Brodeaux to La Roque Gageac drive and Dordongue plans -help!!

Commenting as a reminder to follow this post. We're heading to Beynac from Bordeaux in October
and also wondering which route to take there and back. We are eyeing Bergerac as one of the stops. We've got a week so not as rushed as you. Beynac castle is tops on my list. We've also booked a hot air balloon ride while we're there. From looking at photos of all the towns in the region, I don't think you can go wrong with any, they all look spectacular.

jandersenyg
See my trip report "just returned from four weeks in France...continued" from June 2023. We did the same thing.

Yes, take the D660, it's much more pleasant than the motorway.
Along the way you will pass through Bergerac, and as May 11 will be a Saturday, know that it is market day in Bergerac. Just in case you want to spend some time in a market.

Coming from Bordeaux Saint Léon sur Vézère are not really on the way to La Roque Gageac, you will be La Roque Gageac as early as in Saint Léon sur Vézère.
From Bergerac it gradually begins to be the real Dordogne valley (which extends much further east than La Roque Gageac and Sarlat).

On your way, after Bergerac there are some "most beautiful villages in France" where you can stop: Limeuil, Monpazier, Belves, Castelnaud-la-Chapelle.

Since you are already overwhelmed with just 3 days, take a look at this map and you will see that you would also be overwhelmed with 15 full days anyway :))
You will find all the towns and villages, caves, castles and many other interesting things to see or do.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1OdPOg8AgsNn0Jlv1cNHkujaWv9p_Jpc&usp=sharing

I have also listed the next planned garage sales. There will be 2 on May 12. One in Salignac Eyvigue and one in Brantôme in Périgord

Regarding canoeing and kayaking you can stop along the way if you find a nice place, some are wild others are "organized". But as for abandoning the canoe in the middle of nowhere and going for a walk in a village I don't think you will have the opportunity or permission unless it is planned on the route. In any case, don't do it without asking if it's possible.

In the link there are also some addresses of kayaking clubs (but not all)

As for the weather, no one can tell you for sure. We are expecting an exceptional heat wave for the next few days with 85F this weekend. So it is useless to rely on averages from previous years, whatever the month.

@judy thank you for this very much! Your trip sounds lovely.

So-perhaps May 12th we look at the weather, and if it's a nice day kayak straight away -picnic and end at Beynac and then tour the castle -and bus back and have dinner.

Next day May 13th start out at Domme look around, mov on the Marqueyssac Gardens. and then move to the Castelnaud's Castle to take a look through. Would we have time to see Font -de Gaume do you think?

Thanks for your advice.

jandersenyg,
I hope my trip report was helpful...more from this old lady re the Dordogne.....
With three nights in La Roque Gageac, and with probably arriving later in the day after your leisurely drive from Bordeaux, you only have two full days in the area. Kayaks take at least 4 hours, allowing for time to check in and pay and be assigned a kayak, going down river to your take-out point, and being returned to your car. You likely will not be able to stop off to see a castle during the day. I don't know of any all-day kayak rentals, but there could be one. The problem is, the castles, such as Castelnaud-la-Chapelle and Beynac are on top of the hills. You need to drive up the hill to visit them. They are not accessible from the river. You could do your kayak in the morning or afternoon (allow 4 hours minimum), then visit Beynac Castle in the afternoon (or morning) and stop by Domme for the view and some shopping and dinner. Or you could visit Castelnaud-la-Chapelle after (or before) kayaking and see Beynac the other day you are there. Or you could do this on your dinner day at La Belle Etoile. A busy day, but definitely doable. Distances among these things, even Lascaux II, are not far. It would be a shame to miss the caves. If you can, go to Lascaux II for a good tour and dive into prehistory. Font de Gaume is harder to get tickets for because they strictly limit the number of tours each day, plus the number of people on tours (13 I believe). It is also very unlikely that there are any tickets left for Font de Gaume this late. They are snapped up almost as soon as they are available.
Beynac Castle and Jardins de Marqueyssac are close to each other...a good combo for morning or afternoon. Also, try to visit a market. There are some every day somewhere. Jolui gave you some good recommendations.

