Hote (B+B's) - with a family, perhaps on a farm - rather than in hotels.

Why don't you consider that?

RonZ

The Chateau le Caze is a beautifully restored old castle with atmosphere galore, but be forewarned that the quality of the cuisine could be an issue. It was very poor when we stayed there 3 years ago.

StCirq

judy:

Les Glycines is a lovely hotel (with a wonderful restaurant) in Les Eyzies. It's about a 20-minute drive from Les Eyzies to Sarlat. You can drive to market on Wednesdays (small market) or Saturday (large market), but you need to get there early (around 8 a.m.) to get good parking.There is no bus that I know of from Les Eyzies.

Other hotels/B&Bs you might want to consider include:

Hotels

Hôtel de l?Abbaye
Rue de l?Abbaye
24220 St-Cyprien
5-53-29-20-48
5-53-29-15-85 (fax)
Has a nice restaurant, too. There?s a big market in town on Sunday mornings, and the parking lot is across from the hotel, so Sunday might not be too quiet.

Le Moulin de la Beune
24620 Les Eyzies-de-Tayac
5-53-06-94-33
5-53-06-98-06 (fax)
An old mill in a beautiful setting. Very good restaurant

Hôtel-Restaurant Laborderie
Le bourg (center)
24620 Tamniès
5-53-29-68-59
5-53-29-65-31 (fax)
About halfway between Sarlat and Montignac in a lovely hill town. Another good restaurant.

Hôtel-Restaurant Le Trèfle à Quatre Feuilles
Rue de la Gare
24170 Siorac-en-Périgord
5-53-31-60-26 (fax same)
British-owned, cosy little place in a pretty, untouristed village. OK restaurant.

Hostellerie la Roseraie
11, place d?Armes
24290 Montignac
5-53-50-53-92
5-53-51-02-23 (fax)
Delightful inn in a park-like setting ? and another great restaurant.

Hôtel-Restaurant La Belle Etoile
Rue Principale
24250 La Roque-Gageac
5-53-29-51-44
5-53-29-45-63
One of the ?plus beaux villages de France? set along the river Dordogne, a charming hotel with one of the best restaurants in the area.

B&Bs

Le Moulin Neuf, Paunat
24510 Ste-Alvère
5-53-63-30-18
5-53-73-33-91 (fax)
Owned by two British men, a charming watermill with immaculate rooms and an exquisite setting in a charming, but quiet town.

La Maison des Bois
24510 Paunat
5-53-22-75-74 (same)
6-82-75-79-32 (cell phone)
English-speaking owner, has a small log cabin in addition to a double room and a 5-person suite in the house.

La Métairie Haute
Laserre
24200 Sarlat-la-Canéda
5-53-30-31-17
5-53-59-62-66 (fax)
Large B&B set in pretty grounds with a lake overlooking a wooded valley, beautifully restored, on outskirts of Sarlat

Le Branchat
24170 Belvès
5-53-28-98-80
5-53-28-90-82 (fax)
Owned by a young, enthusiastic couple, somewhat opulent feel for a B&B (yet not expensive); breakfast is eggs from their own chickens and whatever else you?d like.

Au Bonne Acceuil
24510 Limeuil
5-53-63-30-97
Atop the beautiful medieval village of Limeuil, basic rooms but very quiet atmosphere. Simple meals available.

La Grande Marque
24220 Marnac-St-Cyprien
5-53-31-61-63
5-53-28-39-55 (fax)
Extraordinary view of the Dordogne river, rooms in an old tobacco barn that has been completely renovated. Good meals served.

L?Auberge du Noyer
Le Reclaud de Bouny Bas
24260 Le Bugue
5-53-07-11-73
5-53-54-57-44 (fax)
Lovely setting. Recently taken over by new owners I know nothing about, but it used to be a gem of a place.

La Plume d?Oie
Le bourg
24250 La Roque-Gageac
5-53-29-57-06
5-53-31-04-81 (fax)
A restaurant with an excellent reputation that morphed into a B&B. The woman who owns it has a colorful reputation but her cuisine is famous.

uhoh_busted

I second the recommendation of Hotel la Belle Etoile -- while we didn't stay there, we had the best meal of our trip at their restaurant (reservations are necessary). I would assume their hotel is quite cheerful and nice. We stayed in nearby Beynac, at Hotel Bonnet, which had a very good restaurant too. Those little towns on the Dordogne River are really lovely, and it is easy to get around from them. Sarlat is a pretty busy little city, and we were there at a particularly non-touristy time!

judyrose

Thank you all for your help!!Any suggestions for a place to stay in Avignon??

judyrose

I changed hotel plans to Les Glycines. Thanks for the great advice. I'm still contemplating Carcassonne becuase my plan is to go to the Gorges du Tarn area after Provence. Should I skip the gorges and just go to Carcassonne so as to make a better itinerary?

capo

There's an article in the NY Times -- unfortunately now in the premium (i.e. $$) archives -- about the British in Cordes-sur-Ciel and the surrounding area.

