France in May?

[artnbarb]

I'm interrupting my househunt because AA is offering transatlantic flights for 40K miles, good until May 15. We'd like to spend 2 weeks in France, mostly in the Dordogne region with a side trip to Carcassone. any thoughts about the timing? (Asked by the person who shivered her way thru July in the Cotswolds!)

 

[jonathan]

Our summer was unusually horrid this year here in the Cotswolds! But, looking back to the photos from our only Dordogne visit (late April, 2003), I see that we were hiking comfortably in just single layers, and I remember getting a bit sunburned from our afternoon canoeing on the river. On the other hand, a photo of some busking musicians shows them well wrapped up on a duller day.

 

[artnbarb]

I do realize that Europe was unseasonably hot this summer and that England was unseasonably cool and wet, and I'm not sure that 'normal' weather will ever return! If, however, we choose to play the odds and hope for the best, perhaps we should just take advantage of this bargain airfare, book our vacation and hope for the best! Thanks @jonathan

 

[artnbarb]

Here's what I'm thinking: I've always wanted to cruise to Europe, arriving without jetlag, and this may be the perfect opportunity.

• Cruise from Ft Lauderdale to Barcelona ($799 per person!)
• Drive from Barcelona to Carcassonne - 3 hours
• 2 nights in Carcassonne should be enough, right?
• Drive 2-3 hours from Carcassonne to Lot, France (or thereabouts)
• How much time? One week doesn't seem long enough, but is 2 weeks too long?
• 3 hour drive to Bordeaux for flight home (Bordeaux - LGW-TPA)

Thoughts? I don't have a long time to think about this due to the fickle nature of the airfare specials!

 

[Pauline]

I looked up my photos too and we spent a week in the Dordogne in May 2013 - 3rd week. We had a couple of days of rain, but we used those to see the caves and the museum.

Two nights in Carcassonne is enough because you won't be jetlagged. BUT you could stop to see the cave art at Niaux on the way (book an English speaking tour ahead - the time of the tour may determine whether or not you could do this). You could even spend the night in Mirepoix, a very cute town north of Niaux before you get to Carcassonne.

A word about cave art: The best caves, IMO, are Niaux and Pech Merle, both in the Midi-Pyrénées but not close to each other. You could see both of these on your travel days - Niaux is south of Carcassonne, Pech Merle is north, in the Lot. In the Dordogne area I liked Font-de-Gaume best.

I think a week in the Dordogne is enough. The towns along the river and Sarlat are beautiful, but full of tourists. (This is just my opinion, other opinions may differ.) Maybe a week south of the Dordogne, in the Lot. Or maybe in the northern Perigord. There are some threads from last year about the Lot.

Have you visited Provence and the Languedoc? You could think about the second week in one of those places and fly back from Marseilles.

 

[artnbarb]

Thanks for the suggestions - I'm still uncertain about going so early in May. I'd really prefer to wait until late May, or June, but the airfare 'special' which I discovered isn't really a special, but a seasonal change, ends May 15. Additionally the timing would work for my eastbound TA cruise, but maybe I'm pushing too hard. Art's no help - he'll go anywhere, anytime!

 

[Roz]

Barb, we were in the Dordogne the second week in May 2009. Of course there are never any guarantees about the weather, but that year it was quite pleasant temperature-wise, with just a couple of days of rain. Here's a photo album from that trip. The week before that we had been in Sancerre, farther north, and also had nice weather. I think May is a fine time to visit -- the chances of decent weather are good, and there are fewer other tourists. The only thing to be aware of in May is that there are three holidays that month which can affect when things are open, and can also bring bigger crowds of French tourists.

You also mentioned the Lot, which borders the Dordogne to the south. We have also stayed in that region, and in fact are going back next month. I think it tends to be a bit less crowded than the Dordogne, but in early May I don't think that would be a big problem. It is a beautiful region of France.

 

[artnbarb]

The plans are still in flux, as you might imagine. Now we're thinking that' we'd rent a car in Barcelona, drive to Carcassonne for 1-2 nights, travel on to the Dordogne for X number of nights, then perhaps to the Lot region for X number of nights, then return the car back to Barcelona for our final 2 nights. Does this make more sense logistically?

