My husband and I, in our 70s and 80s have been trying to figure out a good way to get from Colmar or even Strasbourg to either Brieve-la-gaillard or Perigueux or even Limoges or Bordeaux without having to change train stations. Everything I see shows arriving at Gare de Est and departing from Gare Montparnasse. This would require us to get ourselves and our luggage from 1 train station to another, perhaps it rush-hour! To me, this sounds like a very bad idea. We don't want to pick up a rental car until we arrive Brive la Gaillard or 1 of the other cities near La Dordogne. This is for travel in the spring so it is further complicated by not being able to see the rail schedule that far in advance. Any advice would be much appreciated. This is for travel in the spring
Posted by
Irving
3621 posts
From what I can see there are fewer connections from Strasbourg than Colmar.
Posted by
Long Beach, Ca, usa
3656 posts
Kay,
I know of no way you can take a train from the Alsace region to the Dordogne region without a station change in Paris. My choice would be to go by train to Gare del'Est (less than 2 hours), take a taxi to Gare Montparnasse, take the TGV to Bordeaux (a 2 hour ride), then pick up a rental car right at the train station (Gare St. Jean), The drive to the Dordogne region, e.g. to Sarlat, is about 2 1/2 hours. (IMO, a bit longer due to getting out of the city of Bordeaux.)
I wouldn't try to rent a car in the Dordogne area itself, as the options and number of rental cars are way more limited than in Bordeaux, plus your train ride would entail about 3 train changes from Strasbourg to Brive or Sarlat, and a travel time of from 8 to 10 hours.
IMO, the Strasbourg/Paris route and the Paris/Bordeaux route always have frequent trains. They are well-traveled rail corridors. Should you opt to go through Bordeaux, if you have time spend a couple of nights there and give Bordeaux at least one full day of your time. You will find it more than worthwhile. How many nights will you have in the Dordogne region? In 2023 we spent 10 days in a gite near La Roque Gageac. It was wonderful! We needed another 10 nights to see all we wished. Enjoy!
Posted by
Long Beach, Ca, usa
3656 posts
Kay,
The Dordogne is a large region also known as the Perigord. La Dordogne is one of the rivers that runsthrough the area, not a town itself. Brive-la-Gaillard and Sarlat-la-Caneda are just two of the many, many towns in the Perigord. Be sure to get a map of the region ahead of time so you can plot out your drives, etc. So much to see and do there!
Posted by
Chicagoland
2694 posts
Not a perfect solution, but have you considered flying from Strasbourg or Basel nonstop to Bordeaux or Toulouse?
Posted by
Chicago
1495 posts
I am not endorsing this as an efficient connection, and since it is not a listed connection,
you might have to buy 2 separate tickets, and you haven't mentioned date of travel,
but, you could go non-stop from Strasbourg to Lyon Part-Dieu and then from there
to Limoges. Some trains do route you back to Paris, but some connect in Vierzon.
Note that a lot of train schedules aren't released for spring yet, and they may change
even after they start to be active.
Posted by
Seattle, WA & Bordeaux, France
767 posts
According to SNCF, there is one direct train a day between Strasbourg and Bordeaux. We've taken this train before and, while slower (6hrs) it's convenient to not have to change trains or stations especially with luggage. You can then take a train from Bordeaux to Périgueux. Take a look at SNCF Connect and look for the "Direct" train (no changes.)
Posted by
France Southwest - Occitanie
4242 posts
As mentioned above, there are only three ways to travel directly from Strasbourg to a location that allows you to access the Dordogne region without a connection in Paris:
1 TGV INOUÏ train per day departing at 2:00 PM and arriving in Bordeaux around 8:00 PM.
1 Volotea flight (not operational daily) to Bordeaux
2 Volotea flights per day to Toulouse, which is the most convenient option.
If first-time visitors or travelers unfamiliar with the area use Bordeaux to reach the region, it is typically because they are traveling by train from Paris, and Bordeaux is only a two-hour train ride from the capital. When coming from anywhere other than Paris, Toulouse is much better suited, especially when flying.
Regarding the term "Dordogne," I know this might sound like nitpicking, but it really isn't. Once again, I want to emphasize that what Rick Steves describes as the Dordogne does not reflect the actual geographical and tourism reality known to the French and Europeans.
Here is a true tourist map of the Dordogne Valley (summarized):
https://www.cartographik.fr/Vall%C3%A9e-de-la-Dordogne--Cartographie-touristique
What Rick Steves describes as the Dordogne corresponds exclusively to Sarlat-la-Canéda and its immediate surroundings. This area is located in the far southwestern corner of the map (almost off it) and is known as the Périgord Noir.
Everything that makes this region so appealing, its castles, caves, picturesque villages, and landscapes, can actually be found across the entire map along the banks of the Dordogne and Lot rivers.
Regarding Brive-la-Gaillarde, despite its airport being named "Vallée de la Dordogne," it is not located in the Périgord, the Dordogne department, or even the Dordogne Valley itself. Brive is over 2 hours from Sarlat by train and about 1 hour's drive away.
Brive only operates flights to and from the UK because many British citizens own vacation homes in the area and use this airport to get here. They have known very well, for a very long time, that the Dordogne is about much more than just Sarlat and its surroundings.
Here is a more detailed map focusing on the kind of places you are likely looking for when picturing the Dordogne:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1OdPOg8AgsNn0Jlv1cNHkujaWv9p_Jpc&usp=sharing