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Cycling in Dordogne - Bordeaux to Souillac

8 Days / 7 Nights
Moderate

Cycle through a fairytale region, from Bordeaux in the west through the vineyards in the east to Périgord with its scenic rivers and valleys.

From Bordeaux in the Gironde region, cycle through the fabled vineyards between Saint Emilion and Bergerac on your way to Périgord, the cradle of prehistory. Here the Dordogne and Vézère rivers flow like twinkling ribbons through the lush landscape, crowned by some of the most beautiful and distinctive villages in France.

Old stone houses with elaborate slate roofs and romantic fairytale castles will make you think of fairy tales and chivalrous novels. Along the riverbanks, villages are sometimes chiselled into steep limestone cliffs. There are also Stone Age dwellings that were home to the very first people in history.

The rivers are surrounded by farmland, forests and cliffs. The city of Sarlat has a wonderfully well-preserved medieval quarter with cobbled pedestrian streets and many cafés and restaurants. In summer, street performers come to liven up the warm evenings. Périgord is known for its delicious and hearty cuisine based on duck and goose, truffles, ceps and other ‘treats’. Look forward to one of our finest tours!

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Itinerary

See the day-by-day itinerary below.

Arrive in Bordeaux and check in at your hotel where you will be provided with bikes, maps, route books and other materials. Dinner on your own and overnight in a centrally located hotel.

Hotel (example): Hotel de Normandie

It's easy to find your way into nature from Bordeaux via the famous Place de la Bourse and along the canal to a 50 km long continuous cycle route through the Entre-Deux-Mers region. Enjoy a relaxing and comfortable cycling stage through a beautiful landscape of medieval villages, Romanesque churches and monumental buildings, such as the Créon castle and fortress, on your way to the beautiful village of Saint Emilion, world-famous for its wines.

Hotel (example): Aurberge de la Commanderie

After breakfast, head east to explore the region's prestigious vineyards. On the way you'll pass Castillon-la-Bataille and Sainte Foy-la-Grande, fortified villages dating back to the early Middle Ages.

The small town of Bergerac is beautifully situated on the banks of the Dordogne River on the edge of the area known as ‘Périgord Noir’ (Black Périgord). There are many interesting things to see in the medieval town centre, including the Maison des Vins, a museum dedicated to the wines of the area.

Hotel (example): Le Grand Hotel

From Bergerac you continue into the Périgord Noir (Black Périgord) through varied and fascinating terrain. You follow the Dordogne River and pass Lalinde, founded on the riverbank by the English in a bygone era.

From there, follow the Vézère River to Les Eyzies, the village also known as the ‘home of the Cro Magnon man’ with its overhanging limestone cliffs and numerous caves where the Stone Age people made their home almost 50,000 years ago. Here you'll also find the prehistoric museum with unique artefacts from the Cro Magnon period.

Hotel (example): Hostellerie Le Passeur

The journey from Les Eyzies to Sarlat is relatively short and many choose to spend the morning in Les Eyzies visiting museums. Alternatively, you can start early and make the exciting (but somewhat demanding) drive to Montignac to see the Lascaux cave with its famous cave paintings from the early Stone Age.

In the afternoon, you'll arrive in Sarlat, which makes a big impression with its cobbled streets and medieval houses. Summer is characterised by festivals and street theatre that bring the old city centre to life and spark the imagination.

Hotel (example): Hotel le Compostelle

The tour continues on quiet cycle paths and disused railway tracks in the Dordogne Valley in a peaceful area that is easy to cycle in. Along the way, you'll pass the many 18th-century castles that give the area its distinctive character.

Hotel (example): Hotel le Pavillon St. Martin

We recommend that everyone makes time for this loop to the stunning town of Rocamadour with its spectacular layout and location. The town is carved into the mountainside and towers 120 metres above the scenic Alziou Valley.

Rocamadour is a famous stop on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. See the church of Saint-Saveur and the crypt of Saint-Amador, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Hotel (example): Hotel le Pavillon St. Martin

Breakfast and return journey home.

 

Prices and dates

Prices per person in EUR

Price includes

Optional extras

  • Electric bike upgrade (select when you book the tour)
Not included
  • Handling fee (€20)
  • Tourist tax (if due)

 

Bikes

On this tour you can select between the following bikes.
Standard Bicycle - included!
ARCADE Escape or similar.
  • High-quality HYBRID bikes from TREK or equivalent
  • Equipped with Shimano parts, a lightweight aluminum frame, and a triple crankset
  • Pedaling: 28/38/48 with an 11/32 cassette > 27 gears
  • Unisex frame; female cyclists are provided with a comfortable women's saddle where possible
  • Equipment: Puncture protection, repair kit, one tube for 3 bikes, pump, helmet, theft protection, 1 handlebar bag, 2 waterproof panniers
Gravel Bicycle (optional)
On this tour, you can upgrade to a Fuji Jari 1.3 or a similar gravel bicycle.

With this bicycle, the stages will be even easier to ride. Rental of gravel bicycles can be selected on the booking form. The price will also be displayed there.

Always included:

  • 1 pannier for the rear rack
  • 1 handlebar bag
  • 1 repair kit
  • 1 lock (may be 1 lock for 2 bicycles on some tours)
  • 1 holder for smartphone (one per room)
  • Helmet can be borrowed for free, but must be requested at the same time as the tour
  • Theft insurance - included
E-bike (optional)
BREEZER Powertrip or similar

The e-bike also comes with equipment and patch kits, as well as a local emergency contact.

