I have 26 days planned for France this September.

Ron, there are lots of places Rick Steves does not include on his tours. If something in those towns interests you, go for it. You don't say what else you plan to do while in France, but 26 days should give you time to go there if you want. There are lots of reasons they might be not included in a tour such as being able to make housing arrangements for a group, whether the location is out of the way of planned stops, or other logistical issues. Just because it's not on the tour doesn't mean there isn't anything worth seeing. In fact, many places are great to visit BECAUSE they aren't on the tour.

Some of these cities are quite large and perhaps not as charming for the visitor as others in these general areas. ie. Carcassone, Provence towns and villages are exceptional visits.

Thanks

Ron

Pau is charming and well worth visiting.

You can't go wrong just about anyplace in Dordogne or Provence(or for that matter in other areas). The smaller towns are wonderful, though we enjoyed Toulouse also. Rick's books have more suggestions than just the places his tours go, but Lonely Planet is another good resource.

Thanks for your input

Ron

We just spent 5 days in Dordogne and found it absolutely wonderful. We spent our first 4 nights in Sarlat and did day trips from there. Our last night we drove west towards Monbazillac and stayed at an amazing B & B. They make their own wines, which are wonderful and they have just a peaceful setting. Here is their website http://www.chateaulavanau.com/

Good thing you are going in September...hopefully there will not be many tourist there. Happy trails

Thanks for your great reply. We have a lot of info to think about.

Ron