The Dordogne Area of France - A British Favourite !

The Dordogne département is found within the Aquitaine region of the southwest corner of France. The region is often referred to as Périgord, a name used for the region before the French revolution. It is a lovely area to visit and there is much to see as well as just taking in the lovely countryside.

The rocks of the area are made of limestone, a relatively soft rock, and rivers have cut through the rocks leaving fantastic cliffs and vast systems of caves. Some of these caves have been found to contain prehistoric cave paintings. The area is famous for its cuisine, including truffles and foie gras and you will also find that duck and goose are a favourite in this region.
There are many chateaux to visit in the Dordogne. The Dordogne is just inland from Bordeaux, which is famous for its wine ! There is a famous dessert wine produced at Monbazilac, and cheap, drinkable reds are produced around Bergerac.
There are many places you may want to visit including the Lascaux caves, the Marqueyssac gardens, medieval Sarlat, Chateau Castelnaud, the prehistoric caves in the Vezere Valley and the Gouffre de Padirac caves.
If you are energetic, you may want to try canoeing the Dordogne. There are also lovely towns and villages to visit with the most popular being Bergerac, Brantome, Excideuil, La Roque-Gageac, Le Bugue, Riberac, Rocamadour and Sarlat.

Cave Paintings - The famous Lascaux caves The original Lascaux cave was closed to the public in 1968 to preserve it but a brilliant replica has been built 200 metres away. Everything has been reproduced as accurately as possible, including the temperature which is kept at 13 degrees C. The animals depicted in the paintings are mainly horses, deer and bulls. The caves are one of the most renowned archaeological discoveries of the 20th century. They were discovered in 1940 by teenagers when one of their dogs chased a rabbit into the caves.
A fantastic, realistic online version (the best thing I've seen on the internet so far!) of the caves can be viewed here : http://www.lascaux.culture.fr/#/fr/00.xml

Sarlat
Sarlat is the capital of Perigord Noir. It has 1,000 years of history in its buildings, with fine examples of medieval and renaissance buildings built in the yellow limestone with grey roofs that is typical of this region. Another fine example of architecture is the cathedral, which was erected in the reign of Henry IV.
There is an excellent market that takes place on Saturdays in Sarlat. It takes place in the "Place de la Liberte" marketplace which is surrounded by mediaeval buildings. The market stalls also stretch down the Rue de la Republique. The market stalls with their colourful canopies sell a selection of local produce including  foie gras, walnuts, wine, cheese, mushrooms, bread, pastries, herbs, spices, fruit and vegetables, sausages, cakes, biscuits, oils, vinegars, wine and, depending on the season, possibly even truffles!  The smells and tastes of the food make this a must on a visit to this area.  There is also a smaller market on Wednesdays, mostly in the area around the Place de la Liberte, and there is a covered market daily in the former Saint Marie church also on the Place de la Liberte. Sarlat has a Christmas market in December and in January or February there is also a truffle and foie gras market at the Place Boissarie on Saturdays mornings.

Rocamadour
It is well worth a visit to this fantastic village built on a hillside.

Bergerac

You can visit the old town of Bergerac with its 14th, 15th and 16th Century buildings.

Aquarium de Perigord Noir 

Europe's largest private aquarium with more than 30 separate aquariums displaying over 3,000 fish from all around the world.

Château de Castelnaud 

The most popular château in southern france. Built high on a hill in the 13th century it changed hands many times. The Château has been home to the Museum of Medieval Warfare since 1985 where you can view such things as siege equipment and trebuchets. Demonstrations of the trebuchet are sometimes given in the summer which should prove popular !  There is a magnificent view from the chateau over the Dordogne Valley.

Le Gouffre de Padirac 

The Gouffre de Padirac is a natural limestone cave. 103 metres down to the river - by lift or stairs - to the start of the tour. The visit lasts 1.5hrs and is 2km long
Restaurants shops and picnic area.

Le Gouffre de Proumeyssac

This is found to the south of Le Bugue, near the village of Audrix.  You can view the stalactites in this impressive cave as well as some interesting crystalline formations. It is in a spectacular position, high in a cliff, and can be accessed by a man-made tunnel.

Grotte de Pech-Merle

These caves include paintings of dappled horses and outlines of human hand prints from 25,000 BC.  Guided visits are given from Easter until October and numbers are restricted to 700 a day so its definitely advisable to book ahead during July and August. The guided visit lasts an hour and is done on foot. The access stair to the tour has 40 steps down and back up. The tour distance is around 400m, broken up by stops to view the panels and paintings. For more information about the caves please visit their website at : http://www.pechmerle.com/

Musée National de Préhistoire 

The National Museum of Prehistory which reflects ever expanding archeological research. It is the most important collection of items from the Paleolithic era in France.

Prehisto Park 

Theme park which traces the evolution of man from 1500BC. You can watch craftsmen using only the tools which would have been available at the time.

Le Thot - Espace Cro Magnon

Situated 7 km from Montignac this centre is a valuable first stop before visiting the numerous prehistoric sites in the Périgord. You can view animals here which are similar in appearance to the species which lived in the wild in this region during the Upper Paleolithic Age and which you are likely to see when viewing the art of that time in cave paintings. You will be able to see animals such as reindeer, the European bison, the aurochs, the Przewalski horses, the Tarpan horses, the ibex, the red deer and the fallow deer. There are also replicas of extinct species such as the mammoth and woolly rhinoceros. There are often activities to take part in such as art workshops and replica archaeological digs.

Quercyland 

This waterpark at Souillac has 6 pools and a variety of slides as well as mini golf, trampolines, pedal boats etc. and a restaurant. There is a high ropes course adjacent to the waterpark. For more information please visit their website in advance to plan your activities: http://www.copeyre.com/en/index 
The same website will also show canoe hire on the Dordogne River with Copeyre Canoë, who offer various options to canoe along the river. There are also details of a corn maze "The Labyrinth of the Hermit", 10 minutes from Sarlat.

Les Jardins de Marqueyssac 

The "hanging" gardens in the grounds of the Château de Marqueyssac are some of the best kept gardens in France. They were modelled on Italian gardens by Julien de Cerval who inherited the property in 1861. There are 6kms of walks and wonderful views. There is a candlelit walk which takes place in July and August on Thursday evenings.

Château de Milandes 

Old home of Josephine Baker the famous musical hall singer. Built 1489 in a wooded region between Castelnaud & Berbiguiéres. Falconry displays several times per day. Restaurant on site. Night flights to observe the chateau from the house's own captive hot air balloon.

Château de Hautefort 

One of the most prestigious châteaux in southwest france, classified as a historical monument. Built between 1630 and 1670. Surrounded by superb gardens.

Château de Monbazillac

Visit this chateau with its vineyard and its fantastic views over the Dordogne Valley.

For more information about Camping in the Dordogne : Go to Best French Campsites