The Périgord explained: Noir, Vert, Blanc and Pourpre

Périgord and Dordogne: the same place?

Very nearly. The Dordogne department was created in 1790, during the French Revolution, from the old province of Périgord, and the two cover roughly the same ground: the new department followed the old borders closely, taking in only small pieces of the neighbouring provinces. Its prefecture, or county town, is Périgueux, and it sits in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.

That’s why you’ll hear both names used for the same place. Locals often say Périgord, the official name is Dordogne, and the departmental tourist board uses both: Dordogne-Périgord.

The four Périgords

The colours are a handy way of describing four quite different landscapes within the one department. They describe the landscape rather than official boundaries, so you’ll find the borders drawn slightly differently from map to map.

Périgord Noir (black), in the south-east. Centred on Sarlat, with Les Eyzies, Montignac and the Vézère valley. This is the land of prehistoric caves and rock shelters, clifftop castles along the Dordogne river and villages of golden stone such as Domme, Beynac, Castelnaud and La Roque-Gageac. It is the oldest of the four names. Sources explain the “black” in slightly different ways: most point to its dark woods of evergreen oak, some add the darker, richer soil or the old charcoal burners’ pits. It is often linked to the black truffle, but the woods, not the truffle, are the usual explanation.

Périgord Vert (green), in the north. Around Nontron and Brantôme: green, well-watered country crossed by streams, with part of the Périgord-Limousin Regional Natural Park and Brantôme’s abbey on its river.

Périgord Blanc (white), in the centre. Along the Isle valley around Périgueux, the department’s capital, with its Roman remains and domed, Byzantine-style cathedral of Saint-Front. The white refers to the pale limestone of its plateaus and buildings. There is truffle country here too, around Sorges, which has a truffle museum.

Périgord Pourpre (purple), in the south-west. Around Bergerac, named for its wine. Think vineyards, the sweet wines of Monbazillac and fortified medieval towns called bastides, such as Monpazier and Eymet. It is the newest of the four names, coined in the late 20th century.

Where the Lot and the Corrèze fit in

Head east from Sarlat and you soon leave the Dordogne department.

The Lot lies to the south-east, in the Occitanie region, with Cahors as its prefecture. It was created in 1790 from the old province of Quercy, so you’ll see “Quercy” on wine labels, menus and signposts. Rocamadour, the Gouffre de Padirac, Loubressac, Carennac and Autoire are all in the Lot, as is Souillac.

The Corrèze lies to the east and north-east, in Nouvelle-Aquitaine like the Dordogne. Its prefecture is Tulle and its largest town is Brive-la-Gaillarde. The south of the Corrèze, part of the old Bas-Limousin, has the red sandstone village of Collonges-la-Rouge, hilltop Turenne and Curemonte, and Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne on the river.

The Dordogne river and the Dordogne department

The river came first, and the department is named after it. But the river is far longer than the department: it rises on the Puy de Sancy in the Auvergne mountains and runs about 483 km (300 miles) through six departments, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal, Corrèze, Lot, Dordogne and Gironde, before joining the Garonne north of Bordeaux to form the Gironde estuary.

So when you walk along the Dordogne at Beaulieu or Carennac, you are by the river, but not in the Dordogne department. Since 2012 the whole river basin has been a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

At a glance

Which holidays go there

Walking

Castles & Caves of the Dordogne

8 days · from £995 per person, sharing a double/twin room

Périgord Noir: from Les Eyzies in the Vézère valley to Sarlat, via Beynac, Castelnaud, Domme and Vitrac. 8 days from £995.

NewPremium · Walking

Premium Périgord

A Gourmet Journey

6 days · from £950 per person, sharing a double/twin room

Périgord Noir: short walks from Le Port de Domme to La Roque-Gageac and Domme, then two nights in Sarlat. 6 days from £950.

Cycling

Cycling in the Dordogne

8 days · from £1,250 per person, sharing a double/twin room

Mostly Périgord Noir: circular from Souillac, just over the border in the Lot, via Sarlat, Beynac, Les Eyzies and Montignac. 8 days from £1,250.

Walking

France’s Most Beautiful Villages

8 days · from £965 per person, sharing a double/twin room

The Corrèze and the Lot: from Sarrazac, on the Lot side of the border near Brive, through Turenne, Collonges-la-Rouge, Curemonte and Beaulieu in the Corrèze, then Carennac, Padirac and Loubressac in the Lot. 8 days from £965.

Walking

Exploring Rocamadour

8 days · from £975 per person, sharing a double/twin room

The Lot: Souillac, St Sozy, Rocamadour, Loubressac and Carennac. 8 days from £975.