We will be in Paris in August and want to spend 10 days after Paris exploring France. Dordogne has always interested me, but so does Provence. Should we limit our itinerary to either Dordogne or Provence, or is it reasonable to think we can do both? Should we first travel from Paris to let’s say Avignon & explore Provence, and then make our way to Dordogne, then back to Paris for our flight home?
Thanks for your input.
Posted by
Chicago
8561 posts
With 10 extra days you have time. If it were me I would spend a week in the Dordogne -- rent a cottage in a village and explore that area. (be sure to attend at least one night market) and then 3 nights in Provence -- but then I much prefer the Dordogne.
If it were me, would start in the south and finish in Paris. I hate having to waste the second to last day of a trip on the logistics of rushing back to the city of my high stakes flight. I'd take a train to say Bordeaux spend the night and pick up a car the next morning and head to your lodging. You could certainly spend the whole time there, but you could also head for Provence-- I'd drop the car there and train back to Paris. Another option would be to spend. a week in the Dordogne and then drive back to Paris taking a couple of days on the road stopping at a couple of places in Burgundy e.g. maybe Beaune and Semur en Auxois. or Auxerre and Vezeley. We have stayed at a country inn near Vezelay called Moulin des Ruats and then visited Auxerre and Vezelay. Lots of great places worth visiting in Burgundy or the Loire.
Posted by
Bay Area
3551 posts
From my experience both are wonderful Areas to experience. If u plan carefully u could enjoy both.
Train to Provence pick up a car and plan your village visits from a base like Arles.
Drive to Dordogne and base in a village nr Sarlat. Return car and Train back to Paris after your tour of the beauiful dordogne river valley
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1864 posts
Last September after visiting the Alps, we enjoyed 4 days in Provence, 2 in Carcassonne (visited Cathar castles south of there), and 4 in the Dordogne before heading to Paris. It was our first visit to all of these areas except Paris. and we enjoyed our sampler. We hope to return to the Dordogne again. You can easily do all three areas in 10 days as long as you only wish to visit certain sites.
It was extremely hot in Provence, even in mid-September.
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
If you are "good" travelers--flexible and nimble--then I think you can enjoy a decent taste of both places. You may wind up feeling as though you were rushed, though. You would never regret spending an extra day.
A key move, logistically, would be to fly home from Bordeaux or Toulouse. So you would go Paris > Provence > Dordogne.