How to get there
How to get there
Cote de Jor, St. Leon sur Vezere
Dordogne is located about 300 miles southwest of Paris (a four hour train ride), 70 miles East of Bordeaux.
Songtsen’s main office, La Bicanderie, is located off the Cote de Jor in St. Leon Sur Vezere, Dordogne France, and includes the Chanteloube, Siddhartha, and KRF departments. The Padmakara office is located just a short distance from there, further down the Cote de Jor. (See Songtsen: location). For directions, please see the resources below:
- Maps of Dordogne, France
- Driving directions resources
- Directions to Songtsen: Arriving by road, train, and plane
View maps of Dordogne, France
For maps of St. Leon sur Vezere in Dordogne, France, please see how to get there: maps. You may also find free, online maps by following the links below. These maps can can be magnified and expanded by zooming in and out.
Helpful route directions are also available at www.viamichelin.com - an online route planning service for Western Europe that provides free interactive maps, driving directions and travel information.
Directions to Songtsen: Arriving by road, train, and plane
- From Paris
- From Bordeaux
- From Limoges
- From Bergerac
- From Perigueux
- From Brive
Arriving by road
If you are coming by car, you can find more information (maps, directions, etc) at www.mappy.fr or www.viamichelin.fr – which provides complete instructions (enter information under Itineraires / Driving Directions). Depending on which direction you are coming from, Montignac or Les Eyzies are some of the more well-marked towns and are about 10-15 minutes from Chanteloube.
From the West:
- From Périgueux, follow directions for Brive on the RN 89.
- After about 5 kilometres, at exit of the village of Niversac (after the level crossing), turn right at the roundabout on to the D 710, following directions to Montignac and Les Eyzies (Toulous Itinéraire Bis).
- Continue for about 10 Km. At the exit of Versannes, turn left on to the D6 and continue for about 15 Km to Rouffignac passing through St Geyrac.
- At the exit of Rouffignac, veer left, at the roundabout, towards Plazac. Go straight through Plazac and turn sharp left towards Montignac (D45) continue up and over the hill for about 3 Km
- Turn right on to the Côte de Jor.
La Bicanderie (Songtsen Office): is located about 500 m on the right.
Chanteloube Retreat & Stupa: is located about 2 Km up the road. Once you pass the recycling bins and picnic area, you will come to a look-out point on your left with a spectacular view of the valley. Chanteloube is about 100m after the look-out on your right. The Chanteloube sign is a large lime-stone sign with Tibetan & Western engraved writing, though it is slightly in from the road and may not be immediately apparent. Turn right off the Cote de Jor down the dirt road, following the track for about 600 meters. You will come to a small parking area, where the road makes a fork – both roads will have a sign indicating not to enter. Please park at the top and walk the rest of the way down. The Stupa is located in the field at the bottom of the hill to the left.
La Sonnerie (Lama Residence & Teaching Site): is located about 3 Km further down the Cote de Jor on the left.
Padmakara: is located about 1.5 km further down at the bottom of the hill from La Sonnerie, near the fork junction, on the left.
From the North and the East:
- From Montignac, take the D 706 to Les Eyzies as far as Thonac.
- Tun right, after the village, on to the D 45, following signs to Plazac.
- Continue for about 5 Km up the hill eventually turning left on to the "Côte de Jor".
La Bicanderie (Songtsen office): is located after about 500 m on the right.
Chanteloube Retreat & Stupa: is located about 2 Km up the road. Once you pass the recycling bins and picnic area, you will come to a look-out point on your left with a spectacular view of the valley. Chanteloube is about 100m after the look-out on your right. The Chanteloube sign is a large lime-stone sign with Tibetan & Western engraved writing, though it is slightly in from the road and may not be immediately apparent. Turn right off the Cote de Jor down the dirt road, following the track for about 600 meters. You will come to a small parking area, where the road makes a fork – both roads will have a sign indicating not to enter. Please park at the top and walk the rest of the way down. The Stupa is located in the field at the bottom of the hill to the left.
La Sonnerie: is located about 3 Km further down on the left. It is marked by a small red sign with yellow writing in English and Tibetan.
Padmakara: is located about 1.5 km further down at the bottom of the hill from La Sonnerie on the left.
From the South:
- From Les Eyzies, take the D 706 following signs to Montignac.
- Cross the Vézère and turn immediately left into the village of Le Moustier.
- At the Church square, turn immediately right at the Baker's shop, continuing up the hill passing Dhagpo Kargyu Ling on your left. Padmakara is just before the fork on the right, or for the other buildings, continue up the road keeping to your left.
Padmakara: is located just before a fork in the road, on the right
La Sonnerie: is located about 2 Km (from the fork), on the right.
Chanteloube Retreat & Stupa: is located about 3 Km up the road on the left. Chanteloube is about 100m before the look-out point (further up on the right). The Chanteloube sign is a large lime-stone sign with Tibetan & Western engraved writing, though it is slightly in from the road and may not be immediately apparent. Turn left off the Cote de Jor down the dirt road, following the track for about 600 meters. You will come to a small parking area, where the road makes a fork – both roads will have a sign indicating not to enter. Please park at the top and walk the rest of the way down. The Stupa is located in the field at the bottom of the hill to the left.
