Hi all,
My wife and I have been to part of France in the past and would love to see more of the country. I've looked at rail transportation which is nice but it seems the more remote places we would be better off driving. Coming from the east coast USA we can get a direct to Lyon and thinking of exploring the Dordogne region, maybe making a southern loop back to Lyon. I'm thinking of 12 days. Does this seem to much and should we reconsider the train ?
Thanks all
Posted by
London, United Kingdom
4684 posts
If you're intending to tour any really rural area in France you should probably get a car. With a few very-tourist-oriented exceptions like the area inland from Nice, rural rail and bus services tend to be either very infrequent or nonexistent.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6502 posts
Via Michelin estimates about 5 hours driving from Lyon to Sarlat, mostly on autoroutes. It's likely to take longer, but still easily a day's drive. The Dordogne is best seen by car as many of the sights are in small towns or the countryside. Twelve days is more than enough time, I think. You could go on west to Bordeaux or south into Lauguedoc, or elsewhere.
Posted by
Chicago
8055 posts
We have visited France many times. Rule of thumb is to use trains or planes if your destinations are cities e.g. Paris, Nice, whatever. But if you want to see rural parts of France and they are very nice places to visit then you need a car. A couple of years ago we flew into Paris for a couple of nights and then took the train to Caen where we picked up a car and toured Normandy for 5 nights before returning by train from Caen to Paris where we spent a month. On another trip we spent a week in the Dordogne with a car; it is an area you simply cannot tour without one. We spent a couple of weeks in Burgundy, renting a place in Semur en Auxois and using the car to visit various towns in the region. We have done the same thing in Tuscany several times.
It is no more difficult to drive in Europe than in the US and it gives you access to places you cannot really see without a car.
Things to pay attention to:
Don't pick up a car and drive after an all night flight from the US; use the train to get to the region you intend to tour and pick up the car the next day.
If you are flying out of Paris, end the trip there so you don't have a rush back the last day.
Make sure you keep the gas tank half full or more. Gas station pumps don't take US credit cards without the chip and pin and you don't want to get stranded without gas on a weekend or if the station personnel are taking a two hour lunch or just closed up early. The locals all have credit cards they can use at the pump so it doesn't affect them
Be sure you review the rules of the road for France (or wherever) In Italy you cannot drive in most city centers without incurring huge fines which arrive months later. In France there is right of way to the car on the right, often even if entering from a secondary road unlike the US where the main road has priority.
We drove with just maps for years but a GPS is quite handy. Sometimes cars just come with them but if you have one that is portable bring it as the rental agencies charge ridiculous amounts if you rent one. GPS devises will steer you wrong on ZTLs however so be sure you understand that in Italy.
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
The Dordogne valley and that entire quarter of France is wonderful. A car is almost required to do it justice. You might consider a chunk of time based in the valley (at least 4 nights, more is better) and a drive south to some of the hill towns. Several good guidebooks will help you to pick what you like from this region.
I am not sure what Lyon gets you for this trip. If Lyon is a priority, sure, but international airports in Toulouse and Bordeaux are closer. You might also have time for a few days in Provence, and could perhaps even fly home from there.