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Bergerac is one of the Dordogne’s most picturesque towns, made famous by the lovelorn literary hero Cyrano de Bergerac. It has unique museums and beautiful architecture, and is the ideal base for exploring the delightful Dordogne, with its stunning vineyards, rolling hills and idyllic riverside villages.
Driving to Bergerac from our terminal at Calais is a popular way to get there, and whichever route you take you have the opportunity to stop off at some wonderful places on the way.
How long does it take to drive from Calais to Bergerac?
The distance between Calais and Bergerac is around 550 miles (882 km). Whether you go via Paris or Rouen, the journey time is between nine and nine and a half hours (with tolls) from the LeShuttle Calais Terminal.
Via Paris on the A20
Take the A16 from Calais and follow via Amiens to the outskirts of Paris. After passing Versailles your way is clear to Orléans on the A10, and then it’s the A71 and A20 all the way to Bergerac.
Places to visit en-route
Versailles
Statue of Neptune, Versailles
The sheer splendour, scale and opulence of the Palace of Versailles and its gardens has to be seen to be believed. Versailles is around 12 miles from the centre of Paris and just off the A86 road. This is the route for your trip from Calais, so it is a great opportunity to take a few hours out of your journey and gaze upon the wonder created by the ‘Sun King’ himself, Louis XIV.
With 15 million visitors every year, Versailles is one of France’s most popular tourist attractions. To visit Versailles you must book a time slot when you purchase your Versailles tickets and enter within half an hour of the time printed on your ticket.
The palace, gardens, Estate of Trianon and park is open every day except Mondays throughout the year, with longer opening times during high season. Leave plenty of time to see all you want. You could easily spend a day here, if you want to fully explore the whole estate. There are a range of tickets for specific parts of the estate.
Limoges
You might recognize the railway station in Limoges from a TV advert for Chanel No 5
Just over two hours from Bergerac is the city of Limoges, which is a French secret well worth discovering. The railway station once featured in a TV advert for Chanel No 5 starring French actor Audrey Tautou, but that is just one of the interesting things about Limoges.
From the quaint Quartier de la Boucherie, with its cobbled lanes and half-timbered houses, to the grand and imposing Limoges Cathedral, notable for its Renaissance rood screen and frescoed Romanesque crypt, this is a city with unexpected treasures. Just outside the city you can also follow a section of the Richard the Lionheart route, which includes significant places in the life of the Crusader King. If you’re here at Halloween you will also catch one of France’s spookiest celebration parades!
The A28 via Rouen, Le Mans and Tours
If you had to choose a route with a marginally quicker travel time (and we are talking minutes here) it would be this more westerly one, via Rouen, Le Mans and Tours.
Points of interest en-route
Le Mans
Half-timbered houses, Le Mans
Everyone knows Le Mans as the home of the iconic 24-hour endurance race, but the old town of Le Mans is a perfect pitstop around half way in your trip south.
An important city during the medieval wars between France and England, a large part of Le Mans is listed as a protected area. The winding side streets are lined with timber-framed houses and Renaissance mansions, and defended by an imposing Roman wall. The Cathedral of Saint Julian is a stunning example of medieval religious architecture, which overlooks the Cité Plantagenêt, the oldest quarter of the city. You can also visit the Horticultural Garden, a five-acre park with French and English-style gardens.
Poitiers
Poitiers City Hall
Driving to Bergerac on this route is more than anything a journey into French history. Poitiers, around three hours from Bergerac, was the scene of one of the most pivotal battles of the Hundred Years War in 1356, and two centuries before that, Eleanor of Aquitaine married Henry II of England at Poitiers cathedral.
Today the city wears its history lightly, blending stunning Romanesque and early Christian architecture with the new. In a modern shopping centre near the Place Charles de Gaulle you will see the remains of a medieval convent, but if its pure history you want, make sure you visit the Baptistery of Saint John, which has features dating back to the 4th century.
Poitiers is also very close to Futuroscope, one of France’s most popular theme parks.
How much are the tolls from Calais to Bergerac?
You should expect to pay around €58 in tolls each way driving from Calais to Bergerac.
An Emovis tag will help speed up your passage through the tolls. We have an exclusive offer saving customers €10 on the application fee of an Emovis tag if you apply with LeShuttle.
Drive to Bergerac with LeShuttle
Your journey to the beauty of Bergerac starts with a 35 minute crossing from Folkestone to Calais with LeShuttle. If you’ve got the driving bug, why not check out our other driving guides for destinations across France?
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