The Dordonge
 

Bonjour!

My husband and I are planning our 5th trip to France and this time would like to spend a few days exploring the Dordonge region. I have done some online research, and have some ideas of what we would like to do but am looking for more in depth information. Does anyone have a recommendation for the best travel guide book for this region? Once I have reviewed the guide, I am sure I will write the forum again for specific ideas and information. Merci

I found the Michelin Green Guide for the area invaluable.

Enjoy!

We've spent 13 weeks vacationing in the Dordogne & surrounds. We were there for 3 weeks last year. I wrote a 20+ page itinerary that describes our favorite villages, scenic drives, markets, caves, castles gardesn, etc. I've sent my various itineraries to over 6,000 people on Fodors. If you would like a copy, e-mail me t [email protected] & I'll attach one to the reply e-mail. Specify that you want the Dordogne itinerary - I have others.

Stu Dudley

Let's start by spelling it and prounouncing it correctly. It's the Dordogne, not the Dordonge.

I would guess the Michelin guide would be the best.

Agree with the Michelin green guide. The Rough guide is also decent. Would recommend more than a few days.

Greatest wine in France is found there called 'Pecharmant'.
Very subjective of course/

StCirq, thanks for the correction. I was so busy listening to the pronunciation on YouTube, I neglected to pay attention to the spelling. :) I will email Stu and I am ordering the green guide now. Thank you all!!

Pariswat, I looked for that wine locally but it is not in my area.I will definitely write it down as it looks like a blend we would enjoy. Thank you for the tip!

St-Cirq lives in Dordogne and in many past posts has shared her wealth of knowledge about it. As good as any guidebook or even better! When return take her recommendations very seriously.

Le Petit-Manoir
134, Route du Champ
Le Champ
24200 VITRAC
FRANCE
+33 553.30.44.65 • +33 623.35.10.26 • +33 623.06.14.54
[email protected]

When you decide what you are doing and the sites you would like to see, you may want to check this out in terms of accommodation. Stayed here a couple of years ago and loved the location. Very close to Sarlat and other interesting areas you will love to explore.
Cant say enough about the couple who own Le Petite Manoir, they are lovely and accommodating. Hope this helps.Good luck with your planning.
BTW, Stu Dudley is a wealth of info and has helped me with many itineraries.

I have the Sept 2015 France Michelin Green guide, and it does not have a whole lot about the Dordogne.

I also have an old Karen Brown France guide, which inspired me years ago to want to visit Dordogne.

There are so many cool chateaux in the Dordogne region which are not listed in guidebooks, maybe the Rough Guide, I haven't seen that one. But I think I got more info about little towns and chateaux from the website FRancethisway and north of the Dordogne

http://www.francethisway.com/tourism...e-chateaux.php

and

http://www.northofthedordogne.com/chateaux.php

Look further on these sites for info on towns etc.

The Green Guide I used was for the Dordogne, Berry, and Limousine; the most recent version dates to 2015. I used about 6 different guidebooks when planning my time in France; the Rough Guide to France was my go-to in general and my second choice for the Dordogne.

We stayed here twice. Enjoyable. Genuine authentic French country food. http://mazet.roland.free.fr/

We stayed here once: http://www.lagarriguehaute.fr/ Also enjoyable. Also excellent food. Plus an on-site goose farm, with foie gras.

Le Petit Futé can also be a good resource, but by far the very best source of information is the Périgord Découverte magazine put out by the tourist offices in the area. It's free, but I don't know if you can get hold of it other than by going to a tourist office or local spot where there are tourist brochures for free.

Pécharmant is indeed a wonderful wine, though it comes from a small area near Bergerac, not a place most tourists would end up. You can find it in supermarkets here, though, and in any great cave like Julien de Savignac.

What time of year are you traveling? Depending on the month, Vitrac could either be a lovely or a horrible choisce.

Hello again

We were planning to travel in April, however I have the option to push it out until next September depending on garden bloom times. I love gardening and seeing gardens is always a highlight of any trip I take. I know the weather is variable everywhere (I live in Houston!), but my research so far suggests April may be just a little early for blooming gardens. Any suggestion as to April vs. mid September relative to gardens?

I did receive Stu Dudley's trip report for the area, and the green guide I ordered from Amazon was specific to Dordogne. It said it was updated June 2017, but other research suggests it is the 2015 version so I won't know until I receive.

I was sorry that I could not get a bottle of the recommended wine locally. I will look forward to purchasing Pécharmant while in France.

I have bookmarked the two recommended websites for general information, and I will look at the recommendations for places to stay offered here. I also googled Péritgord Découverte and there is a website for it. I'm not sure if it is the magazine online or a compilation of information produced by regional tourist offices. In either case, it has a lot of information which I am sure will help me. It is so enjoyable to learn about this interesting area in France. I am excited to get into all the research.

Thank you you all for your help!

April can be early for blooming gardens. September can be late, but probably the better choice. It was hot and sunny here today and yesterday, and it's mid-October and all our flowers, lavender, roses, oleander, etc., are still blooming like crazy.

I would go in fall.

I think it's absolutely improbable that you'll find Pécharmant anywhere but here locally.

https://1000corks.com/wine/Pecharmant

https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/pecharmant/1/usa

For me, Michelin Green Guides are indispensable and I certainly recommend the Green Dordogne, Berry and Limousin Guide. My favourite, however, is the Cadogan Guide "Southwest France: Dordogne, Lot and Bordeaux". I am also very partial to Barrie Kerper's Collected Traveler series. They are not strictly guides but fascinating compendiums of background information from a wide range of articles and books, as well as the author/editor's own observations. "Southwest France" covers the Dordogne area, and though I think it is out of print it is widely available from used booksellers.

In all of our driving trips through France, The Dordogne was our favorite.
Based in Sarlat, we drove to many small towns in the area with ease.
The FODORITES above were the biggest help in planning our itinerary.
Here’s our TR from Sept. 2012......

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-and-paris.cfm

There were so many highlights during this trip that it’s hard to choose one BUT if I had to it would be that the 3rd weekend in Sept. is Herritage Weekend. We were not aware of this and it was my birthday on Sat. the 15th of that year. Sarlat streets were lit with 10,000 candles after dark. What a lovely surprise. Also, many more surprises came up over that weekend that are not available other times of the year. If it is possible for you to go the 3rd weekend of Sept. in any year, do so

As you mentioned Gardens, Eryignac Gardens and Marquetssac Gardens were spectacular in Sept.

Again, as it was Herritage Weekend, the owner of the chateau in Eryignac had his home open to view inside and he welcomed us with open arms. The only time of the year you can do this.