Okay, I apologize for the stream of consciousness typing. Here's my 2 centimes:
Day 1 (May 11) Arrive at hotel, and if not too late visit the Grotte of La Roque and/or head to Sarlat for a walk around and dinner (20 min. drive, LOTS of places to eat in some charming streets)
Day 2 (May 12) Kayak and Castelnaud-la-Chapelle and dinner at La Belle Etoile (Castelnaud is about 10-15 min .max from La Roque to the parking lot there)
Day 3 May 13) Marqueyssac gardens, Beynac Castle. Depending on the time you have left in the day (early start, leisurely lunch?) drive to any of the lovely villages nearby. End with a stop at Domme (fun shopping for pate, mushrooms, and crafts). See the Romanesque church, the view of the valley below, and have dinner there (nice choices).
When you leave on the 15th, take the D roads again. The website viamichelin.com is good for showing you a choice of routes from one place to another, and indicate the scenic ones.
I wish you had more time in the area. There is so much more to see and do, but even 2 days are worth the drive.
Oh yes, you may need to reserve a time for Lascaux II or the castles (unlikely). Check the various websites for those possibilities.
Bon voyage, bonne chance, et amusez-vous bien!

I was typing as you were responding, sorry if I missed something or repeated myself!

@judy thank you for being so so so helpful and kind. This helps a lot!! Yes we have had to make some choices on this trip-been a whirlwind for sure. I have been to Europe (Paris and south of France) a few times and various other places but it's my partners first trip so I want to make it AMAZING for him and see as much as possible without making us crazy,

I like your advice and will take it!!!!

Have you been to Carcarcassonne ? We are thinking of heading there for a stop between Dordongne and Spain. Will that be repetitive after the castles in the Dordongne?

La Belle Etoile has excellent reviews and should be a wonderful evening. Enjoy!
Re your thought on Beynac Castle. When you finish kayaking, you turn the kayak in and are taken back to your car at that time. The bus belongs to the kayak company and is not a public bus to take after the castle visit. You definitely want to have your own car to drive to the castle, so whichever castle you see after kayaking (they are both close to La Roque Gageac), you will have picked up your car post-kayaking. (BTW, you will probably be wet, so take a towel and some dry shoes in your car to dry off before seeing the castle, just for comfort). You will have to change before dinner. We got wet just getting into and out of the kayaks. They require closed-ish shoes (e.g. crocs?), not flip-flops, for safety. I used some old sandals that strapped on; or tennies work.
Some companies have you park your car, then take you by bus to the put-out point, and you end up where your car is parked. Same beautiful trip on the absolutely gorgeous Doerdogne River! (You will understand when you see the view from both castles!) This is a don't miss thing to do there.
Most everything in the whole area of Dordogne/Vizere/Lot is accessible with a car. An overabundance of choices! Lucky you!

jandersenyg,
Carcassonne will not be repetitious after Beynac and Castelnaud. I have been there three times and love it! The area within the castle walls is still occupied, so it is not just a museum. There is a moat (no water inside), it is very big, and I had the best cassoulet ever there (I cannot remember the restaurant, but it was on a side street). Yes, the main streets can be very crowded with tourists some days, but I've seen worse in other places. It shouldn't be bad in May on a weekday. We stayed outside the castle at the Hotel du Pont Vieux, a little old, a little funky, but both times we had a view of the castle from our window, and it was so lovely with the lights on it in the evening. There are lots of places to stay, inside and outside the walls. Prices are reasonable. It is pretty quiet inside in the evening. I would stay outside for a little more activity at night. If you are in the area, be sure to see it! The medieval town is very nice also.

We stayed three nights in the same area. I wish we had skipped kayaking and spent more time in the villages. While it was lovely, the river was slow (in mid July) and we needed strength to keep pace with our group. If you are fit and really want to kayak, you will enjoy it.

You should have good river flow in May. We were there in June and all went well. We rowed sometimes, and sat back other times. We spent about 3 hours on the river, pulling out once for a short rest (15 min. or so). A beautiful day!

"Also with the kayaks/canoes-are you able to stop along the river and then tour the castles and villages then go back to your canoe?"

