mjoy

Arriving in Toulouse around 3:30 from Pari. We will be driving north to Sarlat hoping to hit the top highlights on the way. My husband loves photography and I love spectacular scenery, hiking, easy kayaking. The problem is we have ten days before we fly back to Paris, not nearly enough time, I'm sure. Not sure how to divide up my time. We figured two days in Toulouse, two days in Cordes sur Ciel, four days in Sarlat and not sure whether to stay up in the Rocamadour area or make it a day trip and then have a night or two to spend in St. Cirq Lapopie area. I read it's really beautiful to see Rocamadour at night and my husband does not like driving mountain roads at night.
Any suggestions what to leave out or something I should consider? Do you have any experience with using a GPS in France as far as showing the minor roadways?
mjoy

StCirq

Two days in Toulouse is great. One day in Cordes should be sufficient. Same for Rocamadour, but you could also do that as a long daytrip from Sarlat (including Martel, Collonges-la-Rouge, and the Gouffre de Padirac). I'm not a fan of St-Cirq-Lapopie, but as long as you're there, do stop by. It's interesting for maybe an hour or two. But nearby Peche-Merle cave is well worth it.

Are you going back to Toulouse to fly home?

mjoy

mjoy on March 6, 10
No, we are flying back to Paris and staying there for five days. Paris is really what my huband wanted to see. I was there about 12 years ago with a girlfriend. Tres hectic. I love the countryside such as the Amalfi Coast, which I've been to several times. Hoping to see similar beautiful scenery in the Dordogne. If I skip St. Cirq thought I might go to Conques for half a day on the way to Sarlat. Have any thoughts about that? I'm also planning to visit Font de Gaume if I get tickets. Tried the link found on Fodor's forum and am waiting for a reply to my email.
Thanks for your suggestions.
mjoy

Michael

Depending on your husband's interests in photography, here are a few places between Toulouse and Sarlat that might interest him:

Moissac for the church portal and the cloister

Montauban for its double-arched 17th century square

Albi for the stone carvings of the Sainte Cécile's choir

The area around Narjac, north of Cordes-sur-ciel, is very photogenic.

Michael

Flying to Paris? Given the time necessary to get to the airport, the need to be there ahead of time, and the time to get from the airport to Paris itself, it might be better to do it by train. Check sncf.com to see if PREM tickets are still available from Brive to Paris, assuming that you can cancel your flight from ? to Paris.

StuDudley

I would keep on a somewhat sraight line from Toulouse to Sarlat. Conques is out-of-the way.

Assuming that you don't suffer much from jet lag and considering that you really only have about 1/3 of the time needed to even scratch the surface of things to "do & see" between/incl. Toulouse & Sarlat, here is what I would do.

- Day 1. land & take taxi to Toulouse - stay at a hotel close to the train station (Mermoz is fine). Try to take one of the walking tours outlined in the Michelin Green Guide to the Languedoc.

- Day 2 - take the "other" walking itinerary in Toulouse that's described in the Green Guide.

- Have lunch in Toulouse. After lunch (or have a sandwich on the run if you want to gain about 1 1/2 hrs of sightseeing) pick up the car at the train station & head out to Albi. Exlore Albi for about 3 hours (not during lunch when all the shops will close). Then take the D600 to Cordes & stay overnight 1 night.

- Day 3 - take the D922 southwest to the D115 & head to the interesting Bastide town of Castelnau de Montmiral & explore one of my favorite Bastide towns for 1 hr (breakfast?). Then get on the very scenic D964 to Bruniquel & explore Bruniquel for 1 hr. Next, catch the A20 at Caussade & get off the A20 at exit 57 & find your way to St Cirq Lapopie for a lunch & brouse-around . Then visit Peche Merle caves (reserve 1 month in advance). Get back on th A20 heading north & get off at exit 56 and take the scenic D32 to Rocamadour & check into a hotel. I would not want to get to Rocamadour anytime before around 4:30 - so if you get there before 4:30, head to Gouffre de Padirac to see the "live" underground cave & then return to Rocamadour & explore the town.