August 8, 2003: "Cordes-sur-Ciel Journal; The British Are Coming, and Gobbling Up the Pâté"

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstrac...A10894DB404482

cigalechanta

I have stayed at the Hotel d'Europe and across the bridge in Villeneuve-les-Avignon at the Priori(sp?) and dined one night at another beautiful hotel there, Hostellerie La Magnanerale. but both places have less expensive hotels. I was alone my first time so felt safer staying in a well known place.
Fodor's Rivage book of bed and breakfast in France has very good selections. Hope this is of help

StCirq

judyrose: What is your overall plan? Where are you starting and where are you ending? Are you planning to take the long route, via the Gorges du Tarn on the way between the Dordogne and Provence (via Millau, Villefranche-du-Rouergue, etc.?), or what? If so, then Carcassonne is definitely out of your way. Or are you doing the autoroute between the Dordogne and Provence and making a special detour up to the Gorges du Tarn. And are you starting in the Dordogne or Provence?

If you can give us an overview of your trip it would be much easier to help you plan the stops along the way.

DeborahAnn

We stayed at the Madeleine this May and the location is great for walking around the town. Our car was parked in a lot nearby and getting in and out of town wasn't difficult even on Saturday's market day. It was super watching the market unfold in the morning as we watched from our window. Sarlat really lived up to its reputation for us. Have a great trip. You will enjoy Cordes sur Ciel also. We liked many of the small towns in the Midi Pyrenees area. Deborah Ann

judyrose

Thanks StCirq. Yes, we are all over the place on this itinerary since ofcourse we want to do too much with too little time. I decided to nix the trip to the Gorges du Tarn. Now the itnerary looks like this:
Sun-Wed in Provence visiting Luberon area, St Remy, Les Baux, Nimes,Uzes, etc.
Thurs. visit Arles and then drive to Carcassonne. Stay overnight at La Cite.
Fri drive your scenic route to Albi and stay overnight in Cordes sur Ceil at B&B Aurifat.
Sat. drive to Rocamadour staying at Domaine de la Rhue two nights.
Monday drive to Les Eyzies staying at Les Glycines.
QUESTIONS: We have four nights-should we split them up two in Les Eyzies and two in Sarlat. The poster mentioned waking up to market day and that sounds great!!I love markets.
What is the best way to get back to Paris?

RebeccaM

DeborahAnn,

Can you say more about the midi-Pyrenees? Does it take a long time to travel in that area because of the mountains? This might sound crazy, but is it scary driving in the mountains? I'm thinking about going there next April but don't know if we have enough time.

Also, where is the Madeleine? Sarlat or Avignon? Thanks.

judyrose

The Madeleine is a hotel in the town of Sarlat which is in the Dordogne area and Avignon is in the Provence area. You need a map.

DeborahAnn

To Rebecca: We stayed in a gite about 20 minutes east of Toulouse in the Lauragais area. We found it easy to do day trips to many towns although when we went to the mountains of the Pyrenees particularly Ax-les-Thermes we stayed overnight there, drove part of the route of the Tour de France, went to Andorra just to say we did and then drove back through the town of Mirepoix to visit there. In the part of the Midi Pyrenees where we stayed there were gently rolling hills and no mountains. I will be happy to answer any questions you have. You might want to start a new question about the midi pyrenees to get comments from others. We had a great time when we were there. Deborah Ann

StCirq

judyrose:

I think it would be silly to split up four nights between Les Eyzies and Sarlat as they are so close together. You can drive into Sarlat in 20 minutes and be there for either the Saturday or Wednesday market. If you get there by about 8 a.m., there should be ample parking.

AJPeabody

Add the Grotte du Peche Merle in Caberets. It's a real stone age cave large enough to hold Notre Dame and it's not a reproduction like Lascaux II. Peche Merle has marvelous cave paintings and fantastic stone formations and 20,000 year-old human footprints. Limited entry - you'll need to plan for tickets and entry time, but it is truly worth it. You'll be near it. A French webpage: http://www.chez.com/stachepi/rubriqu...pech_merle.htm

If you are making a choice, go with the Gorges du Tarn over Carcasson. The first is real, Carcasson is a reconstruction, mostly.