Hi everyone, before I state my question, I just wanted to say thank you all for your help with our first trip to France. I can%26#39;t begin to tell you how many mistakes we have made that you have saved us from by all your trip reports and comments in this forum. We appreciate you and all your %26quot;honesty%26quot;.
We are about to submit our %26quot;rough draft%26quot; itenerary for Sarlat/Dordogne for your expertise advice, but first we thought we would ask if anyone has any comments on something to stop and %26quot;view%26quot; along the way on our drive from Sarlat to Amboise. On our way from Avignon to Sarlat we are stopping at Carcassonne for a few hours. Is there something we should see along the main Michelin route to Amboise? Or alternate our route a bit to Amboise? it%26#39;s about a 4 1/2 hour drive.
Thoughts please?
Thank you in advance.
eholden
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i haven%26#39;t looked at the Michelin route but...
If it doesn%26#39;t take you via Limoges scrap the Michelin route and go that way. I am not suggesting that you visit Limoges. Nearby is Oradour sur Glane, one of the few places in France I will never have to visit twice because I can remember every detail from the one visit we did make. I will let you do your own research
Quite different, and much closer to Amboise, stop at Loches, for a visit to the splendid fortress of Foulques Nerra where Charles VII partied hearty with his mistress Agnés Sorel.
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From Carcassonne to Sarlat I would go via Rocamadour which is amazing. Use www.viamichelin.com routeplanner function. Its good if you know postcodes of towns you are going to. Carcassonne 11000, Sarlat 24200, Rocamadour 46500. Viamichelin.com can create a detailed route for you avoiding toll routes.
Background on Rocamadour http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocamadour. Sarlat is a beautiful town and nearby Domme and Beynac are worth a visit too. At Domme there is a tour of a cave that is quite something. They discovered it in the 50s, I think and it is accessed right in the main square and comes out at the bottom of the hill on which Domme stands. You then take a glass elevator back up. I did it back in 97 so things may have changed, but I thought it was pretty cool.
Happy trails
Matt
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I second the Oradour sur Glane recommendation. The sort of place one goes to once, then recommends to all and sundry forever. No need to visit twice, and quite frankly my emotions wouldnt stand it.
I would also then continue via St Savin (lafrancevueduciel.free.fr/affichage2.php…) (amazing world heritage listed wall painting, albeit currently under restoration) and Loches (lafrancevueduciel.free.fr/affichage2.php…), more medieval than the renaissance splendor of the Loire Valley.
It also passes through Angles-sur-l%26#39;Anglin (lafrancevueduciel.free.fr/affichage2.php…), a really pretty village, and purely by coincidence (although no-one will believe me) my new (soon to be) home town. Most of the route is on smaller (and slower) roads, but the scenery is well worth it.
www.mappy.com/td/mappyme/…
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%26quot;It also passes through Angles-sur-l%26#39;Anglin, a really pretty village, and purely by coincidence (although no-one will believe me) my new (soon to be) home town. Most of the route is on smaller (and slower) roads, but the scenery is well worth it.%26quot;
That should have been %26quot;and also, in addition and purly by coincidence, Preuilly sur Clasie, my new home town (when I get there)%26quot;
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Loches is a nice town to visit while staying in Amboise, and lunch at the George Sand with a table overlooking the river a special treat.
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Francophool
Its interesting - I have stayed at the George Sand twice, but have never been tempted to eat there. I have eaten in just about every other restaurant in town, but for some reason the menu never appealed at the George Sand.
They do serve a rather pleasant calvados though..............
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Hi everyone, thanks for the responses!
Gascon, we are going to be visiting Rocomandour while we are in Sarlat now. Definitely interesting.
IrishRovr/Wizard, Michelin has us going through Limoges and Loches on the way to Amboise. I am having a hard time finding info in my books on Orandour sur Glane (sp?). But if both of you are advising on it, we definitely want to check in to it. Where abouts is it on the way to Amboise? I see St. Savin and saw some pictures - beautiful town.
Oh wait, just found Orandour on my Michelin map kind of northwest of Limoge. So that is where we should stop half way between Sarlat and Amboise? Then would you recommend going to Amboise through Poitiers or go back on the A20/E9 through Chateauroux?
emh
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Definitely see Oradour sur Glane on your way to Amboise. It was a town viciously destroyed by the Germans just after D-Day, and the French have kept it as a memorial.
I agree Loche is a good stop also. See the old chateau, and there%26#39;s an artist%26#39;s gallery just nest door that was interesting.
There is a small chateau called Montpoupon on the 764 southwest of Montrichard that%26#39;s worth a stop. It has a museum of Hunting (much different in France), but the best thing is the kitchen in the basement of the chateau. The collection of old copper pots is great. There%26#39;s a little country restaurant just south of there that offered a very good lunch.
We lived for a month a couple of years a go in Blere, near Amboise. There%26#39;s a bar in town called Emeraude that was our %26quot;Cheers%26quot; while we were there. Daniel %26amp; Muriel, the owners, speak no English but are very friendly. They have a small restaurant next door whose specialty several days a week is %26quot;moules frite%26quot;, fried mussels. i%26#39;ll look through our scrapbook and try to find the names of a few more places in the area. Email me at diane@westwindtours.us if you%26#39;d like them. We also know the owners of a great B%26amp;B in Blere called Le Belvedere, if you don%26#39;t already have all your accommodations set up.
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Spelling matters when you are doing online research. It is Oradour sur Glane with no N in the first word. Also Rocamadour.
Second the recommendation of Bléré. The restaurant of the Hôtel du Cheval Blanc in the middle of the town will do you a splendid lunch or dinner. It%26#39;s still our favourite place to stay in that area and the food deserves every bit of its Michelin rosette, though unfortunately the award pushed the prices up a bit. Still a pretty good value IMO.
There%26#39;s a good pizza joint in the burg too.
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Irish - I couldn%26#39;t find Oradour sur Glane in my books (Eyewitness Travel) and it was because it is in a different region than the Dordogne and the Loire Valley. Now that I have found it on my Michelin map, we have looked it up on the web and asked people about it and it is definitely one thing we will NOt be able to pass up on. Thank you for the information. It%26#39;s the little things like that we would never know about without all of you.
Next we will look in to Monzipar and Blere - hope we have enough time - wish we had more!!
Thanks again everyone.
emh
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