Tailormade tour Dordogne self-drive touring holiday France

8 nights/9 days

Honfleur • Loire valley • Dordogne • Chinon

The Dordogne is the focus of this self-drive touring holiday in your own car which also has overnight stops in Normandy and the Loire Valley, staying in chateau-hotels. You witness France’s varied landscape, from the rich pastures of Calvados to the chateaux amid the former hunting grounds of the Kings of France, to the ancient land of the Dordogne, home to magnificent prehistoric art.
Holiday price guide

Available year-round subject to the opening period of the hotels, from £1,780 per person.

Luxury self-drive tailormade touring holiday to the Dordogne

Highlights

Normandy • Visit Honfleur • Loire valley • Dordogne • Visit Bergerac • Visit Bordeaux vineyards • Visit St Emilion • Visit Les Eyzies • Visit Sarlat • Chinon

Day by day

You cross the Channel by Eurotunnel from Folkestone to Calais and then drive south past Boulogne and Le Touquet, crossing the River Somme at Abbeville and then you head for the coast near Le Havre. Here you take the Pont de Normandie across the mouth of the Seine, arriving very close to Honfleur. Take time to visit Honfleur, favourite haunt of artists, with its picturesque fishing harbour before reaching your hotel which is in the countryside not far away.

Today’s drive takes just under three hours, so there is time to linger in Normandy, perhaps to visit the seaside towns of Deauville or Trouville or to drive across the charming Calvados countryside south of Honfleur and stopping to admire the pretty villages and the scenery. Your overnight stop is just south of the cathedral city of Tours in the Loire Valley.

Today’s drive can take you south to skirt the edge of the Marais Poitevin before joining the motorway heading in the direction of Bordeaux, passing the town of Saintes. North of Bordeaux you pass the edge of the Pomerol vineyards before veering south, crossing the river Dordogne west of Bergerac to reach your base in the Dordogne region for five nights.

You are situated conveniently in the lush Dordogne countryside between the towns of Bordeaux and Bergerac. There is a wealth of visits and local sightseeing from here, to the east and west. To the west you have Bordeaux, the city and its surrounding vineyards and wine towns such as St Emilion. Bordeaux itself is shaped by bold and impressive architecture, from the Amphithéâtre de Bordeaux dit Palais Gallien, to the amazing Cathédrale de Bordeaux, Basilica of St Michael, and Opéra National de Bordeaux. Spend a leisurely afternoon taking in the sights, and really appreciating the aesthetics of these buildings, before seeing a show at the Grand Théâtre or viewing the artwork in the Musée des Beaux-Arts. Visit such châteaux as the Château Rauzan Gassies, or the Château Mouton Rothschild, to taste the fruity Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. To the east of Monestier, Bergerac also offers wine-tasting opportunities in the Musée du Vin et de la Battelerie. In Bergerac, experience the lively hubbub of conviviality at the weekly (Wednesday and Saturday) market in the centre of town, whilst picking up a few local treasures, be it food, wine, or arts and crafts. To the north-east, the village of Sarlat-la-Canéda offers a tour of the palaeolithic art of the Dordogne that takes you through the National Prehistory Museum and into the Lascaux Cave II. For a trip back into Dordogne history, visit the many nearby hidden gems, such as the small mediaeval village of Issigeac, the Château de Lanquais (recognised to be one of the greatest historical monuments in the area), the Château de Monbazillac with its unusual combination of mediaeval and Renaissance architecture, the model bastide of Monpazier, or the crystalline Maxange caves.

Retrace your route today northwards from the Dordogne to the Loire Valley and your overnight stop in the Sologne region south of the cathedal town of Blois.

The drive today is just over five hours, depending on the route, and the most direct route to Calais takes you northwards to Chartres and then Rouen on the River Seine. From Rouen it’s motorway to Abbeville and then you retrace your outbound route, passing le Le Touquet and Boulogne to reach Calais and your return Eurotunnel crossing to Folkestone.

Special offers for this holiday>

Excellent. So much easier coming to you than trying to book accommodation ourselves. Will certainly come to you again, especially for a self-drive holiday.
Mr D, Sep 2023

Holiday price guide Prices from £1,780 per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room.

