Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Southwest France: Bordeaux, the Dordogne and Carcassonne
9 days from Bordeaux to Toulouse: Saint-Emilion, four nights in Sarlat for Lascaux IV, Rocamadour and the Dordogne villages, then Pech Merle and Carcassonne.
9 days · Bordeaux to Toulouse · up to 12 guests
The Pont de Pierre and the Saint-Michel spire at dusk, Bordeaux Photo: DimiTalen, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cars_flashing_by_on_the_Pont_de_Pierre_at_dusk,_Bordeaux,_2015.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 9 days, 8 nights
- Start and end
- Bordeaux to Toulouse
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Easy
Mostly easy walking on cobbles and village lanes, 2 to 3 hours on foot most days, with the 216 steps of Rocamadour's Grand Escalier (lifts are included if you prefer) and an optional 2-hour canoe paddle on the Dordogne. Every climb has a lift, a vehicle or a seat as an alternative.
- Meals included
- 8 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 2 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 910 (estimated price)
- Season
- Late April to June and September to mid-October
Highlights
Why this trip
- Lascaux IV on the first slot of the morning, then lunch by the river in Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère
- Sarlat's market morning, a picnic from the stalls at the Domme belvedere and a gabarre under the cliffs of La Roque-Gageac
- Rocamadour from about 9 am, before the day coaches, then lunch in Autoire, a village most tours never reach
- Pech Merle, a cave where you see the original paintings, not a replica, then lunch in Saint-Cirq-Lapopie above the Lot
- Saint-Emilion's monolithic church carved into the rock, and a tasting at a château among the vines
- Carcassonne's walls and Château comtal, and a cassoulet lunch inside the Cité
- Four nights in Sarlat, so you unpack once for the whole Dordogne
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 910 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Bordeaux
Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport or Bordeaux Saint-Jean station to your hotel in central Bordeaux
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Bordeaux
- Drive about 30 min
Fly into Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport (BOD), about 15 km west of the centre, or take the TGV from Paris to Bordeaux Saint-Jean, about two hours. A driver meets you and takes you to the hotel in the old centre, listed by UNESCO in 2007 as the Port of the Moon for the crescent the Garonne makes in front of it.
Afternoon
The afternoon is yours to rest or walk. At about 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the days ahead, then leads a first walk along the quays: the Place de la Bourse and the Miroir d'Eau, the shallow sheet of water that reflects its façades, and the narrow streets of the Saint-Pierre quarter behind them.
Evening
As the light goes we sit down together to a welcome dinner of southwest cooking, with a glass of Bordeaux for those who want one.
Included
- Pick-up at Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport (BOD) or Bordeaux Saint-Jean station
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Evening walk: the Place de la Bourse, the Miroir d'Eau and the Saint-Pierre quarter
- Welcome dinner
Free time: Free until the evening briefing
Activity: Plan to arrive by about 4 pm to join the briefing; later arrivals are met and join the group at dinner.
Bordeaux on foot and the Cité du Vin
Central Bordeaux on foot, the Marché des Capucins, then the Cité du Vin by tram
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Bordeaux
Morning
A morning on foot with your guide through the stone city that wine money built in the 18th century. We start at the Grand Théâtre and the Place des Quinconces, walk down the Cours de l'Intendance to the Cathédrale Saint-André and the Pey-Berland tower, then through the Grosse Cloche gate to the Saint-Michel quarter, where the free-standing spire rises 114 m over a neighbourhood of market stalls and cafés.
Afternoon
Lunch is at the Marché des Capucins, the city's covered market, at a counter of oysters, grilled duck or whatever is good that day. In the early afternoon the tram takes us north along the river to the Cité du Vin, the wine museum on the old docks, where the visit ends with a glass and a view over the Garonne from the top floor.
Evening
You are back in the centre by about 5 pm, and the evening is free for the wine bars of the old town.
