Why visit the Dordogne?
Is the Dordogne worth visiting? Yes. In a small area you’ll find golden-stone villages beneath clifftop castles, prehistoric caves, a slow green river and the food the Périgord is known for. Here’s what makes it special, and how to see it.
By Cassie ·
Villages that look the part
Many of the villages here are members of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, the association of France’s most beautiful villages: Beynac and Castelnaud facing each other across the river, Domme on its clifftop, La Roque-Gageac tucked beneath its cliff, Collonges-la-Rouge built entirely of red sandstone, and hilltop Turenne and Curemonte.
Our guide to the most beautiful villages in the Dordogne describes each one, and which of our holidays visits it.
Castles on every skyline
The river was once a frontier, and the castles show it: Beynac and Castelnaud on their cliffs, the Château de Montfort above a bend in the river, the rediscovered Château de Commarque in the woods, and the red Château de Castelnau further up the valley.
Prehistory you can walk into
The Vézère valley’s prehistoric sites and decorated caves have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. In Les Eyzies, tucked beneath limestone cliffs, Cro-Magnon people lived some 15,000 years ago, and the National Museum of Prehistory tells their story.
A place of pilgrimage
Rocamadour has been a major pilgrimage site since the Middle Ages. 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”, and its houses and sanctuaries cling to the cliff above the Alzou gorge.
The river and the valleys
The Dordogne river and its tributaries wind through limestone valleys, past riverside villages such as Carennac and Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne, with quiet lanes, woodland paths and riverside cycle paths between them. Further east, the Lot brings Rocamadour, stacked up its cliff above the Alzou gorge.
Food and markets
The Périgord is known for its food: walnuts, truffles, duck and the local cheeses and wines. Market days are an event: Sarlat’s big market fills the old town on Saturdays, with a smaller one on Wednesday mornings, Domme’s is on Thursday mornings and Souillac’s on Friday mornings.
When to go
The season for walking and cycling runs from April to October, and May and September are the months our guests choose most. Our month-by-month guide has more.
Getting there
It’s easier to reach than it looks. Most long-haul flights land at Paris Charles de Gaulle, with connecting flights to Bordeaux or Toulouse, and Bergerac and Brive have smaller airports. By train, Paris Austerlitz to Brive-la-Gaillarde takes about 4½ to 5 hours. Our Getting there page has the details for the start of every holiday.
How to see it
On foot or by bike, from one village to the next, with your luggage moved for you: see our walking holidays and cycling holidays. For castles and caves, try Castles & Caves of the Dordogne; for the villages, France’s Most Beautiful Villages; by bike, Cycling in the Dordogne. And for the places Cassie loves most, read her hidden gems of the Dordogne.
More to read
Plan your visit
Tell us when you’d like to travel and how you like to walk or ride. We reply within 24 hours, usually much sooner.