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Seeking opinions on final itinerary in the Dordogne Valley

For our family of five adults and two children, with seven full days with all of us there, I believe I have a good breakdown of things to do. The order of days isn't set (waiting on a chance to book Font de Gaume tour in June), but I think we won't be overdoing things and will have lots of opportunities to relax and have a change-up if necessary or wanted. All opinions welcome. Our gite has a pool and a nice kitchen and an outdoor grill, so we can unwind in the evenings and prepare our own meals then. (I intend to buy lots of good cheeses and pate there.)

Day 1: Drive from gite at Vitrac/La Roque Gageac to Castelnaud to explore and watch the catapult demonstration (11:30 a.m.), stopping now and then throughout the day at towns and villages to admire the view (e.g. from Domme), have a pastis, get lunch, walk around some of "Les Plus Beaux Villages" of France. Pick up some fresh produce and meat for dinner at the gite. Just get a feel for the area. Only drive as far as we want.
Day 2: Visit Font de Gaume and Lascaux VI and the museum at Les Eyzies. Have lunch nearby. Order and day depend on appt. time (if we get one) at Font de Gaume. If Font de Gaume, doesn't pan out, then perhaps La Roque St. Cristophe or another cave in the area.
Day 3: Sarlat on a Wednesday market day, lunch there, do a walk around the town for a bit. Follow with a visit to a goose farm (I need to find where it/they may be).
Day 4: Canoe/kayak on the river and picnic along the way. Depending on where we put in and get out, and where the cars are, visit another castle, such as the Chateau de Baynac (if we didn't see it on the Castlenaud day), or visit the gardens at Marqueyssac.
Day 5: Drive to Perigeux, visit the church there, possibly a vineyard visit nearby. Do some tastings of Monbazillac wine.
Day 6: All but us two old folks may want to take a bike ride to explore wherever appeals to them, while Grammy and Pops do laundry, loll around the pool, watch the little ones if the adults that AREN'T seniors want to go off on their own.
Day 7: Up for grabs.....Rocomadour, Oradour-sur-Glane, wherever we want. We can split up as well. (Two cars)

One night we will go out for a fancy dinner (Our son's treat), so it could be at the end of the Sarlat day, the Castelnaud day, the "up for grabs" day. It all depends.
We are a bit loosey-goosey on our days, except for the Sarlat Wednesday market, and (I hope) Font de Gaume. Any thoughts?

Posted by
234 posts

Aside from when you can snag tickets to the caves, being flexible is the key, especially for your canoe/kayak day. for which you will want great weather! Gabarres are another way to enjoy the river. Have you considered other caves? Our plan is to try for both Pech Merle and Font de Gaume and go with whichever we are lucky enough to snag first. We are also considering Rocamadour during one of 4 full days from our base on the outskirts of Sarlat.

Posted by
2323 posts

A few tips (from a local in this area):

If you want to go through some of the most beautiful villages in France and scenic roads, here is an itinerary that I recommend for a day (day 7 or another):

1/ Turenne and Castle village (30 mi from La Roque-Gageac, one of the most beautiful villages in France)

https://www.visit-dordogne-valley.co.uk/discover/cultural-heritage/villages-to-visit/turenne

2/ 15 minutes from Turenne: Collonges-la-Rouge. Another most beautiful village in France (and the first to have obtained the classification):

https://www.visit-dordogne-valley.co.uk/discover/cultural-heritage/villages-to-visit/collonges-la-rouge

3/ 20 minutes from Collonges la Rouge: Martel, a medieval village.

If you are there for lunch: 2 excellent restaurants:

"Saveur des Halles" or "Le Petit Moulin" both located near the square of the old hall

http://www.restaurant-saveurs-des-halles-martel.fr/

http://www.petitmoulinmartel.com/

4/ Take the D840 road to Gluges then the D43 to Creysse
you will have a few kilometers like this:

https://goo.gl/maps/2tbocU3C7pbts9jx9

5/ In Creysse, a pretty little village with a farm where you can buy foie gras and other local products (and at 4.30 p.m. visit the farm and the foie gras production workshops for free): La Campagnoise.
You will be able to bring back guaranteed local and top quality products for dinner in the evening in your accommodation.

https://www.la-campagnoise.fr/notre-histoire/

From Creysse you will be 1 hour from La roque Gageac returning via Souillac where you can stop here (drivers are asked to be careful:) Distillerie Louis Roque

https://goo.gl/maps/s5JVUiipUiziTt1q7

It's a total of about 140 km, 2h30 of driving.

Posted by
1331 posts

Wow, thank you so much! beejaybeeohio, I hope you have a great time in the Dordogne. And JoLui, your suggestion for a road trip sounds perfect. I am pulling out my Michelin map right now and marking that route. Thank you so much! Just 6 1/2 weeks to go before takeoff. Yay!

Posted by
2323 posts

Just in case, here is the trickiest part between Martel and Creysse:

https://goo.gl/maps/9hwjrVyncaBwWpz77

Once in Gluges you have to turn right before the bridge over the Dordogne river, towards the road with a sign indicating "Creysse" and a sign indicating prohibited for trucks (you will understand why once on the road). I guess the Michelin maps show this road in green (scenic road)

I added the farm at the end of the itinerary, anyway there are signs "La Campagnoise Foie Gras".

That being said, if you don't to go to the farm to buy foie gras, confits or jams you can go in the village for a drink or an ice cream at the Auberge de l'Ile.

Posted by
28073 posts

Visiting Oradour-sur-Glane is a very moving experience, and the memorial/museum is also very good (plan hours there, not minutes), but Oradour is over a 2-hour drive from Vitrac.

For Rocamadour, be sure to plan plenty of time to see the religious area up the hill. The street at the bottom of the town is a nightmare of junky knickknack shops and touristy cafes--extremely unattractive.

Posted by
43 posts

Josephine Bakers home, Chateaux des Milandes is nice, interesting history, and a lovely place.
Also near where you will be.

Posted by
2 posts

Ne choisissez pas ENTRE Beynac et Les Jardins de Marqueyssac: il FAUT voir les deux!! Pour ne pas avoir à monter au village à partir de la rivière (surtout s'il fait très chaud), il faut chercher Beynac Parking Bus sur votre GPS. Ça vous indiquera la route jusqu'au parking en haut tout près du château. La Dordogne est formidable, vous allez ADORER!

Posted by
1331 posts

To everyone......Thank you all for the many hints and details regarding the drives, the things to see, and all the suggestions. GeoffB, I enjoyed reading your detailed trip report.
Acraven, we will be sure to try and park at the top for Rocamadour (and Beynac), as between my husband and me, we have only one original knee, and some iffy back issues (We are working out at the Y to prepare for the walking.) We will also plan time for the longer drive to Oradour-sur-Glane if we decide to go there.
Rosiecario, I did see how close Josephine Baker's home is, so we may have time for a stop there.
Jdiotte, quand je regarder la carte Michelin, je vois qu'une visite aux deux sites, Marqueyssac et le chateau de Beynac, ne seront pas dificile. Nous visiterons les deux. Merci beaucoup!