The Dordogne
We’ve compiled the best of the best in The Dordogne - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Château de Biron
Stop in Biron to see its massive hilltop castle, the highlights of which include a keep, square tower, and chapel, dating from the Renaissance, and monumental staircases. In addition to the period apartments and the kitchen, with its huge stone-slab floor, there's a gigantic dungeon, complete with a collection of scarifying torture instruments. The classical buildings were completed in 1760. The Gontaut-Biron family—whose ancestors invented great typefaces centuries ago—has lived here for 14 generations. The château has been undergoing renovations on a room-by-room basis since 2013, but these interfere only minimally with the viewing. It's well worth renting an audio guide (€3) to get a detailed history, plus specifics about the architecture and decor.
Biron, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, 24540, France05–53–63–13–39Sight Details
Rate Includes: €9.50, Closed Jan. -
2. Château de Losse
There are more grandiose castles in France, but few can offer a more intimate a look at how 16th-century nobles lived than the Château de Losse. Built in 1576 on the site of the family's original 11th-century stronghold, the graceful Renaissance-style structure retains the furnishings, artwork, and other authentic trappings of daily life during the Wars of Religion. The beautiful wooded grounds and extraordinary gardens—winner of the Institute de France's Art of the Garden award—overlooking the Vézère River make for a lovely stroll, and a charming café with a grassy terrace is the perfect place for a gourmet lunch. Although tours of the interior are offered only in French, a detailed text and audio guide in English is provided.
Thonac, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, 24290, France05–53–50–80–08Sight Details
Rate Includes: €10, Closed Nov.–mid-Apr. -
3. Cité Religieuse
The Basse Ville's Rue Piétonne, the main pedestrian street, is crammed with crêperies, tea salons, and hundreds of tourists, many of whom are heading heavenward by taking the Grand Escalier (staircase) or elevator (€3) from Place de la Carreta up to the Cité Religieuse, set halfway up the cliff. If you walk, pause at the landing 141 steps up to admire the fort. Once up, you can see tiny Place St-Amadour and its seven chapels: the basilica of St-Sauveur opposite the staircase; the St-Amadour crypt beneath the basilica; the chapel of Notre-Dame, with its statue of the Black Madonna, to the left; the chapels of John the Baptist, St-Blaise, and Ste-Anne to the right; and the Romanesque chapel of St-Michel built into an overhanging cliff. St-Michel's two 12th-century frescoes—depicting the Annunciation and the Visitation—have survived in superb condition.
Rocamadour, Occitania, 46500, France -
4. Grotte de Combarelles
Want an up-close look at Cro-Magnon cave drawings? Those at les Combarelles are considered among the best in the world. Although traces of pigments have been found, the colors have long since vanished, leaving the sinuous graven outlines of woolly mammoths, cave bears, lions, and astonishingly lifelike reindeer. There are well over 600 drawings all told, and seeing them is an almost mystical experience, especially since only 40 people are admitted per day. Hour-long tours are available in English at 11:15 am; guides on other tours may speak English, but it’s the luck of the draw. Just note that this is not a spot for the claustrophobic—the winding 1,000-foot-long cavern is 6½ feet tall and, at most, 3 feet wide.
Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, 24620, France05–53–06–86–00Sight Details
Rate Includes: €11.50, Closed Sat. -
5. Grotte-Font-de-Gaume
Font-de-Gaume is the last French cave with polychrome paintings that remains open to the public. Though discovered in the late 1800s, it wasn't until the early 20th century that the importance of the artwork (dating back to around 17,000 BC) was recognized by archaeologists. Astonishingly graceful animal figures, many at eye level, include woolly mammoths, horses, reindeer, rhinos, and more. The cave's masterpiece is a grouping of five large superimposed bison in vivid color that was uncovered in 1966 during a routine cleaning. Like similar representations in Lascaux, the sophisticated shading techniques used for their bellies and thighs create a stunning impression of dimensionality and movement. Guided tours run every 40 minutes, but only 80 visitors are admitted each day.
Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, 24620, France05–53–06–86–00Sight Details
Rate Includes: €11.50 -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Jardins de Marqueyssac
For Périgord Noir at its most enchanting, head to the heavenly heights of this hilltop garden in Vézac, just south of Beynac. Founded in 1682, its design—including a parterre of topiaries—was greatly influenced by André le Nôtre, the "green geometer" of Versailles. Shaded paths bordered by 150,000 hand-pruned boxwoods are graced with breathtaking viewpoints, rock gardens, waterfalls, and verdant glades. From the belvedere 400 feet above the river, there's an exceptional view of the Dordogne Valley. For a unique and romantic perspective, the garden stays open until midnight under candlelight each Thursday in July and August. You can drink in panoramic views from the terrace of the tea salon, from March to mid-November.
Belvédère de la Dordogne, Vézac, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, 24220, France05–53–31–36–36Sight Details
Rate Includes: €11.90 -
7. La Villa Cahors Malbec
For an introduction to Cahors wine, this is the place. Though Cahors may not be as familiar as Bordeaux or Bourgogne, the local appellation is well-known and loved in France. Made from the inky black Malbec grape, this is a robust wine, bold and full-bodied and perfect for pairing with the local delicacies: walnuts, truffles, Rocamadour cheese, and foie gras. Adjacent to the Cahors tourist office, La Villa Cahors and chic Malbec Lounge provide visitors the opportunity to explore, taste, and learn about the local wines in an ever-changing series of tastings, courses, and evening events.
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8. Lascaux Cave
In 1940, four schoolchildren looking for their dog discovered hundreds of wall paintings in this cave just south of Montignac; the paintings of horses, cows, black bulls, and unicorns were determined to be thousands of years old, making the cave famous and attracting throngs of visitors to the site. Over time, the original Lascaux cave paintings began to deteriorate due to the carbon dioxide exhaled by thousands of visitors. To make the mysterious paintings accessible to the general public, the French authorities spent 12 years perfecting a facsimile, duplicating every aspect of two of its main caverns to create Lascaux II. In 2017, Lascaux IV, the most complete replica to date, opened within a sophisticated new complex—the International Center for Cave Art—that incorporates the latest technologies, including virtual reality, 3D cinema, and digital tablets, for a totally immersive experience. Painted in black, purple, red, and yellow, the powerful images of stags, bison, and oxen are brought to life by the curve of the stone walls under flickering "torchlight," and even the precise humidity and muffled sound. Unlike other caves marked with authentic prehistoric art, Lascaux IV is completely geared toward visitors and literally takes you back in time from the point of view of the original discoverers, archaeologists, and prehistorians. There are several ticketing options, which can include the Parc du Thot, Le Grand Roc Cave, and the Laugerie-Basse Rock, or Lascaux IV. This is one of the most visited sites in the Dordogne and in summer tickets are at a premium. Tickets sell out quickly, especially in summer; so reserve tickets online up to a day before your visit or at the center on the day of your visit, and arrive early.
Rte. de la Grotte de Lascaux, Lascaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, 24290, France05–53–05–65–60Sight Details
Rate Includes: €21, Closed Jan. -
9. Pont Valentré
The town's finest sight is this 14th-century bridge, its three elegant towers constituting a spellbinding feat of medieval engineering.
Cahors, Occitania, 46000, France
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