Last min Sept trip itinerary advice needed > Paris > Cote d'Azur > Dordogne > Paris

fly Nice → either to airport in Bergerac (EGC) or Brive-Souillac (BVE)

Flights from Nice to Brive only operate on Fridays until August 28. There are no flights available in September.

Bergerac Airport only handles flights to and from the United Kingdom, with no flights to or from any airport in France.

From Nice, the only way to get close to the Dordogne is by taking a flight to Bordeaux or Toulouse, and from there it is about a 2.5-hour drive.

There are no direct trains to Paris from any train stations in the Dordogne (Périgueux, Bergerac, Sarlat-la-Canéda, etc.). All train trips departing from the Dordogne require at least one connection.

You can forget about the Dordogne anyway, spending 1.5 day or even 2.5 days there is completely pointless. You would need at least 5 full days.

Stayed at Hotel Du Levant, Paris in May and loved it.

Cluny is right up the street. Keep walking and you get to the Pantheon with St-Etienne right behind. Cross the street and you are at Luxembourg Garden.

Back to the hotel. In the opposite direction, you are around the corner from Notre Dame.

Without a nightly budget in Euros it's difficult to recommend hotels. Wherever you book, be sure it has proper AC.

I agree with JoLui. You need to give the Dordogne more time. You don't have 3 days. Your first and last day are consumed by travel. You barely have a day and a half.

I have to agree that with the limited time available, and given the transportation logistics, the Dordogne doesnt seem like a good choice. One of your bases has to go. Would you consider 2 or 3 nights in Provence instead of the Dordogne? Perhaps Aix or Arles?

Yes, I agree this is a packed and tricky itinerary. The cave paintings in the Dordogne have long been on my wish list so I am intent on keeping the Dordogne as part of this trip despite the logistic issues.

Have you already booked your flights?

Fly directly from US to Nice first. Save all your Paris nights for the end of your trip. This will give you more time for the Dordogne.

Los Angeles 641,
As much as I love the Dordogne, it needs far more time than you have to give it. Plus, getting there is not as simple as getting to Nice or Bordeaux or Strasbourg, for example. You are losing pretty much a whole day getting there from Nice. Even coming from Paris is not a quick move. To do it any justice at all, I would wait until I had at least five full days there (6 nights). Better yet, skip the Cote d'Azur and go straight from Paris on the 21st or 22nd to the Dordogne via Bordeaux (TGV train just over 2 hours) and rent a car for a 3 hour drive to the area near Sarlat, e.g. You would then have from mid to late afternoon on on either the 21st or 22nd until the 27th. Drive back to Bordeaux, drop the car, and take the TGV back to Paris for your last night.

If you want to keep Nice/Cote d'Azur, then add those Dordogne travel/visit days to Paris or the Cote d'Azur. (By the way, your itinerary says 4 days in the Cote, Sept 22-25. You arrive morning of 22nd, but leave the 25th, so only three days there: 22, 23, 24. Count nights, not days. Likewise, you say Dordogne 3 days, but you would arrive late(r) in the day on the 25th, and have just the 26th if you are leaving the morning of the 27th.

Wherever you decide to spend your ten days, I am sure you will have a wonderful time. Just plan well so you don't use up a lot of your time in transit. Amusez-vous bien!

The cave paintings in the Dordogne have long been on my wish list.

Which caves with paintings would you like to see in the Dordogne? There are approximately 10 open to the public.

By taking a flight from Nice to Bordeaux on September 25th and then renting a car, you will arrive in the Dordogne no earlier than 4 PM.

You will then have the following day to visit one or two caves (the most interesting ones require advance booking).

September 26th is a Saturday

Lascaux IV has tours in French at 10 am, 11 am, and 2 pm.

Lascaux II has a guided tour in English at 1 pm

The Rouffignac cave is open with a guided tour in English at 11:30 am (27 visitors max).

The Villars cave is open, with admission limited to 25 visitors.

The Combarelle cave will be closed.

The Cougnac cave will be closed.

The Font-de-Gaume cave will be closed

The Cap-Blanc cave will be closed

Don't expect to go kayaking you won't have enough time.

The next morning you will need to return to Bordeaux to return the car and take a train to Paris.

Hi there! Just to see if I understand, you will have:
Paris - 4 nights
Nice - 3 nights
Dordogne region - 2 nights
Paris - 1 night (to be there before flight)

What if you did this:
Nice - 3 nights (Fly directly to Nice to start your trip.)
Dordogne - 3 nights (adding a night from Paris to give you time to visit a cave or two and kayak)
Paris - 4 nights (including night before flight, take taxi in am to airport from hotel.)

This flipped itinerary would give you a bit more time to experience the Dordogne. Flying in to Bordeaux from Nice is a good idea, then rent a car to drive out to Sarlat area. Take a look at Gîtes of France to find some lovely, local places. In the greater Dordogne area there are many Michelin Star restaurants should you wish to celebrate your anniversary there instead of in Nice (and the prices are less than in big cities with typical local menus.)
Happy planning!

If you do go to the Perigord (Dordogne region) for a short visit, I would do a forum search for something like "prehistoric caves of the Dordogne", filter for travel forum, then one year or less. Mine the responses to check out the various caves to decide which ones are your first then second choices. Many require a reserved time spot which you should do before your travel. Also, your (truly) one full day there, besides a cave visit, can be accompanied by a kayak trip, but plan on a good 3 1/2-4 hours for that (and a long day). And you need to wear waterproof shoes (your feet will get wet getting in and out of the kayaks) and have a couple of towels in your car. You will need a car there in the Perigord. Public transportation really isn't an option. If you don't kayak, or canoe you might visit one of the two main castles which figure prominently in the Hundred Years War...Castelnaud-la-Chapelle or Beynac Castle. Between a prehistoric cave visit, and a kayak trip OR a castle exploration, your one full day is truly full.
If you decide to give more days to this area, there are many prehistoric caves to visit, some chateaux with beautiful; gardens, markets for finding yummy eats (pate, truffles, honey, walnut treats, mushrooms and strawberries, but perhaps no strawberries in Sept.) Many beautiful villages, a Prehistory museum.....lots to do and see.

Looking at the times for the cave tours, a kayak trip won't be feasible on the same day you visit a cave. A castle visit, or a second cave visit are possible that same day.