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Normandy to Dordogne

We will be spending 3+ days in the Normandy area in late September of this year, and then will take two to three days driving to Puy L'eveque in the Dorgone region. We would love recommendations on driving routes between these two parts of France. My wife and I are not particularly big on either churches or museums -- love scenery and local ambience, plus some opportunities to take hikes/strolls. Seems like our options are to head south (sort of!) through Brittany, or more down through the center of the country, Having never driven in France, we are having a tough time making a choice.

Suggestions?

Thanks

Dick

Posted by
4138 posts

I trust you are finding out all you need to know about driving in France in addition to planning your route, but just in case, go to Driving in France & French Roads.

This motorway map from the same website is useful because you can click on a region and see what's there.

We used a hardcopy Michelin road map of France a couple of years ago and found that it worked very well. I recommend that you check directions using Google maps for possible routes, click on Google Earth and go as close in as you can for a view from above.

Speeding cameras abound, even on back roads, and it won't take long for the ticket to get to you back home. You can pay online using your CC and the website is in English. Voice of experience here.

Get your IDPs from AAA before you go. Some say that it isn't needed. That may be true -- until it is. My husband and I loved driving in France, even with all the roundabouts. He's now a master of them. Coming into many small towns, there will be a digital speed sign telling you how fast you are going. Pay attention! My favorite version has a smiley face when you are going the speed limit, a grimace when you are pushing it a little, and a frowny face when you are going too fast.

You say you are taking 2 to 3 days to get to Puy-l'Évêque. Google says that driving all the way would be about 7 hours using the big roads. We like to take as many back roads as possible, but sometimes we adjust our route(s) based on places to stay.

A good source for charming small hotels, usually with good restaurants, is Logis. This is the "advanced" search page. If the link doesn't work, go to Logis and start the search in the box in the upper right of the page or click on the "more criteria" link.

On the advanced search/more criteria page, there are many, many options to consider. The main ones for us were the number of chimneys (how nice the rooms are) and the restaurant grading (how good the food is). I ask for 3 and 3 for those two criteria. When the results come up, the chimneys sort of look like the front of a fireplace (but more like a table lamp) and the food rating is shown as the number of casserole pots. I ignore the stars when searching.

You don't have to put in the name of a city or town. You can choose an area from a drop down list. We loved France so much, just for fun I tried 3 and 3 in the "region" of Aquitaine and found 26 lodgings in several departments and towns in the area. You can click on any lodging that piques your interest and learn more about it and most of all see pictures of the rooms and the food (yum) by clicking on the "more details" button.

Play with it. We stayed in 3 Logis hotels on our trip and I'd stay in any of them again.

Posted by
16893 posts

I have only touched on Brittany but would consider this drive a good opportunity to explore a few coastal stops south of there (an area that Rick doesn't prioritize or cover in his book). If driving inland, the palaces/chateaux of the Loire valley are naturally along your route and you can make a sobering historical stop at Oradour-sur-Glane.