Dordogne anyone?

hi, i have NOT been to Dordogne, YET, but that in my itinary when i return to France. I expect to drive there even though i dont like to drive. But i do make exceptions and that will be one of them. as far as getting there, i plan on taking a train from paris so, part of my trip will be car free. Depending on where you will be invading France, a train or plane maybe possible. Happy trails.

For just two nights and with no car, I don't think it makes sense to visit the Dordogne region. Spend the two nights in one of your other destinations or somewhere closer.

I have to echo Carroll, though the Dordogne is a great area. I can't imagine an easy way to get there by train from the Riviera and then go on by train to the Loire. You'd be spending a lot of time and $ in transit for a relatively short time there. You might think again about driving. I've driven in LA and understand your reluctance, but except around Paris (and perhaps other big cities) French roads and autoroutes are pretty easy and uncrowded. The rural autoroutes are probably close to a Californian's fantasy of what freeways should be like: wide, fast, uncrowded, scenic, well served by rest areas ("aires"). Of course this is because they're not freeways, they have rather stiff tolls. The Dordogne is very hard to see without a car, but if you went through it driving between Riviera and Loire you could spend a night or two and visit one or two of the caves (from what I've heard, Peche Merle and Lascaux II would be the best choices). The prehistory museum in Les Eyzies (sp?) is also very good and not far from Lascaux II.

I could stay 3, maybe even 4 nights; but I'm afraid of cliff-top driving, so want to be sure it's safe, easy travel, not hill tops and windy, curvy roads... like I've seen on the Riviera and in Italy... given that's the case, where would we get the car? We plan to fly into Nice, stay in Cannes (?) a few nights and head to see the cave dwellings... then head to Loire Valley 2 nights (?), where I guess we could leave the car before heading off to Paris via train and home.... Does this sound doable ? Certainly sounds exciting...

Our trip was a train and bus trip. When we stayed in a rented house in Aillac, a small village in the Dordogne valley, we did everything including a day trip to the Caves by bus. Although interesting , you don't actually get to see the Real Caves, but only a reproduction. Because it's in the middle of nowhere, I'm not sure 2 days is enough if you have to bus it as the bus system is reliable but not particularly frequent.

You've chosen four areas in France that are well worth visiting, but if it were me, the travel time in between would eat up too much time. If you're going to visit the Dordogne - which is gorgeous, very interesting and has great food, I would also suggest as much time as you can (4 nights or more). You could rent a car out of Nice and drive to the Dordogne. It makes less sense to drive from the Dordogne to the Loire Valley, just because it would be such a long drive. Both times we've visiting the Dordogne, we've taken the train to/from Paris to Brive, then rented a car from Brive. I'm sure you've already thought about why you want to visit the Dordogne and the Loire Valley, but my comparison of the two (I've visited both several times) is that I much prefer the Dordogne. The scenery there is more dramatic, so I find it more beautiful, and the cuisine of southwest France, for someone who loves foie gras, cannot be beat. The chateaux in the Loire Valley are amazing, but I enjoy more visiting the older castles in the Dordogne.

"Spend the two nights in one of your other destinations or somewhere closer." I agree with Carroll. I'd spend that time in Paris and/or the Loire. I like the Loire way more than the Dordogne. Just goes to show how everyone's different.

Well interesting as I plan to avoid the foie gras at all costs, I can't believe what they do to the poor animals... so that's the least of my reasons for going there.. but I guess in the end it's too much to do, and since I've never seen the Loire Valley that would be easier... or just do the Avalon river cruise through Burgundy and relax... this is exhausting... !

If you really don't want to drive, your options in the Dordogne and Loire are going to be limited. Those are two areas (along with Burgundy) in which I feel a car would really be beneficial. It gets time-consuming (and expensive)to try to get to the different chateaux and little towns via public transportation or private tour. It can be done, but will take a lot more planning. And I would agree with the others that without a car, two days in Dordogne doesn't make sense. How long in total are you planning? You say you're starting in the Riviera. You could easily spend more than 2 weeks there, the Dordogne, Loire and Paris.

The Dordogne is one of those special places that really deserves the time and effort required. Ideally that would be at least 4 days and either a car or a driver. Central France can be hilly but I would not worry about "cliff-top" roads in that part of France. The Dordogne is a valley. Do be prepared to walk steep roads from the valley floor, if you visit any of the beautiful towns!

We've decided to take a train to Bordeaux, do a wine tour there and next day drive to Dordogne, probably stay in Sarlat 2 nights, see the cave paintings, maybe a village or 2 and canoeing, drive back to Bordeaux and fly that night to Nice... We will be 2 nights in bordeaux, which I would rather avoid since it has such bad reviews, but I can't see much of another way

Bad reviews of Bordeaux mostly come from only one community - - which isn't all-knowing.

Taking the train to Bordeaux and then driving to Dordogne is a good idea. One final word of advice: either take along your own GPS (with European maps) or rent one with your car. It will be invaluable.

I see you can also take a train to Sarlat, 6 hours, from Paris, and avoid Bordeaux all together? Maybe the trip to Bordeaux is prettier, certainly shorter, or at least broken up. My original trip was set for Burgundy and after that fell through (river cruise was booked) travel agent suggested Bordeaux, as it's a wine area somewhat in direction of cave paintings I had mentioned wanting to see.. Funny how things develop..

There is no train to Sarlat, only a bus. The best way to get to Sarlat from Paris is to head to either Brive or Perigueux and then drive about an hour.

I should have been more clear about the train not going to Sarlat. You take the train from Paris to Souillac, then a bus to Sarlat. The train line from Souillac to Sarlat is now a bike path.

My daughter and I spent four days in Sarlat without a car. It was a wonderful experience. Take the train from Bordeaux to Sarlat. We used the services of Allo Phillipes taxi service in Sarlat for a couple of day trips to the surrounding areas. He is a delightful man and his tours are very worthwhile.