dordogne

Dogstar, Click on your name (it should be in blue). Then click on "View Topics dogstar546 Has Participated In", which will get you here: https://community.ricksteves.com/users/133702/posts
Which is a list of all posts and replies you have made.

As to the question. Click here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hartsfield%E2%80%93Jackson_Atlanta_International_Airport#Passenger
and you get a list of all destinations from Atlanta airport. The only one in France I can see in the list is Paris–Charles de Gaulle (air France and Delta). So I think you are stuck with flying into and out of Paris.

You might be able to get a good routing to Bordeaux (closer) or Toulouse, changing in Paris or one of the other major European hubs like Amsterdam or Frankfurt. If you just fly to Paris and plan to take a train from there, you'll have to either guess what would be a safe train departure time, spend the night in Paris, or pay for a probably-costly walk-up rail ticket. Flying on a single ticket gives you protection in case of a problem with the transatlantic flight. If there's an issue there, you airline still is responsible for getting you to Bordeau or Toulouse.

So I'd try to book a multi-city trip, flying into Bordeaux or Toulouse and out of Paris. You may find that not a cost effective option, in which case a round-trip to Paris will work, but do take into account the rail fare.

Yes, even if you change in Paris, go on to Bordeaux, or Toulouse, it will jump start your trip. (Though you might also change in London or Amsterdam.)

A week-long rental in the area is the right approach, I think.

We spent a week in a cottage in the Dordogne with friends last year; we flew St. Petersburg Russia to Paris and then drove south to the Dordogne spending two nights on the road. Our friends took a train to Bergerac from Paris on the day they arrived from Chicago in Paris and we picked them up early evening at the train station. I don't think there is an easy place to fly. The train is easy.

We flew Detroit-Amsterdam-Bordeaux and return Paris-Detroit last year. It's an easy two-hour drive from Bordeaux to the Dordogne.

Don't overlook Toulouse, another international airport that is 2 hours away.

janettravels44 my husband loves trains and that is what we were thinking. Flying into Paris, and then taking train down to the village we are staying in is La roque gageac. I guess just nervous about getting to train from plane and then getting to village from train.
Also a convenient place in Paris for a week.

You will need to rent a car when you arrive in the Dordogne for the trip to La Roque Gageac. Be sure wherever you are going has parking. This is not an area you can navigate without a car.

We fly Delta to Heathrow, then fly another carrier to wherever we want to go in Europe. Lots of flight options from HR, but I confess this is also so we can spend a night in London because we never run out of things to do in and near London.

Sounds like taking train from Paris to Bergerac would be best and then rent car there for La Roque Gageac or maybe have a driver pick us up and take us to our destination and then rent there. I think we might be pretty tired by the time we are getting from flight and train. Is it easy to get train from Airport in Paris. Yes, have never been so nervous about making connections and not speaking language.

This website will help you find train schedules. There's a midday TGV from CDG airport to Bordeaux, taking about 3 1/2 hours. From there to Bergerac is another 1 1/2 hours or so on a connecting train, or you could rent the car in Bordeaux. You might want to spend the night in Bordeaux to avoid that second train ride and/or drive while you're so jet-lagged.

There are other trains but most require an RER and Metro trip through Paris to Gare Montparnasse, and still a change at Bordeaux.

Or, quicker and simpler, just fly there as recommended above.

Dick is right about spending the night in in Bordeaux if you take the train. Even if you have connecting flights to either Toulouse or Bordeaux, you should sleep off the flight before the two hour drive in an unfamiliar car on two-lane hilly roads. Bergerac will have fewer cars available and I doubt there is a rental office in your rental destination.

The owner has told us the fast train from Paris to Bordeaux is 2 hrs and 10 minutes and then train to Le Bourg, she also mentions Souillac. I think must be closer to the home.

Correct the new TGV train from Paris to Bordeaux is just over 2 hours, but you won't be in Paris. You are at the airport which is way way out of town. You have to schlep into the train station in Paris, so the timing is the same, but it requires much more effort.

Second, as stated above, you won't be able to rent a car in smaller places like Le Bourg and Souillac. If you need automatic transmission, forget about it.

Finally, it appears you want to land the day the house rental starts, so just figure on coming one day earlier. Enjoy the train to Bordeaux, sleep off the trip in a hotel, and pick up your car the next morning for your drive to the Dordogne. That will eliminate your nervousness about transferring and your husband will get his train ride.
I happen to agree with what Tim posted. You have been given a lot of good advice by many people who have traveled a lot in this area.

So far the cost of flying into Paris has been good enough to keep me from going elsewhere. Each trip is a new story. I just check all the options then decide on the one that works for me. My factors for the flight are price and duration. Sometimes you find cheap flights but the connections are bizarre and the duration is torture. Once in country, I generally prefer the longer trip to be by train, then rent a car when I'm close rather than driving all the way from Paris - but I always research all options first then decide which works best for me.

Tom, Brad, Bets.
Thank all of you.
I think , with all the advice, we have talked ourselves out of the train trip. Will be looking into trying to fly from Paris to Bordeaux. Renting car or driver for rest of trip. . We will be there for a week. Then want to go back to Paris for a week. Maybe train trip to Versailles will be enough .
Any recommendations for areas to stay in in Paris.