Dordogne to Barcelona

How many days are you planning for?

Jerry,
The Dordogne region definitely needs a car to see the various sights. Public transportation in the region is almost non-existent. When we went in 2023 we took a train to Bordeaux, rented a car there and drove for 3-31/2 hours to our gite near Vitrac (about a 15 minute drive from Sarlat). I suggest a week in the region if you can. 4-5 days is doable, but not ideal. There is lots and lots to see and do. At the end we drove back to Bordeaux and took a TGV to Paris. Part of our party who had another car returned their car in Bordeaux and flew back to CDG from the airport there. You could proceed to Barcelona from Bordeaux. I imagine the options for trains or flights to Barcelona from there are fairly common.

Barcelona needs about 5-6 days, IMO. This gives you time for a day trip to Girona or Montserrat. Check the Spain forum for ideas. The Sagrada Familia is not to be missed and is my # 1 recommendation. Public transport in and around Barcelona should suffice for your visit.

Bon voyage and Buen viaje!

How much time do you have and at what time of year do you plan to make this trip?

I haven't ever rented a car in Europe, but I know the penalty for renting a car in France and dropping it off in Spain would be very, very high. You'll want to drop any French rental before you cross the border.

A car is very helpful in the Dordogne, and most others here will say it's essential, but I enjoyed my visits to very attractive towns like Cahors, Figeac, Perigueux, Bergerac and Brive-la-Gaillarde, all reachable by public transit. Small villages were much more of a challenge and sometimes required significant walks from the nearest bus stop. Brantome and Martel weren't too hard, though reaching each such place usually requires you to travel by bus from a particular town of some size. St-Cirq-Lapopie was doable but involved more walking, and Rocamadour meant a miserable walk along the edge of a highway with no shoulders.

Transatlantic air routings and fares vary greatly by origin. I'd think Bordeaux would be the most convenient arrival airport, but you'll need to check a website like Google Flights to see whether that's remotely practical from your home airport(s). Alternatively, there's extremely rapid TGV (express rail) service from Paris to Bordeaux, taking as little as 2 hr. 3 min. from the Montparnasse station in downtown Paris. Paris is a reasonably-priced destination from many US airports.

If Barcelona is your next stop after the Dordogne, I think you might want to return the car somewhere south of Sarlat rather than driving back to Bordeaux--maybe in Toulouse.

Pick up the car in Bordeaux, return it in Toulouse. Take the train from Toulouse to Barcelona. Easy to do.

• We spent some time in the Dordogne in October and loved it. We started in Bordeaux and also flew out of there via Vueling to Barcelona before flying home.
• A car is a must and can be picked up right at the Bordeaux airport.
• Here's my Trip Report, maybe you'll find some useful info. https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-part-2-hills-and-castles-dordogne

I confirm that it is impossible to visit the Dordogne without a car. Most of the many places to see (caves, castles, villages) are not served by bus or train, due to the lack of public transport taxis are often used as medical transport, private drivers are extremely expensive.

Sarlat is very (even too) well-known but not necessarily the only base to stay to visit the Dordogne if you want to avoid the crowds of tourists.

See this map:

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

As Elizabeth suggests, Toulouse is the best option to return a rental car and reach Barcelona by train from the southwest of France.

Bordeaux can be another option as there are daily direct flights Bordeaux-Barcelona with Vuelling and 2 flights per week with Volotea.

JoLui, that map is awesome! Is there anything like that for other areas in France? I'd love to see details like that for Montpellier, Toulouse and the areas around them.

Op, I'm in the early planning stages for a trip to the southwestern part of France, so can't add any helpful ideas, but will follow your post to see what else I can learn. You might take a look at my post to see the suggestions I've gotten so far. It sounds like there are lots of lovely villages all over the area.

KRS, I occasionally go to some part of the Mediterranean coast (we spent last weekend there between the Spanish border and Perpignan) But for this part of France around Montpellier I think Elizabeth could help you more effectively than me since I believe she lives in the region. For my part I share my time roughly between the Dordogne and Tarn valleys

Anyway, regarding the map I made I don't think it will be very useful to you since if I understand correctly you are not traveling by car but by train or bus which will considerably limit your options.

Thanks to all who replied. I am planning on two weeks for the total time of the trip, perhaps in September or October, definitely in the autumn. I found a great place to stay online in a village just outside of Sarlat that looks like it would be a good home base from which to explore the region. I appreciate the advice about dropping off the rental car in Toulouse and taking the train from there to Barcelona. I don't think we would need a car in Barcelona and if we need to get out into the region could rent one there. I am reading the Bruno, Chief of Police series set in the Dordogne area and that has piqued my interest. I love the description of the culture and the food and wine there. Merci to all.

I am reading the Bruno, Chief of Police series set in the Dordogne
area

Just for info, the village of Saint Denis the town where Bruno the Chief of Police works is actually the village of Le Bugue located 15 kilometers from Sarlat where Martin Walker lives.

You can go there, maybe you will see Bruno. :))

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Vhn1bQpVBT1vhRkD9

And maybe you could also find a vintage of Bergerac Red wine dedicated to Bruno produced by the Julien de Savignac estate.

https://www.vivino.com/AU/en/julien-de-savignac-tome-ii-bruno/w/6384462

Jo Lui, thanks for that information. I was not aware of the author using a real town in the area as his role model. I thought St. Denis was just an image he created but I definitely want to check out the links you give. I am fascinated by the French life he describes in the book and want to try to discover what I can of what is described. Merci.