Holiday Code FRSD13

Luxury self-drive tailormade touring holiday to the Dordogne

Special offers for this holiday>

Excellent. So much easier coming to you than trying to book accommodation ourselves. Will certainly come to you again, especially for a self-drive holiday.
Mr D, Sep 2023

Holiday price guide Prices from £1,780 per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room.

Holiday Code FRSD13

Our prices include ● Eurotunnel from Folkestone to Calais return for car and passengers
● 1 night’s bed and breakfast in a Country double room at the Auberge de la Source, near Honfleur
● 1 night’s bed and breakfast in a Classic double room at the Domaine de la Tortiniere near Tours
● 5 nights' bed and breakfast in a Classic double room at the Château des Vigiers, Monestier
● 1 night's bed and breakfast in a Classic double room at La Borde en Sologne, near Blois
● Concierge service and Expressions Holidays regional helpful hints

Our prices do not include ● Early check-in or late check-out at any hotels (although we can arrange this on request at additional cost)
● Any other services not mentioned above, such as transfers and meals except breakfast at hotels
● Personal holiday insurance. This is essential and cover should be in place from when you book the holiday.
● Local tourist tax, usually between Euros 1 and 3 per person per night, and payable locally to the hotel

Additional information Driving times for this self-drive touring holiday
Calais to Honfleur 3 hours
Honfleur to Tours 3 hours
Tours to Monestier 4 hours 40 minutes
Monestier to Sologne 4 hours 30 minutes
Sologne to Calais 5 hours approx

Luxury self-drive tailormade touring holiday to the Dordogne

Expressions Holidays includes these hotels in this touring holiday as suggestions, but they can be substituted by others in the same region, if you have a preference to stay elsewhere.
Hotels included in this tour

Special offers

Call to make your booking and save an extra £50 per adult Call us instead of emailing us when you are thinking of booking a holiday and save an extra £50 per adult (in addition to any special offers that might be available). We want to talk to you to discuss your requirements and a phone call is usually the best way for you to define what you want enabling us to respond more accurately. We want to talk to you and you save an extra £50 per adult.

Excellent. So much easier coming to you than trying to book accommodation ourselves. Will certainly come to you again, especially for a self-drive holiday.
Mr D, Sep 2023

Holiday price guide Prices from £1,780 per person based on two people sharing a double or twin room.

Holiday Code FRSD13

Luxury self-drive tailormade touring holiday to the Dordogne

Highlights of Dordogne

Cultural highlights include ceramics, wine festivals, foie gras and truffles, wild mushrooms, castles, valleys, water-sports, and local walks.

Climate of Dordogne

Average air temperatures in Centigrade: Jan: 10.0, Feb: 9.4, Mar: 12.2, Apr: 19.5, May: 18.0, Jun: 23.7, Jul: 27.2, Aug: 25.7, Sep: 24.2, Oct: 19.7, Nov: 15.4, Dec: 11.0. Source: Direction de la Meteorologique de France.

Luxury self-drive tailormade touring holiday to the Dordogne

Highlights of the Loire Valley

Cultural highlights include wines and wine vinegars, wild mushrooms - (visit the mushroom museum), the Troglodyte caves, and local art exhibitions.

Festivals in the Loire Valley

Son et Lumiere in the chateaux in the summer months. Summer festival in Chinon in August.

Climate of the Loire Valley

Average air temperatures in Centigrade: Jan: 7.8, Feb: 6.8, Mar: 10.3, Apr: 16.1, May: 16.4, Jun: 23.6, Jul: 25.8, Aug: 24.5, Sep: 21.1, Oct: 16.2, Nov: 11.2, Dec: 7.0. Source: Direction de la Meteorologique de France.

Luxury self-drive tailormade touring holiday to the Dordogne

Highlights of Normandy

Calvados, cider and camembert, horse-races in Deauville in August, markets every day of the week throughout the region, the Route du Cidre, and the summer art exhibitions.

Climate of Normandy

Average air temperatures in Centigrade: Jan: 7.6, Feb: 6.4, Mar: 8.4, Apr: 13.0, May: 14.0, Jun: 20.0, Jul: 21.6, Aug: 22.0, Sep: 18.2, Oct: 14.5, Nov: 10.8, Dec: 7.9. Source: Direction de la Meteorologique de France.

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