Dordogne travel...with Bordeaux?

We visited the Dordogne region for two weeks this past April. Our previous trip had been cancelled twice due to the pandemic. For our cancelled trips we had a VRBO rented in Sarlat. When we had a chance to re-boot our trip we did more research and opted out of Sarlat. Instead we chose a VRBO beautiful house in Saint Cyprien.

Saint Cyprien turned out to be a much better choice and we visited Sarlat twice during our two weeks. Why? Because Sarlat is a walled village. You will need to park outside the village. Yes, there is plenty of parking, much of it with a fee. The house in Saint Cyprien offered a parking place right in front of the house.

Trust me, this is super important. It is much more pleasant not to have to search for parking each night after a day of touring not to mention bringing groceries in ( and up several flights of stairs).

DM me if you are interested in info regarding the VRBO we rented in Saint Cyprien.

We visited Dordogne and Bordeaux as a part of a larger trip. We flew into Bordeaux. We spent a couple nights since we were interested in visiting some wineries. Bordeaux is a beautiful city, underappreciated by Rick Steves for some unknown reason. That said, it is similar in architecture to Paris. I think with 6 days you have enough time to do both, but if you feel that you won't have enough time for Dordogne, I'd not spend the time in Bordeaux,

We stayed in La Roque Gageac at La belle etoile. We liked the location and the inn. Their restaurant is highly acclaimed and deservedly so. We wished we'd had gone 2 nights. If you want to dine there you need a reservation.

Don't miss Domme on the other side of the river.

RS provides a great review of the Dordogne in the guidebook. The train to Bordeaux and then a rental car is the best approach from Paris and may be worth a night to you. We followed the guidebook, skipped Bordeaux and spent a night in St Emilion which is a great stop in itself with great wine. Sarlat was a good location for us, parking outside the walls was not a problem but our BnB was not far from the parking lot and we were not carrying groceries. Sarlat has a fantastic market. Do the kayak trip down the Dordogne and stop at La Roque for lunch, explore Beynac at the end, or return another day to see the castle, town, and view. Lascaux is wonderful, of course. We loved the gardens at Marqueyssac and Josephine Baker's Chateau des Milandes. I always suggest reading Martin Walker's Bruno series of mystery books set in the area to get you ready. We didn't have time for the Prehistory Museum but did check out the bories at Les Cabanes du Breuil, and duck farm near Tursac. The food and wine is just marvelous, the area is a delight (and my French is minimal).

We were in France for 4 weeks in May. We flew into Bordeaux for our first three nights and then we took the train to Bergerac where we started a 7 day, 8 night bicycle tour. We used a French company, self-guided tour with maps, GPS based App, hotels and luggage transfers and bike rentals arranged by the company. There are different operators who can do this for you. Our loop started and ended in Bergerac,

DAY 1 - Bike to Le Bugue on the Vezere River.
DAY 2 - Bike to Montignac, via Les Eyzies, the Museum of PreHistory, Font de Gaume (authentic cave) and on to Montignac.
DAY 3 - Montignac and Lascaux (reproduction cave; very well done)
DAY 4 - Bike to Sarlat, via Les Jardins d' Eyrignac
DAY 5 - Sarlat Market Day, Bike along Voie Vert and then to Roque Gageac (on the Dordogne R.) and back to Sarlat
DAY 6 - Bike from Sarlat to Castelnaud-la-Chapelle (on the Dordogne, just down stream and on the other side of the river from Roque Gageac), then on to Chateau Milandes (Josephine Baker home) and then to Belves
DAY 7 - Bike from Belves to Bergerac, via Beaumont du Perigord

With your children being in their 20s, and with ebike rentals for you, perhaps, you might find something like this to be a great way to visit. We modified their 7 night trip by adding a night; you could likely modify, as well, to shorten it, should you so choose. Worth a family discussion?

Our family did just what you are planning to do, last June. See my trip reports "Just Returned from France" dated June 27 and 28. You will see that we spent one night in Bordeaux before renting a car and driving to our gite near La Roque Gageac, staying for 10 days there, then driving back to Bordeaux, spending the night and taking the tgv to Paris the next day. I concur that Sarlat la Caneda is better to visit than to stay...parking, getting into and out of town for the many things you will want to see. PM me if you have specific questions, but I highly recommend Gites-de-France for a rental. We stayed at Le Petit Fort between Vitrac and La Roque Gageac and it was perfect for us!

Wow! You are all amazing. So much great information! Will discuss and return with questions, lol

We've decided to stay the whole time in Dordogne! We found an amazing VRBO home. So excited.

Congrats jgrisbaum! Have a wonderful time and give us a trip report when you return!

You will be in the Dordogne area during a great time of year. We live part-time along the Dordogne (close to St. Emilion) and I want to echo what some have said, stay out of Sarlat but definitely worth visting a day or two. The market days for Sarlat are year round on Saturdays and Wednesdays making it a great day to visit! Lascaux is totally worth it even if it's a replica. We loved it! Keep in mind there are a TON of other caves in this area to explore that are not replicas but the real thing. Our favorite towns include Beynac-et-Cazenac, La Roque-Gageac, Saint-Cyprien, Bergerac and have been to each multiple times (and would happily visit again.) Castlenaud is good for the castle (of which there are 5 in this area with an interesting, connected history). Domme was a big let down. Issegac on Sundays (just south of Bergerac) is magical. It is one of the best markets in the area and looks exactly as you would expect a French country village to look. Charming! If you have the time, I'd also stop in St. Emilion on your way out of (or in to) Bordeaux (you will pass it). It is most definitely worth your time, if only to walk around the old streets. Of course there is a lot of wine but the town is breathtaking. Parking tip for St. Emilion, go to the lower side (east side) of the village and park on the street next to the big wall (you won't miss it) as this parking is free. All other parking is about 30 euros. I would also say if you have the time, Bordeaux is worth a visit. It's really pretty and the people are really friendly. It's like a small, less crowded version of Paris. Picking your car up at the Bordeaux train station (Bordeaux St. Jean) is super easy and convenient. The rental cars are right there (well, in the parking garage attached.) Keep in mind there is a lot of construction going on around the station but Google maps works well and will guide you successfully out. I really hope you enjoy this area we love so much! Have a great trip!