Bordeaux-Sarlat driving advice

"...... where to fill up for gas?" Why not ask the people at Hertz in Bordeaux where you will pick up and drop off the car?

I think www.viamichelin.com addresses these issues (they do suggest "discovery routes" as well as calculate tolls), or else Google Maps could also help to find gas stations on the main roads. If you're using a paper map for the region (Michelin or other brand), then scenic roads often are highlighted with a green line parallel to the road. See also http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation/navigate-european-roads.

@Norma - Yes, I realize I can ask the people at Hertz, but I wanted to ask the forum too as a back up, in case Hertz is not that helpful, especially when asking a more challenging question as to which gas station is open on Sunday, not just for any gas station, which I have heard can be hard to find. Rick Steve's forum posters hold such a wealth of knowledge, and perhaps have encountered the same situation which I find myself in, and may be able to provide an answer that could put my mind at ease prior to our arrival.

@Laura - thanks for the viamichelin advice. I did not realize they had the Discovery Route option. Is the D936 scenic - worth the extra hour of driving time vs the tollroad? I did try to google D936 but found few mentions of it.

and if you have a GPS (which you really should) there should be an option to display points of interest including gas stations

We picked up and returned our car at Hertz Gare St. Jean last summer. We took the D936 and found it to be a very enjoyable drive. You can stop at Montcaret which has an interesting Roman ruin site, as well as some Bastide towns. When we returned the car, we turned south from the D936 onto Blvd Curie. There was an unmanned gas station right near that intersection on the right hand side as you're heading south. My chip and pin debit card worked there. It is next to a supermarket, so it may be you could go in there to get help or pay cash if your cards don't work. Continuing south, just after you cross the bridge there is another gas station. If I remember right it was attached to a convenience store. However, we were returning our car on Tuesday, so I don't know if Sunday would be different. Check out Google Earth and you should be able to see the stations.

Thanks, Neil, for the specific location. I've located the first one on google maps and it looks like that Simply supermarche is open until 12:30p on Sundays according to their website, so that at least is an option. Also thanks for your opinion of D936 and suggestions for stops!

I looked up the specific route we took. We were headed to a village called Beaumont du Perigord which is southwest of Sarlat, so this route would be a bit out of the way for you. After leaving the Roman site at Montcaret, we continued east on the D936 and turned south on the D18 to see Eymet, a bastide town. We left Eymet on the D25 to get to Issigeac, another bastide town. Both were very interesting for a wander around. The D25 then took us to Beaumont, though it looks like it continues all the way to Sarlat as well.

We found this website on the Dordogne very helpful with additional information.

Using googlemaps, I see that there is a Intermache Super off of the D11 in the area of Gare St. Jean. Sundays, middays and after hours in France can be a problem in getting gas. I have several chip credit cards but 99 percent of the time they do not work at unattended gas stations. However, it does work at Intermache stations.

just because your card has a visible chip (which most do now) does NOT mean it's the type of chip and PIN you need in Europe.

This is dealt with all the time on the forums.

When I drove that route I set the GPS to avoid toll roads and had a nice ride through St. Emilion. If I would have planned better I'd have stopped for a wine tasting.

Thanks for the additional suggestions.

@phred, thanks for the warning. I do have a chip & PIN card which I have successfully used in Italy.