The most beautiful villages in the Dordogne
Golden-stone villages under clifftop castles, a whole village built of red sandstone, and a pilgrimage town stacked up a cliff: these are the villages and small towns our walking and cycling holidays are built around, and the ones we never tire of.
What are the Plus Beaux Villages de France?
Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, France’s most beautiful villages, is an independent association founded in 1982 to protect and promote small rural villages of outstanding heritage. Villages must have fewer than 2,000 inhabitants, apply to join and meet strict criteria. In and around the Dordogne valley, across the Dordogne, the Lot and the Corrèze, our routes link many of them on foot and by bike.
Here are the ten we visit, from the castles of the Dordogne to the red stone of the Corrèze and the limestone of the Lot, plus two places that aren’t on the official list but that we’d never leave out. Under each one you’ll find the holidays that take you there.
Beynac
The 11th-century Château de Beynac is perched on its crag above the Dordogne, with the medieval village tumbling down below it. Across the river stands its old rival, Castelnaud, and the two castles still face each other across the valley. On foot you arrive through shaded woods and fields, and on Castles & Caves you spend the night here.
Visit it on: Castles & Caves of the Dordogne and Cycling in the Dordogne
Castelnaud
The Château de Castelnaud was built to face its rival at Beynac, and today it’s home to a fine collection of medieval war machines. The village sits beneath it, above the Dordogne. From La Roque-Gageac you can walk on to the château, and on the bike you pass right beneath it on the way from Sarlat to the Vézère valley.
Visit it on: Premium Périgord, Castles & Caves of the Dordogne and Cycling in the Dordogne
Domme
Domme is a 13th-century bastide perched 150 m (about 500 ft) above the river, a hilltop town that once minted its own money. The view from its clifftop belvedere takes in the whole valley. Explore the cave beneath the market hall, the largest in the Périgord Noir open to visitors, or the Porte des Tours, where imprisoned Knights Templar carved graffiti into the walls.
Climbing up to Domme and seeing the whole Dordogne valley laid out below is one of our favourite moments of any week here, and on Premium Périgord it comes with a tasting platter of local cheese and charcuterie for lunch.
Visit it on: Premium Périgord and Cycling in the Dordogne
La Roque-Gageac
La Roque-Gageac’s golden houses are tucked between a towering cliff and the river. Spend the afternoon drifting along the Dordogne on a traditional gabare boat, paddle a kayak, or climb to the medieval fort in the cliff face. You can reach it on foot by quiet lanes and a rocky clifftop path, or ride along the river to it.
Visit it on: Premium Périgord and Cycling in the Dordogne
Collonges-la-Rouge
A medieval village in the Corrèze where every single house is built of red sandstone. Walking into it is one of our favourite moments of the week. It comes on the same day as Turenne, two of the Corrèze’s Plus Beaux Villages in one day, with lush country lanes in between. Both are on the Voie de Rocamadour, a pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela.
Visit it on: the Most Beautiful Villages walking holiday
Turenne
Hilltop Turenne is the perfect stop for lunch, just after the red stone of Collonges-la-Rouge gives way to limestone country. Like Collonges, Turenne is on the Voie de Rocamadour, a pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostela.
Visit it on: our Most Beautiful Villages walk
Curemonte
Curemonte is a remarkably well-preserved hilltop village with wide views over the countryside. On France’s Most Beautiful Villages you pass through it on the longest walk of the week, on the way down to Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne.
Visit it on: France’s Most Beautiful Villages, our walking holiday
Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne
A charming, picture-perfect village, straight out of a fairytale, and another of France’s Plus Beaux Villages, on the banks of the Dordogne river. On France’s Most Beautiful Villages you walk in on day 3, down an ancient cobbled mule track, spend day 4 at rest by the river, with time to stroll around the old town, and on day 5 cross the Dordogne on the way to Carennac.
Visit it on: our Most Beautiful Villages walking holiday (days 3 to 5)
Carennac
A riverside village on the Dordogne, where it’s worth taking your time in the winding streets. Walkers cross the river to reach it after a climb through woodland with sweeping views, and spend a night here.
Visit it on: the Most Beautiful Villages walking holiday
Loubressac
A fortified village high on its clifftop above the Dordogne valley, reached across the limestone causse from the Gouffre de Padirac, the vast underground maze of tunnels and stalactites where you can take a boat along the underground river. From Loubressac, circular walks lead to the magnificent Château de Castelnau or up to the rock amphitheatre above Autoire.
Visit it on: our walk through France’s most beautiful villages and Exploring Rocamadour
Autoire
Autoire is known for its gentlemen’s houses and for the cirque, the rock amphitheatre above the village. Climb above the village for views over its gentlemen’s houses. On France’s Most Beautiful Villages it’s on two of the day 7 walks from Loubressac.
Visit it on: the Most Beautiful Villages walk (day 7) and Exploring Rocamadour
Not on the official list, but unmissable
Rocamadour
The pilgrimage town stacked up its cliff above the Alzou gorge has been a stop on the Camino de Santiago, the Way of St James, since the Middle Ages, and its sanctuaries are built into the rock. Rocamadour’s Basilica of Saint-Sauveur and the Crypt of Saint-Amadour are part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing “Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France”. That first sight of Rocamadour, clinging to its cliff, is hard to beat. Try the town’s own AOP goat’s cheese at dinner. On Exploring Rocamadour you stay two nights, with a free day to explore.
Visit it on: Exploring Rocamadour
Sarlat
Sarlat is the golden-stone capital of the Périgord Noir, a town of medieval streets and golden stone facades that are protected by law. Wander from the cathedral and the Lantern of the Dead to Place de la Liberté, ride the panoramic lift up the bell tower of the old Sainte-Marie church, now the covered market, and time your stay for the Wednesday and Saturday markets, among the best in France.
Visit it on: Premium Périgord, Castles & Caves of the Dordogne and Cycling in the Dordogne
Which holiday for which villages?
Each of our holidays links several of these villages. Here’s which ones you’ll see on each route.
| Holiday | Villages on the route |
|---|---|
| Premium Périgord | Castelnaud, Domme, La Roque-Gageac and Sarlat |
| Castles & Caves of the Dordogne | Beynac, Castelnaud and Sarlat |
| France’s Most Beautiful Villages | Collonges-la-Rouge, Turenne, Curemonte, Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne, Carennac, Loubressac and Autoire |
| Exploring Rocamadour | Loubressac, Autoire and Rocamadour |
| Cycling in the Dordogne | Beynac, Castelnaud, Domme, La Roque-Gageac and Sarlat |
Not sure which to choose? Tell us which villages you’d most like to see and we’ll suggest a route, or see all our walking holidays and cycling holidays.
Questions
Is the Dordogne worth visiting?
Yes. In a small area you’ll find golden-stone villages beneath clifftop castles, Collonges-la-Rouge built entirely of red sandstone, Rocamadour stacked up its cliff, and the prehistoric caves of the Vézère valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. Many of the villages in this guide are members of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, and they’re close enough together to link on foot or by bike.