Dordogne is a large rural department in southwest France with an almost mythic reputation: a historic Gaulish stronghold, home to the oldest cave paintings in the world, and a striking number of castles (reportedly 1500). Extremely popular with American and British tourists, and home to one of the largest expat populations in France.
Brantôme en Périgord
Brantôme is an idyllic village north of Perigueux on the banks of the River Dronne. Unlike many places, it lived up to the hype – it’s a bucolic getaway in the countryside.
Cliffs with natural cave formations were exploited as early as the 8th century (and likely earlier) for a range of structures. Today, in addition to the abbey, there are multiple houses, garages, and a rather cute row of bars and tourist shops. Via Lemovicensis, an old pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, runs through Brantôme.
**Brantôme Abbey has its origins in the 8th century. A Benedictine abbey, it was founded by Charlemagne who allegedly donated the relics of Saint Sicarius, one of the children massacred by Herod. The original abbey was destroyed by Vikings and then rebuilt in the tenth century and again in the twelfth and fifteenth centuries. It was then radically restored in 1850 by the architect Paul Abadie, a student of Viollet-le-Duc, so the abbey buildings we see today span a period of almost 800 years. The limestone cliff behind the convent buildings contains several major bas-reliefs, and there’s an 11th century Romanesque bell tower, one of the oldest in France. I wouldn’t say the complex is in the best repair, but it’s in aggregate very impressive.
We stayed at **Le Moulin de l’Abbaye, which was a bit rustic (especially for a place with a Michelin star restaurant), but pretty and comfortable. It was surprisingly quiet for a summer visit. Dinner at *Au Fil du Temps was fine, not particularly remarkable.
Domme
Domme is a naturally fortified village (bastide) built in the 13th century on a steep-sided hilltop nearly 800 feet above the river. The site was fought over repeatedly during the Hundred Years’ War, and it’s easy to see why when you consider the view. Ramparts, fortified gates and towers – which served as prisons, first for the Templars in the early 14th century, then for French and English soldiers during the hundred years war – still stand. The main part of the village lies at the very top of the hill along the edge of a sheer cliff commanding sightlines along the entire valley.
We stayed at a wonderful AirBnB at 2 place porte delbos, Domme.
In town
- Grotte de Domme: A modest-looking tourism office in the middle of the square is built above the entrance to a large cave system where residents hid during the frequent invasions. When this trip through the ages is completed, you will return to the dazzling light of the day at the edge of the cliff overlooking the famous Dordogne valley. 10h à 12h – 14h à 18h (maybe closed on Saturdays). Stop by for tour information, website is vague at best. [didn’t get to this]
- **Le Restaurant Cabanoix & Chataîgnes: offers seasonal specialities using local produce from duck breast to homemade paté. Lovely friendly staff, some outdoor seating, nice local option.
- *L’Esplanade: a fancy and touristy option for meals with a great view. Food was fussy, service a bit surly and slow.
- **Pizzeria des Templiers: Owned by the owners of our AirBnB. Cheap and cheerful, good pizza and pasta.
Just Outside Town
- ***Montgolfières du Périgord: This was worth it – great views, a lovely experience. Hot air balloon ride.
Les Eyzies
Les Eyzies itself is more of a drive-through moment, lots of touristy restaurants, not as cute as La Roque.
Restaurants around the caves of Les Eyzies tend to be aimed mostly at tourists, but just outside the village, talented chef Pascal Lombard has opened ***Bistrot Les Glycines. This was excellent, one of the best meals we had. Hotel looked nice too, if a bit modern and cold.
***Rouffignac Cave: this is pretty excellent – the real thing (the real cave/real art), where a little train carries you 1 KM into the cave. During the ride, a guide points out smooth, woklike pockets of rock in which cave bears used to curl up and hibernate. Eventually you descend toward numerous carvings of mammoths — Rouffignac is sometimes known as the cave of a hundred mammoths. Despite being created with just a few spare strokes, the engraved creatures are instantly, charmingly recognizable — even kind of cute, with their shaggy snouts and alert eyes. Takes an hour, runs every 30 minutes, French only (doesn’t take reservations, be prepared to wait).
La Roque-Gageac & Nearby Castles
Built into the almost vertical cliffs rising from the lazily curving Dordogne River, is **Roque de Gageac, another town of medieval origin. This is tourist central (don’t stay there), but it’s really cute and lined with restaurants, good place for lunch.
Overlooking the town, the 18th century ***Chateau de Marqueyssac and its 19th century gardens were restored impeccably at the end of the 20th century and stretch along the cliff top for a kilometer. This is great – beautiful vistas, not too crowded.
A bit west, the ornate, chocolate-box **Château des Milandes used to belong to dancer and activist Josephine Baker. It’s insanely packed with tourists (not in a good way), and her life is a bit sad.
Sarlat-la-Canéda
Sarlat-la-Canéda is the tourist center of the region. Its narrow streets are lined with lavish sandstone mansions, perfectly preserved since the middle ages and Renaissance. Extremely touristy and crowded! It’s charming, but probably best just for a meal.
Food:
- **Le Bistrot Sarlat, which was good and on a charming square, but just about all the restaurants looked excellent.
- *www.legrandbleu.eu: Michelin Star Restaurant. This is perfectly good, but in a region of everything being good it doesn’t really stand out. Service is very nice, interior is a bit closed off and generic.
In a tranquil valley 20 minutes north of Sarlat is the impressive ***Château de Commarque, a towering mass of ruins above ancient cave dwellings. This was definitely worth it, with a guide (we found one on AirBnB who was excellent), as it’s a complex site and the tours are only in French. It’s a good mix of history, multi-layered castle action with very historic cave dwellings.