Included
- Walking tour of central Bordeaux with your guide: the Grand Théâtre, the Cathédrale Saint-André, the Grosse Cloche and the Saint-Michel quarter
- Lunch at the Marché des Capucins
- Tram tickets for the day
- The Cité du Vin, with a tasting glass on the top floor
More active option: When it is open for visits (seasonal), climb the Flèche Saint-Michel for the view over the river and the Pont de Pierre.
Free time: Evening free
Activity: About 5 km on foot over the day on flat streets, with benches and cafés on the way.
Saint-Emilion, then east to Sarlat
Bordeaux to Saint-Emilion, then via Bergerac to Sarlat-la-Canéda
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Sarlat-la-Canéda
- Drive about 3 h
Morning
We leave Bordeaux after breakfast for Saint-Emilion, about 45 km east, a hill village of honey-coloured stone in the middle of its vineyards, listed by UNESCO with its wine country in 1999. We are there by mid-morning, before the day coaches, for the tourist office's guided visit of the monolithic church, carved out of the limestone hillside in the Middle Ages, and the catacombs beside it. Then a short walk down through the vines to a château for a cellar visit and a tasting of the local merlot-led reds.
Afternoon
Lunch is in the village. In the afternoon we drive on through the Dordogne valley past Bergerac, about two hours with a stretch stop, and reach Sarlat in the late afternoon.
Evening
Your guide walks you from the hotel into the medieval town, and dinner tonight is Périgord cooking: duck, walnuts and potatoes sarladaises.
Included
- Guided visit of Saint-Emilion's monolithic church and catacombs
- Vineyard walk, cellar visit and tasting at a Saint-Emilion château
- Lunch in Saint-Emilion
- Orientation walk in Sarlat
- Périgord dinner in Sarlat
Easier option: Ride to the château in the minivan instead of walking down through the vines.
Activity: Saint-Emilion is steep and cobbled; the church visit has some uneven steps underground.
Lascaux IV and the Vézère valley
Sarlat to Lascaux IV at Montignac, then Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Sarlat-la-Canéda
- Drive about 1.5 h
Half an hour north of Sarlat, Lascaux IV at Montignac shows the painted cave found by four teenagers in 1940. The original has been closed to the public since 1963 to protect it, and this full-size replica, opened in 2016, copies its bulls, horses and stags to the millimetre, in the same cool half-dark.
Morning
We take the first timed slot of the morning, so the guided visit is not in a queue of school groups. After the cave there are rooms on what the paintings may mean, and you can take your time.
Afternoon
Then we drive a few minutes down the Vézère valley, part of the UNESCO listing of its prehistoric sites since 1979, to Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère, a small village of stone houses and a Romanesque church on a bend of the river, for lunch on a terrace. We are back in Sarlat by about 3 pm, and the rest of the day is yours.
Included
- Lascaux IV, the International Centre for Cave Art, guided visit on a morning slot
- Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère with your guide
- Lunch in Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère
More active option: In the free afternoon your guide can point you to the La Roque Saint-Christophe cliff shelters, a short drive from Saint-Léon, by taxi at your own cost.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Sarlat
Activity: About 2 hours on foot at Lascaux IV, on level floors; the cave is kept cool, so bring a light layer.
Sarlat market, Domme and a gabarre at La Roque-Gageac
Sarlat on foot, then Domme and La Roque-Gageac on the Dordogne
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Sarlat-la-Canéda
- Drive about 45 min
Departures are set so today is a market day in Sarlat. We start early with your guide in the old town before the stalls get busy: the Place de la Liberté, the Cathédrale Saint-Sacerdos, the Lanterne des Morts and the carved front of the Maison de La Boétie.
Afternoon
Then you shop for lunch with the group budget: walnut bread, cabécou goat's cheese, duck rillettes, strawberries in season. We drive about 12 km to Domme, a hilltop bastide founded in 1281, and picnic at the belvedere, high above a long bend of the Dordogne. After lunch we drop down to La Roque-Gageac, its houses pressed under an overhanging cliff, and board a gabarre, a flat-bottomed boat of the kind that carried wine and timber down the river, for about an hour on the water beneath the castles. We are back in Sarlat by late afternoon.
