Now that we have decided on our rental in Siorac-en-Perigord, the question becomes how do we get there. Four of us will be flying from Atlanta. Two of our friends want to use FF miles out of DC. I've looked at the airline sites and SNCF and there are so many options.

We can fly to Bordeaux and pick up cars there, we can drive from Paris, perhaps spending a night on the way, or we can train from Paris. I'd love to hear from those of you who have homes in the Dordogne and what you consider to be the easiest method of travel. We will return to Paris to spend several days before flying back to the States.

Linda

Linda,

When you ask about the "easiest" way to get there, I wonder what you will think about your alternatives. None is perfect.

When we go to Montignac/Lascaux each June, we fly into London Heathrow, bus to Gatwick, stay overnight there, out of Gatwick to Bordeaux next day,pick up a car and drive. Obviously, this is because there are no flights to Bordeaux from Heathrow. Since you are on the East coast of the U.S., you can probably find flights to Gatwick airport from the U.S., something we cannot do from here in Seattle.Bordeaux is a great airport at which to pick up a car.

You can fly into Paris, then drive down (about six hours on the autoroute) either via Bordeaux or Brive-le-Galliard. Picking up a car and driving in Paris is ok if you are intrepid. We find it tough to drive after a long night on the plane; of course, you could stop over along the way. You can also take a somewhat slow train (though still rapid) that takes you to Les Eyzies. Maybe you could taxi from there.

Probably the best route would be to fly into Paris, change to the train station at Austerlitz in Paris, and take the rapid train (four hours/one stop) to Brive and pick up a car there. Plenty of rental agencies there. I'm not sure from your post if you will be wanting a car while you are in the Dordogne, but I strongly advise that you do. If you were going to stay at least 17 days, you could do the very cost effective buy and lease back arrangement that we use every year because it avoids all taxes.

There are other options that include flying into London, then changing to Stanstead and taking an inexpensive flight to one of several cities nearby. These small airports have some, but not all, the car agencies. There is a strict limit on baggage however, and I mean strict. From London, you could possibly take the Eurostar train to Paris and change to another train there.

You will love this beautiful part of France and the warmth of the people (not to mention the great, great food). Prices are a fraction of what they are in Paris and usually less than in Provence.

Hope you have fun planning. Let us know what your plans become.

Dennis

We've visited the Dordogne several times from the east coast (Philadelphia) and have always found Air France flights to Bordeaux very practical. There is a short layover in Paris and we arrive in Bordeaux around noon. We usually lease a car and drive to the Sarlat area. Not too difficult after flight.

We love this region .

best is to do just that take Air
France to Bordeaux (changeover in Paris) and rent the car at Bordeaux.then drive past the rocade (beltway) A630 until the exit taking the D936 dir castillon la bataille et ste foy la grande once in Bergerac you take D660 dir beaumont to either just past Mazeyrolles to take the D170 to soirac-en-perigord OR
once at Beaumont take the D25 dir cadouin and le buisson-cussac here you turn right still on the D25 to soirac-en-perigord;take you about 2H30 either way and its the most scenic route lovely territory. of course you can do the more express taking the N89 instead of the D936

How long does it take to drive from Bordeaux airport to Sarlat going the fastest way. We are arriving in the late afternoon and would like to get to Sarlat before dark....would need the fastest route, not the most scenic for this part of our trip!

There are two routes, one longer on autoroute much of the way and one shorter but on slower routes the whole way. My experience in driving from Blagnac airport to Sarlat is that if you allow two hours and a half, that should be right plus or minus fifteen minutes.

The autoroute A89/E70 you take by following signs for Perigueux out of Bordeaux, exit the autoroute at its (temporary) end, go on to Le Lardin then turn south on the D704 through Montignac to Sarlat.

For the older, more direct route, follow signs for Bergerac then Sarlat; the D-routes change numbers four times but the signs are clear as can be. On the first option, you drive very fast for two hours, then very slowly for a half hour. With the second option, you drive medium speed for two and a half hours or so. The second option is a prettier drive, but harder.

Remember that it gets dark in the Dordogne late, about an hour later than most people are used to because of its location. Check the website at weatherunderground.com for Bergerac to see exact times for sunset.

By the way, Sarlat is well-lighted at night.

Dennis

do you mean Merignac airport or Blagnac two different horses.... merignac is bordeaux blagnac is toulouse? Dennis.

if i follow the trend she is saying bordeaux so i will assume its still bordeaux merignac airport.then you get on the beltway (rocade) A630 and get out at exit 1 dir N230 at exit 26 you take the A89N89direction Libourne.continue on this road past perigueux still on N89A89 same road until you reach lardin st lazare take the D704 direction Montignac continue passing it until you reach Sarlat.pretty much 2 hrs 30 mins with good traffic

Thank you so much for your help.

I do indeed mean Merignac airport in Bordeaux. I have read on this forum that the route from Bordaux to Sarlat can be a difficult drive, so can I assume that the autoroute would be less scenic, somewhat faster but an easier and probably "safer" drive?

you wont have a problem good roads well signal and safe.
have a wonderful trip!

Oops. My bad. Of course I meant Merignac for Bordeaux. The autoroute will be a little easier, yes, but they both are perfectly safe ways to go. You know what? Locals love that it is so darned hard to get to Sarlat. The idea of the autoroute coming closer made their blood run cold (or boil?)
You're in for a treat once you get there though!
Dennis

I believe Lufthansa also has some good connections via Frankfurt or Munich. At least they do from Canada. We are using FF miles with Air Canada/Lufthansa and the connections are reasonable. They fly into both Toulouse and Bordeaux.