As mentioned in my initial post, we're trying to take advantage of American Airlines 20,000 mile rate, good until May 15. At first glance it made sense to fly out of Bordeaux - it was a fairly simple flight and arrived back in Tampa before 8 p.m. Unfortunately the taxes on that FF flight, because we're going thru London, are $242 EACH. that seems really excessive to me.

I've looked into flying out of Rome, Nice and Paris, and considered altering our itinerary, maybe cruising into Rome and flying out of Rome. The logistics of those airports just didn't work - the Nice and Paris flights also go thru London, so same tax issue, and I'm a cheapskate. The Rome flight would involve a looooong road trip, and I'm not a big fan of road trips, altho Art does all the driving and loves it!

So then I took a look at the map and wondered if it didn't make sense to return the car to Barcelona and fly out of there as well. Taxes for that flight are $99 - for both of us. This would also allow us to spend a few days at the end in Barcelona, a city we've visited briefly, and really like.

I'm not as committed to this trip as it might seem, just exploring my options before I decide. Art, otoh, really, really wants to do this. I'm still worried that the first 2 weeks in May will be 'too' early, but Art wants to know what that really means. Will sites, shops, activities be limited at the time? We'll have to forgo any river activities for sure, but other than the (increased) chance of rain because it's still spring and the probable lack of local festivals, what will we miss by going in early May? And one other question: do apartment rentals in France generally run Sat-Sat, and for full weeks only?

Thanks again for your help. I know when I first start planning a trip I'm literally all over the map, but talking about it and getting feedback really helps!

 

[Pauline]

You would also save money with your car rental, I think, returning it to the same place. They seem to charge a lot now for returning to a different country. Plus if you didn't see Niaux on the way up, you could see it on the way down.

I think you should go for it - because you are doing it for a good transportation price, accommodations will be cheaper and it sounds like a fun trip. We frequently travel in France in May. It is nice to be in places before they get the summer crowds. We did a trip to southern France in March once and that was nice. Find the websites for some of the sites you want to see and check their opening hours. I bet everyone is fully open in May.

On a side note, I don't see why they want to expand Heathrow to make it a larger airport when they charge these high fees that discourage people from flying through London. We are so crowded and polluted here - we don't need to be a major airport hub.

 

[artnbarb]

Transport costs are cheap, for sure - I just have to figure out if I can endure all those long days at sea!

I agree about Heathrow!

 

[Roz]

I'm still worried that the first 2 weeks in May will be 'too' early, but Art wants to know what that really means. Will sites, shops, activities be limited at the time? We'll have to forgo any river activities for sure, but other than the (increased) chance of rain because it's still spring and the probable lack of local festivals, what will we miss by going in early May?

I don't see why you say you would have to forego river activities. We went canoeing on the Dordogne river on May 12, 2009, and had a beautiful day. We rented from a place called Canoe Dordogne outside La Rocque-Gageac. Shops and markets will certainly be open and historic sites may have somewhat more limited hours than in summer, but also will definitely be open for visits.

Be aware that May 1 and May 8 are holidays, so stores will be closed. However, if markets are scheduled those days, they will still be running. If you haven't been to any of the village markets in France, you will find they are great -- much nicer, in general, than the markets in Italy.

The main thing, other than some festivals, you will forgo is crowds of tourists. Below is a photo of Mike in our canoe on the Dordogne in May. Then a picture of the main street of La Rocque Gageac. We were back on that street in June 2013, and I didn't take a photo then, but I can tell you it was much more mobbed with tourists and cars.

 

[artnbarb]

Wow Roz - I was sure May would be too cold for any water activities, so thanks for sharing your experience. I think we're going to just jump in and do this! I'll be starting another thread with dates and questions about our itinerary!

 

[jonathan]

And if you have another look at my post #2 in this thread, you'll see that P and I were canoeing at the end of April...

 

[artnbarb]

OK, we're committed! I've booked the cruise, still playing with the return flight. Thanks for letting me know we at least have the possibility of decent weather in May!

 

[SusanSeattle]

I'd love to hear more details about the cruise you are taking to get to Barcelona. It's something that's on my bucket list!

 

[artnbarb]

I'd love to hear more details about the cruise you are taking to get to Barcelona. It's something that's on my bucket list!

I'll write about it in a separate post!