France Travel ideas?

Sam, it's not a lot of time so I would think carefully. If South of France is the priority and you do not care about Paris, then skip Paris. Fly to Toulouse or Bordeaux, rent a car, visit the Dordogne and other great places. It will be hot at midday. If you go through Paris you could visit Burgundy as well. You could go Paris-Dordogne but I really would not. The itinerary you propose, with Burgundy and the Dordogne, is just not a good idea. Be realistic and you can have a great time.

With the time you have, choose Burgundy or Dordogne but not both. And World War II sites are too the north, for the most part. In the summer, I'd choose the Dordogne and here's why. Burgundy gets overrun with touring Europeans - many on motorcycles. Nothing wrong with that, but it's Germany's weekend getaway... Of course, so is most of northern Italy!

If you really want to include more than two areas:
Fly into Nantes or Paris, go straight to the Loire (good wine there too), then to Dordogne, then the Bordeaux area. Fly out of Bordeaux. Skip Paris this time and do not zigzag!!! Figure out a loop that will not see you in a car everyday, not if you want to visit wineries, sit at a cafe, etc..

I agree with Doug; Burgandy and Dordogne are on opposite sides and it won't be quick to get between them, so there's not time for both. Given that you want to see Bordeaux, it makes most sense to also do Dordogne. There is SO much to see and do in Dordogne; the prehistoric caves, castles, cute towns, hike, river float, etc etc, I'd do more than 2 days there. You can take a TGV from Paris to Bordeaux in 2.5 hours and pick up the car there, so that's easy. So, I'd do 2 Paris (actually I'd do more, but I know you'd rather not), 2 Bordeaux, and 4 Dordogne. One other option, though more rushed, is to pick up the car outside Paris, spend a day and a half in Normandy seeing WWII sites, then drive to Bordeaux/Dordogne. Then just spend a day in the city of Bordeaux; that should actually be plenty anyway. You can see vineyards as you drive from Bordeaux to Dordogne. St Emillion is the classic wine town on this route. In terms of La Roque or Beynac, they're both great, and nearby to each other, so which ever you don't stay in, you can have dinner in. I love La Belle Etoile (restaurant) in La Roque. There is a fantastic b and b run by Californians near Beynac called La Tour de Cause. It's one of my favorite places to stay in France (it's in the RS guide).

Be sure to check out RS "Paris and the South of France" itineracy that can be found under the 2011 tours. I took that tour and found it wonderful. PM me if you need any clarification

Thanks so much, everyone. this give me lots to think about. I'm really leaning towards Dordogne and Bordeaux. Any other suggestions about what to do there or nearby?

Hi Sam, While I love just about all of France, and you list the biggies, your timing is too limited to see all of them. I did your exact intinerary (and then some) last year, but I had 3 weeks to do it. With your time frame, pick a wine region and explore. You didn't say if you ride bikes or not, but Beaune is unparalled for biking, in my opinion. The have bike paths (i.e. no cars) through much of the vineyards over rolling terrain linking the tiny villages to one another. Free tastings in many of them, too. A little pricier than Dordogne, but spectacular. We also biked in the Dordogne, but it's much hillier. The castles are great (Castlenaud, Beynac are two of the best), as are little towns that you mention. We stayed in Sarlat and rented bikes. Tough day, may be better to drive if you aren't that into biking. While the local wine in the Region (bergerac) didn't impress me, you not far from World Class Vineyards, especially with Car. St. Emillion is just around the corner, as is much of the right bank.
If you can squeeze it, an extra day in Paris would be definitely worth it. With 2 nights, you have a full day without an agenda in one of the worlds greatest cities. I doubt that you'll regret it. Darren

You've made a great choice. The Dordogne and Lot valleys make a wonderful destination, and Sam, you should really get a guidebook. The Dordogne is lined with old Chateaunot the poofy Ancient Regime stuff from the Loire, but fortresses left over from the Hundred Years War, like La Roque and Beynac. The nearby Vezere valley has tons of Neolithic art in situ, although for caves I really like Peche Merle down along the Lot. There are many charming old towns, such as Beynac and Sarlat and St Cyrq (down in the Lot). Other popular attractions include Rocamador, a pilgrimage site on the road to Santiago, and the Goufre de Padirac, another cave, with no art but pretty rock formations and an underground boat ride. Local cuisine is tops, and if you are keen on wine you might be interested in the famous Black Wine of Cahors (another town worth stopping in if you are down that way), used as sacramental wine in the Russian Orthodox church for centuries. I would spend the bulk of your time in this region. I have seen vineyards (in Burgundy, not Bordeaux), and they are okay, but nothing compared to the sights of the Perigord. You should also evaluate flights in and/or out of Toulouse as you make your plans; you might find something cheaper or more direct than Bordeaux.

Sam,
I'll be honest here. If you choose to spend two days in any region you will be short-changing yourself. You have 7 days (with flight considerations). I'll be very contrary and suggest that you arrive in Paris, stay a day, and then take a short train to the Loire Valley. We're talking wine, castles and scenery. Take the train from Paris and rent a car in the Loire. After three days, (and you'll hate to leave), drop off your car and take the train to Burgundy. Pick up another rental car there. Spend another 3 days there and it's pack to Paris. Don't pack too many areas into such a short trip. Trust me, you'll be back! All the best, Diane

I find in planning a trip to Euope, it is a good idea to print out a copy of a calendar for the month you are going. Use Rick Steves France 2011 Guidebook. He has wonderful sections at the end of each destination on how to get to the next place (train, car, plane) and how much time it takes. So with those 2 resources, plot your trip. On the calendar, put in the travel times for all the places you want to go. For the train, don't forget to count the time it takes you to get to the station, how long you want to be there before the train leaves, train ride, and how long it will take you to get to your hotel. For the car portion, allow lots of time to get from one wonderful village to another on small country roads. Yes, there are highways but the scenery is not the best. And you will then be convinced that the above responses are absolutely correct about doing too much in too little time. You do not want to spend all of your time getting from one place to another. This defeats the purpose of your trip. You may think it is sad to delete a destination but look at it as a way to soak up the culture, food, and drink of the areas.

Stay w/ Dordogne area , it is lovely, scenic, cafes and prehistoric charm as well. A car is ideal is this area as it is spread out. We spent 4 nights which was about right. Skip Burgundy this trip as it is a long way from Dordogne.

Your itinerary sounds good but, like the other posts, I'd leave out Burgundy since you're going to Bordeaux. That way you have more time for the Dordogne region. To me, that area is a must. Much to see and do, and make sure you're figuring in a market day or two. These will be a highlight of the trip, not to mention a good way to get picnic supplies for a nice drive through the area. Many beautiful scenic spots along the way to stop and eat. Good luck and bon journee!