Dordogne Region of France

We flew into Toulouse and spent about a 10 days in SW France, 4 of them based in Beynac. Fabulous trip. The Dordogne valley attractions are close enough that a single base makes sense, but the rest was a mini road trip. We spent our first 2 nights in Toulouse before picking up a car,then a night in Cahors, then Beynac, then one night-stands in Albi, Carcasonne, and Collioure. That's a lot of one-night stands, but it worked pretty well for us. From Collioure we went on to Provence and stayed in one place for a full week, which gave us time to recover. A car is almost a must to tour this region, even if you are not as frenetic as we were. It takes a bit of doing to get there, so I think it's not worth the trouble if you don't have the time. I'd really recommend 4 full days in the Dordogne itself, but you could see a lot in 3. Don't bother if you only have a day or 2 - save it for a trip when you do. And, don't miss the lovely Lot valley too, which includes what is probably the best cave in France that is open to the public.

We spent time in Paris and rented a car to drive to the Dordogne, stayed five nights in Beynac. Our April weather was great, but later would be more reliable I assume, also more crowded, an inevitable tradeoff. We went into Sarlat twice, including a market day, visited Lascaux II and Font de Gaume caves plus the prehistoric museum at Les Eyzies, made a day trip to Cahors, and checked out the castles at Beynac and Castelnaud plus the town of Domme. We detoured to Rocamadour on the way back from Cahors but didn't spend much time there, mostly wanted to see the vertical town. That was a long day. We didn't make it to Bergerac or Perigeux, we'd have liked to. We didn't get to Pech Merle, which is probably the cave Adam refers to, reputedly among the best. Adam is right, the area is small enough to cover from one base, and a car is much easier than buses or trains. We loved Beynac but there are many other towns. Sarlat offers more choices of lodging and dining but has more traffic, you spend longer getting in and out. Adam's series of one-night stands allowed him to cover a lot more ground but he must have spent more time with logistics (packing, hotels, parking, etc.) than we did. I'd recommend one multi-night base, or maybe two if you have the time. Group the place you want to see geographically and radiate each day in one direction or another. Our Beynac B&B, Le Petit Versailles, charges 70 euros (about $91) a night with a 2-night minimum this year, including a very good breakfast. We thought it was a great value. We could walk into "downtown" Beynac and the castle up the hill, otherwise everything was by car. There are many good places to stay in the area, maybe some equally good or better for less cost, but we were happy with our choice. If your trip's main focus is the Dordogne, consider flying to and from Bordeaux or Toulouse instead of Paris. Hope this helps.

We stayed 3 nights outside Beynac and really liked it, but Sarlat is close and offers more options-including nightlife. Float trip on the Dordogne was much nicer than those we take in the Ozarks, with a stop for lunch in La Roque-Gageac. We leased a car in Paris, then drove to Loire Valley before Beynac-we were there in June last year. Had great dinners two nights in Le Petit Tonnelle in Beynac. Watched World Cup action in centre ville of Sarlat. Enjoyed it all.

Everything mentioned so far is spot on. The Dordogne is an amazing area of nature, history and food. Many French visit the area in the warmer months, campers and motorhomes are a common sight. In the winter when the river rises many things are closed so it is really a place you want to visit between May and September. It is a very casual area and can be very warm. We started in Bordeaux with a car and drove through wine country, stayed in La Roque for 3 nights and went on to Provence. Driving with a GPS was a breeze although I practiced with the unit at home. I could have stayed longer.

Just got back from a week in the Dordogne. Absolutely loved it. We landed at CDG and then trained to Tours for a few days. Went to Bordeaux for a day and then trained from there to Sarlat. Sarlat is a great home base for the area. Tour companies do a great job taking you out to see the area. We didn't rent a car. We stayed right in the town center at Les Cordeliers. Super place to stay. Huge rooms with a great breakfast. Husband and wife team from Britian own and run it. We've traveled all around France the past couple years and the Dordogne is our favorite area.

We are also just back from the Dordogne region - we flew to Bordeaux, spent one night and picked up our rental car. Our first stop was 6 nights in La Roque-Gageac at Hotel La Belle Etoile where we stayed in the least-expensive 55 EUR per night room. It worked fine for us and La Rogue was an excellent base for exploring the region - the hotel provided a parking pass and there was a ample parking nearby. From here we took day trips to Sarlat; north to the caves of Lascaux II (Montignac)and Abri du Cap Blanc (near Les Eyzies); toured Chateau de Castelnaud and Jardins de Marqueyssac; market day in Domme and driving through small villages nearby; even the Lot River region to St. Cirq Lapopie and Grotte du Pech Merle. There were many things we could easily do on another trip - the weather was cold and so we missed doing the canoe trip on the Dordogne. Six nights was a good amount of time but even more days would be great for relaxing or easily filled with other sights and activities. Our favorite restaurant was in Beynac - La Petite Tonnelle. We extended our time in this region as there was an amazing amount of things to see and do - also many excellent restaurants! From La Roque, we went to Saint-Jean-de Luz for 4 nights; Saint-Lary-Soulan in the Pyrenees for 2 nights; and Toulouse for 3 nights where we dropped off our rental car. It was a fabulous trip with lots of variety.