Included
- Sarlat old town on foot with your guide
- Sarlat market, with a picnic lunch bought at the stalls
- Domme and the belvedere over the Dordogne
- Gabarre boat trip from La Roque-Gageac, about one hour
Easier option: Sit out the old-town walk at a café on the Place de la Liberté and join the group for the market shopping; the gabarre needs no effort at all.
More active option: Paddle the Dordogne by canoe from Vitrac to La Roque-Gageac with a local outfitter, about 2 hours, instead of the gabarre; included, booked ahead with your name.
Free time: Evening free in Sarlat
Activity: The canoe stretch is flat water with no rapids; life jackets are provided and you need to be able to swim.
Rocamadour early, then Autoire and Loubressac
Sarlat to Rocamadour, then Autoire and Loubressac, and back to Sarlat
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Sarlat-la-Canéda
- Drive about 2.5 h
We leave Sarlat at about 8 am and stop first at L'Hospitalet, the viewpoint across the canyon of the Alzou, where Rocamadour hangs on the cliff in tiers: houses at the bottom, the sanctuary in the middle, the château on top. By about 9 am we walk in through the Porte du Figuier, before the day coaches arrive, and climb the Grand Escalier, the 216 steps pilgrims once took on their knees, to the sanctuary. Your guide shows you the Black Virgin in the Chapelle Notre-Dame and the Basilica of Saint-Sauveur, part of the UNESCO listing of the routes to Santiago de Compostela.
Afternoon
From there it is about half an hour to Autoire, a village of turreted stone houses under a ring of cliffs, for lunch and a short walk up to its waterfall. On the way home we stop at Loubressac for the view over the Dordogne valley.
Included
- Rocamadour with your guide: the L'Hospitalet viewpoint, the village and the sanctuary
- Rocamadour lifts, both ways
- Lunch in Autoire and the walk to the Autoire waterfall
- Loubressac viewpoint
Easier option: Take the lift from the village to the sanctuary and the inclined lift up to the ramparts instead of the steps.
More active option: Walk up from the sanctuary to the château ramparts by the Way of the Cross, a shaded path of switchbacks.
Free time: Evening free in Sarlat
Activity: 216 steps in Rocamadour if you walk, and a short uneven path to the Autoire waterfall.
Pech Merle, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie and on to Toulouse
Sarlat to Pech Merle and Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, then Cahors and Toulouse
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Toulouse
- Drive about 4 h
Today is the longest drive, about 250 km and three and three-quarter hours on the road, so it is broken into three parts.
Morning
We leave Sarlat after breakfast and drive about an hour and a half south into the Lot valley for a morning slot at Pech Merle, one of the few painted caves in France where you still see the originals: spotted horses, mammoths and hand stencils made more than 20,000 years ago. Visitor numbers are capped each day, so the tickets are booked in your names.
Afternoon
A few minutes on, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie stands on a cliff about 100 m above the river; lunch is in the village, with time to walk its lanes. In the afternoon we stop in Cahors at the Pont Valentré, a 14th-century bridge with three towers, then take the motorway to Toulouse, arriving at about 6 pm.
Evening
The evening is free.
Included
- Pech Merle cave, guided visit on a morning slot
- Saint-Cirq-Lapopie with your guide
- Lunch in Saint-Cirq-Lapopie
- The Pont Valentré in Cahors
Free time: Evening free in Toulouse
Activity: About an hour on foot in Pech Merle with some steps; no photos are allowed inside the cave.
Carcassonne, then Toulouse in late light
Toulouse to Carcassonne and back, then the centre of Toulouse on foot
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Toulouse
- Drive about 2.5 h
We leave Toulouse at about 8 am for Carcassonne, a little over an hour south-east, and walk into the Cité through the Porte Narbonnaise while the lanes are still quiet. The double ring of walls, about 3 km round with more than fifty towers, was heavily restored in the 19th century by Viollet-le-Duc, and the whole fortified town has been listed by UNESCO since 1997. Your guide takes you into the Château comtal when it opens and along the ramparts.
