French Holiday Ideas | Dordogne-Perigord: A holiday to remember

Along with pretty much everyone else in the UK, here at Your French Holidays the Dordogne region is France is one of our absolute favourite places to be.

In the summertime, stepping on to the tarmac at the comprehensively named Bergerac-Dordogne-Perigord airport – still a very sweet and somehow quaint airport despite recent extensive renovations and improvements – in anticipation of spending a week by the pool in a fabulous holiday gîte, taking time out only to pop to the local market for fresh supplies or to spend a few hours exploring one of the countless beautiful bastide village in the area, is one of life’s absolute pleasures.

Improved access is one of the reasons why the region remains so popular with visitors – you can fly there from many regional UK airports then pick up a hire car to head for your holiday rental – in one of the four Périgord regions that have been separated by colour coding names. There’s much to recommend to visitor in each.



Purple Perigord, with lovely Bergerac, built on wealth from wine and river transport, at its heart, is a great base. Stay here and soak up the atmosphere before heading out into the vineyards of Château de Monbazillac (of sweet whites fame). Another great idea is to hire a bike and head out along the river into the beautiful countryside following the Dordogne river.

Perigord Noir is home to Sarlat, a medieval town of real charm and charisma, though you may wish to visit out of season to get some breathing space! The market in place de la Liberté is one of the region’s most compelling, where regional produce comes to the fore.

This is the land of foie gras, confit de canard, walnuts and honey. So stock up for your self-catering gîte or dine out in style in the old town. Out of town, take in the sites such as riverside stunners Beynac and Castelnaud or marvel at the gardens at Château de Marqueyssac from its promontory vantage point.

The Vezère valley, a UNESCO heritage site is home to the largest concentration of prehistoric sites in Britain, and a great place to explore for the day.




In the north of the department is White Perigord, split by the River Isle and with Perigueux, the capital, at its heart. The roman remains and the striking St-Front cathedral should be admired before heading to the timeless villages of Brantôme and St-Jean de Côle, in the Perigord Vert.

Bratôme has the nickname “The Venice of Périgord” and it’s a picture postcard scene, a little island town on the Dronne river. A bike ride to St-Jean de Côle, meanwhile, is its own reward. It’s one of France’s Plus Beaux Villages and another perfect photo opportunity. North of Brantôme takes you to the Regional Natural Park of périgord-Limousin, a wilder stretch of forests and river valleys.

There is so much to discover in the Dordgone/Périgord region that you can go back year after year and always find something new and mesmerising – as many visitors do – from golfing holidays to short breaks, history tours or just plain old lazing around in village squares watching rural France at its finest.

For more information, see www.pays-de-bergerac.com or www.dordogne-perigord-tourisme.fr.

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Friday, 21st, October By Katharine Barrau