Always included:

  • 1 pannier for the rear rack
  • 1 handlebar bag
  • 1 repair kit
  • 1 lock (may be 1 lock for 2 bicycles on some tours)
  • 1 holder for smartphone (one per room)
  • Helmet can be borrowed for free, but must be requested at the same time as the tour
  • Theft insurance - included

Practical information

Here you can get answers to various questions about the trip
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The price is based upon two people sharing. It is also possible travel alone in a single room. Simply choose "1 person" in the booking form and it will automatically add the single room surcharge.

On this tour you will be on your own supplied with maps, route descriptions and luggage transfers. That means that your time is your own and you have plenty of time to enjoy the stages in your own pace.

Check the price quickly
You can quickly check the price of your desired trip without having to fill in anything. Here's how:

  1. Choose your desired start date
  2. Click on the green button "See price and reserve your holiday" and go to the booking form
  3. Select number of people, add any optional extras and see the price at the bottom of the page (you don't have to fill in anything on the form).

Get a quote
For example, if you want a flight included or changes to the trip, you can order a quote for this using the "Get a quote" button. Remember to describe in detail what, if anything, you want changed.

The process of your booking
When you book, we will start booking hotels and arranging all the practical details of the trip. This process typically takes 2-5 working days, but some bookings may take longer. If you are arranging your own transport, we recommend that you wait until we have confirmed your booking before arranging this.

Dates
If you can select the date in the tour calendar at the top of this page, this is a possible start date. We continually update the tours with sold-out dates, after which those dates will turn red and cannot be selected.

On all our cycling holidays it is possible bring your own bike but it also possible to rent a bike for the tour. The bikes you can rent are all perfectly suited for the tour and the local terrain and all bikes are perfectly maintained. If you want to rent a bike on your holiday, then you select this on the booking form.

Equipment included in the bike rental:

  • Saddle bag (water repellent)
  • Handlebar bag (water repellent)
  • Service-set with tools and extra bicycle tube
  • Combination lock

Roadside assistance
All bikes are equipped with puncture resistant tyres which means that it is virtually impossible to puncture. No rule without exceptions, so should you experience a punctured tyre then you can quickly fix it by using the tools in the service-set. If the damage is greater than a simply puncture then you simply call us and we make sure that your bike is fixed or you will be supplied with a new bike as quickly as possible.

Insurance is included
Insurance against theft and damages are included in the bike rental. Should you have any problems of this nature then all you have to do is to let us know and we will supply a new bike as quickly as possible. Naturally, careless or mischievous behavior is exempt from this.  

The flights to/from Marseille or Nice are not included in the price. You can easily find a suitable flight via a flight booking engine such as Momondo or Skyscanner.

Notice: we recommend that you book with us and wait for the confirmation before you book your flights.

It works like this:

  1. You book your chosen holiday with us
  2. We confirm your holiday (usually within 2-5 working days)
  3. You arrange your transportation

Get a quote
If you prefer that we handle your flight, then we would be happy to arrange this for you. You simply book a quote below the map on this page and we will return with a quote as soon as possible (usually within 48 working hours). Please note that we add a handling fee of 45 euro to each flight and this means that the flight will be cheaper if you book it yourself.

Category A: Comfortable hotels, mostly at 3*** and 4**** level (French classification), partly with air conditioning and pool.

Category Deluxe: Comfortable, high-quality and mostly very centrally located hotels in the 4-star category (French classification), partly with air conditioning and pool.


Breakfast is included in the price of both standards.

Breakfast is included every day. It is easy to find lunch in the small villages before the walks and you will have plenty of choices for dinner in the many restaurants.

Luggage transfer is included on this tour. Upon arrival at the first hotel you will be given luggage tags along with the rest of the welcome package. You fill out the luggage tags and put them on your bags where they will remain for the duration of the tour.

Your luggage is picked up from the hotel lobby around 9am every morning and will arrive at your next hotel at 6pm at the latest (often long before that). If there are any special exceptions to the luggage transfer you will be notified upon arrival.

Luggage transfer includes one bag per guest and the bags can weigh 20kg each.

On this tour, you will receive the following documents:

Upon booking
Immediately after booking this trip, you'll recieve a pre-booking-email where you can get a complete overview of your booking. Once the tour is confirmed you get a confirmation email from us along with practical information about the tour.

One month before departure
You will receive a hotel list and final travel documents.

Upon arrival at the first hotel
You'll receive the welcome pack, which contains everything you need for the trip. There will be route descriptions, maps, luggage tags, specific local vouchers and if you have rented a bike, they will also be handed out at the first hotel. The documents are in English.
Notice: On some tours it is necessary to either print the documents yourself or to bring them electronically.

This tour has difficulty grade 2.

Grade 2
For cyclists who like hilly terrain and a bit longer distances. You cycle on good roads, which usually don’t have much traffic. The distance is between 35 – 60 km or 20 – 38 miles. If you are capable of riding a bike and you have a normal good health, you should not worry about going on these tours.

Read more about our Grading System

After booking this trip, you get access to various discount schemes.

We recommend taking out travel insurance that covers at least illness, accident, repatriation, lost holiday, luggage and liability. As a customer, you are responsible for taking out the necessary travel insurance to cover these costs.

Before taking out insurance, you should check whether you are already covered by travel or cancellation insurance through your home insurance company, credit card or similar - please note that there may be differences in insurance coverage.

Join the special ‘Bering Cycling Holidays’ group on Facebook. Here you'll be notified about new holidays, special offers and much more.

Link to the group

Note: you need to request membership, but everyone is approved.

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