Am planning a trip to the south of France and the Dordogne area in the fall. Any suggestions on itinerary? Will probably fly into Marseilles and rent a car from there. Does RSteves have any books just on that area that anyone is aware of? We have been to Gordes before for a brief afternoon visit and want to go back with more time to explore this area and west of here. Would love to hear from anyone that has made this trip......plan to go for about 2 weeks. Thanks!!
Posted by
Paris
10205 posts
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15788 posts
Hi Jane. RS France has sections on the Dordogne, the French Riviera and other southern regions. The problem with the book (at least my complaint) is that it's huge and the paper is very thin - hard to turn pages, hard to photocopy (the reverse side bleeds through) and hard to highlight (bleeds through). I find it a lot easier to use the ebook version of the RS guides. The DK Eyewitness Back Roads France has suggested driving routes all over France, including several in the south from the Atlantic to Nice. I used the book for Burgundy and Alsace. It was a good start, but not comprehensive. Generally, the best guides for France are the Michelin Green Guides. Don't rely just on books or maps, GPS is nearly essential since signage, especially on those charming back roads, isn't always good enough.
Posted by
Myrtle Beach, USA
12313 posts
Michelin Green Guide is very useful for towns that aren't covered in Rick Steves' guidebooks.
Posted by
Somerville, MA
653 posts
The JOIN US IN FRANCE podcast www.joinusinfrance.com has MANY episodes spanning all parts of the South of France. In my opinion (the hosts are from Toulouse) they offer the most robust and honest coverage of the area.
Aside from that, you should specify a few constraints in your post. Given the question as posed, I would do the following:
Fly into Marseilles, rent car, stay 7 nights in St Remy including the following sites () are bonus round:
Day 1: Arrive, Les Baux, Illuminated Cave
Day 2: Pont du Gard, Uzes (Nimes)
Day 3: Luberon villages including Roussillon, Gordes, Joucas
Day 4: Arles, Stes Maries
Day 5: Cote du Rhone villages
Day 6: Avignon, Orange
Day 7: Drive to Beynac, stay 5 nights in Beynac
Day 8: Prehistoric Cave Art
Day 9: Eastern Dordogne Sites
Day 10: Canoe the Dordogne, see a castle
Day 11: See another castle, Tour Sarlat (goose farm)
Day 12: Drive to Foix, see Grotte to Niaux, drive to Toulouse, drop off car, stay 2 nights in Toulouse
Day 13: Tour Toulouse
Day 14: Fly home from Toulouse