Days of Easter in the green Dordogne, region of western France

Normally we do not make special trips for Easter, but this year, Easter seems to have swallowed the bridge April 25. What luck!

We love France in every corner and region after region, year after year, virtually all are visiting.

This year is the turn of the Dordogne or Perigord, in short, the area between Bordeaux and Toulouse, which belongs to the region of Aquitaine.

We book some months in advance an Easy Jet flight from Malpensa to Bordeaux. However, in order to take full advantage of time and distance, we will book return from Toulouse airport.

We book through the website and also a car-hire, a reservation center able to pick up the car more convenient, the Alamo in this case.

Then begins a frantic search to find hotels "charming" are very common in France, but accept overnight stays for 1 night only.

After a few tries, we find them. We book the hotel of Domme and Cahors site by Venus; very convenient because you do not need a credit card deposit but only as a guarantee.

The hotels in Brantome, however, the book directly from the site of the hotel, paying a deposit by credit card.

 

Perigueux, Brantome

Let the car parking and, with the shuttle, they transport us to Malpensa Terminal 2 for our EasyJet flight Bordeaux.

The journey goes well and we arrive in Bordeaux even with 20 minutes early. This time, Easy Jet has done it again!

At the airport in Bordeaux we head to the Alamo counter to collect our car. The Alamo used us some difficulties in that, you do not understand why, our car has been booked for early morning and they have an obligation to keep it for 2 hours (never heard of this clause). However, he gives us a car superior to the one booked for the same price. We travel well with a Citroen C5. Unfortunately, a few miles from the airport, we notice that the car did not complete the full of gasoline, as agreed. At the end of travel, so we will return, not completely full, but of course, after a few days, we charge your credit card has the missing fuel. Alamo: other car to avoid in the future.

our car

We move to Perigueux, an ancient city of the Dordogne overlooking the river with a very ancient nucleus. There we hold a lot, just enough time to have lunch with Croques Monsieurs (toasted cheese we eat for the entire trip).


Perigueux

We then visit to Brantome, a small village surrounded by canals, so as to be called the Venice of the Perigord. The place is enchanting. Perhaps the most beautiful town we visit throughout the trip: picturesque houses overlooking the canal that surrounds it, with a circle, the old town with narrow streets and shops. You can also visit the great Abbey and adjoining caves. We, however, opt for a trip on the boat that crosses a section of the channel, even if, on balance, not worth much. The most enchanting and photographed the town is a point on the bridge where you see the waterfalls and an old mill, now used as hotels and a restaurant House (which we recommend: Moulin de l'Abbaye).

We like so Brantome, who then decide to come back in the evening for dinner.



Brantome - Hotel de l'Abbaye Mulin Brantome

After Brantome we head into another charming little village called Bourdeilles. Although this country is facing the river, with willows and old houses. In the central square of the charming and traditional village is the medieval castle can be visited.


Bourdeilles

After Bourdeilles, a little 'tired, we decided to go in search of our hotel, a fantastic castle nestled in the countryside of the Dordogne. It's called Chateau de la Cote and is Biras, fraction of Brantome. Gasps at the sight of the spectacular castle and we are thrilled to spend the night there. The castle is furnished with antique furniture, with beautiful rooms, just like the castles that usually we just visit. Although our room is in effect: very large, with a canopy bed, fireplace, antique furniture and a beautiful view of the large park of the castle with lots of horses and donkeys graze under the windows. Bucolic!!

There's even an outdoor swimming pool, but this season (late April) is still closed but that the temperature was quite high and a dip in the pool, we would have liked.

So, we are content to laze a bit 'on chairs placed in the park while my daughter climbs trees.


Hotel Chateau de la Cote

We get ready for dinner and back to Brantome.

Unfortunately, we note that many local addocchiati in the afternoon, the evening closed, so we struggle a little 'to find a place to dine.

Let us therefore choose a wine bar that also serves great Italian bruschetta and french fries. We wait for dusk to take some night pictures of the canals and then returned to the hotel by car.

To reach the hotel we walk a few miles. isolated from the streets and woods campaigns. In the evening, it is not uncommon to see animals crossing the road: a large bird that evening we meet in the street, much like a hawk and a pretty hare.

The next day, we will cross a few meters from the car, even a deer.

Sarlat Le Caneda, Domme

We have breakfast in the halls of the castle. The breakfast is of average quality, although for € 14.00 per head, we expected something more. However, the advise.

We set the Tom Tom Navigator key (which we brought from home) towards Castle of Hautefort. Today the weather is a bit 'cloudy and we hope it does not rain. We visit the great castle furnished, although the furnishings are of too recent vintage. The castle is surrounded by formal gardens and English, but we have no time or desire to visit them. We limit ourselves to the interior.


