Travel tips for Dordogne, France area

This is really a job for a mild-mannered guidebook or three, and I would recommend that the Michelin green guide for the area be one of them.

Among the justly-popular sites in the area are the small towns, with castles, along the river, the cave sites in the Vezere and Lot valleys, Sarlat, and Rocamador. You might also swing south to Cahors and St. Cirq.

I never thought I liked caves until we visited the Dordogne. Besides those with prehistoric art, there is a not-to-miss site, the Gouffre de Padirac, near Rocamadour. It's 296 ft. down (elevator or stairs), then 13 miles of galleries. Guides take you through, part of it in boats. Gorgeous limestone formations and just generally an awesome experience.

We spent a magical day and a half in the Dordogne in 2003. You will really like Sarlat. I recommend Grotte de Rouffignac cave. It's monochrome, but kind of neat that you ride a train down to the bottom. What we remember is the pride with which the guide described the stone age paintings. It was not just a job for this guy, his delivery was so heartfelt. Beynac, a village on the hill with a great castle. Also La-Roque-Gageac. I would like to have had more time in this area, planning on it some day in the future.

Catch the prehistory museum at Les Ezyies, it's world-class.

Skip the canoe business.

Get up to Perigueux if you can make it.

For us, canoeing past La Rocque-Gageac, Castelnaud, and Beynac was a highlight. Also Grotte de Font-du-Gaume and the market days in Sarlat, etc.

Peche Merle is not to be missed--very impressive.