We are doing WWII and anything MUST see leaving from Nice/Cannes Sunday, Sept. 16th and intend to see Oradour on the way to the Normandy beaches WED/THURS: driving! We will then take Helpline advice and drive to Lille to get the train to Bruges. We love the idea of some small villages on the way. Should we stay in Provence, see Carcassone, drive through the Dordogne area...make our way to Normandy...can we do this in three days?? Don't laugh, it is all the time we have and MUST see the beaches. My cousin was Stephen Ambrose; we like to drive good highways so consider that in your answer. Dordogne or not?
Posted by
Boston
4132 posts
Dordogne, because great, versus Not, because no time to do anything there. IMHO is Not by a nose. In fact I'd fly or take the train so as to get the most sightseeing time possible in Normandy. (Rent a car there.)
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
If I understand your question, you have three days and two nights to drive from Nice to Normandy, via Ouradour. That should be enough time. You can do most of it on autoroutes, which are fast and easy though the tolls can be high. This is what my wife would call a Zoom trip, though, you'll have to limit your stops. Carcassonne could take half a day to get into, park, visit, and get back on the highway. You might have time to visit Sarlat and work your way north through some of the Dordogne countryside. Don't know how long you'd be in Ouradour. Maybe catch a chateau around the Loire, and/or Chartres if you get lucky with your schedule. In mid-September you can probably be flexible about where you spend the nights enroute. Hope this helps. Viva Ambrose!
Posted by
Portland, Maine
2916 posts
Yes, definitely skip Carcassone. Stay in Sarlat and see whatever other towns in the Dordogne you have time for.
Posted by
OP
Fort Myers, Florida, USA
34 posts
Wow. What a help this helpline is!! Merci! Sarlat it is! A zoom trip!