Feedback on trip to Dordogne/Loire/Paris

Driving from CDG to Beynac after a long transatlantic flight isn't the wisest or safest idea in my opinion. Arriving at 7 a.m., you'll have to go through the Paris region and its morning traffic jams. That's more than 8 hours of driving, not counting any breaks. And possibly driving at night at the end of the journey in a rural area, in the middle of winter, with a significant chance of rain/fog.

I fully agree with JoLui that driving all the way from CDG to Beynac after a TA flight is a very, very bad idea. Even more so in winter with unforseeable driving conditions added to the jet lag. Please consider an alternative : taxi (fixed rate) into Paris to the train station. Train to Limoges (the closest town large enough to have a choice in rental car agencies). Rent your car in Limoges.
Instead of dropping the car at CDG, which is on the far side of Paris, drop it at the St Pierre des Corps train station, which is less than 30 minutes from Amboise. Train into Paris.

Fair enough, we will have to reconsider that piece

Another comment about a 6.5 + drive on your arrival day. Another option, which is what we have done, is to take a taxi or public transport into Paris, then train to Brive la Gaillarde. I believe only regional trains go between there and Paris, but the drive from Brive is only about 1 hour 15 minutes to Beynace-et-Cazenac (vs. 2+ hrs from Limoges).

The places that you're thinking about visiting in the Dordogne area and Amboise sound good. If you would like to visit, as a contrast, an older, more defensive castle in the Loire, consider Chaumont-sur-Loire or Château de Langeais. We stayed at Chateau du Pray about 15 years ago, and enjoyed it very much.

Good catch Lexma, on the precise location in the Dordogne . Not Beynac, as the OP stated, but Beynac-et-Cazenac. Nowhere near each other.

jjsullivan3,
The previous posters give excellent advice, especially JoLui who lives in the region, and knows whereof she speaks. My best suggestion for anyone using a car for their travels in France (love the flexibility of driving; city parking not so much), is to get a decent map of France for the areas you will visit (I like the Michelin maps myself) to get a true picture of the distances involved in going from place to place. The website Viamichelin.com is very good for driving instructions and usually gives you route options (e.g. fastest, most scenic, no tolls, etc.). Don't underestimate the length of time a drive takes. The quoted time on most sites (even viamichelin.com) do not allow for time to get gas, use restrooms, have something to eat. I add one hour to the time they recommend for half-day trips, and 2 hours for all day trips. We prefer the country roads (D roads) to the Autoroutes, but that is just us. It does make the drive slower. I would allow myself more time if you arriving in the Dordogne area after dark. It has many lovely towns, but is basically a rural area, without street lights on all the roads. Signage is good in France, so that is a plus.
A good comment is to drop the car in the Loire and take the train to Paris. CDG dropoff is a big pain, plus it is on the far side of Paris from the Loire Valley. To drop-off at a different location within France may have a small drop-off fee, if any, especially if done at a fairly busy train station.
(I see that CDG to Sarlat in the Dordogne takes 6-7 hours not counting stops. Sarlat to Amboise 5-6 hours. Sarlat isn't far from Beynac-et-Cazenac.)
One other mention is that 2 nights equal one full day. I see that you will have 2 full days in the Dordogne (days 2 and 3), then most of a day getting to Amboise (day 4), days 5 and 6 in the Loire Valley, and part of day 7 going to Paris with about a half day there, and all of days 8 and 9 in Paris. You, of course, will have at least part of your moving day and evening in the new location, so an evening stroll and nice dinner are always a treat!
Oops! Another thought. You will be in daylight savings time, so it will get dark early, as it does here. Just take that into consideration in arranging your days' plans. Save the indoor stuff for later in the afternoon, if that works out for you.

Have a wonderful trip! Amusez-vous Bben!

A quick thought about your Dordogne sights. Glad you will see both castles. We did on our visit there in 2023. But both castles in one day is a bit much. I would do one on the day you visit Font-de-Gaume, and the other on a day visiting Lascaux IV. Lascaux IV is entirely different from Font-de-Gaume....a reproduction, but a superb one with a great display/learning area. Some things may be closed in February. Do a little research on what else is open. Markets are always held because the locals still need to shop. The Sarlat ones are on Wed. and Sat. and are worth visiting. Check the closing-down time. however. It may be early afternoon. Go see the goose statue around the corner from the church.

We had a really nice lunch at Les Courtines in La Roque Gageac. We also had a special splurge dinner at Le Grand Bleu in Sarlat.
In Paris, we had a delicious lunch at a Breizh Cafe. (There are a few in Paris). They specialize in Breton savory crepes and are reasonably priced.
The Army Museum (with Napoleon's tomb) is close to the Champs de Mars, a short walk. And if you want, the Rodin Museum is just a little further. (I visit every time I am in Paris, especially to see the gardens with their sculptures.) The cafe there is pretty good and decently priced. I feel the Rue Cler area is too far away from the main Paris attractions, except the Eiffel Tower, so I don't have recommendations for cafes, etc. there. From the Rue Cler area to the Ile de la Cite is a bit of a walk, so I would take the metro there for your exploration of that area.
Have fun planning!

I appreciate all the feedback, thank you all !!

Sorry if my response seemed passive-aggressive, that wasn't my intention. I know the route quite well and I'm used to the area. I don't need GPS to navigate this route, which I've driven many times in both directions (without driving from CDG, which is north of Paris and adds a lot of driving time on very congested roads), and it's a long and tiring journey.

On Google Maps, if you change the departure time, you'll see that it can add up to 2.5 hours to the average driving time.
In bad weather conditions, see what you might encounter (traffic conditions yesterday around Paris)
Enable English subtitles in the settings.

https://youtu.be/01jWZ8La5eI

To be positive, here are some faster and more relaxing alternatives:

From CDG to Bordeaux, there are direct OuiGo/InOui fast trains; it takes less than 4 hours.

