• Overview
  • Trip Outline
  • Price
  • Trip Excludes
  • FAQ

This is a fully-escorted tour with your experienced tour manager and guide Kate Stedman is an historian, art lover and avid sketcher and she will take you to her favourite spots and regale you with fun facts and historic gems each day as well. Our tour group will practise covid-safe measures where at all appropriate whilst on tour. We value your health and safety.

ABOUT IAN FENNELLY
Ian studied painting at Wimbledon School of Art and gained a 1st Class Honours degree, is a professional artist whose artwork sells worldwide, has over 100,000 followers on Instagram and is a qualified teacher as well as a senior instructor for Urban Sketchers. See more of his unique pen and watercolour artwork on Instagram at @ianfennelly

  • 6 nights (June 3-9 in 2024) in Sarlat-la-Caneda staying in a 4 star hotel with pool.
    All rooms are air-conditioned and have ensuite bathroom facilities.
    Daily excursions to local sites in the area for sketching and visiting.

Ian Fennelly sketching in France 2024

We have been taking tour groups to this region for over 20 years.
The Dordogne region of France is like Sleeping Beauty country full of honey-coloured stone castles and medieval fortresses.
We stay in the medieval town of Sarlat which was the first town in France to be preserved as a 14th century township.
It is quite simply magic for sketching.
Our hotel is right in the middle of the town for easy strolls to enjoy the sites.

OUR TOUR BEGINS THE MORNING OF JUNE 3 IN BORDEAUX  (this allows you to stay in and discover Bordeaux pre-tour if you would like)
PLEASE BOOK YOUR OWN HOTEL JUNE 2 IN BORDEAUX  

JUNE 3.   BORDEAUX TO SARLAT by bus:
THE TOUR BEGINS at 12 pm in Bordeaux where we will meet in the FOYER of the Hotel des 4 Soeurs to be transported by bus to our lovely hotel in Sarlat-la-Caneda in the Dordogne.

  • NB no accommodation is provided the night before in Bordeaux. You will be responsible for your own travel arrangements down to Bordeaux and for your own accommodation on June 2 - the night before the tour begins in Bordeaux.
  • TRAIN: Paris has several fast TGV train departures to Bordeaux daily. Click HERE for info
  • We recommend you reserve a hotel in central Bordeaux for the night of June 2. You may choose to train down from Paris earlier than June 2 to explore more of Bordeaux pre-tour commencement.

JUNE 3:  Please arrange to be in the hotel foyer of Hotel des 4 Soeurs in central Bordeaux before 11.30 am to meet up with the group leader to be on the bus by 12 noon. 

  • The tour ends on JUNE 9 after breakfast where you are free to make onward travel arrangements from Sarlat-la Caneda yourself.
    A private bus will be available June 9 at 9 am for the group to take you from our hotel in Sarlat-la-Caneda back to Bordeaux train station and or to Bordeaux airport.
    (this departure bus is included in the tour cost)

Daily excursions to breathtaking spots for picnics, explorations, views, sketches, history and fossicking around in.Sketching tour Dordogne with Ian Fennelly June 2024Sketching tour Dordogne with Ian Fennelly June 2024

  • DAY 1, June 3:   12 noon bus departure from Bordeaux to Sarlat
  • DAY 2, June 4:   leisurely day exploring and sketching in Sarlat
  • DAY 3, June 5:   did you know there is as much of the Dordogne UNDER the earth in its cave systems as there is to see above it?
    So it is an exciting trip today to see Cro-Magnon man 19,000 year old cave art and then sketch in a pretty spectacular spot after the visit
  • DAY 4, June 6:   sketching in a bastide market town with an ancient market hall
  • DAY 5, June 7:  sketching a famous pilgrimage town famous for more than 1,000 years
  • DAY 6, June 8:  sketching two perched castles built before the Hundred Years War; one home to Richard the Lionheart
  • DAY 7, June 9:  tour ends. 9 am bus departs our hotel in Sarlat for Bordeaux and your onward travel plans

Ian Fennelly sketching in France 2024

We price all our tours in EUROS to accommodate exchange rate fluctuations but you will be paying for your tour in AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS as we are an Australian tour company.

PRICE INCLUDES
-All 4 star accommodation with ensuite bathrooms whilst on tour
-Swimming pool in hotel
-Daily breakfasts
-4 dinners
-5 lunches
-All entries
-All transport on tour in private bus
-Your Tour Manager
-6 demos & workshops with IAN FENNELLY

TOUR COST:   based on TWO people sharing a room
3,450 EUROS per person 
( go to www.xe.com to see an approximate tour cost based on TODAY’s exchange rate  in your currency)

TOUR COST SOLO TRAVELLER in own room: 
4,100 EUROS per person
( go to www.xe.com to see an approximate tour cost based on TODAY’s exchange rate in your currency)

Non-sketcher cost (must be sharing a room with a sketcher) is 3,150 euros

DEPOSIT AMOUNT of $1,000 AUD per person to secure your reservation. 

Final tour payment is due 120 days before travel. We will invoice you at the time this is due for the correct amount to pay in AUD according to the market rate on that day.

BONUS DEAL!  CONSIDER JOINING OUR SKETCHING IN SOUTHERN FRANCE TOUR STRAIGHT AFTER

JUNE  11-18  (ask  about our discount  for  booking  both  tours)Sketching in Southern France June 2024

Ian Fennelly sketching in France 2024

  • Travel outside tour dates (ie before June 3 and after bus return trip to Bordeaux on June 9)
  • All other meals not mentioned in the itinerary
  • International flights
  • Travel insurance which is mandatory on all our tours

Ian Fennelly sketching in France 2024

4 star quality in the centre of Sarlat. All ensuite bathrooms and air conditioned for comfort with swimming pool.

There is a TGV fast train Paris to Bordeaux train station where you can taxi to the hotel of your choice on June 2. Our tour starts officially the morning of June 3 in the Hotel de Normandie foyer to join our private bus to the Dordogne.

No. This is NOT a confirmed tour departure until minimum numbers have booked and deposited. We will let you know well in advance when this occurs and then we will confirm the departure. Do not book travel until you are assured this tour is a confirmed departure. Please ask if you are unsure.

Go to the Menu at the top of the page and click on How To Book