Dordogne or Provonce in early mid or late Sept.?

[bbobo1812@yahoo.com]

We plan to spend a week or so in Paris then drive to the country for same amount of time. What time frame, early, mid, or late Sept., offers best market, sight seeing and food options? Is renting a car at CDG for the country segment the best option? I have TS search set up but am not optimistic so am also exploring rentals. Is it better to stay put and do daily trips to explore or to stay a night or two at a time? We are more interested in experiencing the countryside and French villages than the beach. Thanks for your suggestions!

 

[Conan]

Presumably either destination will be warmer (and busier) the earlier in September you go.

Either region is a longer drive from Paris than I would want to take.

When we visited Provence, many years ago, we stayed in Paris a while and then took the train from Paris to Lyon and rented a car from there. Lyon to Aix-en-Provence for example is a 3 hour drive, while Paris to Aix-en-Provence is at least 8 hours. We were able to return the Lyon car in Nice and flew home from there.

For the Dordogne, more recently, we flew directly to Toulouse and drove from there (we didn't go to Paris that trip). Toulouse to Sarlat-la-Caneda (a popular Dordogne destination) takes 2 hours. Paris to Sarlat-la-Caneda is at least 6 hours.

 

[geist1223]

We spent two weeks in France October 2015. We had good weather. Cloudy but no rain until the day we flew home. We flew into CDG and picked up a rental car and drove to Connelles. Connelles is so small it did not have a Bakery. But you could order rolls etc for the next day at the front desk.There was 1 restaurant in town and they were building a second across the road while we were there. We stayed at Le Manoir Des Deux Amants. From there we did day trips all over Normandy. For the second week we stayed at the Royal Regency in Vincennes. It was a short walk to the Metro. When we transitioned we drove to the Royal Regency and dropped off our luggage and groceries. We then drove to CDG and dropped off the rental car. We toke the train and Metro back to the Royal Regency.

 

[bbobo1812@yahoo.com]

Presumably either destination will be warmer (and busier) the earlier in September you go.

Either region is a longer drive from Paris than I would want to take.

When we visited Provence, many years ago, we stayed in Paris a while and then took the train from Paris to Lyon and rented a car from there. Lyon to Aix-en-Provence for example is a 3 hour drive, while Paris to Aix-en-Provence is at least 8 hours. We were able to return the Lyon car in Nice and flew home from there.

For the Dordogne, more recently, we flew directly to Toulouse and drove from there (we didn't go to Paris that trip). Toulouse to Sarlat-la-Caneda (a popular Dordogne destination) takes 2 hours. Paris to Sarlat-la-Caneda is at least 6 hours.

Thanks so much for this helpful information. I noticed in an earlier thread that the drive from Paris is often on major highways so you don't experience the villages etc. unless you exit them to secondary roads. Flying may be the best choice, then renting a car. Are the two areas very similar or is one more interesting ? Are there particular not to be missed sights in either? Many thanks again!

 

[bbobo1812@yahoo.com]

We spent two weeks in France October 2015. We had good weather. Cloudy but no rain until the day we flew home. We flew into CDG and picked up a rental car and drove to Connelles. Connelles is so small it did not have a Bakery. But you could order rolls etc for the next day at the front desk.There was 1 restaurant in town and they were building a second across the road while we were there. We stayed at Le Manoir Des Deux Amants. From there we did day trips all over Normandy. For the second week we stayed at the Royal Regency in Vincennes. It was a short walk to the Metro. When we transitioned we drove to the Royal Regency and dropped off our luggage and groceries. We then drove to CDG and dropped off the rental car. We toke the train and Metro back to the Royal Regency.

Thanks so much! Are there particular sights we should not miss? We've never been to France but I'm enchanted by what I've read about Périgord. I do think we want a town big enough to have a bakery though!!! When in Spain years ago the resort we stayed in had its own little commissary that baked its own bread each night, so we'd buy that and cheese for our day's adventures! A fond memory. I appreciate your suggestions and welcome any others you want to share! Thanks again.

 

[Conan]

Both areas are certainly worth a visit.

Provence is by far more popular with tourists, especially if you're interested in art.
http://www.consulfrance-boston.org/French-Corner-Discover-Provence-May-2016

The Dordogne is a center of human history, beginning with the cave paintings of Europe's earliest humans, through medieval times, and on to the Hundred Years War where it was the front line between the armies of England and France. It's also a top destination for French cuisine, especially duck and duck liver. And although it's gaining in popularity it is not overrun by tourists.
http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20130927-the-perfect-trip-dordogne

You wouldn't go wrong with either of them.

 

[bbobo1812@yahoo.com]

Both areas are certainly worth a visit.

Provence is by far more popular with tourists, especially if you're interested in art.
http://www.consulfrance-boston.org/French-Corner-Discover-Provence-May-2016

The Dordogne is a center of human history, beginning with the cave paintings of Europe's earliest humans, through medieval times, and on to the Hundred Years War where it was the front line between the armies of England and France. It's also a top destination for French cuisine, especially duck and duck liver. And although it's gaining in popularity it is not overrun by tourists.
http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20130927-the-perfect-trip-dordogne

You wouldn't go wrong with either of them.

Thanks so much for the links! More fun and exploration to be done! Will let you know where we decide and also post a trip report. This is in celebration of our 50th wedding anniversary so is momentous for us!