Day 4 - head to l'Hospitalet for the views of Rocamadour - best in the morning. Visit the Gouffre de Padirac if you did not visit it yesterday. Then head to Carennac & explore one of the prettiest small towns on the Dordogne River. Then follow the Dordogne west & if you have time - do a side trip to Martel & then on to Sarlat

- Day 5,6,7,8
explore the Dordogne

- Day 9 Back to Toulouse for your flight to Paris. If this was my trip, I would have taken the train from Brive la Gaillard to Paris & visited Collonges la Rouge on the way to Brive.

Alternate plans:

Will you be in Toulouse &/or Albi on a Sunday or Monday morning when they will be dead (shops are closd) & not nearly as interesting? If you arrive in Toulouse on a Saturday or Sunday, I would visit Toulouse on that day (hopefully not Sunday), wake up the next morning, and head to Cordes - skipping Albi. Visit Albi and explore Toulouse more when you return 10 days later.

Stu Dudley

mjoy

mjoy March 6, 2010 7:51

We arriving at the Toulouse Airport approx 2:30 on a Friday picking up car, and heading straight to Toulouse Grand Hotel de L'Opera and crashing (us, not the car), so we'll have Fri. nite, Saturday and Sunday morning. Still not confirmed in the Cordes hotel for Sunday nite. If can't get it, was going to stay in Albi which, yes, it will be Sunday and Monday. I have your list of small towns in the area and was going to try to see some of them. That is why I was leaving two days in the Cordes/Albi area. Will everything be closed in all the towns?
Leaving Tuesday for (was not sure) St Cirq, Conques, Figeac, Gourdon, one of those but did not want to take precious time away from Dordogne area. I could skip those and just stop in for a photo op in Gourdon and continue on to Rocamadour. Not sure if I can get tickets for Pech Merle. Just sent email re Font de Gaume.
We plan on leaving Sarlat very early the following Tuesday a.m. making a bee line for Toulouse airport, drop off car, and catch the plane back to CDG.
The high-speed train did not seem to give a lot of choices. Was also concerned about the ability to pick up an automatic auto at Brive. My local travel agt. told me there aren't too many automatics around.
Trying to figure out what hotel to stay in in Rocamadour area because I want to see it at night and I don't know how the roads are there, if I could travel to and from another town to Rocamadour. Are they true mountain roads, narrow with no protective rails like the Amalfi Coast?
Thank you all for your wonderful suggestions.
I'm just going to have plan a return trip to see what I miss this time.
mjoy

StuDudley

Roads are not mountaineous around Rocamadour - don't worry about that.

Flying from your home, to CDG then to Toulouse is fine. Getting to Toulouse, flying to CDG, then getting to Paris is a pain. Trains from Brive leave at
1:41
2:38
4:17
for the 4 hr trip. Don't think there would be any problems picking up an automatic in Toulouse & dropping it off in Brive.

We were in Albi in Sept once for lunch on a week day - and it was quite dead because all the shops were cosed & the streets abandoned. I suspect it would be even worse on a Sunday. Don't bother.

Cordes, Bruniquel, St Antonin Noble Val (Sunday am is their market day - it is a good one), Penne, St Criq Lapopie and other villages in the Gorges de l'Aveyron will be active Sunday. So will Conques, but that's too far away.

I would head out Sunday morning for Cordes, Castelnau de Montmiral, then St Antonin for the market, then Bruniquel, then St Cirq Lapopie (stay). That would be a nice Sunday.

Monday visit Peche Merle, Gouffre de Padirac, Carrenac, then Rocamadour & stay overnight.

Tuesday, visit l'Hospitalet for the view, then Martel, then into the Sarlat region.

Gourdon is not one of my favorite towns - I would not go out of the way to visit it. St Cirq feels otherwise.

Off to dinner in San Francisco now !!!

Stu Dudley

dgassa

Used a Magellan GPS in 2006 with no problems. Showed minor roads, even a few unpaved roads in rural farm country. All GPS units get their maps from one of two companys, both of which basically show the same things. You should have no problems.

Carlux

A little more on cars - why pick it up when you arrive, if you are spending a few days in Toulouse. It will be more trouble to park it, and you can see everything you want in Toulouse on foot. If you have to pick up the car at the airport, just take a taxi out there - it's only about 20 minutes, and wouldn't be expensive.