La Bicanderie (Songtsen office): is located 1 Km further up on the left.
Arriving by train
The nearest railway station is at Les Eyzies de Tayac (on the Limoges-Agen line). There are two trains every day, one of which is direct from Paris Austerlitz. The station is about 15 Km from Chanteloube. Telephone numbers for the Taxi service are posted in the station.
Alternatively one can take a train to Brive (on the Paris-Toulouse line) or to Perigueux. There are several trains daily direct from Paris Austerlitz. Brive la Gaillard station is about 50 Km from Chanteloube and Perigeux is about 40km away. Taxi and car hire services are available in Brive. There is also an evening bus service to Montignac, from where you can take a taxi to Chanteloube.
If you are arriving by train, the best way to arrive is to take the morning train to Les Eyzies (only 15 minutes from here). The train usually takes 4-5 hours. This route occasionally requires a change of trains at Limoges, in which you only have a few minutes to transfer - but there is usually no problem, as the train for Les Ezies is normally stationed on the next track over. You can ask a conductor for assistance. On most days, there is a train (usually leaving at 8h15) from Gare Austerlitz in Paris via Limoges. On other days, the train leaves at around 9h00 and goes via Perigueux. There is sometimes a train leaving at 12h50, though it is longer, taking almost 7 hours. Or, you may take a direct train to Brive or Perigueux (from Gare Austerlitz) which are both 1 hour from St. Leon Sur Vezere by car. If you are planning on taking a taxi or renting a car near the train station, please make sure you refer to the arriving by road section for precise directions.
Train tickets can easily be purchased or reserved online at www.voyages-sncf.com - if you reserve without paying, be sure to check the time limit allowed to retrieve the tickets at the station (via the ticket office or using the automatic ticket machines). Second class is the cheapest fare (usually around 50 Euro each way), and when possible, choose a direct route. Trains marked 'teoz' are the more modern trains. Those over 65 and students under 26 qualify for a discount.
Arriving by plane
The nearest international airport is at Mérignac, Bordeaux (with flights by BMI Baby, Easyjet). From Chanteloube to Bordeaux is a car journey of about 2 ½ hours. Local national airports: Bergerac (50 km), Brive (50 km), Périgueux (45 Km), www.bergerac.aeroport.fr. Limoges is located about 1 ½ hours away. Ryanair has regular flights from London Stansted to Limoges airport. It is possible to then hire a car or take a train. (See Arriving by Train above). The airport in Bergerac (about 1 hour drive) has daily flights to and from London Stansted, Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool and Southamptom Airports. Ryanair and flybe are the main charter companies operating to this airport. For more information please see www.ryanair.com. Booked well advance and depending on the day, these flights can be extremely low cost. There are regular flights from Paris to Brive. More information can be found on travel sites such as www.skyscanner.net.
Rental car information
Brive
Avis
Gare SNCF 19100 Brive la Gaillarde Tel. 05 55 24 51 00
Réservations et informations BRIVE LA GAILLARDE N° à tarif spécial : .0 820 05 05 05; 56 av Jean Jaurès 19100 Brive la Gaillarde Tel 05 55 24 51 00
Europcar
52 av Jean Jaurès 19100 Brive la Gaillarde Tel 05 55 74 14 41
Hertz
169 av Jean Jacques Rousseau 19100 BRIVE LA GAILLARDE
tel: 05 55 87 10 53 fax : 05 55 18 29 84
Perigueux
Avis
18 r Prés Wilson 24000 PERIGUEUX Tel: 05 53 53 39 02 fax : 05 53 03 45 88; Reservations et information PERIGUEUX N° à tarif spécial : Tel: 0 820 05 05 05
Europcar
(Reservations) 7 r Denis Papin 24000 Périgueux Tel: 05 53 08 15 72
Hertz
47 SEL Franchisé indépendant Appelez gratuitement un professionnel 1 av Henri Barbusse face gare SNCF 24000 Périgueux Tel: 05 53 54 61 80 fax: 05 53 54 63 16
Bergerac
Avis
26 cours Alsace Lorraine 24100 Tel: 05 53 57 69 83
Budget
32 av 108ème R 24100 Bergerac Tel: 05 53 74 20 00
Europcar
1 av 108ème R 24100 Bergerac Tel: 05 53 58 97 97
Bordeaux
Avis
SNCF Train Station St Jean 33800 Bordeaux Tel: 0 820 61 16 74; Reservations et information Tel: 0 820 05 05 05
Budget A.P.L.
St Jean train station - 12 r Charles Domerq 33000 Tel: 05 56 91 41 70
Bordeaux Airport 33700 Bordeaux Mérignac Tel: 05 56 47 84 22
Europcar
Bordeaux Airport - 33700 Bordeaux Merignac Tel: 05 56 34 05 79 fax : 05 56 34 40 54
St Jean train station - 33800 Bordeaux tel : 0825 00 42 46 fax : 05 56 31 26 94;
Hertz
Information et reservations St Jean train station - 33800 Bordeaux Tel: 05 57 59 05 95; Tel: 0 825 861 861
Other helpful links