France in March, Dordogne, Bordeaux, or anywhere else?

We were in France this past March — Paris, Colmar, Beaune, Chamonix, Annecy, and Arles — and had great weather, except for Chamonix, where it was cold, it snowed, and visibility was terrible. In Annecy, it was cold and rainy one day, then cleared up. Everywhere else it was sunny and 60s. I think the odds of good weather in Dordogne is good, but there are no guarantees. I’d choose March over summer any day, because I hate hot weather.

There is tons to do in the Dordogne. (We spent a week there in September on a different trip.) The caves of course (reserve in advance) plus excellent castles (Beynac and Castlenaud). The area is very pretty with lots of beautiful small towns and villages. We loved it! I don’t know about wineries; they are not our thing.

I think it would be difficult to do the Dordogne region without a car. You could train to Bordeaux and rent a car there. You might want to spend a couple of days there (where you would have no trouble finding a winery) and then drive to Dordogne. I have not been to Bordeaux, so I cannot advise. A week is not too long in the Dordogne. We drove from Paris, but I don’t think that would be a good idea on a short trip.

Another place to consider is Provence. You can get there from Paris by fast train in 3 or 3.5 hours. There is a ton to do, including wineries, and the scenery is spectacular. We survived without a car, but a car would make it much easier to get around.

I hope you have a great trip.

The Dordogne region in March can be a good time of year to visit, especially if you do not like crowds. Conversely, there are many things closed as the "season" doesn't start until April, when many shops, restaurants, activities open. You will find that Lascaux will be open, but the smaller caves will be closed. Domme is QUIET in March. Castlenaud and some of the other famous Chateaux are open for visitors. None of the water activities will be open. Towns that are considered "tourist towns" such as Beynac-et-Cezac or La Roque-Gageac will be incredibly quiet but are still breathtaking and, for a photographer, a great place to take beautiful photographs without hords of people. Other "working towns" such as Issegeac or (further to the west of Issegeac) Bergerac or Ste. Foy La Grande, have lively markets all year long. Issegac = Sunday; Bergerac = Sat/Weds; Ste. Foy La Grande = Saturday. And the towns will have most of their commerce open (except a few seasonal restaurants.) Even further west, St. Émilion will mostly be open and ready for visitors year round (you may find a few, smaller shops/restaurants closed.) You can visit wineries or take a wine tour with the benefit of no crowds. The weather in March is typically a mixed bag. It can be cool (50 degrees) and rainy or sunny (65-ish degrees). Bordeaux will be full of activity with lots of things to do. We are there every March and really enjoy this time of year. Hope this helps!

Thank you Carroll and Kimberly - all good info and gives us a place to start. We're still trying to figure out which would be best for train to/from Paris, and where rental cars are available. While I'd prefer not to use the car for travel with luggage, i.e. between stays vs. day trips, we're willing to consider it if that makes the most sense. We always try to pack light and limit suitcase to carry on size, we could handle a little discomfort holding bags on laps rather than having to get too big a car.

It would make the most sense to train from Paris (Gare Montparnasse) to Bordeaux (Bordeaux St. Jean). There are lots and lots of car rental agencies right in the Bordeaux train station (keep in mind, they are in the NEW area of the train station, not the beautiful, old portion.) We've rented from there quite a few times. It's easy and convenient. But, I would not recommend a car for inside the city of Bordeaux (if you are planning to visit the city, too.) You could drop the car off back at train station after you've visted the Dordogne region then spend a few days in the city before heading back up to Paris. There are many trains that go between Paris and Bordeaux. The quickest trains are about 2hrs. There are other, slower trains that make a few stops that may take 3hrs. Also note that there are trains from Bordeaux straight to CDG, if you plan to spend the night at the airport before your flight. We've done this many times and it works great!
For the Dordogne portion, you will want a car. It is the easiest (and sometimes only) way to see some of the more scenic or popular attractions.

I believe the mistral is a potential issue in Provence at that time of year. (Check Google--nope; I meant to suggest Wikipedia.)

Depending on your particular interests, there are worthwhile museums in Bordeaux.

