The Dordogne is one of the most interesting regions in France, but it is still relatively unknown by Americans. Located in the South Western part of France, approximately 300 miles from Paris and 100 miles north of Toulouse, this area has much to offer to visitors of all ages and interests.
My husband and I have visited almost every part of France since we worked and met in Paris in the mid-1970s. When we decided to buy a vacation/retirement home, we selected the Dordogne because of its unique beauty and charm.
This region is spectacularly beautiful with its numerous rivers, forests, limestone cliffs, caves, and plateaus. Its rich history encompasses such milestones as prehistoric man, the Hundred Years War, and the Second World War during which it was a centre of the Resistance. Many remnants of these historic periods remain and are well preserved, including prehistoric cave drawings, huge castles, and medieval walled bastions. Other highlights of the region include the attractive towns with their sidewalk cafes, sophisticated shops, and ancient quarters; the weekly markets; the small farms dotted with sheep and geese; and the rich variety of the cuisine.
What Americans think of as the Dordogne actually consists of two administrative departments - the Department of the Dordogne, historically known as the Périgord, with its capital at Perigueux, and the Department of the Lot, historically known as Quercy, with its capital at Cahors. The region of the Dordogne is centred around two beautiful river valleys - the Dordogne and the Lot.
The Dordogne is very convenient to reach. Depending on what part of the region you are going to, you can fly from Paris into Bordeaux, Brive, or Toulouse. You can also take the TGV to Bordeaux. The Paris-Toulouse express train route from the Gare Austerlitz stops at four cities in the region - Brive, Souillac, Gourdon and Cahors. The train trip from Paris takes about 4-5 hours. Montauban, which is about 30 miles to the south of Cahors, is a major railway crossroad for trains from Paris, Provence, Brittany and Spain. All of these stations have Avis car rental agencies.
Following is a sampling of some of our favourite places in the Dordogne. The ratings are taken from the Michelin guide, with three stars as the highest possible rating.
| ROCAMADOUR | *** | Perched on the side of a cliff with one of the most extraordinary sites in France, this village was one of the great pilgrimages in the Middle Ages. This site must also be seen at night |
| PADIRAC | *** | Boat ride on an underground river and visit to caverns filled with stalactites. Delightful for children and rainy days |
| SARLAT | ** | Town with attractive medieval quarter and famous Saturday morning market. Wonderful shops |
| LASCAUX II | ** | Virtual facsimile of the original cave with its renowned prehistoric drawings |
| CARENNAC | * | Charming village on the banks of the Dordogne |
| DOMME | * | Walled town with spectacular overview of the Dordogne |
| BEYNAC | ** | Large castle overlooking the Dordogne; it was the site of many battles during the Hundred Years War |
| CAHORS | ** | Flourishing commercial and university centre during the Middle Ages, this modern town on the banks of the Lot has a medieval bridge with three towers which until just recently still carried auto traffic. Tree-lined wide boulevards with sidewalk cafés. Very interesting museum on the Resistance |
| ST-CIRQ-LAPOPIE | ** | Village with a remarkable site perched on a rocky escarpment overlooking the Lot |
| PECH-MERLE | ** | Series of caverns with prehistoric drawings |
| MONPAZIER | * | One of the best examples of the bastides (fortified towns) built in the Middle Ages on a rectangular grid with an arcaded central market square |
For more complete information, you will want to consult the green Michelin guide for the Dordogne, Périgord and Quercy. You will also want to get Michelin road maps 75 and 79 for the region.
There is a wide variety of recreational opportunities available such as canoeing, hiking, bicycling, swimming, fishing, golf and tennis. For those who prefer being active to sightseeing, the country roads lend themselves to a quiet stroll or a bicycle ride, and one can hike along the Grande Randonne (France's Appalachian Trail) or canoe on the Dordogne. One of the GR trails, which passes just in front of our house, continues north through Rocamadour and across the Dordogne, while to the south it follows the Lot and goes through St Cirq Lapopie, designated as one of the most beautiful villages in France. The Institut Geographique National publishes very detailed walking maps for each region, which can be bought in local bookstores.
This area is also one of the gastronomic centres in France, specializing in foie gras, confit de canard, goat cheeses, truffles, walnuts, and Cahors wine. There are many excellent restaurants which measure up to Paris standards but charge much more reasonable prices. Of particular note are the restaurants rated red R by Michelin for their high quality, good value meals. One red R restaurant, which we particularly like, is the Relais des Gourmands in Gramat where we have had wonderful 3-course meals for about $14 per person.
The people of this area are descended from generations of rugged, determined farmers who had to reap a meagre living from rocky soil. They are fiercely proud of their independence, which explains the strong role that they played in the Resistance. At the same time they are very warm and friendly. We like to call them the Midwesterners of France (no offence to other areas of the country is intended). Although many of them do not speak English, they are very accustomed to dealing with English-speaking persons since the English have been in this region since the time of Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Hundred Years War. One woman, who stayed in our house for a month, had a splendid time getting along on her own despite the fact that she had only a electronic translator to supplement her three words of French.
To learn more about this wonderful region, we highly recommend the three following books:
The Dordogne, Stephen Brook
Three Rivers in France, Freda White
In the Heart of France: Rural Life in the Dordogne, Simon Cobley and David Gallant
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