What to do after Dordogne Valley?

Did you look at this itinerary? I don't know if it's the one in the guidebook, but it has some good ideas:
https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/france/itinerary
I would also add a stop in Oradour-sur-Glane if you haven't already.
Definitely visit Carcassonne. From there, I would go out to the coast and around as far as the Camargue to see the flamingoes, then start heading north. This can also be done as a day trip from Arles. To break up the drive from Arles to CDG, maybe Guedelon, where they are building that castle? I know this is on one of the RS tours. Sounds cool.

G3rryCee, I suppose I blocked out the southeastern part of the country because I wasn't sure if I would have enough time to get from there back to Paris since I prefer at least 3 nights in a place and like to take my time. Rick's suggested itinerary seems to be for people with much more energy than I have even at only 47! Many of the 70+ year-olds, on this forum, can run circles around me! I guess I am a sloooow traveler.
Thanks for reminding me about Oradour-sur-Glane! I did read that the museum there would be closed when I will be there. Is it still worthwhile without it?

Esby,
We have driven around this area (in general) more than once. Here is what we would probably do:
4/23 Drive to Carcassonne from Beynac (3-4 hours), walk around the castle and have dinner there. You will have from mid-afternoon on. Sleep in Carcassonne
4/24 Drive to Arles via Montpellier (3 hours). Lunch in Montpellier if you wish to pass a bit of time there. You will be driving by the Camargue on the way to Arles, so watch for the flamingoes and horses (do some research on what to do and see). Depending on your timing, you may skip a Montpellier stop and get to the Camargue in time for a horseback ride. Dinner in Arles. Sleep in Arles.
4/25 Arles. Explore the city. Sleep in Arles
4/26 Day trip to Les Beaux (less than an hour). 3 hours to explore that. Combine with further drive to St. Remy de Provence (less than a half-hour). Leisurely lunch there, wander the town a bit, stop in Glanum, then back to Arles. Sleep Arles .
4/27 Day trip to Nimes (less than an hour). Spend 1/2 day exploring Nimes and its Roman sights, and 1/2 day at Pont du Gard (30-45 min. drive from Nimes). Return to Arles. Sleep Arles.
4/28 through 5/1 Head north, stopping in Lyon (3+ hours from Arles), or Beaune (4-5 hours from Arles) or Dijon (5+ hours from Arles), or Fontainebleau (7 hours from Arles). That is 4 nights to decide where to stop and sleep as you make your way to Paris. You can decide what to skip, how many nights to devote to a place, etc. based on the research you do and your likes/dislikes.

We have done this drive ourselves, at various places and with various stops along the way. Get yourself a paper Michelin map #527 (Provence) and #519 (Bourgogne) to see what's there. You get a better overall picture of your route and what's out there. I find looking at such a map like looking in the window of a pastry shop...lots of temptations, which I, of course, need to research a bit. We trace our routes on the maps and keep it as a souvenier of our trips.
Hope I have given you some ideas. Bonne chance etc amusez-vous bien!
P.S. I use Michelin.com to get drive times between places, but I always add time to their figures because they don't account for stops for gas/food/comfort/view admiration.

Esby,
Two things I really, really recommend seeing as you head north through the Burgundy region on your way back to Paris (if you use the route I mentioned).....the Hospices de Beaune, in Beaune, plus Fontenay Abbey (about 60 miles north, not in a town, but easy to get to by car). Both are memorable sights that I am so glad to have visited. (The Hospices de Beaune 3 times now.)
Just a thought.

Your stay is in a tiny part of the far western Dordogne Valley, as you can see on this map of the Dordogne Valley, where you can find Beynac-et-Cazenac on the far left:

https://www.cartographik.fr/Vall%C3%A9e-de-la-Dordogne--Cartographie-touristique

I'm not saying this to nitpick about terms, but to remind you that the Sarlat / Beynac / Domme / etc area is just a tiny fraction of what you can visit. If Rick Steves didn't go any further than Sarlat, our "Dordogne Disneyland", that doesn't mean there's nothing else to see as French and European visitors alike know very well.

In this part of France, the wine aspect that you aren't interested in is located even further west of Sarlat, starting from Bergerac and heading toward Bordeaux (Saint-Émilion , etc).

So, avoiding heading toward Bordeaux actually brings us right back to the map of the Dordogne Valley, which stretches all the way to central France. All along this valley, there are hundreds of places to see, which fits with your need to head east while gradually making your way back up to Paris.