Castle of Hautefort

As second and third stage we visit 2 villages, on the websites. were passed off as typical villages of the Dordogne. This is Terrason-Lavilledieu and Le Bugue. We, however, do not find them interesting too much. However, we take advantage of the stop in the Bugue to eat something in a bar with outdoor seating.


The Terrason-Lavilledieu Bugue

After lunch we head to The Caneda Sarlat, a town with a large center where every corner is to be photographed. Beautiful and extended. Roads, houses and palaces of the past. Unfortunately, today is Easter Saturday, there's even a market in the main street and there are lots of people. However, we can park without problems in a central piazzettina and then begin to walk through the many streets and alleys of the old town. If you want to shop in the Dordogne, this is the best place because many shops are. In short, we really like Sarlat.


Sarlat

After we finally reach the place where Sarlat overnight Domme. Here, we booked a hotel in the House, overlooking the Dordogne, in the most panoramic of the city: Hotel Esplanade From top we can see the whole valley of the Dordogne. Domme then, is beautiful and very typical. It 'a village of small / medium (besieged by tourists during the day) with many old houses all made of yellow stone. Even here, there are many shops and restaurants. It 'very smallest of Sarlat, but those who love small towns, can not help but appreciate it.


Domme

We stroll through the narrow streets and visit some shops. Buy the foie gras (goose liver pate), here is the typical product, so that the goose is the symbol of the region. Then, we decide to dine in a Creperie with a savory crepe and a sweet as our habit when we dine in a creperie.

Cahors

We have breakfast on the veranda of the hotel overlooking the Dordogne. The breakfast is nothing of exceptional but the view is incomparable.

The first stop today is the beautiful Rocamadour. It is a village perched on a rock with an important abbey. The village is steep, with steps that run through it from the bottom to the top. Visit in this way is for runners / climbers, something that we are not.

However there is a much more convenient way to visit entirely: a system of inclined elevators 2. We parked at the top of the village and take the elevators down. The first elevator reached the abbey, from there, a second elevator reaches the beautiful main street in the valley. The country remembers a little 'Mont St. Michel, is very lively and crowded with people (perhaps because it is the day of Easter). Of course, after visiting all, we take the elevators to go upstairs, where we parked the car.

The visit of this city we love it and will surely in our memories.


Rocamadour

The second stop in a village, classified by Mondadori our guide as "one of the most beautiful villages of the Dordogne." It's called Autoire; is nice but very small. The visit, does not occupy more than half an hour. Just to stretch their legs.



Autoire

Then face a long journey, through landscapes of a crazy suggestion (campaigns, rivers, lakes, villages, etc.) to reach the last stop of the day: Cahors.

Today we leave the Dordogne department called to enter the Lot. Cahors disappoints us a little 'just because it's a big city feature. The old town is not that much interesting, then, that today is Easter, everything is closed and deserted. Strength of the city is the famous bridge Valentré, indicated by the guide as one of the most photographed of France.



Cahors Cahors - water clock

We also pictures day or night. We have dinner in a brasserie with Italian dishes (pasta, rice etc.) in front of the theater, in a beautiful square with a fountain.


Cahors - Cahors Pont Valentré - square Brasserie

The Hotel Inter Hotel De France, disappoints us a little '. I can not even understand how we have chosen it! This is a modern hotel chain Inter Hotel. My daughter says it looks like a hospital and, perhaps, not altogether wrong. Mind you, the hotel has everything you need and costs very little. However, it is aesthetically ugly and is located in an area of ??the city not very interesting (but, moreover, Cahors is uninteresting). The bridge is close enough, however, even if we decide to move always in the car.

Cordes sur Ciel and back

It 'amazing, but breakfast in the seedy hotel is good. I like even more than in previous luxury hotel! So let Cahors to reach the last leg of our trip: Cordes sur Ciel.

After just over 1 hour we are on the rise. We park without difficulty, but we realize that in order to visit this ancient town, all uphill, it takes a convenient way. Fortunately, we immediately notice the comfortable tourist train that serves as a shuttle between the lower and upper. So, once we take the train and reach the summit of the very old Cordes. From there, we begin to walk along the ancient streets, entering into the shops of local handicrafts and souvenirs. Then, we take the express train, you do not wait too long.


Cordes



Enough: this was the last stop on our short trip.

We just have to get to the airport of Toulouse, where we have the return flight. Obviously we will leave the car to car hire car in Toulouse. But first we must put some 'oil. The gas stations, on the day of Easter, are all closed and you must turn to self-service. We find a gas station with self service that accepts credit cards only (no notes). So, we'll get a scare when we see each charge, with text-messaging system, well € 120.00, € 20.00 only when we put fuel. We understand (and hope) that is initially charged the maximum amount payable, and thereafter crediting back the difference (but it will take a few days).

Return flight on time, even in advance: INCREDIBLE!

Dani, Max and Clarissa

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