 

[Laurie]

Conan gave a good summary/comparison. I've been to both, loved both, would return to both. That said, I was more enchanted by Perigord/Dordogne between the two, even though driving distances were longer - way fewer tourists, less congested roads (almost empty in shoulder season), etc, gorgeous landscapes, plus the amazing cave art and thousands rather than hundreds of years of human history. We exchanged into Domaine De Gavaudun, an RCI resort, and it worked well.

 

[geist1223]

As for things in Perigord we can not help you as all our rural time was in Normandy. As for Paris there is so much to do there. In Paris we either took the Metro or walked. Even just walking around the City was a treat. We did not do the Louvre. I would get up early each morning and go get our fresh bread for the day. A street treat we enjoyed by the Cathedral of Notre Dame was grilled Hot dogs with Cheese on a Baguette. We also did the l'Orangerie, Museum Rodin, the d'Orsy, Sacre Coeur, Eiffel Tower, etc. There is a nice Irish Bar near the top of the steps at Sacre Couer.

 

[bbobo1812@yahoo.com]

Thanks so much for your suggestions! It sounds simply wonderful!

 

[Bwolf]

Carcassonne is a lovely and the surrounding area very nice. If you get the chance, go there.

 

[bbobo1812@yahoo.com]

Thanks very much. I'll be sure to explore it.

 

[Tahiya]

We've stayed in AirBnB's and hotels in several places in Provence and one place in Dordogne over four different trips to France. (I love France and speak some French.) As others have said, you can't go wrong with either. It's probably easier to see all the main sites in the Dordogne than in Provence in one trip. We find that staying in one place, with day trips or the occasional overnight to see the points of interest works best. Moving every couple of days introduces too much hassle and time spent on logistics.

Which region you choose depends on what you most want to see, but you'll need a car for both:
Provence: wine tasting, Roman ruins, Pope's palace, market towns, Provencal cuisine
Dordogne: ancient cave paintings, castles along Dordogne River, gorgeous scenery, foie gras, wine tasting if you go to St. Emillion/Bordeaux.

If you like small towns, we enjoyed staying in Uzes, which is just west of Provence and is driveable to Roman ruins, Arles, and Isle sur le Sorgue (great market on Wed, Sat, though my step-daughter thought the market in Lourmarin was the best in Provence). Uzes has a lovely market and lots of good restaurants.

In the Dordogne, we stayed in the lovely medieval village of Limeuil, in a small, affordable inn called Au Bon Acceuil that has an excellent restaurant on site and helpful inn keepers. We would stay there again. We also liked the town where the cave paintings museum is located, Les Eyzies de Tayac (sp?). We found accommodations in Sarlat le Caneda to be above our budget, although Rick Steves recommends it.

To get to Provence, you can fly into Paris and take the TGV (bullet) train and in 2.5 hours be in Avignon, where you can rent a car; or you can fly into Marseille. To get to Dordogne, you might get to Bordeaux somehow and drive from there. (We arrived in Dordogne via car from Provence, but it's quite a drive and I don't recommend it unless you have a lot of time. We had three weeks.)

Have fun!

 

[Conan]

[W]ine tasting if you go to St. Emillion/Bordeaux.
....
We found accommodations in Sarlat le Caneda to be above our budget, although Rick Steves recommends it.

Two nit-picks from me:

1. Cahors in the heart of Dordogne is ground zero for French Malbec. We didn't have time enough to visit any vineyards, but we had a very enjoyable wine tasting/buying session at the local commune's house of wine in Cahors (no English spoken but we got by with my high school french + pointing and smiling).

2. Maybe it's Rick Steves' fault. Sarlat is a major town in the area with beautiful architecture and a huge market square, but it was the only place we visited in the Dordogne that was overrun by tourist hordes. [We had the same experience in Cortona, Tuscany, the fault of "Under The Tuscan Sun."]

 

[JudyH]

What a great thread. I'm going to the Dordogne area in May on a Road Scholar trip. I love France. I've been all over. You can't go wrong in either area. Provence in September will be crowded. You've gotten good advice in the above posts.

 

[Laurie]

One typical characteristic of the Dordogne that I enjoyed was the bastide towns: some of the earliest medieval villages organized around civic (political, social, commercial) rather than religious life. Rather than the church at the center, each has a square with arcades, where local markets thrived.

 

[bbobo1812@yahoo.com]

What a great thread. I'm going to the Dordogne area in May on a Road Scholar trip. I love France. I've been all over. You can't go wrong in either area. Provence in September will be crowded. You've gotten good advice in the above posts.

Thanks for your insight re the crowds. I'm leaning heavily towards the Dordogne and hope to be able to enjoy some local markets in addition to all the rest! I hope you post a trip report when you get home! We've never traveled with Road Scholar but hear good things about them!b

One typical characteristic of the Dordogne that I enjoyed was the bastide towns: some of the earliest medieval villages organized around civic (political, social, commercial) rather than religious life. Rather than the church at the center, each has a square with arcades, where local markets thrived.

One typical characteristic of the Dordogne that I enjoyed was the bastide towns: some of the earliest medieval villages organized around civic (political, social, commercial) rather than religious life. Rather than the church at the center, each has a square with arcades, where local markets thrived.

Sounds perfect to me! Thanks again!