Also recommend that you see if you can leave the car at Brive, usually not a problem, and take the train up to Paris. A 4 hour trip, and easier than backtracking to Toulouse for the plane.

And while Gourdon is a fairly attractive town, it has nothing that should time away from other, more interesting places, like Figeac or Conques.

Finally, a note on GPS. While they can be wonderful, they do sometimes have a tendency to try to take you down roads that don't exist. I have been sent to a dirt track - not an unpaved road, more a walking path. And in cities, they just see a road, neglecting to note that it's a pedestrian street, about 2 feet wide. We have people arriving at our Sarlat properties assuming they can drive up to the door. Maybe on a motorcycle, but nothing wider. So sometimes you have to take what they say with a grain of salt.

Cathinjoetown

Good advice from Carlux--you do not need a car in Toulouse. It's one pain in the butt to drive in from the airport, assuming you are staying in the "old' town, only to park the car and leave it in a car park or garage for three days. So, I would reconsider that.

mjoy

mjoy on Mar 7, 10 at 9:48 am
Thanks for all this great advice. I am going to call Avis now and see if I can change pickup and dropoff points. Have to see if I can pick up the car in Toulouse on a Sunday am. Not sure if they would be closed.
I have round trip tickets with Air France between CDG and Toulouse. Probably will just have to forego the cost of the return flight at this point, but the idea of not having to go back to CDG to get to Paris and taking a train directly there sounds wonderful, much more relaxing. My husband, (the cheauffeur) is all for it.

Should I order my train tickets from Brive to Paris in advance (state-side) or am I better off picking them up once I'm in the area?
Thanks for all this wisdom and insight. I'm learning.
mjoy

StuDudley

OK – your plans are looking better after me, Carlux, Michael, and Cathin suggested that you pick up the car at the train station on Sunday & return it in Brive on Tues and taking the train to Paris.

Reserve your tickets from Brive la gaillard on the SNCF site ASAP.
http://voyages-sncf.com/dynamic/_SvH...mepageUK&WB=HP
See if there are discount tickets still available. You can purchase them online & pick up at the train station in Sarlat

Seems like you want to spend 2 nights in Cordes – so this is what I would suggest:

-Friday – Toulouse
-Sat – Toulouse
-Sunday - AM market in St Antonin Noble Val & explore the Gorges de l’Aveyron scenery & villages. Stay in Cordes
-Monday – Morning in Quercy Blanc, afternoon in Albi. Stay in Cordes
-Tuesday – Peche Merle, St Cirq Lapopie, Figeac, Conques (if you have time), stay in Rocamadour
-Wed - Rocamadour, Gouffre de Padirac, Carennac, Martel, on to the Dordogne
-Thurs – Dordogne
-Fri – Dordogne
-Sat – Dordogne
-Sun – Dordogne
-Mon – Dordogne
Tues – Collonges la Rouge, Turenne (if time avail), train from Brive to Paris.

Details – I have written 3 different itineraries for friends who are doing almost the same itinerary as you. I have pieced this together from stuff I wrote for them.

Friday
- Arrive at 3 & take a taxi to the hotel. If you have any energy, take walk #1 in the Michelin Green Guide (referred to as GG hereafter). We find it is best to keep active on the first day, & don’t take a nap.

- Suggest dining at Emile 13 pl St Georges –05 61 21 05 56 [email protected] We have dined here twice. Very nice outdoor setting in a plaza. They are famous for their cassoulet. The place is quite popular, so reserve 2 weeks or more in advance. See the write-up in the GG.

Saturday
- See more of Toulouse. Take walk #2 in the GG.