Although it may seem romantic and photogenic to see the Dordogne deserted in March, I would not recommend going there in March where opportunities for visits/activities are very limited and temperatures are generally cool , even cold in the evening and at night, and the weather often rainy.

I have been staying there for over 40 years, several times a year. From mid-April it is sometimes possible to have lunch outside but before April it is very common to have to light the fire in the fireplace (or any other more modern means of heating available).

That being said, with climate change, who knows...

And if you don't have a car, don't even think about visiting the Dordogne.

We would definitely rent a car. We're looking at traveling by train to Bordeaux, renting a car, driving to Bergerac and staying there in a house for 4 nights. Then we'd drive back to Bordeaux, drop off the car and spend 1-2 nights in Bordeaux, without a car, before heading back toward Paris, or perhaps a stop of a night or two on the way (looking at train routes now). I'm hoping that there would be enough to do in Bergerac and surrounding areas with a car to keep us occupied for the 4 days. Does that seem reasonable?

Check out:

• Perigueux
• Sarlat-la-Caneda (huge food market on Wed morning; even bigger market on Sat with food in the morning and other goods all day)
• Many cute villages around Sarlat that I haven't seen, so I'll let others suggest their favorites.
• Brive-la-Gaillarde is about 90 minutes from Bergerac; it's worthwhile if you have time left after seeing the closer places.

The Dordogne caves are a big deal, but I don't know exactly where they are, because I was dependent on public transportation during my visit to the area in 2017.

If you enjoy markets, do a bit of Googling to find a list of where they are held on each day of the week. That way you may be able to hit more than one. (Sarlat's the biggie.)

On your way to or from Bordeaux, you might want to stop at Saint-Emilion. The lower part of the town (near the parking lot) felt very touristy in the summer. I don't know what it will be like in March. The upper town, though, didn't have a lot of visitors. I found it very evocative. The town stretches up the side of a hill. Some of the streets are steep. I remember one in particular, cobbled, that looked as if it could be a deathtrap if the stones were wet. I'd try to avoid going to this or any other hill town on a rainy day, but I don't know whether that's a reasonable goal in March.

Provence can indeed be very windy in March, but the wind makes for incredibly blue skies... Quite a treat for a photographer (with gloves). And the wind is a bit less biting once you leave the Rhône Valley (towards Luberon, the Verdon, or towards Uzès).

There was a flight from Lyon to Bordeaux a few years ago. It was a budget airline and sorry, I don’t remember which one. You could train to Lyon from Paris, and spend one night. We picked up a rental car at the Bordeaux airport and drove to Sarlat which was our home base. The flight saved considerable time. The airport is very small and easy.

I think you plan sounds good and I find there is plenty to do in March, especially if you are staying in Bergerac. If you can, plan to be in the area on Market days as those are interesting. From Bergerac, you could drive to Sarlat or lascaux or any of the chateaux in the area that are open. Bergerac will also have many restaurants open. And the shops will be open. Plus, it's an easy drive from Bordeaux, maybe 1.5 hrs (it's only 30 mins from us and we are 55 mins from bordeaux.) Something to remember is that most things are closed on Sundays still in France. You'll find more open in Bordeaux on Sunday but there are still many places closed. Have a great trip!

"We like exploring cities, visiting castles, museums and perhaps a winery/vineyard, walking or light hiking."

I will suggest that you consider the possibility of the Loire Valley, as an alternative possibility. Like the Dordogne and Bordeaux, the Loire Valley checks some of the same boxes ... with more elegant chateaux. Both areas were also well-disputed during the Hundred years War, so there is some additional history, to boot.

We were in France for 4 weeks this past spring (mid-May to mid-June) Our trip included Bordeaux, an 7-day/8-night self-guided bike trip in the Dordogne, a couple of days in Nantes, a 6-day/7-night self-guided bike trip in the Loire, then stops in Chartres and Versailles on the way to a long weekend in Paris before we headed home. FWIW, here is our trip report: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/fabulous-tour-de-france-2-weeks-on-foot-and-by-train-2-weeks-by-e-bike. We found the bike trip was a great way to travel if you are up for that. The vendor books the hotels, arranges for bikes, and the vendor takes care of luggage transfers from hotel to hotel. Pretty cool.