Hello All,
We (me, my parents and two boys aged 12 and 10) will rent a car from Bordeaux on Saturday, July 12 and drive to Sarlat la Caneda. We need to get to Toulouse on Tuesday, July 15; we won't need the car in Toulouse. I think we have two options, but let me know if you see a third.
1) We drive back to Bordeaux from Sarlat, maybe stopping in St. Emilion on the way. Take a late afternoon train to Toulouse and arrive in time for dinner.
PROS - Save money by returning the car in Bordeaux; see a winery/chateau.
CONS - Less time in Toulouse; the trip will take 5-6 hours instead of just the 3 to drive.
2) We drive from Toulouse and return the car there.
PROS - More time in Toulouse; maybe stop to tour the Grotte de Pech Merle on the way?
CONS - Cost of dropping car at a different location; less time in Bordeaux region.
We will be in Toulouse July 15-18; the Tour de France starts and ends in the city on July 16th, and we plan to do a day trip to Carcassonne on the 17th. The 18th we'll return to Bordeaux, so we'll have half a day or more in the city then. The next day, my husband arrives and we'll drive up to Normandy. My parents will have spent a few days on the front end in Bordeaux; the boys and I arrive on July 11th around 10am.
Given all this, what would you recommend? Are there other interesting places between Sarlat and Toulouse we should check out? Suggestions for wineries/chateau between Sarlat and Bordeaux/St. Emilion? Any advice would be much appreciated - thanks!