Aramis

I can't decide which route to take from Sarlat to San Sebastian.

The route south through Toulouse and Pau is longer (45 mins. to 1.5 hours by various mapping sites) but admittedly more scenic than taking the route west and south, near the coast.

A route through Villeneuve-sur-Lot has been suggested and it comes up shorter than the one through Pau - surprisingly, I think - so that may be the best route as I am told it is more scenic than the autoroute.

If I was to take the Villeneuve route, what would be a few nice places to stop - perhaps for lunch presuming we leave Sarlat at 9:00 a.m.?

And if we take the Toulouse Pau route, is there a nice town close to the highway that could be a nice lunching point?

Any opinions on which way to go and why?

It's a one way trip for us, we are going on to Segovia and flying out of Madrid.

Thanks muchly

Michael

Here are some photos that might give you some ideas. The first ones are from the Gorges du Tarn area, but the following ones pretty much cover the Southwest.

http://www.photoworks.com/share/shar...BBCB&cb=PW

La Bastide d'Armagnac has a liquor store specializing in Armagnac and has a nice center. In Auch you whould see the cathedral and visit its regional products market, The Orthez hotel was old but clean and pleasant, housed in an old town house built around a courtyard or maybe it was a traveler's inn, the name of which is Au Temps de la Reine Jeanne (listed in the Michelin Red Guide and its web site). On the other hand, we had a fantastic meal of regional food in its restaurant, not mentioned in the Red Guide. Ainhoa is a <i>plus beau village</i>. We took two days to go from the Dordogne to San Sebastian, losing a couple of hours because of car problems on the first day.

StCirq

If you take the Villeneuve-sur-Lot route, you should stop briefly at Monflanquin, though you'll get there before lunch if you leave early. I'd try to make it to N&eacute;rac for lunch so you can eat riverside. V-s-Lot is an OK town, as is Agen, but N&eacute;rac is charming.

klondike

If you end up at the bastide town of Monflaquin, take the road up to the top rather than parking down low and having to walk up. From the top it is an easy walk to the church and then on to the bastide square. We had a lovely lunch at brasserie/restaurant Au Prince Noir on the terrace right on the square. It seemed to be where the locals hung out/ate and was very good quality/price in a great setting.