Dordogne
We love the Dordogne for one simple reason: it feels like the France that made us want to visit France in the first place. Medieval hilltop towns overlook walnut groves and limestone cliffs. The food here isn't complicated—it's foie gras, fresh truffles, duck cooked three ways, and wine that costs a third of what you'd pay in the Côte d'Azur. For families, there's no better mix of genuine culture and day-to-day ease. Throw in Lascaux's prehistoric paintings, canoe routes along rivers so clear you see the riverbed, and a landscape where tourism hasn't yet steamrolled the character out of things, and you understand why British families come back year after year.
What Makes Dordogne Special
- Honest accessibility. Drive from Calais in less than a day. Bergerac airport is 90 minutes away, or fly to Brive for mountain access. Prices stay reasonable because locals still outnumber visitors outside July-August.
- River life that actually works. The Dordogne and Vézère rivers let you canoe past châteaux, land for lunch, and swim in limestone-filtered pools. Not Instagram-made-up: genuinely good.
- Archaeology and appetite matter equally. Caves at Les Eyzies and Lascaux connect you to 17,000 years of human occupation. Then you have dinner. The region takes both seriously.
- Castle density without pretension. Beynac, Castelnaud, Bonaguil—ruins and working châteaux clustered along the Dordogne valley. No theme park vibe. Still owned, still lived in, often still producing wine.
- Town character survives tourism. Sarlat-la-Canéda is the medieval showstopper, but Montignac, Domme, and Béynac feel like people actually live there, even when it's busy.
Top Towns & Resorts in Dordogne
Sarlat-la-Canéda
The region's flagship town. Honey-coloured stone buildings, covered markets, narrow streets that date to the 13th century. Saturday market (year-round) floods the main square with locals and visitors alike. It deserves the traffic, the architecture is genuinely intact. Caveat: summers (July-August) are rammed. Parking is a nightmare, and prices spike. Visit in June or September if you can.
Lascaux & Les Eyzies
Lascaux (a UNESCO reproduction, the real cave is sealed for conservation) sits in parkland near Montignac. The paintings of bulls, horses, and handprints are 17,000 years old. Les Eyzies is the gateway village, with a museum and more cave sites within 5km. The region is genuinely moving for anyone curious about human prehistory. Fair warning: caves fill up by 10am in summer. Book ahead or go on rainy days when others don't.
View villas near Lascaux & Les Eyzies
Château de Beynac
A working fortress perched above the Dordogne river, visible from canoes below. The interior is bare (by design, it's still owned by the same family that built it), but the views across the valley are worth the climb. The village of Beynac below is tiny and touristed in summer, but stays authentic. River trips start from here, and local restaurants serve proper Périgord food. The castle gets crowded mid-morning in peak season.
Périgord Food Trail
Duck confit, foie gras, walnut oil, truffles, strawberries. Local markets (Sarlat, Domme, Montignac) run weekly and source from farms within 20km. If you self-cater, buy here. If you eat out, avoid tourist-trap restaurants in Sarlat's centre, walk 10 minutes and prices and quality both improve. Truffle season (November-March) drives prices and availability up significantly.