A trip idea for every Périgord
Dordogne is available in 4 Périgords. Like so many seasons. They offer you a great diversity of landscapes where it is good to walk all year round. The reasons for this division are historical, cultural, tourist and economic, they were conferred thanks to their rich and stable geographical and climatic situations.
Conquering the romantic Périgord Vert
The green Périgord extends to the north of the department. The Périgord Limousin Regional Natural Park is a green setting crossed by numerous streams. Along these waterways, small towns full of charm welcome you such as Saint-Jean de Côle, classified among the “ Most Beautiful Villages of France ».
The Val de Dronne is home to Brantôme, “the green Venice of Périgord”. Its incredible abbey has a troglodyte shelter where there are numerous dovecotes and a bas relief sculpture: the cave of the Last Judgment.
Not far from there, the elegant Renaissance castle of Puyguilhem or the castle of Bourdeilles with its prestigious furniture collection await you for a green holiday.
The green Périgord conceals other tourist treasures such as the Tourtoirac cave with its formidable diversity of concretions and accessible to people with reduced mobility. That of Villars presents both original paintings and natural concretions.
Jewel of this Auvézère valley: the Château de Hautefort!
Taste the sweetness of good living in Périgord Blanc
White Périgord spreads out along the Isle valley, to the west of Périgueux. It is a white country because it is limestone. This rock is found in constructions and in particular on the Byzantine cathedral of Périgueux.
Périgueux, capital of the Dordogne, was an important Roman city whose remains are still visible. The collections of the Périgord Museum of Art and Archeology bear witness to regional, national and international history and 450000 years of human presence in Dordogne.
Traces of the Roman Empire can be seen through the remains of the Vésunna Museum and its tower located in the Vésone park, in the heart of the city.
Located like Périgueux, on one of the main pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela, Sorges and Ligueux will welcome you to reveal to you in its eco-museum all the secrets of the truffle, the “black diamond of Périgord”.
Let's not forget Neuvic and its breeding of 50 Siberian sturgeons which produces a caviar quality.
The purple Périgord: a country of bastides, vineyards and Little England
The purple Périgord is undoubtedly the most contested name because it responds above all to tourist considerations and not to a historical reality. Appearing in the 90s, purple refers to the color of wine. Vineyards are very present in this part of the department.
It is to the south, on the hillsides of the Dordogne valley, that we find the Périgord Pourpre grouped around Bergerac and its renowned vineyards. The purple Périgord is rich in a great variety of landscapes.
The bastides There are numerous and characterful medieval fortified villages. Monpazier, Beaumont du Périgord or Eymet are memories left by our English friends. A rich heritage has developed around these bastides, notably the castles of Monbazillac, Biron, Bridoire…
The bastides remain strongholds of history, whether they were founded on the order of the King of France or in the name of the King of England, the new towns built at the start of the Hundred Years' War are real treasures .
The Bergerac Tourist Office, attached to the Récollets cloister on the Cyrano quays, presents a culture space and a wine house ideally located on the port. It is the ideal place to review your oenological knowledge: to differentiate between Pécharmant and Côtes de Bergerac, dry and soft whites or even Rosette. The Wine Route map will help you find your way through the heart of the 1200 hectares of vines.
The city is also famous thanks to Edmond Rostand's character: Cyrano de Bergerac.
The Périgord Noir: Vézère and Dordogne valleys
It is undoubtedly the oldest appellation which existed even before the Dordogne department.
Black Périgord extends over the South East of the Department. The black color refers to the oaks very present in the west of the department and to the coal pits.
The oaks give the landscape a beautiful dark color, as for the charcoal burner, he transformed the wood into fuel to power the hearths, particularly those in the forges from which black smoke escaped.
Forests tell a story in Dordogne because they are linked to very ancient practices: ironworkers, charcoal burners, old chestnut groves, walnut groves, etc.
This black color adds a touch of mystery that is very popular with locals and tourists.
The Vézère valley
Back to basics in this region called Vallée de l'Homme, home to major archaeological sites.
Les Eyzies, the world capital of Prehistory, presents a museum which houses exceptional collections which allow us to retrace more than 400 years of human presence.
Next to it, theAbri Pataud is one of the largest prehistoric sites in France, it lifts the veil on the way of life of Cro-Magnon men. Still in the town center, the Prehistory Interpretation Center allows a first approach to prehistory and invites you to prepare your stay to discover the prehistoric sites of the region: Lascaux, Cap-Blanc, Combarelles, Saint Cirq, Rouffignac… The village of Eyzies is home to the last prehistoric cave in France still open to the public which presents authentic polychrome paintings: Font-de-Gaume.
In the Vézère valley, we find the Lascaux cave , called the “Sistine Chapel of prehistory”. It's a treasure to share, that's why its replica Lascaux IV identically reproduces the polychrome frescoes of the original cave.
All along the river, from Le Buggy where is the Bara Bahau cave until Montignac-Lascaux, prehistoric men left their imprints on the walls of caves by engraving or sculpting.
Later, the cliffs served as habitat and allowed men to protect themselves from invaders in troglodytic habitats (Roque Saint-Christophe, Madeleine, Conquil, Roc de Cazelle).
On either side of the Vézère valley, gardens: to the north, those of Terrasson-Lavilledieu, an artistic creation imagined by an American landscaper. To the south, to Limeuil, the panoramic gardens set out in an English-style park overlooking the confluence of the Dordogne and Vézère rivers.
This region is rich with a thousand vestiges to discover and small towns of character with a remarkable heritage.
The Dordogne valley and Sarlat
Sarlat, capital of Périgord Noir and medieval jewel of the department
Sarlat, the first city classified as an art and history site, where there is a concentration of private mansions, mullions and turrets, slate roofs... Sarlat is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful cities in France.
Its protected sector, listed in the record book for “the highest density of listed buildings”, is rich in 66 listed or inscribed monuments within an area of 11 hectares. Black Périgord can pride itself on an enormous architectural heritage.
The castles of the Dordogne valley
A few kilometers from Sarlat the castles of Beynac, Castelnaud, Les Milandes, Fénelon, Lacypierre, Saint-Jean Le Paluel, are the centuries-old guardians of the valleys and hillsides. The gardens: Eyrignac, Marqueyssac, Cadiot, the water gardens have been designed for the simple pleasure of the eyes.
Should we stop this color division? Even if these qualifiers cause confusion for those who do not know the region, Périgourdins are very attached to these colors.
In this land of plenty with an oceanic climate, 4 destinations are offered to you, it's up to you to find your most beautiful Périgord!
