We will be in the Dordogne next June for a week and are looking for ideas for another area of France on which to focus after than week. Spent a week in Paris this year, so no real urge to go back yet. Any suggested itineraries? Favorite hotels (moderate and above)
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Well, as no-one else has replied yet, I%26#39;ll make a start :-) I can%26#39;t help with hotels, as we%26#39;ve always gone self-catering, but here%26#39;s my ideas for your additional week.
I%26#39;m assuming:
a)you have a car, so will be able to tour, but
b)you probably won%26#39;t want to spend too much time travelling to your second week%26#39;s holiday.
So the obvious direction is North to the chateaux in the Loire valley. If you stay around Tours, you%26#39;ll be able to get further to the West, visiting Villandry, Chinon and several others (Loches, Langeais, Angers and Saumur come to mind) which aren%26#39;t accessible to the day trips from Paris (Chambord, Chenonceaux and Amboise are most often mentioned, along with Blois and Cheverny). There%26#39;s also the wine throughout and mushrooms and horses in Saumur. A full week!
West is the coast - we%26#39;ve not stayed there but have friends who love the area round la Rochelle and the various islands just off shore - also Cognac and Bordeaux.
Heading generally South, try googling Cathars or Albi - we%26#39;ve not stayed there, but we shall get there someday!
And further South, we went to the Pyrenees a few years ago, staying near Luz-St Sauveur. Scenery is spectacular - you can drive over the big passes which are used in the Tour de France, particularly the Tourmalet, and there is also the Cirque de Gavarnie, Pont D%26#39;Espagne, cable car to the Pic du Midi and quite a lot of nice walking. Lourdes is not far away either. Superb area, but rather dependent on the weather.
South east you could head for Provence, particularly Nimes / Avignon area. There%26#39;s also some interesting features in the Ardèche valley (caves, canyon, canoeing, etc), particularly round Vallon Pont D%26#39;Arc.
And North East is the Auvergne / Massif Central, Puy de Dome, les Monts Dores, le Puy-en-Velay, old volcanic landscapes which don%26#39;t really figure on Anglo-Saxon tourist itinieraries.
Realistically, if you%26#39;ve not been before, the Loire valley has to be first choice ... the others are just there to whet your appetite for the next few holidays ;-)
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The best suggestion we have is to spend your second week in the Dordogne also. There is so much to see and do that you will be gutted to leave too soon. I base this comment on guests (American amongst others) that stayed recently and were sorry they spent too long elsewhere and only booked a week with us. The place is littered with medieval villages, chateaux, vineyards, wonderful food and bordeaux wines as standard.
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I agree with the previous post, that you could easily spend the second week in the Dordogne as well. You might split the weeks, one in the northern and one in the southern, as many sights are far apart. If you spend the first week somehere around Sarlat, what about the second a little further east or south. Near Rocamadour, is the Gouffre de Padirac. Further south, Cahors is on the Lot River and has a WWII resistance museum, recreation on the river, wineries, and another large prehistoric cave, the Grottwe de Peche Merle nearby. They too have a good Saturday market.
Should you want to visit another area, not far away, go west toward Bordeaux. Less than three hours from Sarlat, and you%26#39;re in the heart of the wine country.
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If you fancy something really different, take a look at the Baleines et Dauphins sans Frontiers website, www.bdsf.net and take trip by sailing boat into the Med, looking for whales and dolphins. They operate out of Bandol, Provence and are non-profit and environmentally aware.
We went out with them in August %26#39;04 and are considering a repeat this year.
You can find a trip report and photos on our website, www.avengerpenguins.com . The trip report is mainly focussed on the birds and wildlife of the region, so if you want to go straight to the photos, find the %26#39;photos%26#39; link at the bottom of the home page and page through the Gallery until you find the Provence section.
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You might look-up %26quot;Carcassonne%26quot; (not to far to the South of the Dordogne). This is a truly remarkable and well restored citadel from the Cathar age with lots of history attached (see Carcassonne forum for recommendations and sights). If you should choose to stay there, recommend staying as clolse as possible to the %26quot;walled city%26quot;--other areas in town seem a little too run-down. On another issue, I also recently returned from an extended traveling holiday with family thru France,Spain and Italy and also chose to stay in the Dordogne. We stayed in the wonderful old town of Sarlat and this turned-out to be the best of the best --- terrific old medeivel town with novel and beautiful architecture, many shops, open-air markets, forested countryside, fairly good restaurants, lively young crowd and centrally located for side trips to many historically and aesthetically great things to visit and see. Google the Dordogne, Sarlat and Carcassonne websites if you wish. Also someone mentioned Goeffre de Padirac -- this is a crystaline cave somewhat near Sarlat (by car) and has a website -- note the underground river that you travel by boat !! -- sounds very interesting but was closed in November when we were in the area. Happy Trails
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You will not regret taking the time to visit the Loire Valley. I recommend Tours as a base with the primary chateaux being Chambord, Chenonceau, and Blois. I personally like Azey le Rideau as well but there are plenty more from which to choose. Many on the forum suggest Amboise as a base I found it more suitable for a visit. Tours offers more shopping, museums, architectural points of interest, and restaurants. It’s sophisticated yet maintains small town charm.
In conjunction with a visit to the Dordogne and time permitting, I should include a visit to Rocamadour, another interesting location you’ll be glad you found.
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