Spending 4 nights in Dordogne area

I would train to one of the towns in the area: Bourdeaux, Sarlat, Bergerac even Toulousse and then pick up the car there.
I would choose a couple of country hotels for 2 nights each or a country hotel for the whole stay rather than having to get in and out of Sarlat for day trips. Sarlat would be fine but parking is a hassle there. We once stayed at La Roseraie a small hotel in Montignac with a spectacularly good restaurant (although I believe it has changed hands since the four times we ate there over the years -- we will be in the Dordogne for a week this fall and will check it out again) It was easy to park, we saw the Lascaux II site and visited Abris and towns in the region and bought a bunch of foie gras and rillettes from a roadside farm and then moved to a small country inn also with restaurant near La Roque Gageac where we arranged to canoe down the Dordogne.

The canoe trip was one of the most memorable things we have done in decades of travel. The operator drove us up stream for the number of hours we wanted to paddle -- I think we were on the river 4-5 hours. We drifted through stretches with chateaux and beautiful towns and pulled over at a riverside cafe for lunch, just taking our life jackets and paddles with us to the table. A heavenly day.

We love the region.

I am planning something similar and about the same time! I'm taking a train to Brive, picking up a car, and then driving the rest of the remaining hour or so to Sarlat.

We've stayed in the Old Town in Sarlat at La Villa des Consuls and loved it. RS describes it as a cross between B&B and a hotel but what we had was more of a small apartment. I would highly recommend it. It's nice to walk right out into the Old Town, especially on market days. Off-site parking is available (Old Town itself is off limits to cars) and we were quite happy with that, too.

If you want to stay in Beynac I can highly recommend Le Petit Versailles. Mme. Fleury serves the best breakfasts I've ever had at a B&B. Again, I can highly recommend it.

I don't know what your interests are, but a visit to Oradour-sur-Glane makes an unforgettable impression. The village is the site of a Nazi massacre and has been left as it was afterwards - burned and in ruins - as an anti war monument.

Others have raved about canoeing on the Dordogne. I haven't done that but I would not recommend the dragon ships that cruise a short way downriver from Beynac. It was pleasant enough but short (in distance). I think you can find better things to do with your time.

We stayed here in 2012:

http://www.lagarriguehaute.fr/

If memory serves me correctly, it was 9 KM outside of Sarlat. (an easy drive) It is a farm that raises geese for foi gras and it was great. We had a nice room for a very reasonable price on a beautiful farm in the countryside. They also serve food. The breakfast was not worth the price (we got tea, coffee, and toast) However, the dinner was the best meal we had. We did not have to tel them we were going to eat dinner until we arrived. The dinner was 20-27 euros depending on what you chose. It included wine, appetizer, meal and desert and was so worth it They cater to french visitors (they do not offer English translation on their web site, I used google translate). It is a 3 generation family and only one son speaks English. (and he speaks it like he was born here). We mailed them a check as a deposit and they returned our check to us when we paid in person. (obviously they would have cashed it if we had not shown up) If you are looking for a beautiful, unique experience this could be it. (it was for us) Our room was number 3. It was simple, but clean. This is a hard working family that rents rooms and serves food to add to their income. Our stay there was the highlight of our trip and I recommend it to people who are looking for something more than a typical B&B or hotel. (we were able to go out and watch the son feed the geese). PM me if you have any questions.

Thanks for all of the very helpful suggestions! We are exploring all of the recommedations. We appreciate the suggestions on places to see and things to do. We had planned on the Kayak/canoe on the Dordogne, visiting the caves, hiking and exploring the area. Any other ideas are greatly appreciated..

Connie, does this place you stayed also serve as a restaurant i.e. do they serve people who are not staying at the site?

Looks like it would make a fun stop on one of our trips around the area.

janettravels44:

Sorry, I don't get on the web site everyday. I think you could go there just for a meal, and I recommend it. The nights we ate there, a couple of us were staying there and others came just for the meal. There are a couple of things you should know. It is not a "drop in" restaurant. It is just for people who have made reservations in advance. They let us reserve the day before, so they don't need a lot of notice. Also, keep in mind the language barrier. The son who speaks English works the farm and is not readily available. I would advise calling 2-7 days in advance and having someone who speaks French make the request for you. (Maybe the proprietor of where you are staying.) They do have e-mail, so you could try that as well. We did all our pre-visit arrangements via e-mail and it went very smoothly. (Either the son answers, or they use google translate) Also, it is in a very rural area, so make sure you know how to get there. I did the route on either google maps or via michelin and it took us right there. (I do it on my kilndle, take a screen shot, and have it available while we drive). The area was beautiful and the farm was very picturesque. Go a little early and ask to go out to the barns to see them feed the geese. (so you can form your own opinion on Foi Gras...I won't tell you mine).