Rocamadour France

I guess twilight would be okay. It's pretty impressive any time. Definitely worth the trip.

It's a good hour from Sarlat and only about thirty miles; that should tell you something.

It's a bunch of mean little twisty backroads without even a marked centerline. I'm used to them, but if you're not, it would be much better to make it a daylight trip.

I also spent 5 night in the Dordogne and found the roads slow and very twisty. It always tooks us more time than RS recommended that being said I would allow at least 1.5 hr from Sarlat. If you do not mind nightdriving in low light go for it, just slow down.

If we are to visit Rocamadour, about how long should we allow and what should we include? Thanks again!

Also, what did you include in your 5 days in the Dordogne area?

Lucky you!! I was just there in October and saw Rocamadour in the late afternoon on the way north from Toulouse and it was definitely worth the visit. We drove from there to Les Eyzies and it really wasn't difficult to find our way even after dark. The roads are a bit windy but it's such a beautiful region. We had planned to canoe the river but my sister broke her foot at the B and B there, so we took 1 hour boat ride from La Roque Gageac to the bridge by Castelnaud and back. I also went on a 2 hour horseback ride which was FANTASTIC! I also saw the Grotte Font de Gaume which was incredible.

A couple or three hours is enough for Rocamadour.

My pick of other things in the area would be the National Prehistory Museum at Les Ezyies, the caves at Pech Merle, and any one of the bastide towns (study up on their signficance first so you can appreciate what you're looking at).

I'd skip any other caves, anything that looks like a cave-man theme park and all canoe rides (unless you've never been in a canoe and this is your only opportunity in your whole life to sit in one).

oh! You got my attention with the horseback riding! Where and what details can you remember? Thanks!

Definitely see Peche Merle. I would not recommend driving on the twisting roads at night. Rocamadour can be seen in two hours or so--the setting is very pretty but it is full of tourists and tacky shops. We bought sandwiches, etc at a little grocery above the chapels area and had a picnic in a small park. The little town of St Cirq la Popie is very cute but again the roads getting in and out are narrow so take care to drive carefully. We enjoyed the little town of Carennac. Near Salignac, which is about seven miles from Sarlat, is Les Eyrignac gardens if that is of interest to you. Also in that area is a wonderful restaurant in the countryside, Les Meynardi. We did not stay in Sarlat but nearby in a B&B. Saturday (perhaps other day as well) is market day in Sarlat which is interesting--lots of Fois Gras everywhere! Have a great trip!

Here is the website: http://fonluc.com/
The stable is just outside the town of Les Eyzies and it was a weekday in October so not a busy time. It was just the owner/guide, Herbert, a german expat, and I. I am an experienced rider so we cantered and trotted a lot. For 2 hours we rode... through the Vezere River, down dirt roads in the woods, across open fields. One of the best 'rental' rides I've been on.

We visited Rocamador as a day trip that also included the Goufre du Paderac, which is not far.

Both are interesting but we ultimately felt these sites were not the best use of our time (we spent 4 days based in Beynac). That was just how it struck us, and the only way to find out is to go.

Rocamador is a major pilgrimage site and is terribly popular, which means it is a good candidate for the "come early or late" avoid-the-tourbuses strategy. I don't think you have to wait until twilight though.

Yes, Rocamadour is very popular as a tourist destination, especially for the French themselves. I read somewhere that it is the second most visited place in France after Notre Dame in Paris. I was there many years ago and was in awe.

When I think about my Dordogne trip a couple years ago, I never even remember I went to Rocamadour. It wasn't a highlight. It is very impressive from the viewpoint across the valley but I really didn't enjoy visiting the town itself--as others have said, it's quite tacky-touristy, and cute hilltowns (albeit, not set quite so dramatically) are a dime a dozen in Dordogne. So go if you are already looking forward to it but I wouldn't consider it a must see at all.

Wow. That's the first time I ever saw Rocamadour referred to as "a cute hill town". Are you sure you don't have the pilgrimage site of Rocamadour confused with some other place?

Hmmm, if you were to compare, is Rocamadour sort of like Mont Saint-Michel in that it is very tacky but cool once you get through the mess??? I've always been glad that I have been to Mont Saint-Michel although I was apalled when we first got there. It's almost better looking back than when we were actually there. I'm still trying to decide if it is worth the time to go over from the Sarlat area to see Rocamodour. I've read about the history and it is fascinating but is the reality worth it??? We will do the caves and the chateaus, and yes the canoe ride to appreciate the views from the river, so do we drive several hours for another neat view?? We may do the horse back riding too as I am also an experienced rider and we do believe in going the slow route whenever possible! We will spend the following week riding bikes through the Loire Valley. How long will it take us to drive over to Rocamadour from Sarlat? Thanks again for all of the input. My best choices have come from suggestions through these posts!