Sunday
- Check out of the hotel & get to the train station to pick up your car if the station is open – or the airport if not.
- Use the Michelin Red Guide (if you have one) maps to get out of town towards Albi. Follow any signs to Albi that you see. The train station is next to a river with one-way streets – see the RG map. After you exit the train station, turn left, then turn right to cross the river (towards the center of Toulouse), turn right & follow the river, then right to cross the river again, & get on Av de Lyon , which is N88, and later becomes the Route d’Albi . Follow the route on the RG map. When you hit the freeway, at exit/entrance #14, turn right after the roundabout and get on A61 towards Montpellier/Carcassonne (it might also say Albi). Immediately get on A68 heading to Albi. At Exit #3, head north on the D968 then the D992 to Cordes. Stow your bags at the hotel & check in if they will let you. Then take the D600/D11 to St Antonin Noble Val. When you it the bridge over the Aveyron river to get into St Antonin, instead keep going straight for about 100 yds & you’ll see a grassy embankment nest to the river where it might be great for a picnic lunch. You might even consider parking your car there & walking over the bridge to St Antonin. Sunday is their market day. We’ve visited this market twice to purchase things for dinner. It is quite nice. Pick up a pizza for lunch on the grassy embankment.

After the market, explore the Gorge de l’Aveyron
- Gorges de l’Aveyron
Look up “St Antonin Noble Val” in the GG. Follow the driving itinerary # 1 to explore the Gorges de l’Aveyron*+. Take the route exactly as described in the Guide – from St Antonin, through Penne, and then Bruniquel – in the clockwise direction. This direction will give you the best views. Make sure that you cross the Aveyron River when they tell you to – you’ll have to pay attention. There is a fantastic view of Penne+ as you approach this village with large chateau ruins sticking up in the sky. You can get a great view from the road next to the tourist office and across from a restaurant with outside tables (lunch?). This restaurant was very crowded when we were there on a Sunday afternoon (when the French take their main meal of the day). Penne is another of TMBVoF. Read about it in the GG under “Penne” and explore the town. Continue on the drive and shortly you will come to Bruniquel*, another TMBVoF. Explore this town quite thoroughly. See “Bruniquel” in the GG & visit the chateau. This is a real pleasant town. Next is Montricoux, home of our favorite restaurant in this area – Les Gorges de l’Aveyron. When you follow the GG itinerary and get to Montricoux, turn left and cross the Aveyron River on the bridge. The restaurant is on the right after crossing the bridge – it’s well marked. Check out the posted menu. Go back over the bridge & continue on the itinerary.

After doing Itinerary #1 in the GG, do Itinerary #2. It’s not as scenic, but Varen is cute and worth a visit.

Monday

Head out early and visit Quercy Blanc in the morning. These are all small villages and this is mainly a scenic drive with visits to some small Bastide towns.
Modify this route to start from Cordes – it was written to start from another area in France. You should start at Montpezat de Quercy. See my map 337
Quercy Blanc*+. You are now back in the domain of the Michelin GG for the Dordogne. From Penne, head east on the D661 to the bastide town of Tournan. At Tournan, take the D18 south to Montaigu, and then the D2 to Lauzert+ (another TMBVoF). This is one of our favorite Bastide towns. Get out & explore. Lauzerte has the typical configuration of a bastide town – large/huge central square, flanked on all four sides by relatively tall buildings, all with vaulted arcades at the ground level. Sit in the central square, or under the arcade (if it’s too hot) & have a refreshment. As you leave Lauzerte and drive through the lower town, you will pass a pizza store. You can get a pizza with toppings such as crevettes, foie gras, Roquefort, magrets (duck breast), and artichokes – only in France!!!

Here is a very pretty drive to take you through the heart of Quercy Blanc. Leave Lauzerte heading east on the D34. Take the D34 through Cazes-Mondenard, Vazerac, and when the D34 hits the D20, take the D20 northeast to Molieres. At Molieres, take the D29 northwest, and when it hits the D68, take the D68/D26 (road number change when it crosses a department boundary) northeast and connect to the D695 to Castelnau-Montratier+, another nice bastide town worth exploring. Leave Castelnau heading southeast on the D4/D38 (another road re-numbering) and on to another of our favorite bastide towns – Montpezat de Quercy*. See Montpezat in the Dordogne GG and explore this town. If you want to shorten this drive a bit, when you go through Molieres, stay on the D20 to Montpezat & skip Castelnau – the D20 is actually a slightly prettier drive.

Return to Cordes, and then visit Castelnau de Montmiral – one of our favorite bastide towns.