Afternoon
Lunch is cassoulet, the white bean, duck and sausage stew the region argues about, at a table in the Cité. We drive back to Toulouse by about 3:30 pm. In the late afternoon your guide walks you through the pink-brick centre: the Place du Capitole, the Basilica of Saint-Sernin and the cloister of Les Jacobins, ending on the quays of the Garonne as the sun drops.
Evening
The farewell dinner is in the old town.
Included
- Carcassonne's Cité with your guide
- The Château comtal and its ramparts
- Cassoulet lunch in Carcassonne
- Walk in Toulouse: the Place du Capitole, the Basilica of Saint-Sernin, Les Jacobins and the Garonne quays
- Farewell dinner in Toulouse
Easier option: Skip the Toulouse walk and rest at the hotel before dinner.
More active option: Walk the full circuit of the lices, the grassy lane between Carcassonne's two walls, about 3 km, after the château.
Activity: Cobbles and some steps on the ramparts at Carcassonne.
Depart from Toulouse
Toulouse to Toulouse-Blagnac Airport or Toulouse Matabiau station
- Breakfast
- Drive about 15 min
Morning
The trip ends after breakfast. Our driver takes you to Toulouse-Blagnac Airport (TLS), about 10 km from the centre, or to Toulouse Matabiau station for a train to Paris, Bordeaux or the Mediterranean coast.
Evening
Your guide sees the group off and checks everyone's flight or train times the evening before. If your flight is in the afternoon, leave your bags at the hotel and spend the morning at the Marché Victor Hugo, Toulouse's covered food market, which is open every morning except Monday, or walk along the Canal du Midi, a UNESCO-listed waterway that runs past the station towards the Mediterranean. If you would like to stay longer in Toulouse, or go on to Albi, the Pyrenees or the coast, ask us to add nights before or after the trip when you book. Please book a departing flight after about 11 am so the transfer runs without a rush.
Included
- Drop-off at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport (TLS) or Toulouse Matabiau station
Free time: Free until your transfer
Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 11 am.
- Bordeaux2 nights
- Sarlat-la-Canéda4 nights
- Toulouse2 nights
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: May, June and September are warm and green with fewer visitors. July and August are hot and the valley roads are busy. From mid-October some boats stop running and sites shorten their hours.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want the Dordogne slowly, with four nights in one place
- Food and wine lovers: markets, a château tasting, cassoulet and long lunches in villages
- Anyone curious about prehistoric art, with a replica and an original painted cave
- First-time visitors to southwest France who would rather not drive narrow roads themselves
Not for you if you want
- Travellers who want a hiking or cycling holiday: the walking here is gentle
- Anyone who needs step-free access everywhere: Saint-Emilion, Rocamadour and Carcassonne are cobbled and steep in places, though lifts and the minivan cover most climbs
- Wine collectors after the grand Médoc estates, which this route does not visit
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
8 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Bordeaux2 nights
- Sarlat-la-Canéda4 nights
- Toulouse2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 8 nights: 2 in central Bordeaux, 4 in Sarlat by the medieval town and 2 in central Toulouse
- Central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard with air-conditioning and private bathrooms; we name each hotel when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up at Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport (BOD) or Bordeaux Saint-Jean station, and drop-off at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport (TLS) or Toulouse Matabiau station
- Our own air-conditioned minivan and driver for the group for the whole trip
- Tram tickets in Bordeaux on day 2
- A gabarre on the Dordogne at La Roque-Gageac, or a canoe from Vitrac if you prefer
- The Rocamadour lifts
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide with the group from day 1 to day 9
- Local site guides at Saint-Emilion's monolithic church, Lascaux IV and Pech Merle
- Tips for local guides and for restaurant staff at included meals
Activities
- Bordeaux: an evening walk on the quays, a walking tour of the old centre and the Cité du Vin with a tasting glass
- Saint-Emilion: the monolithic church and catacombs, and a cellar visit and tasting at a château
- Lascaux IV at Montignac
- Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère
- Sarlat: an old-town walk and the market
- Domme and its belvedere
- La Roque-Gageac and the gabarre trip