This is from RS BEST OF FRANCE (2023): . . ."beach your boat wherever it works--it's light enough that you can drag it up high and dry to go explore. (the canoes aren't worth stealing, as they're cheap and clearly color-coded for their parent company)." This is under "Dordogne Canoe Trip" p. 248.

I'd feel more trusting, personally, if there are other canoes there, as well!
My husband and I will be traveling from Paris to Gare Bordeaux St. Jean and renting a car on May 21. We have the Southern France Map (National Geographic Adventure Map, 3314) National Geographic Adventure Map, 3314 AND
National Geographic Maps, Natl Geographic Society Maps and France Map (National Geographic Adventure Map, 3313) National Geographic Adventure Map, 3313
National Geographic Maps, National Geographic Maps to make sure that they match up where there were missing spots. We bought them on Amazon. We have marked the D660 route which was suggested in this forum for the scenic route.

thank you everyone for the very helpful responses-really wonderful information. I feel less overwhelmed, excited add just the right amount of prepared!!!

I am determined to score tickets to CAVE OF FONT-DE-GAUME https://tickets.monuments-nationaux.fr/fr-FR/produits-seances. I am aiming for May 22. Right now, April is the only month that you can buy tickets for and there are many days with English tours available--they are at 11:16 and 3:10. Tickets become available 15 days before the first of the coming month, so @ April 15th or 16th tickets for May should become available. Good luck.
Also, for water shoes, you can buy them cheaply on Amazon. We had to have closed-toe shoes for white water rafting in Costa Rica last December. Those are what I'm taking for canoeing on the Dordogne River.

This is (somewhat) our neck of the woods. The area, and drive, are lovely. You should be able to Kayak/Canoe around and stop weather permitting. We've had a VERY rainy year so far and the Dordogne is running high. Hopefully by May, though, all will have settled down. We head to La Roque-Gageac a few times a year (from St. Emilion area). You don't really get on to the D660 until Bergerac. It's typically the D936 until Bergerac though you can take the 'low road' as we call it which is D14 (very pretty, fewer round-a-bouts but slower.) Also, Waze is your friend as there are A LOT of speed cameras on the way and Waze does a good job of giving you a heads up. It's really a beautiful drive. We really enjoyed Castelnaud, Beynac and Marqueyssac gardens. Depending on weather, you may want to book your Kayak/Canoe ahead of time (usually that's only a problem in summer though.) Food in this area is pretty incredible and I have yet to have a bad meal. It seems you have plenty to fill your days in the area and i hope you have a great time!

@Lindy-supoer helpful re the caves and footwear. I actually have ones from Amazon for kayaking/water sports-they are great!

@kimberly-love this thank you!! The maps-what to choose etc-can get overwhelming so this is really helpful

jandersenyg,
I just reread my comments to you. I referred to Lascaux II. I meant Lascaux IV.

Excusez-moi.

Btw, tickets for CAVE OF FONT-DE-GAUME for May are still not available. They are supposed to be released 15 days from the first of the next month which was April 16. I keep checking several times a day.

This is from JoLui on another thread:
"Regarding the impossibility of booking online for the Font-de-Gaume cave, I sent an email, here is their answer (translated into English):

The sale of tickets, on our website www.sites-les-eyzies.fr, for the month of May has been delayed. Tickets should be available from Friday April 26.
Please excuse us for this delay beyond our control;
We hope to welcome you this month of May."

Lindy, I wasn't able to buy our Font de Gaume tickets for April 2 until March 26. I found that Chrome worked much better than Safari, so try changing browsers if you have been using Safari.

Thank you, Barbara N. I hope you greatly enjoyed your visit.

I just bought tickets for May 22nd. The times for English tours are 11:30 and 1:30. Thanks everyone. I hope you are able to get tickets for your days and times.

Lindy, we had a great time! If you are interested, my trip report is at
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-paris-lyon-dordogne-lot-toulouse

Thank you for the trip report, Barbara. I loved reading it. I have now added Limeuil to our itinerary. As I read your report, I kept wishing I had another five days in the Perigord region.