In the afternoon visit Albi***. This is one of our favorite small cities in France. Do not visit on a Sunday or MondayAM. Everything closes for lunch. Get out the Green Guide to find your way into central Albi. You will enter at #6 and follow the road south across the bridge. From this bridge, there is a fabulous view of Albi. Just after crossing the bridge, you are in the old section of town. Look for the underground parking lot (it’s huge), and park there. Emerge from the lot, and retrace your route to take some pictures of Albi from the bridge. Albi buttons up tight at lunchtime, except (June through Sept) for the fabulous Cathedral Ste Cecile***. My Green Guide says that the Toulouse Lautrec Museum** is closed for lunch (except July & Aug), but I’m not sure that’s the case. Perhaps call ahead (number is in the GG) to confirm opening times. Toulouse Lautrec is one of the few artists that I like, and I really enjoyed this museum. It’s located in the Palais de la Berbie*+. Don’t miss the gardens outside the palais. Follow the walking itinerary described in the Green Guide. This is an interesting city. There are informational plaques (also in English) affixed to the outsides of buildings. They describe the architecture & related historically significant events. Many of the old buildings had fallen into disrepair and had been slated for demolition in the 1970s. Instead, the City had refurbished them & they now provide “social” (low- income?) housing.

Tuesday

Head to Caussade early & get on the A20 freeway heading north. Get off at exit #57 & make your way to the St Cirq Lapopie/Peche Merle area.

- Pech Merle***
About 1 or 2 months earlier, make a reservation for an English morning tour.
http://www.quercy.net/pechmerle/index.html
This is the best cave you’ll visit that has both pre-historic paintings & handprints, PLUS stalactites & mites.

Visit St Cirq Lapopie* before or after your Peche Merle tour

- After Pech Merle or St Cirq, take the lovely D41 east following the Cele River**. There is info in my Dordogne itinerary about this drive & sites along the way – don’t miss.

- Figeac** This is one of our favorites, if you are a fan of medieval architecture. It is not a city where there are many cute touristy shops – just interesting buildings with large open attics under the roofs that were used for drying grain & other things. Since there are not many interesting shops, it is a good city to visit during lunch hours. See my Dordogne itinerary for more details. Pick up a walking itinerary (in English) at the tourist office.

If there is time left in the day (doubt it), visit Conques, then return to Figeac & head up to Rocamadour. When you get to Rocamadour, do not drive into the village first, instead head south on the D32 & keep an eye on Rocamadour. You get some great views from this road. After Rocamadour disappears from sight, return to the village. No need to get there before 6PM. (after day trippers leave)

Wednesday
- After Rocamadour, use the GG map & follow the route on D32 to the famous views at l’Hospitalet. Note that the view Icon is facing mostly west and a bit south. This indicates that the best views are in the morning. After noon, the views won’t be as great & may even be washed out by looking into the sun.

- After l’Hospitalet, take the D673 & D90 to Gouffre de Padirac**+. It is about a 20 min drive there. They have some lunch concessions & picnic tables. See the GG & my Itinerary for info. The web site says that they do not close for lunch.
http://www.gouffre-de-padirac.com/
However, when we were there in Sept of ’05, they did close for lunch. I would call or e-mail to verify. There is an elevator to/from the bottom of the cave, and also stairs – take the elevator down and especially back up. When you get on the boat for the tour, they will take pictures of the group. When you finish the tour & start to exit the cave area, they will funnel you past a booth where they hope you purchase the pictures. Instead, bypass the funneled line to the left, and you will be able to nab the elevator up, before the others get there.

- After the Gouffre, head north on the D60 to the D43 (along the Dordogne River), and visit Carennac*+ See Carennac in the GG. This one of the most picturesque villages in the Dordogne area, and another TMBVoF. Also see “Dordogne” in the GG to follow the Quercy Stretch*** description.

Visit Martel*. If you do visit Martel and it is after 2:45, leave Martel by the scenic D803 through Souillac, then on to Cenac. It is 1 hr from Martel to the Gite.

Now head to Sarlat along the Dordogne

Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon

5 good days in the Dordogne.

