We will be leaving the Dordogne(Domme) area July 10 after spending a couple weeks entertaining 8 adults and 4 grandkids!!
We would like a nice quiet non touristy place to unwind for about 7-8 days. Thinking of stopping at st Emillion for a couple of days and we need to drop our leased vehicle in Bordeaux before we catch a train to Paris.
Any suggestions would be helpful. We like to stay at places that have a kitchen so we don’t have to eat out a lot.
Merci, Dan
Posted by
L'Occitanie, France
10623 posts
Warning: St. Émilion is full of tourists.
Can't help you otherwise but many others here have stayed near the dunes on the Atlantic or in the countryside and can help you.
Posted by
Maryland
112 posts
Try staying on the island of Ile de Re. It's off the west coast of France but just want to mention it. We got an Airbnb there. Great for biking, bird watching and being chilled.
Posted by
Redmond
32 posts
We stayed in the Minervois region quite a while ago. Very peacefu.
Posted by
Barcelona + Sweden
4180 posts
How about a few days exploring the Pyrenees mountains? Great hiking and historical sights, mostly off the radar for foreign tourists, and probably the best bet weather wise during the high summer months. Foix, with its evocative castle makes for a good small town base for the French side of the Pyrenees.
Posted by
Tunbridge Wells
6113 posts
I much prefer Oleron (where I am now) to Re - it has tourists, but not as many as Re.
St Emilion is ok for a couple of hours, but I wouldn’t want to spend 2 days there - when I was there just before the pandemic, there were more Americans there than French people.
La Rochelle has plenty to keep you occupied and some fantastic markets.
You may struggle with accommodation for mid July anywhere in France, as places we have visited this year are much busier than normal.
Posted by
stevens point, wi, usa
1194 posts
Hello from Wisconsin,
You DID say SW France...
Salies-de-bearn is a lovely place. Big enough to have good restaurants, small enough to be ignored. The surrounding scenery is soft, rolling, green, and so soothing. The are many villages to explore in the region. A traditional launching point for the Camino de Santiago is nearby. That is a happening place. Also worthy of a visit.
We found a country B&B on Gites de France that had smashing views of the Pyrenees. In Salies there are accommodations.
It is not that far from Bordeaux.
wayne iNWI