Self-guided walking holiday · 8 days
Our classic Dordogne valley walk: a week through the prehistoric Vézère valley and into the heart of the Dordogne, past cliffside caves, clifftop castles and two of France’s most beautiful villages, Beynac and Castelnaud, ending in medieval Sarlat.
Its prehistoric sites and decorated caves have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. Rock shelters, cave art and the National Museum of Prehistory are all within easy reach of Les Eyzies.
| 8 days (7 nights) | 9 days (8 nights) | 10 days (9 nights) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per person, sharing a double or twin | £995 | £1,120 | £1,230 |
| Single room supplement | +£285 | +£325 | +£360 |
| Travelling solo (on top of the per-person price) | +£430 | +£480 | +£540 |
Prices are per person, sharing a double/twin room. The longer versions add extra nights along the route. We’ll send the full day-by-day with your quote.
| In US dollars | about US$1,330 | about US$1,490 | about US$1,640 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In Canadian dollars | about C$1,870 | about C$2,100 | about C$2,310 |
| In Australian dollars | about A$1,900 | about A$2,140 | about A$2,350 |
| In New Zealand dollars | about NZ$2,340 | about NZ$2,630 | about NZ$2,890 |
| In euros | about €1,180 | about €1,330 | about €1,460 |
Approximate amounts at the 19 October 2026 exchange rate. Prices are set in pounds, and you can pay in any currency you prefer.
| Day | Route | Distance | Climb | Overnight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arrival in Les Eyzies | – | – | Les Eyzies · Hotel Cromagnon |
| 2 | Around Les Eyzies (circular walk) | 12.8 km (8 miles) | ↑ 220 m (about 700 ft) ↓ 220 m (about 700 ft) | Les Eyzies · Hotel Cromagnon |
| 3 | Les Eyzies to Boyer | 16.8 km (10 miles) | ↑ 450 m (about 1,500 ft) ↓ 350 m (about 1,150 ft) | Boyer · Domaine de la Rhonie |
| 4 | Boyer to Beynac | 17.8 km (11 miles) | ↑ 340 m (about 1,100 ft) ↓ 440 m (about 1,450 ft) | Beynac · Domaine de Monrecour |
| 5 | Beynac to Vitrac | 13.8 km (8.6 miles) | ↑ 130 m (about 450 ft) ↓ 130 m (about 450 ft) | Vitrac · Hotel Plaisance |
| 6 | Vitrac to Sarlat | 16.2 km (10 miles) | ↑ 250 m (about 800 ft) ↓ 180 m (about 600 ft) | Sarlat · Hotel La Couleuvrine |
| 7 | Free day in Sarlat (optional circular walk) | Optional 8.3 km (5.2 miles) | ↑ 180 m (about 600 ft) ↓ 180 m (about 600 ft) | Sarlat · Hotel La Couleuvrine |
| 8 | Departure | – | – | – |
Arrive in Les Eyzies-de-Tayac, a village tucked beneath overhanging limestone cliffs on the banks of the Vézère. Look up and you’ll see the statue of a caveman marking the caves where Stone Age people lived, and the National Museum of Prehistory is here too. Your hotel has a swimming pool.
An easy circular walk with lovely views of the cliffs and grottos above the Vézère. It’s worth a short detour to the Grotte de Saint-Cirq, set beside a little house built into the rock, and you can combine the walk with a visit to the National Museum of Prehistory.
You leave Les Eyzies through woods and quiet valleys to the Château de Commarque, on its rocky outcrop above the Beune valley. Hidden beneath undergrowth for centuries and only rediscovered in the 20th century, it’s still being restored, and you can climb the tower for superb views. Tonight’s hotel has a swimming pool.
An undulating walk through shaded woods and fields brings you to the 12th-century Château de Beynac, perched on its crag above the Dordogne and the medieval village below, one of France’s Plus Beaux Villages. You stay nearby in the hamlet of St Vincent de Cosse, at the lovely Domaine de Monrecour, which has a swimming pool.
A day of highlights. First the hanging gardens of Marqueyssac, then across the Dordogne to the medieval Château de Castelnaud, built to face its rival at Beynac and home to a fine collection of medieval war machines. Then a gentle finish into Vitrac. Tonight’s hotel has a swimming pool.
You pass beneath the Château de Montfort, high on its rocky ledge above the village. Destroyed and rebuilt four times, it has 800 years of turbulent history behind it. Fields and woodland then lead you into Sarlat, whose medieval streets and golden stone facades are protected by law.
A day to enjoy Sarlat. There’s a produce market every Wednesday and Saturday, and on Saturdays it’s the largest in the region. Take the glass lift up the Sainte-Marie bell tower for panoramic views, or simply watch the world go by from a street café. An optional circular walk is in your route notes.
Your holiday ends after breakfast.
Add one or both of these walks to make your holiday longer, as in the 9- and 10-day versions. We’ll fit them into your itinerary and send you the full day-by-day with your quote.
