Driving to Sarlat in the Dordogne region

[EdgyCrow]

We are excitedly planning a trip to stay in a cottage in Sarlat, France in August. Does anyone have any tips? Where to stay on the way from Calais? Best route to take etc. Grateful for any tips!

We did this many years ago and stayed in Loire on a campsite, can’t remember which one. Got the overnight ferry from Portsmouth and had a very choppy crossing, so came the longer route back and went via the tunnel

We went to Bergerac, which is not too far away, and had he dc with us so stopped for a couple of nights at Futuroscope in Poitiers.

We’re on this trip right now OP!

We sailed Portsmouth - Caen ferry, docked at 3pm French time.
We decided to break up the drive down so we’re staying in an AirBnB south side of Tours tonight.
Picked the fastest route option on the SatNav from the port and it took 3.5 hours including a couple of quick stops to change driver. Paid €4 and €25 in tolls, those roads were quiet.
Tomorrow, will likely do the same with the SatNav, google shows a slight benefit in toll road time wise. Might go to Oradour sur Glane (sp?) on the way. Check in after 4pm for us. It was 32c in Tours earlier. 😎.

Where are you setting off from in UK?

From Calais, we've stayed in Le Mans and Orleans on the way to the Dordogne before. Although Le Mans was when we were going further west towards Bergerac.

Done this trip many times. We live in Manchester area and always set off about 6/7 am and get a channel tunnel crossing about 12. 35 min crossing and France an hour ahead means you arrive about 1.30pm. Drive about 4 - 5 hours then stay over night. B&B hotel chain is good cheap option. Then another 4-5 hours drive the next day

We stayed at the bee hotel in Orleans. It smelt of bee wax and was very quaint.

I don’t have amazing advice for the OP as I haven’t done this specific route, but do go to Oradour. It is an incredibly sad place to visit but so important. My parents took me there as a teenager and I have never forgotten it.

We’ve done this journey many times with three children in tow. We’re also lucky to live less than an hour from the euro tunnel or Dover. We tend to do it all in one day, leaving around 4am and getting to the Dordogne around 5-6pm depending on traffic. We use the toll motorways and stop at the services or hop off to a nearby village in search of a boulangerie or supermarket. It’s doable but you probably need to be relatively close to the channel to do it! On the odd occasion we have stopped, look at Gites de France website b&b section to find some wonderful local stays… we’ve had some fabulous accommodations, usually with with an evening meal and breakfast included…rusty french welcome!

We stayed at an Ibis budget hotel in Orleans when we drove to Sarlat a couple of years ago. Very basic hotel, but nice and cheap and felt safe.

All depends where you are travelling from in the UK and where you are getting the ferry or if you are on the train.

From Calais, Rouen or Orleans are pretty natural break points but also perfectly doable in a day from Calais so I've often spent the night in Calais (surprisingly ok, potter to the beach and have a nice meal). My parents used to do it from Hull all in a day leaving around 5am and getting to Bordeaux late at night.

If you've a long drive UK side but don't want to stop right in Calais then places like Montreuil Sur Mer are along the right route and just an hour drive from Calais so shave some time off your journey the next day and it is very pretty.

If you have kids, look for a Novotel near the motorway. They usually have a pool (but do check), which is very welcome for kids at the end of a long day in the car. Breakfast is free for dc if adults are paying, evening meals have child- friendly options and they do family rooms for 4.

Wow, thank you so much everyone- this is so helpful! We are driving from Newcastle and aiming for the tunnel in Folkstone. Hope everyone is having/ had lovely trips, I cant wait!

Yes - totally agree with this. The Novotel we've stayed at in Orleans had a pool. I think one year we got an offer where we got two rooms (we asked for and were allocated interconnecting rooms) and the 2nd was half price for the kids. We didn't really need it as the Novotel rooms are big enough with a sofa bed for the kids, but it was nice to have a bit more space.

The Novotel in Rouen has a pool too. The car park is locked (residents only). Sarlat is amazing - have a wonderful holiday.

When we did something similar we stayed overnight in an aparthotel in Poitiers, which was a lovely city to stop over in. Big market, cathedral, lively student presence etc.

We did this a few years ago and stopped just outside Poitiers on the way down and in Le Mans on the way back. Broke the trip up beautifully.

We did this last year via the tunnel and stopped in Orleans on the way down (Ibis Budget - very basic but fine for one night). Then on the way back we stopped for two nights in Blois so we could go and see a chateau, and then Amiens (these were random hotels we found on Booking.com while we were en route).

Very luckily my parents live about 15 mins from the tunnel so we stay there the night before setting off so we can get an early shuttle.

Tours or Le Mans are good options though personally I’d take the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to saint malo and drive through the other side

Get an emovis tag for the tolls - saves loads of time and messing about stopping, you can just drive straight through.

We’ve stayed just outside Sarlat in an Air B and B these last couple of years in a lovely place called Ferme de la Tour beside San Nathlene with a swimming pool on site run by a really nice Irish couple. I’d highly recommend.

Villages around with Chateaus are fab.
Caves are fab.
Cave painting at Lasceaux are fab.
Kayaking on the Dordogne fab.
Cycling tours are fab.

If you want to see any caves you will need to book now as spaces fill up fast.