We are coming over from NZ for the Rugby World Cup in Sept and Oct 2007 and want to spend 5 days travelling up (by rental car?) from Toulouse through the Dordogne area. Can someone please help with some ideas of must-sees for the region. There seems so much to choose from but I don%26#39;t want to rush around from place to place getting exhausted. Nice and leisurely is the idea!
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Kiwi,
My suggestions are:
Le Bugue
Sarlat
St Cyprien
Carlux-amazing garden there
Aubeterre-amazing monolithic church there
Brantome-gorgeous village
If you can rent a place for the 5 days and use it as a home base, it could be much less expensive than hotels.
Abritel.com is a good place to start, but you may have difficulty finding short term rentals less than a week. Also, B%26amp;B%26#39;s could be nice. Puytirel in Champagne et Fontaine is one. Try Rufus Wilson of Momuciarpo Gallery in St Cyprien. he has a rental in the townhouse that houses the gallery in St Cyprien.
Good luck,
Paul Henri
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Hey Paul,
Thanks so much for your reply. Some great suggestions. I particularly like the idea of basing oursleves somewhere in a little village so will follow up a rental property. Sounds so great we may never leave!
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Kiwi,
Where we stayed last trip:
www.abritel.fr/uk/detail.php…
Where we are staying this year:
www.marance.net
www.puytirel.com/
Good Luck,
Paul Henri
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Kiwi,
here%26#39;s another one for you to check out:
http://www.leschambresdebonneval.com/
PH
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I echo the recommendation of Le Bugue and especially Sarlat. Near Les Eyzies is Roc St. Christoph, site of primitive cave dwellers hollowed out of the sides of limstone cliffs (like Bandolier in New Mexico). Also nearby is Font de Gaum, site of cave paintings from thousands of years ago. (I think you have to sign up to go with a group. It%26#39;s worth it.) Just a little north is Lascaux, the cave where vivid and mysterious caves were found only in 1940. You can%26#39;t go in the original, but even the ersatz recreation is spectacular.
Additionally, just a bit farther north, parallel to the Dordogne, is the river Lot. A very scenic place. A wonderful English couple have a home/atelier in Vers and graciously welcome visitors all the time. I had a wonderful, dazzling meal with friends at Restaurant Marco just upstream from Cahors. And Cahors is a fantastic treat in itself. We were there on a market day, Saturday. If you go to the Lot, don%26#39;t miss St. Cyr, perched high above the river and a village of one artist%26#39;s studio after another.
Toulouse is a great university town. Vibrant with young people. If you%26#39;re into aerospace, you can tour the AirBus plant nearby. (I didn%26#39;t get the opportunity to do this.) In the town is a cloister where open air concerts are given. This I can recommend. (Dress warmly. Even southern France can get cool by September.)
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Hello
My friends stayed in this area last year at a cute little hotel Auberge de La Salvetat near Cadouin, 20 mins from Sarlat.
My husband and I chose to stay in a gite but we met up with our friends each day and to be honest it was a great base for visiting all the places in the area. To be honest I could have done without the cooking and the cleaning - but of course that is just me being lazy!
We ate at the hotel most nights and the restaurant was very good - not too pricy and a good choice.
My must sees are
Sarlat (Saturday market if possible)
Jardins de Marqueyssac
La Roque-Gageac
Beynac
Monpazier
Domme
Castelnaud
Cadouin
Each about a half day and all are within 20-30 minutes by car.
Enjoy your trip.
KK
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I would see the major caves -- Lascaux II (a re-creation -- but worth it anyway) and Font du Gaume -- make reservations by phone for that as there are limited numbers allowed -- ask for an English group -- they take about 10 or so at a time and usually have one or two tours in English each day -- This is IMHO the most wonderful cave experience in France -- because it is the real deal -- we have never had any trouble getting tickets for Lascaux II
Another wonderful cave is Peche Merle if you are in that area
canoe on the Dordogne in the area around Le Roque Gageac past the chateau etc -- lots of places -- really wonderful trip -- at some places along the river you can see several chateau at once
the food is fabulous -- try the restaurant in Montignac at Le Roseraie hotel for wonderful, beautifully served multi course meals at a very reasonable price -- we paid roughly 35 E for a meal that would have cost 100 in Paris -- plus wine on top of that -- a favorite that we have returned to several times Montignac is the town where Lascaux II is based
and have as many wonderful pate sandwiches as you can manage
you can buy pate at a little farm not far from Roque Christophe mentioned earlier -- where you can meet the geese -- much cheaper there than tourist shops -- good gift to bring home
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Is it possible to see the sights in the Les Eyzies - Lascaux region without hiring a car?
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