A loop from Le Port de Domme, on the Dordogne below Domme. Quiet lanes and a rocky clifftop path lead down to La Roque-Gageac, one of France’s Plus Beaux Villages, its golden houses squeezed between the cliff and the river. If you have the energy, carry on to the hanging gardens of Marqueyssac and the Château de Castelnaud (dashed on the map).
A loop from Le Port de Domme up the old lanes to Domme, a 13th-century bastide perched high above the river, where the clifftop belvedere looks out over the whole valley.
By air. Bergerac is about an hour from Les Eyzies by road, Brive–Vallée de la Dordogne a little over an hour, and Bordeaux around 2 hours.
From further afield. From Australia, the USA and further afield, most long-haul flights land at Paris Charles de Gaulle, with connecting flights to Bordeaux or Toulouse, or a train from Paris to the region.
By train. Les Eyzies has a small station on the line between Périgueux and Agen, with connections from Paris and Bordeaux. Sarlat, where the walk ends, has trains to Bordeaux via Bergerac.
By car. Calais to Les Eyzies is around 850 km. The walk ends in Sarlat, about half an hour from Les Eyzies, and your hotel can book a taxi back to your car.
Our detailed route notes come in digital form, so you always know where the next turn is.
We also email you GPX files, with simple instructions for using them on your phone, so you can see exactly where you are on the map.
It varies by route. Some sections are waymarked, and your route notes tell you where. The notes and GPS guide you the rest of the way.
Bring a smartphone with mobile data and a power bank. If you take a wrong turn, the GPX track shows you the way back, and we’re a call or WhatsApp away.
We’ve walked or cycled our Dordogne and Lot routes ourselves, so our notes come from first-hand experience.
Included: 7 breakfasts and 5 dinners. The day-by-day shows which nights include dinner.
Breakfast is usually French-style: fresh bread and croissants with butter and jam, and coffee, tea or hot chocolate. Some hotels add yoghurt, fruit or cheese.
Lunch is up to you, and it’s one of the pleasures of the day: pick up a picnic from a village bakery or market, or stop at a café along the way. On some days there are few shops on the route, so it’s worth buying lunch before you set off.
Tell us about any dietary needs when you book and we’ll let every hotel know. Vegetarian meals are no problem. Other needs, such as gluten-free food or a serious allergy, are harder for small country kitchens, so please talk to Cassie before you book, and always carry any medication you need.
Drinks aren’t included: anything you enjoy with dinner is simply settled with the hotel before you leave.
Whenever you change hotel, your bags are taken on for you, so they’re waiting when you arrive. Please have them ready at reception by 9am.
During the day you only need a daypack: water, snacks, a waterproof, sun cream and a hat, plus anything you’ll want before evening, such as medication.
Many of our hotels are in old buildings and some have no lift, so expect the odd flight of stairs with your bags.
One bag per person, up to 20 kg.
Rooms are usually ready from mid-afternoon, and check-out is usually by 10 or 11am. If you arrive early, the hotel will normally look after your bags while you explore.
Most rooms have a shower rather than a bath, as is usual in French country hotels.
The day-by-day above lists your hotels night by night, and we’ll send you full details with your booking confirmation.
Our season runs from April to October.
Spring brings wildflowers and fresh green valleys, with mild days that can still be showery; April mornings can be cool.
June and September are often the sweet spot: warm, settled and quieter, and September brings the grape harvest.
July and August are hot, often 30 °C or more in the afternoon, so set off early, carry plenty of water and plan a long lunch in the shade. Summer thunderstorms can be heavy but usually pass quickly.
October is golden and peaceful, with cooler days, shorter evenings and a little more rain.
French is the language of the route. Most hotels speak some English, but in small villages, shops and cafés you’ll often find they don’t.
A few words go a long way and are always appreciated: bonjour as you walk into a shop, merci, and l’addition, s’il vous plaît when you’d like the bill.
Font-de-Gaume, in Les Eyzies, is one of the very few caves with original prehistoric paintings still open to visitors. Numbers are strictly limited, so book online well before you travel.
The National Museum of Prehistory in Les Eyzies needs no booking, and makes a good start to the week.
Your free day in Sarlat is a treat if it falls on a market day: Saturday for the big market, or Wednesday morning.
Read the full Terms: www.dordogneexperience.com/terms-of-service
Send us an enquiry at www.dordogneexperience.com/book-holiday?trip=vezere-valley#enquire, call or WhatsApp Cassie on +44 7476 205 325, or email hello@dordogneexperience.com. We’ll check availability and send you a quote, with the full details of your holiday.
The holiday page: www.dordogneexperience.com/vezere-valley
Owned and run by Cassie at Dordogne Experience · +44 7476 205 325 · hello@dordogneexperience.com · www.dordogneexperience.com · Trip notes dated 19 October 2026
Dordogne Experience