Here is what you can find within a 3-hour drive of Beynac that Rick Steves seems to be the only guide to leave out of his itineraries:

https://www.paysaurillactourisme.com/en/

https://www.hautesterrestourisme.fr/en/

Otherwise, without going quite that far, here is a map of hundreds of places to see and things to do in the part of the Dordogne Valley (and the Lot department) just a bit further east of Beynac, Sarlat, and the surrounding area, which Rick Steves also somehow forgot (he's truly the only one):

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1OdPOg8AgsNn0Jlv1cNHkujaWv9p_Jpc&usp=sharing

You have already visited Normandy, Brittany, and the Loire Valley. Heading to Provence would take you far to the south, while Burgundy would bring you to France's most renowned wine region, (surely not the experience you're looking for.
So, all things considered, I don't see a better option than following my suggestion. :-)

You don't say how long you'll spend in the Dordogne but I'll suggest spending longer than whatever the RS book says. Here's my Trip Report from 2024 that may have some helpful ideas. I'd love to return and I probably wouldn't have to see the same things twice.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-part-2-hills-and-castles-dordogne

I highly recommend a couple of days in Bordeaux and also in St Emilion. St Emilion is popular among the wine aficionados; which I'm not one of, but still enjoyed it because it is a beautiful town with an interesting history.

Judy,
I appreciate your suggestions. I felt a bit overwhelmed when researching southeastern France and your sample itinerary has made the area seem more accessible. Things to consider for sure! Also, the Hospices de Beaune definitely looks like a must-see!

JoLui,
you have opened my eyes! I was under the impression that Beynac was in the center of the Dordogne area. Thank you so much for your valuable insights and suggestions. I may have to split my time between Beynac and somewhere more in the heart of the area. It would be easy to do since I have devoted 11 days to the region. The Dordogne is the portion of the trip I have been the most excited about! I will certainly consider adding more days here as I move north.

France is such an incredible country for so many reasons, but that is a topic for another post!

Allan,
Your trip report was one of the reasons I decided to stay in Beynac earlier in my planning. I have saved it to read again and refer to later. Your tales of Man against GPS gave me a chuckle.

I have scheduled 10 days but am now debating a few more in the area.

Esby,
So glad to hear you are spending 11 days in the Dordogne region. JoLui is correct in that the eastern part is neglected by Rick. You probably already have some must sees for the area, but take note of her map and include some of her suggestions. In 2023 we spent 10 days there and could have spent a full month. Make the most of this exciting part of France. (Hint: I spent some time reading up on the history of the area before going, and it really enhanced my enjoyment there...see the Hundred Years War, for example, as well as the prehistory.)

Judy,
Absolutely! With each minute that floats by as I sit on my couch, the more inclined I am to skipping other parts of France in favor of more Dordogne time.
I have the yellow michelin local map of the area that came in the mail a couple of days ago. Time to open it up!

far western Dordogne Valley

I understand JoLui's perspective on this, but the "far western" Dordogne Valley is actually found west of Saint-Emilion. Like Bourg and its environs.

"The Dordogne" is a confusing and imprecise term to my mind. But JoLui has the conventional understanding per patrimoine absolutely correct for "The Dordogne." But the river valley itself is much more geographically extensive. It's over 300 miles long. And even when discussing the Dordogne department, Beynac-et-Cazenac is at the eastern, not western, side.

We enjoyed a few nights near St Cirque La Popie after Sarlat. Visit Musee de L-Insolite for quirky art. We loved a stop at Guedelon Castle as we made our way back toward CDG. We didn't get to Burgundy but it looks very interesting and if you head east, you can visit Palais Ideal and stops in Burgundy on the say back to CDG.

It's true that the concept of the Dordogne, referring variously to the river, the valley, and the region, can be confusing.
What you need to keep in mind is that what is marketed as "the Dordogne" to tourists is essentially "Périgord" (its historic name).

The area around Sarlat that Rick Steves refers to, with its landscapes, caves, castles, small villages, kayaking trips and so on, is actually just a small part of Périgord itself, known as Périgord Noir (Black Périgord).

You can see a description of the "colors" of Périgord here:

https://leperigourdin.fr/decouvertes/quatre-couleurs-perigord/

You will find similar attractions across a much wider area as you head east in the Quercy region, which spans both the Dordogne and Lot valleys. This is easily confirmed by looking at any good travel guide, where the "Périgord Noir" typically takes up only a few pages out of hundreds.

Before and after staying in the Dordogne area for 6 nights in 2021, we drove to several areas in SW France. Our trip report might have useful information for your planning (parts 2 - 4): https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-france-28-days-aug-sep-loire-dordogne-languedoc-roussillon-lyon-burgundy-honfleur

History, you mention. Were you to go through Provence, you’d encounter much.

Roman monumental structures in Nimes, Pont du Gard, Arles, Orange and Lyon.

Palais des Papes in Avignon.

Les Baux de Provence - 6000 years of prehistory and history, including a period as a Protestant center in the 16th and early 17th C. Wikipedia Article on Les Baux de Provence

Lyon. Silk industry. WW2 - Centre de l’Histoire de la Resistance et de la Deportation

These would entail a week or longer trip starting in Nimes, near Provence, then through some of Provence and up to Lyon.

(Cemeteries everywhere with monuments to those who died in WW1. That explains much about WW2.)

Nimes, Provence and Lyon would fit your schedule. Perhaps this would require a car to do it all, since trains in the Dordogne/Perigord are limited and some of these are not well served by train, eg Les Baux.

Between Beynac and Nimes, others can help you more, but Carcassone and Montpelier have already been mentioned.

LATE NOTE And then of course there are the markets, the fields and hills and countryside.

Bon Voyage.