AN 11 DAY TOUR  TO THE BEAUTIFUL DORDOGNE REGION IN SOUTH-WEST FRANCE VISITING OVER A DOZEN OF FRANCE'S MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGES, (LES PLUS BEAUX VILLAGES)

 

DATES: APRIL 5th-15th  ( 11 days/10 nights )

COSTS: £3,500 per person, based on two people per car/room

COSTS: £4,990 per person for SINGLE OCCUPANCY ( one person in a car )

The price, in sterling, is based on a conversion rate of £1 sterling =1.15 euros

There may be a reduction or increase in the fees depending on the sterling to euros conversion rates at the time of receipt of payments.

The costs, per person, include the following:

 

• • Accommodation in 4 star  stylish hotels ( 10 nights )
  • Breakfast daily
  • 3-course dinners, ( 10 nights )
  • Outward overnight  Brittany Ferry from Portsmouth to Saint Malo with outside cabin
  • Return afternoon ferry Ouistreham/Caen to Portsmouth with reserved seats.
  • Rally plate
  • Comprehensive road book with daily itineraries and detailed route notes
  • Highlighted  Michelin map of France
  • DK Eyewitness guidebook Dordogne

NOT INCLUDED ARE THE FOLLOWING :

• Lunches, snacks, coffees, etc.
• Drinks with dinner including bottled water and coffee
• Entry to places of interest eg. museums, gardens, chateaux, etc.
• Autoroute tolls

SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

An 11-day tour to France's beautiful Dordogne region in south-west France incorporating visits to ovrt 12 of the most beautiful villages in France, "Les Plus Beaux Villages de France"

Our tour starts with an overnight ferry from Portsmouth to St. Malo.

Our 2-day route to the Dordogne is via the Loire Valley where we stay overnight in a hotel in Fontevraud Abbey. The next day we arrive in northern Dordogne where we spend 2  nights in a 17th century converted mill/ moulin. The next day we visit St. Jean de Cole and Brantome, known as the Venice of the Perigord.

The following day we drive 80 miles south to the Dordogne Valley, where our chateau hotel for the next 3 nights overlooks the river Dordogne, near Beynac et Cazenac. Over the next 2 days, we visit a dozen of France's most beautiful villages,( Les plus beaux villages) including Domme, Beynac, La Roque Gageac, Sarlat, Castelnau la Chapelle and Rocamadour. Leaving the Dordogne we spend the next two nights in a chateau hotel in the Lot department and visit Belves, Monpazier and St Cirque la Popie., three more beautiul villlages. Our 2-day route back to Caen ferry port is via the Loire valley.

 

Day 1, Monday, 5th April 

Overnight ferry from Portsmouth to St. Malo

 

Our overnight ferry leaves Portsmouth at 8.15 pm and arrives in Ouistreham at 8.45 am. Tuesday morning.

Day 2 Tuesday,  6th April 

St. Malo to Loire Valley, ( 190 miles including 100 miles on motorways)

We then continue south to our lunch stop in Vitres.

In the afternoon we visit the famous Auto Museum next to the main entrance of the Le Mans 24 hours circuit, Musée des 24 Heures. (see photos below)

 

 

We then leave Le Mans and head south on scenic backroads and a great driving road to our  4*  hotel in Fontevraud Abbey in  the Loire Valley

 

 Dinner tonight is in the hotel's Michelin star restaurant.

 

Day 3 Wednesday,  7th April 

Loire Valley to Bourdeilles, Dordogne

We drive to Langeais and cross the scenic bridge, (see photos below).

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We then continue south, through Azay le Rideau and Descartes, to La Roche Posay our morning coffee stop.
We then continue south to Angles-Sur-L'Anglin, the first of France's most beautiful villages on our tour, "Les plus beaux villages" where we stop for lunch at an auberge nestling under the ruins of an ancient chateau.

From here there is a panoramic view of the river, (see photos below).

After lunch, we continue across the river, stopping for photos with the chateau as a backdrop, see photos below.

 

We then drive south to Chauvigny and continue south through the picturesque Vienne valley on minor roads into the Charente department through Confolens to Chabanais, where, just south, we stop to visit the amazing Chassenon Roman Baths, located at Longeas, a small hamlet just south of Chassenon.

These are amongst the best-preserved buildings of their type in the territory of ancient Gaul and, possibly in the whole of what was once the Roman Empire. The site also includes three temples, a theatre and an aqueduct, all once part of the ancient Roman city of Cassinomagus. We then continue south into the Dordogne to Brantôme.

We then drive 5 miles along a scenic road, to our hotel for the next 2 nights, a 17th century converted mill.