- Rocamadour: the village and the sanctuary
- Autoire and its waterfall, and Loubressac
- Pech Merle cave
- Saint-Cirq-Lapopie
- The Pont Valentré in Cahors
- Carcassonne: the Cité, the Château comtal and the ramparts
- Toulouse: the Place du Capitole, Saint-Sernin, Les Jacobins and the Garonne quays
- All entrance fees for included sights
Meals
- 8 breakfasts
- 7 lunches: at the Marché des Capucins in Bordeaux, in Saint-Emilion, in Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère, a market picnic at Domme, in Autoire, in Saint-Cirq-Lapopie and a cassoulet lunch in Carcassonne
- 3 dinners: a welcome dinner in Bordeaux, a Périgord dinner in Sarlat and a farewell dinner in Toulouse
- The tastings at the Cité du Vin and in Saint-Emilion
Not included
- International flights to Bordeaux and from Toulouse, and any train to Bordeaux
- Travel insurance
- The ETIAS travel authorisation fee, once it applies
- Meals not listed (5 dinners and the lunch on day 9)
- Drinks other than the included tastings
- The tip for your See Sight Tours guide, at your discretion
- Taxis or entries in your free time, such as La Roque Saint-Christophe or the Flèche Saint-Michel
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 910 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Eight nights in central hotels, 8 breakfasts, 7 lunches and 3 dinners, airport or station transfers at both ends, our own minivan and driver throughout, your See Sight Tours guide every day, and every visit in the day plan, including the Cité du Vin, the Saint-Emilion church and tasting, Lascaux IV, the gabarre, the Rocamadour lifts, Pech Merle and Carcassonne's château.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests in a minivan, not a coach. That size is what gets us into villages like Autoire and Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, onto one gabarre together and around one table at lunch, and it means everyone can hear the guide inside the caves.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the first evening in Bordeaux to the last morning in Toulouse. Local site guides lead the visits where the sites require them: the monolithic church in Saint-Emilion, Lascaux IV and Pech Merle. We name your guide when we confirm your departure.
How fit do I need to be?
Fairly easy: two to three hours on foot most days on cobbles and village lanes, with no long hikes. The steepest moments are the 216 steps at Rocamadour and the ramparts at Carcassonne, and lifts are included at Rocamadour. The canoe is an option you choose on the day, not a requirement.
I am travelling solo. What will it cost?
You can book a room of your own for a published supplement, from CAD 910 for the trip, shown before you request to book. You are not put in a worse room or seated apart; solo travellers join the same table and the same visits as everyone else.
What is the difference between Lascaux IV and Pech Merle?
Lascaux IV is an exact full-size replica of Lascaux, which has been closed to visitors since 1963 to protect the paintings. Pech Merle is an original cave, so you see the real horses and hand stencils, with a daily cap on visitors. Seeing both shows you the most famous paintings and the real thing.
When is the best time to go?
Late April to June and September to mid-October. The days are warm, the river boats and Pech Merle are open, and there are fewer visitors than in July and August, when the valley roads are hot and busy. Sarlat's markets run all year, on Wednesday mornings and Saturdays.
How long are the drives?
Short: most days are under two and a half hours in the minivan. The longest is day 7, from Sarlat to Toulouse, about 250 km and three and three-quarter hours, split by Pech Merle, lunch in Saint-Cirq-Lapopie and a stop at the Pont Valentré in Cahors. Drive times are listed on every day.
Do Canadians need a visa for France?
No visa is needed for stays of up to 90 days in the Schengen area for Canadian or US passport holders. The EU's Entry/Exit System records fingerprints and a photo at the border, and the ETIAS travel authorisation is expected from late 2026; we tell you what applies before you fly.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, with your own guide and minivan, from CAD 9,655 per person. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we will quote the same hotels and visits.
How does booking work?
Choose a departure and request to book: no payment is taken at that point. We confirm availability, hotels and the final price within 24 hours, and only then ask for a deposit. Prices are per person sharing a room, with taxes, from CAD 5,365 for the small group.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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