Must-see attractions in The Dordogne

  • Reconstruction of cave paintings of animals inside Lascaux II.

    Grotte de Lascaux

    The Dordogne

    France’s most famous prehistoric cave paintings are at the Grotte de Lascaux, 2km southeast of Montignac. Naturally sealed and protected for millennia, it…

  • Grotte de Font de Gaume

    The Dordogne

    This extraordinary cave contains the only original polychrome (as opposed to single-colour) paintings still open to the public. About 14,000 years ago,…

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    Château de Castelnaud

    The Dordogne

    The massive ramparts and metre-thick crenellated walls of this quintessential medieval fortress (occupied by the English during the Hundred Years War)…

  • Grotte de Rouffignac

    The Dordogne

    Hidden in woodland 18km north of Les Eyzies, this tri-level cave is one of the most complex and rewarding to see in the Dordogne. Board an electric train…

  • Musée Gallo-Romain Vesunna

    The Dordogne

    Part of the park that contains the Tour de Vésone, this sleek museum designed by French architect Jean Nouvel encompasses a 1st-century Roman domus …

  • Jardins de Marqueyssac

    The Dordogne

    Horticulture fans won’t want to miss these famous manicured gardens, stretching along a rocky bluff overlooking the Dordogne Valley. Signposted paths lead…

  • Weekly Markets

    Sarlat-la-Canéda

    For an introductory French market experience, visit Sarlat’s heavily touristed Saturday market, which takes over the streets around Cathédrale St-Sacerdos…

  • Grotte des Combarelles

    The Dordogne

    This narrow, very long cave 1.5km east of Font de Gaume was the first rediscovered in the valley, in 1901, and is renowned for its animal engravings. Look…

  • Château de Beynac perched atop a limestone cliff above the village of Beynac-et-Cazenac, on the banks of the Dordogne River.
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    Château de Beynac

    The Dordogne

    Towering gloriously atop a limestone bluff, this 12th-century fortress’ panoramic position above the Dordogne made it a key defensive position during the…

  • France,Dordogne,Perigueux,St Front Cathedral

    Cathédrale St-Front

    The Dordogne

    Périgueux’ most distinctive landmark is most notable for its five creamy Byzantine tower-topped domes (inspired by either St Mark’s Basilica in Venice or…

  • Place des Cornières

    The Dordogne

    From the town’s three gateways, Monpazier’s flat, grid-straight streets lead to the arcaded market square (also known as place Centrale), surrounded by an…

  • Place du Marché aux Oies

    Sarlat-la-Canéda

    A life-size statue of three bronze geese stands in the centre of beautiful place du Marché aux Oies (Goose Market Sq), where live geese are still sold…

  • France, Dordogne, Perigord Noir, Les Eyzies de Tayac, site listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, the National Museum of Prehistory

    Musée National de Préhistoire

    The Dordogne

    Inside a marvellous modern building alongside the cliffs, this museum provides a fine prehistory primer, with the most comprehensive collection of…

  • Château des Milandes

    The Dordogne

    This 15th-century château, 3km southwest of Beynac, is famous for its fabulous former owner: glamorous dancer, singer and music-hall star Josephine Baker …

  • Abri de Cap Blanc

    The Dordogne

    While most of the Vézère’s caves contain engravings and paintings, this overhanging cliff-face contains a handful of unusual large carvings in relief,…

  • St-Front Quarter

    The Dordogne

    North of the cathedral is this fabulous tangle of cobblestone streets lined with medieval houses. The best examples are along rue du Plantier, rue de la…

  • L’Elevage du Bouyssou

    Sarlat-la-Canéda

    The Dordogne is famous for its foie gras. You’ll see duck and goose farms dotted throughout the countryside, many of which offer guided tours and…

  • Moulin de la Tour

    Sarlat-la-Canéda

    The humble noix (walnut) has been a prized product of the Dordogne for centuries, and is still used in many local recipes – cakes, puddings, pancakes and…

