travelfan1

This trip will take place after my husband retires so we are able to go at anytime. It will be approximately 3 weeks and will start with 2-3 nights in Paris (visited previously) to recover from jet lag. From Paris I'd like to visit and overnight at Mont St Michele and from there move to the Loire Valley for 4-5 days, continuing to the Dordogne for a week. Haven't gotten beyond the Dordogne.

We would like to avoid crowds and heat. Temps in the low 70's would be ideal. I was leaning towards September, however I've read even September can be very warm and in the 80's. On the flip side I don't want to loose daylight either.

Given this...what are your recommendations? And if anyone has recommendations for a charming gite in the Sarlat area, preferably in town so we can walk to cafes and restaurants, I would love to hear it.

Thank you.

StCirq

Late May or late September or early October would be my best guess, given years of traveling to both places. It might still be in the 80s in October during the day, but probably not, and certainly a bit of a chill at night.

Even if you previously visited Paris, I think 2-3 days is marginally sparse (this coming from someone who's made more than 100 trips there, however). And why would you go to le MSM and then to the Loire, when the Loire is between Paris and le MSM?

Dukey

St. Cirq look at a MAP LOL

travelfan1

StCirq - Our focus this trip isn't on Paris and our stay there is to recover from jet lag. This is a rough itinerary in the very beginning stage - I don't have the details/destinations all worked out. It does seem to make more sense to me to visit MSM and work our way south to the Tours/Amboise area and from there continuing on to the Dordogne.
If we went to the Loire Valley, up to MSM, wouldn't we be backtracking to then visit the Dordogne?

StCirq

I know what the map looks like. I'm thinking of transportation issues. Are you driving or taking trains, etc.?

StuDudley

If you're just visiting Paris to recover from jet lag - and then off to Mt St Michel, I would skip Paris entirely and take the TGV from CDG to Rennes and recover there. Rennes is one of my favorite cities in France. Trains leave at 10:27, 1:16, and 3:42 for the 3 hr trip. Trains are great places to "relax" & see a bit of countryside after an airplane trip.

If you are looking for an area to tour in addition to the Loire & the Dordogne, you could spend 4-5 days in Brittany near Dinan. Much prettier area than the Loire, IMO, and Brittany has chateaux also.

The Dordogne was quite cool this past late June - we couldn't dine outside several days because it was a little chilly in the evening. We were there once in very late June/early July & we had the heat on at the Gite.

We've spent 10 weeks in the Dordogne - 7 in Sept & 3 in June. We don't like high temps either, but I've never felt it was too hot on any of our visits. Many weeks during June in Provence were too hot - but not the Dordogne.

Stu Dudley

Michael

If driving, do a round trip and drive back to via the Auvergne.

Michael

<i>drive back to</i> <b>Paris</b><i> via ...</i> is what I meant to say.

nytraveler

I would do late May or early June. for the Loire you want to find out when the son et lumiere performances start. They're spectacular andyuoshould see at lest one.

travelfan1

We'll train when possible and will certainly have a car in the Dordogne.

As I said, this trip is in the infant stage and I want to determine when we're going so I can save accordingly. We're going to Italy this spring and it's a delight to see hotel rates lower in France...if I stick with budget accommodations I may stretch this trip to 4 weeks.

I'm also drawn to Annecy and the Strasbourg/Colmar area. We love exploring churches and quaint villages and I love the German/Swiss influence in the Colmar area.

Michael

If interested in seeing quaint villages, it may be better to rent or lease a car than taking the train. You would want one for the Loire valley anyway and if you want to see Annecy and Alsace, you might as well tour the area in between--the Jura. Click on my name and you will find my trip report on the Jura.

travelfan1

Yes...we'll have a car for the Loire Valley as well....picking up somewhere outside of Paris....training to that destination and returning to Paris via train.

StuDudley

My wife & I spend 2 months vacationing in France most years. The only way we can afford to spend this much time there is by staying in Gites. The Gite where we've stayed in the Dordogne for 5 different trips for a total of 10 weeks, rents for 475E per week in June & Sept - and that's one of the more expensive Gites. Purchasing roast chickens from the groceries & farmer's markets, preparing meals ourselves, cooking simple things at the Gites - saves a lot of $$$$ and breaks up the continual restaurant meals (which we love - but don't want to dine out 28 straight days).

If you CAN visit for 4 weeks, a perfect vacation would be:

1. Land at CDG on a Friday morning. Immediatly take the TGV to Rennes & stay there 1 night (2 nights if you land on Thurs). Pick up a car as you leave Rennes.

2. Rent a Gite for 1 week near Dinan. Visit Mt San Michael from the Gite. Explore the beautiful Northern Brittany coast & inland areas. Lots of castles.

3. Drive to the Loire, rent a gite there & stay 1 week.

4. Drive to the Dordogne, rent a Gite for 2 weeks (you won't even come close to running out of things to do in 2 weeks).

5. Drive to Collonges la Rouge & visit. Drive to Brive la Gaillard, dump the car at the train station, & take the train to Paris.

We've rented 29 different Gites for 67 weeks in France. All have been rented through Gites de France. They rent from Sat to Sat. We've rented Gites in all the areas you're considering & in areas others have suggested. We stayed for 2 weeks in the Dordogne this year, 1 week in the Auvergne, and 1 week on the western Loire near Saumur (already visited the eastern Loire near Tours for a week in a gite)

Stu Dudley

greg

I recommend you check the weather around target destinations right now since you will be traveling about this time next year.

While not in Dordogne, I have encountered flooding in Gard in September. I also saw a French news reporting flooding in Bayonne last week.