Tuesday

- Drive towards Souillac. At the Chateau Montfort, and the Cingle de Montfort – stop to take pictures – best views are in the morning. See “Perigord Noir” in the GG. Get on the A20 at entrance #55, heading north. Get off at exit #52, and then follow the D158/D38 to Collonges la Rouge**. This is a very touristy village – but quite colorful & scenic. Collonges is about 1 ¼ hrs from Sarlat – without any stops between. It is about 30 mins from Collonges to Brive la Gaillarde.

- If you have time, also visit Turenne*

- Head to the Brive la Gaillarde train station (see the RG for a town). Trains for Paris are at
1:41
2:38
4 hr trip

Stu Dudley

mjoy

mjoy on Mar 7, 10 at 1:21 p.m.
I would have made a big mistake with my original plans. Thanks so much dgassa, Carlux, Michael, Cathin and Stu.

I spent quite a bit of time just trying to figure out which car rental company was closest to Brive train station. Wasn't sure if there was more than one station. I now see it's one station and Avis or Europcar are right there.
Hopefully, I won't be as inept making the actual train reservations.
Just received an e-mail back on my reservation for Font de Gaume. How exciting! Not quite sure how I actually get the tickets, where to go.
I'm booked for a Sunday a.m. Figured this would be a good time if things elsewhere are going to be closed. Hoping I can follow this up with some kayaking on the Dordogne.
I guess I should make my booking for Peche Merle.
We are planning on renting an intermediate size car. Hopefully, this won't be too big for parking in these towns.
I'll be staying in the northern end of Sarlat at a B&B.

Thanks again for all your advice. It certainly makes me less nervous about planning our own trip as opposed to a tour. I'm just not tour material.
mjoy

StCirq

You just show up at Font-de-Gaume to pick up the tickets. The office is on the road leading out of Les Eyzies toward Sarlat, on the right-hand side, just outside of town. There's a parking lot beside the office. You pick up the tickets at the office (a half-hour before your tour is what they recommend), then you walk uphill aways on a steep path to begin the tour at the entrance to the cave.

I recommend the canoë/kayak place at St-Vincent-de-Cosse, about halfway between St-Cyprien and Beynac. We usually do the 6-km run, which takes 2-3 hours depending on the current.

kerouac

For the Rocamadour area, stay in Gramat, which is also very close to Padirac.

StuDudley

Forgot to mention

May 8 and May 13 are holidays in France. Some shops & even a few sites may be closed those days. Perhaps Carlux or St Cirq can indicate which "things" usually close on these holidays - we've never been there in May.

>>Sunday a.m. Figured this would be a good time if things elsewhere are going to be closed.<<

Things that close on Sundays are usually shops in non-tourist towns. I would not visit le Bugue, Cahors, Albi, or Perigueux on Sunday. Figeac might be OK because the shops are not the main draw there. Sites like Padirac, Lascaux, Beynac Castle will be open along with tourist villages like Roque Gageac, Beynac, Domme, & Rocamadour. Almost all the non-tourist shops in Sarlat along the main straight road that dissects the old town will be closed, and a few in the old town also. However, I prefer Sarlat when the shops are closed, umbrellas are not set up outside, and the architect buff (like me) can view the wonderful architecture without being distracted by shops. That's why the worst time to visit Sarlat, IMO, is on market day when the stalls hide the architecture and the place is mobbed.

Same with Rocamadour. As you walk through town, keep your eye above the street level tourist shops, and admire the architecture above street level. Toursit shops in Domme are not as destracting. There are not many shops in Beynac or Roque Gageac.

Stu Dudley

StuDudley

Forgot to mention II

May 1 is a BIG holiday in France - when almost everything is closed (at least that was the case in Paris).

May 23 & 24 are also holidays.

Stu Dudley

Jojonana

we loved loved LOVED our stay in Cabrerets. MUCH more authentic and charming than St-Cirq-Lapopie, yet only a few minutes away. and just a stones throw from Pech Merle. We highly recommend this B&B. Great food, fantastic hosts, great accomotation. Our hightlight in our Dordogne/Lot trip! http://www.unjardindanslafalaise.com/

Jojonana

we were also there in the beginning of May and could not rent a car from Brives as planned (it was closed, holiday!). we therefore took the train from Paris to Limoges, and rented a car there instead. the extra drive was quite smooth an lovely.