  • Grottes de l'Abbaye

    The Dordogne

    Behind the former abbey – Brantôme’s most illustrious landmark and now the town hall – lie moody caves, originally a place of pagan worship and then part…

  • Château de Biron

    The Dordogne

    Eight kilometres south of Monpazier, this much-filmed château is a glorious mishmash of styles, having been fiddled with by eight centuries of successive…

  • Le Thot

    The Dordogne

    In an effort to bring the prehistoric age to life, Le Thot, 8km southwest of Montignac, places reproduced Lascaux cave scenes alongside displays about Cro…

  • Église Ste-Marie

    Sarlat-la-Canéda

    Église Ste-Marie was ingeniously converted by acclaimed architect Jean Nouvel, whose parents still live in Sarlat, into the town’s touristy Marché Couvert…

  • Roman Amphitheatre

    The Dordogne

    The ruins of the city’s amphitheatre, designed to hold more than 20,000 baying spectators, was one of the largest such structures in Gaul. Today the tops…

  • Cathédrale St-Sacerdos

    Sarlat-la-Canéda

    Once part of Sarlat’s Cluniac abbey, the original abbey church was built in the 1100s, redeveloped in the early 1500s, and remodelled again in the 1700s,…

  • Grotte du Grand Roc

    The Dordogne

    Around 3km northwest of Les Eyzies along the D47, this cave contains an array of glittering stalactites and stalagmites. A joint ticket (adult/child €11/6…

  • Jardin des Enfeus

    Sarlat-la-Canéda

    Behind the cathedral, the Jardin des Enfeus was Sarlat’s first cemetery. The rocket-shaped Lanterne des Morts may have been built to honour a visit by St…

  • Château de Puymartin

    Sarlat-la-Canéda

    This impressive turreted château, 8km northwest of Sarlat, was first built in 1270, destroyed in 1358 during the Hundred Years War, and rebuilt around…

  • Château de Hautefort

    The Dordogne

    This castle was originally built in the Middle Ages, but was rebuilt in the 17th century. The main reason for a visit is its beautiful formal gardens,…

  • Bastideum

    The Dordogne

    This small interpretative centre is a good stop for history buffs interested in reading up on bastides, or, for a bit more family fun, playing one of the…

  • Manoir de Gisson

    Sarlat-la-Canéda

    Tour this mansion, dating from the 13th century, in the heart of Sarlat to get a taste of how the bourgeoisie lived. There's a cabinet of curiosities in…

  • Lanterne des Morts

    Sarlat-la-Canéda

    The Lanterne des Morts is a dramatic monument – it's shaped like a giant rocket – that was built to honour a visit by St Bernard, one of the founders of…

  • Cour des Chanoines

    Sarlat-la-Canéda

    This attractive medieval courtyard can be reached via an alleyway off rue Tourny or from the Jardin des Enfeus. The passage from Cour des Chanoines leads…

  • Cour des Fontaines

    Sarlat-la-Canéda

    Appropriate to its name this picturesque medieval courtyard contains a bubbling fountain. You can find it down an alleyway off rue Tourny or reach it from…

  • Château de Lanquais

    The Dordogne

    This château, with portions dating from as early as the 12th century, though much of it is in the later Italian Renaissance style, is fully kitted out…

  • Tour de Vésone

    The Dordogne

    This 24.5m-high cella (inner shrine) is the last remaining section of a massive 2nd-century Gallo-Roman temple dedicated to the local goddess Vesunna.

  • Maison de la Boétie

    Sarlat-la-Canéda

    This striking 16th-century Italian Renaissance–style house opposite Cathédrale St-Sacerdos is the birthplace of writer Étienne de la Boétie (1530–63).

  • Galerie Daumesnil

    The Dordogne

    Galerie Daumesnil is a series of linked courtyards within 15th- to 17th-century townhouses.

  • Marché aux Truffes

    Sarlat-la-Canéda

    Get truffe noir (black truffle) at the winter-morning Marché aux Truffes.

  • Maison du Pâtissier

    The Dordogne

    The façade of the 15th-century Maison du Pâtissier is elaborately carved.

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