The Dordogne

The Dordogne, renamed under Napoleon along boundaries, coincides roughly with those of the old Périgord. The Dordogne is the land of full richness of nature, and is traditionally called the "1001 castles" country.

The climate takes a marked southern turn as you cross the Dordogne along which the flat-bottomed "gabarres" used to float barrels of wine downriver to Bordeaux. We are in the "Périgord Pourpre", in the land of "Grand Bergeracois" and "Bastides". Bergeracois is extremely diverse in remarkable landscape : To the north, wooded valleys and forested hills ; to the East, flat woodlands and cliffs overhanging rivers ; to the West, an area of well organized cultivation made of vineyards and tree plantations ; to the South, white grain fields covered with market gardens and crops.

Bergeracois also benefits from a remarkable heritage, sites of great natural beauty and all kinds of sportive and leisure activities.

A cheerful flowery town (5 STARS as per the French towns scale) Bergerac’s sunny avenues are lined with magnificent parterres planted with its specialty shrub, the lagestroemia, one of the town’s specialties. The old city is a nice place for walk with nose in sky to be able to admire the architectural richness of buildings dating from Middle Age as well as from Renaissance.

Bergeracois, marked by a soft and moderate climate, is a land favouring grapevines development which are grown over 30 000 acres. Bergerac wines are resolutely in fashion, appreciated once again for their quality and healthy production methods. Bergerac is the wine-growing capital of the Dordogne, and include not less than 12 appellations. A "Wine Road" was put in place to show you the diversity of the countryside and richness of the heritage as well as meeting with wine makers and appreciate the quality of their products.

Monbazillac sweet wines are produced according to an aged method : the grapes  affected by “noble rot” and left on the vine as long as possible, are then picked by hand and taken to winery for vinification.

From Bergerac, many thematic circuits are proposed to tourists.

To the North, Périgueux, founded 2000 year ago, prefecture or capital city of the Dordogne, is a gracious blend of ancient and modern. The pedestrian area is a warren of cobbled alleys lined with shops, jolly summer buskers and magnificent Renaissance houses.

The River Isle was used to sail merchandise down to Bordeaux, and locks and wairs are still much in evidence. The river is a great pleace for fishing and the many riverside beaches ideal for lazy afternoons. The limestone slopes are perfect for the Black Diamond of the Perigord, the truffle. Sorges is the capital of this fungus.

It is around Ribérac where can be find most of the Romanesque churches varying enormously from the simplest to the most refined in style, though sobriety and sparse ornamentation are a common feature.The charming town of Brantôme is an island encircled by a loop of the Dronne, linked to the outside world by five bridges, this is why it is called the Venice of Perigord.

To the east of Bergerac, the confluence of the Vezere and the Douch marks the original site of Le Bugue. Les Eyzies de Tayac, world capital of the préhistoire, clusters along one bank of the Vezere and its Musée National is France’s richest prehistory museum. There is an enormous wealth of sightseeing concentrated in this  area.

Sarlat remains the symbol of a subtle geographical entity, known for several centuries as the Perigord Noir. You can also visit in this area the Bastide de Domme.

120 kilometers from Bergerac, to the South East, the county of Lot, also called Quercy is famous for his wine Cahors -, its castles and old villages, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie and famous caves Padirac.

To the West from Bergerac, it is also the gate to the Libourne and Saint-Emilion region and the famous vineyard situated in Gironde ; furthermore, Saint-Emilion was recently designated as UNESCO Humanity Property. 100 kilometers to the West, you can find Bordeaux, Arcachon pond and the Atlantic ocean with its famous sand beaches.

To the South, the famous Bastides were not in the origin built for defense but rather in an economic goal, the market place being an essential element of it. Among them, Beaumont du Périgord, Monpazier, famous during the season by its “cèpes du Périgord” market (mushrooms), and Villefranche du Périgord. Finally, 50 Km to the South, the department of Lot-et-Garonne with its touristic villages,  Monflanquin and Pujols.

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