I am trying to develop a tentative plan for our time in Sarlat in late August. Our vacation rental is within walking distance of the center so we will not need to drive our rental car to visit there.
One of our days we have tickets to Pech Merle for an 11:15 English tour and I realize we need to leave @ 9 to be there with time to spare. Is it feasible to consider visiting Rocamadour after the cave or should we plan a separate day there? If we need to take a full day to Rocamadour, what might we do after Pech Merle?
One day we would like to take a gabarre along the Dordogne and spend time driving among the villages toward St. Cyprien and enjoy a degustation at the Domaine de la Voie Blanche.
Another day we are thinking of the Vezere Valley but in that area should we try to visit Font de Gaume or Lascaux IV even though we will tour Pech Merle?
What are some must-sees in the region that I am missing?
Merci!
Posted by
Honolulu
5 posts
From peche Merle, Saint-cirq-lapopie is close and a plus beau village. Chateau beynac, commarque, puy-martin, fenelon, castelnau are all gorgeous medieval chateaux. Grotte de rouffignac has a train which takes you to see hundreds of mammoth drawings, la Roque gageac and Roque saint Christophe and maison Forte reignac and Domme (with its templar graffiti) are wonderful.... I'd recommend the eye witness history aquitaine travel guide for more ideas (we spent 3 weeks in Sarlat and still didn't see everything!) Such. Wonderful area! (Cahors is close and has a roman arena in the underground parking lot!) Have fun!
Posted by
Honolulu
5 posts
Sorry! Rocamadour can be seen in half a day
(and from Sarlat there are interesting things to see on the way!)
I would also highly highly recommend gouffre de padirac (it's unlike anything we've seen in france....)
For 3 days sightseeing outside of Sarlat, I would recommend a car.
And yes, I would recommend seeing a 2nd cave (rouffignac is in French only but was still worth it for my husband who doesn't speak French), as was grotte de sorcier (a small, risque cave which had a Troglodtye dwellings in front).
Beautiful area, excellent choice!
Bon voyage!
Posted by
OP
201 posts
Thanks, Laurie!
I think that we will visit St. Cirq-La Popie after Pech Merle. Even though Rocamadour can be done in a half-day, I am leaning toward setting aside a day for there, with another early morning drive from our Sarlat vrbo. I've read about a train ride from Martel (https://trainduhautquercy.info/?lang=en) which could be an option if we've time after Rocamadour.
Posted by
Washington DC
27041 posts
The historic street at the lowest level of Rocamadour is extraordinarily touristy--nothing but cheap tourist junk and tourist restaurants. It's not a pleasant place to stroll. I doubt you'll want a full day in Rocamadour. I suggest having a back-up plan.
Posted by
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
2708 posts
We did Pech Merle, Rocamadour, and Saint Cirqu Lapopie all in one day from Sarlat. It was a little rushed, but we were fine with that. We didn’t feel the need to spend a lot of time in Saint Cirqu Lapopie and Rocamadour. Pech Merle was the highlight.
I would not devote two days to driving all that way when there are so many wonderful things to see much closer to Sarlat.