Dordogne with public transport

Based on what you've said, you should probably skip this area. Although if you are open to hiring a driver, or a bicycle, you might be able to make it work.

As for you specific questions:

You could probably find someone in Beynac willing to call a cab for you. But you might consider a phone.

I do not know what the Sarlet-Vitrac thing is, sorry.

Some unsolicited advice: Budget travel is one thing, but especially on a trip like this there is such a thing as too penurious. Think of how much you are spending on transportation, lodging & meals alone, a few more hundred bucks to see the good stuff (admission, rental, taxi, whatever) is a drop in the bucket.

Thanks for your reply!

Obviously I'm not going to let my budget stop me from seeing things, but it's also a matter of safety - Driving alone, with no one to help navigate, in an unknown area, can be dangerous. I would have used taxis, but I'm a bit technologically limited, as I said.

I should probably make my second question clearer then - In his book, Rick says that if you book with Copeyre, they might even take you from Sarlat to their starting point in Vitrac, though he doesn't mention how exactly that's accomplished. I wanted more information on that, if it's possible.

Thanks, again.

Why don't you contact them and ask. It is standard for canoe rentals to take people to a distant spot and have them then paddle back to the home base of the rental agency. I don't know if that applies to your trip, but contact the agency and ask them how it works.

Hi Adam,
I'm looking into the same deal myself, only in September. The website for Copeyre Conoes is www.canoe-copeyre.com and, yes, Rick says they'll pick you up in Sarlat for free, then you tip the driver a few euros. I don't know if they're looking for more than one passenger. I've read the section carefully and Rick doesn't mention getting back to Sarlat from Beynac but I figure I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. I've contacted both Philippe (Allo-Philippe Taxi) and Christophe Kusters for some help during our stay in Sarlat and they're both very nice - Christophe is taking us to and from the Sarlat train station and we're using Philippe for the caves. I'm a little phobic about driving but I figure this will work. Good luck to you!

Sorry, liorarmon, for calling you by the first poster's name.
I'd be very interested in hearing about your experiences when you return if you have time to report back. Specifically, I'd like to know how difficult the 2-hour paddle is from Vitrac to Beynac and whether the current makes it easier for you,. I guess that also depends on water level and time of year. Thanks!

Sure thing, I'll post my impressions when I come back on Saturday.

I've contacred Copeyre directly via email, and they've agreed to pick me up at Sarlat and the drop me off at my hotel in the end as well. I'm guessing that means I won't get a lot of time to explore Beynac, if any, but it's the best deal I could get.

Thanks all for your replies!

Thanks, iorarmon! I remember someone on this site referring to the "canoe crap" that RS seems to love, but it seemed like fun to me (as well as the only viable option for seeing the sites along the river without a car). Just hope I'm up to the 9 miles of paddling - hope the current helps!

Regarding the canoe trip I just returned a few days ago and did a short 9 km trip from La Roque-Gageac to Les Milandes. The current moved us all the way pretty much. We did need to paddle to turn and during the "rapids" to keep on a straight path. I was with my 18, 11 and 9 yo and we have no canoe experience. I think I would find it difficult to do alone during some parts. We got caught on a submerged tree at one point and it took some might to get off. The company we used launched out of La Roque and then picked you up at the end point and brought you back. They had longer trips but we got a late start so did the shortest. I believe they were called Canoe Dordogne. It was so much fun and a highlight for us.

Thanks, Marcella. What were the "rapids" like? How fast does the current move you along? I'm a 60 yo woman but strong, and I have some canoe experience. My husband is a bit older and can't swim. I know they give you life jackets. Is it pretty easy to stay close to shore? I read that the river isn't too deep. I'd really like to do this but am wondering if maybe it's not a good idea. Thank you in advance!

The Dordoge is easy paddling and the current does the work. We spent a lovely leisurely afternoon on the stretch above La Roque Gageac -- it was just stunning. We stopped at a riverside cafe for lunch. A heavenly day.