Day 4  Thursday, 8th April  

Bourdeilles, local excursion

Our morning coffee stop Brantome is described as "the Venice of the Perigord" due to the river Dronne completely encircling the town effectively making Brantome an island, see photos below:

After lunch, we drive to nearby St. Jean de Cole, the second of France's most beautiful villages that we visit.

Day 5 Friday,9th April      

Bourdeilles/Brantome to Beynac 

We leave Brantome and drive south on country roads towards Sarlat, stopping to visit the amazing gardens at the Manoir de Eyrignac.

Sarlat is our lunch stop and we explore this historic town which is often described as "the jewel in the Dordogne's crown" being arguably Europe's best-preserved medieval town.

We then drive via La Roque Gageac and Beynac on the river Dordogne to where our hotel for the next 4 nights is located.

Day 6  Saturday,  10th April   

Beynac, local excursion:  Rocamadour

Our route today takes us via six more of France's most beautiful villages, (Les plus beaux villages) and takes us over the Dordogne border into the Lot region to visit Rocamadour.

We then follow the river northeast to Souillac and then north to Nespouls where we turn east to visit the first of our “beaux villages” Turenne, which is shaped and clustered on the cliffside. Turenne was the last feudal fiefdom in France being in family ownership until 1738.

From the remains of the chateau, there is an amazing 360-degree panoramic view of the Cantal mountains across the Dordogne valley.

A few miles further south is our morning coffee stop and the next beau village, Collonges-la-Rouge, with its unique carmine sandstone architecture and almost toy-town unreality.

Continuing south a few more miles we arrive at Carrenac, our third beau village and from here we drive on to Loubressac with its vast panorama of the Dordogne valley.

Our final beau village, Autoire, is regarded as one of the most beautiful places in Quercy which is the name of this fertile area east of Perigord at the mouth of the Autoire gorge.

We then continue on to the majestic Rocamadour with its breathtaking location perched on the side of a rocky peak above the Alzou valley.

Since the 10th century, Rocamadour has been a centre of pilgrimage and today it receives many tourists and we have a couple of hours to explore it.

We then return via Gourdon, to our hotel near Beynac for dinner.

Day 7  Sunday, 11th April 

 Beynac, local excursion:  3 "beaux villages" including: Domme, La Roque Gageac, Beynac et Cazenac, Castelnaud la Chapelle and Marquessac gardens

Today we enjoy a relaxed local excursion visiting four of France's most beautiful villages.

We start off the morning with a visit Domme, another of France's most beautiful villages.

Built on a clifftop there is a stunning view of the Dordogne valley

There is also an option to visit the caves at Domme which we access from the center of the town.

After Domme we visit another “plus beau village” La Roque Gageac on the river Dordogne.

 

We then drive to Beynac et Cazenac our afternoon coffee stop where we can explore this pretty village and another beau village, which was used as a film set for the film Chocolat.

 

We then drive less than a mile to Marquessac where we visit the gardens with superb views over the Dordogne valley.

We next visit nearby Castelnaud la Chapelle, another beau village, where the village sits at the intersection of the Dordogne and Ceau valleys.

Here we visit the amazing medieval fortified chateau, which was in English hands during the 100 years war and is now  a museum, open to the public.

 

Day 8 Monday, 12th April  

Beynac to Chateau Milande, Belves and Monpazier

We drive less than 5 miles on a scenic minor road to Chateau Milande which was the home of Josephine Baker, the American singer and topless revue dancer who in the 1930s was adopted by the French as their favourite American.

This is our morning coffee stop and there is ample time to visit the fascinating museum devoted to Josephine Baker as well as watching a display of birds of prey at 11.00 am.

We then travel to another "beau village" Belves, our lunch stop

Our new hotel, for the next two nights, is in Mopazier, another "beau village"

Dinner tonight is in the hotel's restaurant.

Day 9  Tuesday,  13th April 

 Monpazier to St. Cirque la Popie, return 

Our route takes us on scenic roads to the stunning St. Cirque la Popie , another beau villlage.

Dinner, tonight, is in the hotel's restaurant

Day 10  Wednesday, 14th April 

Monpazier to Fontevraud, Loire Valley

 

Our route takes us up to the Loire Valley, to Fontevraud where our hotel for the last night of the tour is located.

Dinner, tonight, is in the hotel's restaurant.

 

Day 11  Thursday,  15th April  

 Fontevraud to Ouistreham, (Caen ) ferry

Today we leave the Dordogne and drive up to Caen where we catch the 16.30 ferry from Ouistreham to Portsmouth which arrives 21.15