If you were able to rest on the train, you can then rent a car at Bordeaux airport and drive to Beynac-et-Cazenac (approximately 2.5 hours).

See train schedules on SNCF Connect:

https://www.sncf-connect.com/en-en

There is also the option of taking one of the many Air France domestic flights from CDG to Toulouse (1 hour 20 minutes flight time), which allows you to arrive in Toulouse late morning but still requires about 2.5 hours of driving from Toulouse-Blagnac to Beynac (80% via the A20 highway).

This is preferable to the CDG-Bordeaux flight option for two reasons:
1/ There are fewer CDG-Bordeaux flights. 2/ The driving time to the Dordogne is longer due to usual local traffic in Bordeaux area from Bordeaux airport.

If you're hungry and looking for a change from the usual international tourist spots, a 10-minute drive from Beynac-et-Cazenac, in Cénac-et-Saint-Julien, you'll find a charming little restaurant with reasonable prices serving traditional local cuisine, foie gras, duck breast, and Périgord poultry (paired with local wines). In winter, it's open Wednesday and Thursday for lunch, Friday and Saturday for lunch and dinner, and Sunday for lunch.

La Traverse - Chez les filles

https://maps.app.goo.gl/Ug518R5sfmP4UyPn6

My concern is ice on those two-lane winding Dordogne roads. Fingers crossed that February is better than it is now in January. We've have below freezing temperatures for the last week even on the Mediterranean coast.

No moralizing from me... it's just a warning and a reminder of some obvious facts.
I'm probably exaggerating because I've known people who died in their cars following an accident caused by a driver falling asleep at the wheel. Anyway, lack of sleep and drowsiness are among the leading causes of accidents on French roads. On highways, one in three fatal accidents is caused by drowsiness.

Hi jjsullivan3,
You have received good advice about driving from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Beynac-et-Cazenac. The roads get twisty and smaller the further you go in to the Dordogne region. And even if you are not taking a transatlantic flight, a 7am arrival time from UK/Ireland is early and makes for a long, tiring day. There are other elements that further complicate the drive such as the weather that time of year, driving on the opposite side of the road, etc.
Some other things to consider: try to schedule your visit to Sarlat on either Wednesday or Saturday (market days) as many restaurants, stores, etc. will be open. Sunday afternoon/evenings, Mondays and Tuesdays most things will be closed in the Dordogne region. Check opening hours for those attractions you most want to visit as some may close during January into February (I think Chateau Millandes is closed but reopens sometime in Feb.) Your lodging hosts should be able to give you an accurate picture of what's currently opened/closed and when this time of year.
Enjoy your trip!!

Sounds like a great trip plan. We covered that same ground, plus a bit more, over the course of 30 days in 2023. Judy and JoLui and others have already shared good points. I’ll add a bit more.

• Arrival. We flew through Paris and on to Bordeaux. Our connection was uncomfortably tight, but Air France generously allowed us to board even though the gate had closed 3 minutes earlier. Air France typically closes the gates 15 or 20 minutes prior to departure. We spent three nights in Bordeaux. You could spend just one night there and then head to the Dordogne via rental car the day after arrival. The tram from the airport into town takes about 50 minutes. Easy. Or, TGV from Paris (CDG? Or just Montparnasse) to Bordeaux.
• Should you spend night one in Bordeaux, perhaps visit the Musee d’Acquitane in the morning before you pick up your car and head into the Dordogne. That will give you some history and introduce you the Ailenor d’Acquitane, perhaps one of the five most fascinating women of the Millennium. Certainly in the top ten. BTW her tomb is in the Loire Valley, along with her husband, Henry II of England and their son, Richard the Lionhearted, or Coeur de Lion, at Fontevraud l’Abbaye but you probably don’t have enough time to detour there. See wikipedia article on Ailenor
• When you visit Font de Gaume, you will be just about 1 km or 1 mile from the town of Les Eyzies and its Musee de PreHistoire. This is a great stop. Don’t miss it. If you have to choose between Lascaux IV and the Musee de Prehistoire, my recommendation is to go to the Musee.
• Sarlat. Le Grand Bleu recommended by Judy. YES
• Loire/Amboise area. We were there in late May/early June. We loved Chaumont, not far from Amboise. Fascinating history and relationship between this chateau and Chenonceau. Catherine de Medici was Queen to Henry II of France. He gave Chaumont to her. He gave Chenonceau to his lover, Diane de Poitiers. When he died, Catherine - then effectively the ruling Queen and Regent - demanded that the two women switch chateaux. The gardens at Chaumont are wonderful. Not big grand gardens like Chenonceau or Villandry, but many adjacent “rooms” or smaller, botanically enclosed gardens. You’re visiting in February, though, so they will be in a more dormant state. Still, if you visit both of these two chateaux, you will get more of the history between these two fascinating women.
• Re driving, perhaps you may choose to pick up a car in Bordeaux, use it in the Dordogne and Loire, and then turn in the car at St Pierre des Corps, very near Tours, and then take a train or TGV to Paris. That should save time and hassle, rather than driving around Paris to CDG to turn in the car and then get back to Paris. This plan would reduce driving, perhaps a day (or a day plus several hours) on car rental and likely offsets, in whole or in part, the drop off fee

Thank you all for taking the time to respond, This is all great feedback.

Add me to those suggesting taking the TGV train directly from CDG airport to Bordeaux and then regional service on to Sarlat-la-Canéda. You can probably rent your automobile in Sarlat.

I see no purpose in leaving the airport in Paris and taxiing to another train station.