My husband and I managed to capsize on the Vezere when we went too near shore to get around a huge floating patch of weeds at Les Eyzies. We got swept under the low hanging trees and when I grabbed a branch to try to push us away we swamped -- when I looked back to check with my husband I discovered I was alone in the canoe -- he had been swept out by the branches. We managed to beach and bailed with our plastic picnic bag -- the food was ruined, but the bag came in handy. Luckily my good camera was in the waterproof drum at that point.

This was pure stupidity on our part and we were fine the rest of the way -- just wet. The rivers are easy; 'rapids' is a bit of an overstatement; if you are dumb enough you can manage to get wet but few people do.

We rented 3 kayaks from Copeyre from Carsac to Vitrac, because we showed up too late to take any of the longer trips.

They were super-nice and accommodating. One tip, however - if you rent an open-top kayak, your pants and shoes will get wet. For one of my sons, the wet shoes was a big inconvenience since it was his only pair; he should have probably taken them off before we left.

Dorothy - By rapids I really mean a bit faster current. We did need to paddle to keep us straight during these parts. I would actually recommend staying more in the middle of the river to avoid the hanging trees. The river is not too deep and for most of it we could see the bottom and when we tested the depth with the canoe paddle the water did not come to the top. We did wear our life jackets. Lots of folks stopped to swim and we wanted to do that as well but the bottom is made of larger rocks and we weren't wearing beach shoes so it was uncomfortable to walk on.

I think you and your husband should give it a go.

Thanks, Jane. Your story about your missing husband was hilarious! I guess we'll be okay if we do a short stretch of the river. It just makes me nervous that all the companies require knowing how to swim and my husband can't. Maybe if I give him my life jacket too? Don't want to return from this wonderful trip a widow!

Just came back from the trip and it was great.

First of all, I have to say everyone in Copeyre were extremly nice and helpful. I had to postpone my booking on the last minute and I only notified them the night before, and they had no problem with it. Plus they gave me a ride from and to my hotel, so I have absolutely no complaints about them.

Now the track itself - I did Vitrac-Beynac as RS recommends, and I thought it was quits nice. The river is very very slow, barely moving at all, so don't count on it helping you much so you do need to paddle at least some of the time. Having said that, you are also not short on time, especially if you start early (I started on 10am, and the bus back to Vitrac was on 4:30pm, so I had more than 6 hours), so you can just relax and let the current carry you, even though it is very very slow.
The water are also very shallow most of the way. I'd say about knee high most of the time, but in other times it could get pretty deep. despite that, I think you need to be very skillful to manage to fall off of the canoe, since they are pretty stable if you use some common sense and don't go wild.

Also, it's worth mentioning that because the current is so slow, the attraction here is not the sailing itself (although it could be nice - a quiet peaceful day on the river), but the villages you get to visit on the way, which are beautiful.
I did get to see Beynac eventually, and it's really the highlight of this trip. It's amazing, but be sure to bring some good shoes cause it's quite a hike to get to the castle. Worth it though.

I did the canoe trip about three years ago. It was in September after a dry summer. The water was very shallow (we got stuck on the bottom a couple of times) and the current was barely moving. It was a hard slog. I never would have made it if I was by myself. I was in my late 50s, in excellent health, lots of energy but very little upper body strength. Personally I enjoyed walking around the villages more than the canoe ride. I might have enjoyed it for two hours but it was way too long and got a little boring. My husband wasn't crazy about it either. Of course we had a car so we had more options. The area is beautiful and we thought Sarlat was an excellent base.

First of all, thank you so much, liorarmon, for taking the time from your vacation to tell me how nice the trip was and allay my fears about the canoeing. I'm thinking, from what Carroll said, that maybe we'll do the shorter trip from Cenac to Beynac, which would also include La Rocque Gageac. I think I'll be doing the lion's share of the canoeing so maybe this would be wiser. Can't tell you how much I appreciate all the helpful answers I got from this thread. I congratuate you, liorarmon, for doing this trip alone using public transport, figuring it all out, and having such a good time. Wish I'd done more traveling when I was younger but I'm sure looking forward to this trip. Merci beaucoup a tous!