Would you suggest an itinerary for two weeks by car
from Avignon to Paris (not including either area) since we have those
to parts of our trip planned.
Dordogne and Loire are looking like favorites.
What route and villages to overnight in?
Thanks for clarification post. Yes , we are pretty well organized for the Provence area and the Paris portions of our holiday but are needing suggestions for the two weeks after we leave Avignon and before we reach Paris .
We spent several days in Sarlat in 2004. We booked Philippe for a driver to the caves to see the 15,000 year old cave art. He had to arrange for tickets ahead of time as they are very limited. You may recall the Sarlat region from the movie Chocolat, as the opening scene is shot in a village not far from Sarlat. However, I liked the Loire Valley better and enjoyed the chateaus. Our favorite place, though, of our car trip through France, was Carcasonne and the regions nearby. We stayed in Cannes-Minerva which had a restaurant that was fantastic. It's a very small village but folks came from all around the countryside to eat at the restaurant. We treked high up into the mountains (with a guide) to see the ancient Cathar's hideouts. The Pope's "army" eventually decimated the Cathar population. Look it this area in the RS book and let me know if you need any help in locating that wonderful restaurant/village!
The Dordogne and Languedoc areas are very scenic, no question. Alternatively, you could go north to Burgundy if you like that wine. It's a very different area. You can cut back to the Loire from there. Or, you could swing up to Colmar and the Alsace area. Just more options.