France's HIDDEN GEMS - 1 week in Dordogne
Before the trip
When should you go?
Choose your ideal time :
Spring & Autumn : Less crowded than summer, better weather than winter!
Summer : very crowded, can get very hot, but the best weather & very alive
Winter : Not crowded at all, can be quite cold & uncertain weather.
⚠️ In low & shoulder season, a lot of touristic places will be closed, for entire months or part of the week. Same with restaurants : plan ahead.
Sunday in France
👀 Be also careful about what you plan on Sundays, cultural visits will mostly be open but shops & services will be closed. Even supermarkets : shop the day before to avoid inconvenience. Monday is also a closing day for a lot of shops & services since they are open on Saturday.
I'm going during shoulder season and some things will still be closed : I won't be able to test all activities sadly.
To-do
📞 Inform the place you stay at of your arrival time, reception is probably closed late & early in the day. Same for the rental cars especially on Sunday.
How to get there?
🚄 I recommend the train to reach the region : it's 3 hours from Paris & more comfortable.
The easiest "porte d'entrée" or entrance to the region are Limoges or Bordeaux. I found Limoges to be closer to the part we wanted to explore to avoid too much driving. It's also a quicker & cheaper train from Paris.
Here's a few links to websites that will help plan your trip & make adequate bookings :
Let's explore !
Day 1 : Arrival in Limoges
🚄 Paris ==> Limoges in the morning.
I'm planning a lunch in the city, a little stroll around and then head to another area. We will be back in a few days before our return train to explore Limoges more deeply!
Lunch with local & fresh produces
🚶 To stretch our legs we'll go to our lunch place on foot, this way we can cross the city center or "Ville Haute".
🧈 What better way to discover France that through its food? I've found this little gem that seems very promising for local flavours.
Grab a coffee or afternoon tea
🏘️ After lunch we'll have a digestive walk around the area called Quartier de la Boucherie. If you are there during summer time you can visit la maison traditionnelle de la Boucherie. Or just explore to see the 52 houses built in the 13th century!
🫖 Before we take the care for a drive to our next destination, let's warm ourselves around a tea in this cosy address in the historical center :
DIRECTION SARLAT LA CANÉDA
🚗 Limoges ==> Sarlat-la-Canéda 1h45mn
🏰 Rent a car in Limoges and head to Sarlat, a beautiful historical town in the region of le Périgord Noir. It's one of the urban area with the most medieval building in the world. We will use Sarlat as a base for the next 4-5 days and drive from there as the region is not so big.
Alternative :
🚗 If you prefer a road trip style & do less driving, you could spend 2 nights in Sarlat and 2 nights in Périgueux which is a little more central.
Diner in Sarlat
🧀 Let's continue to discover the flavours of this region, especially famous for truffles! But it was a long day already and a traditional restaurant might feel like a lot.
Option 1 (my favorite) :
🛒 Stop by the local supermarket & make yourself a cold easy dinner with cheese, wine, cold cuts & local delights.
Option 2 :
🍷 If you don't feel like preparing anything, but you like the idea, head to Le Bouchon : this little place is a bar à vin : what is a trip in France without its wine? You can accompany your glass with a selection of charcuterie & cheese.
Now let's go have a good night of sleep, tomorrow we're exploring !
🛏️ Here's my top picks in Sarlat, in the center so easy to walk to and from and in beautiful historical building.
Day 2 - Scenic villages & castles
Morning
Let's head to one of the most scenic & famous area with two villages & their castles.
🚗 15mn from Sarlat
First stop : La Roque-Gageac & its medieval fort in the middle of it.
⏰ ~2-3 hours
🛶 If you are there in the right season, from April to October, you can take a gabare, those little wooden boats and be guided through the Vienne, under historic bridges & surrounded by beautiful views.
Follow the link to book :
Lunch & afternoon
Just before the next stop, you can stop at this address for lunch :
You're only a few minutes away from Beynac & it's 11th century castle to spend the rest of the afternoon there.
⏰ ~2h
As you leave, you can stop at those gardens with a stunning view on the landscape for the perfect sunset.
⏰ ~30mn-1h
If you still have some time there are 2 more villages classified "plus beaux villages de France" in the area :
Dinner
Head back to Sarlat for dinner, you can take an evening stroll and book a table at l'Entrepôte and its beautiful terrasse.
Day 3 - Sarlat like a local
Morning
🍎 It's Saturday, which means market day! Also held on Wednesday until 1PM in the historic center of the town. Stroll around, test the local specialties, shop farm to table & mix with the locals.
⏰ 2h
Grab a take away lunch then let's go explore again for the rest of the day.
Visits of the day
In any order or depending how much time you have, here's a few options close by and all in the same area :
🚗 45mn from Sarlat
⏰ 2h
🚗 30mn from Sarlat
⏰ 1h
🚗 40 mn from Sarlat
⏰ 1h
For dinner you can go back to Sarlat or eat in the area, here's 2 good options :
Day 4 - Prehistoric times
🗺️ We have already seen a lot, the architecture, the history, the food, the natural caves ... But the Périgord is also home to some of the most beautiful & unique prehistoric archeological sites.
Morning
🏫 Let's head to Lascaux ! The discovery of the cave is a true myth at this point, how a boy and his dog found randomly one of the most unique prehistoric art in the world. It is a Unesco Heritage site and is fiercely protected as it is very fragile.
🚗 25mn from Sarlat
⏰ 40mn
The original Lascaux site is now closed to visitor to prevent any damage. They have made an exact copy in another cave close by, Lascaux II :
⏰ 1h30
If you can't get tickets or Lascaux II is closed, there is a museum with replicas of the cave & lots of explanations, Lascaux IV :
⏰ 30mn
On your way to the next site, you can make a stop at another village for a quick stroll :
🚗 21mn from Lascaux IV
⏰ 1h30
Another unique site where is recreated prehistoric habitats carved inside the rock. Especially entertaining with kids.
⏰ 1h
If you still have energy and time, you could stop at this place, a few minutes from La Roque St Christophe. You can also discover and unlikely exhibition about torture in the Middle Ages!
Day 5-6 : Central & North Périgord
📍Limoges is technically not part of the Périgord but it is close and an easy access from Paris. It is still a lovely city worth discovering!
☕️ It's time to go back to Limoges to explore the city better & catch our train back . Let's explore on the way during a mini-roadtrip : this can be done in 1 or 2 days if you want to include some hiking.
🗺️ Here's the different stops & routes I recommend to take for the most scenic trip.
From Sarlat head to both or one of the two historic towns :
🚗 1h20 from Sarlat
🚗 1h10 from Sarlat / 1h20 from Bergerac
🏘️ Then aim North for Bourdeilles, a charming village and take the side road D106E2 to reach Brantôme : beautiful views & lovely countryside to enjoy while driving!
🚗 30mn from Périgueux
You can do one more stop if you still haven't seen enough villages :
If you are not a hiker, head to Limoges to stay the night. Otherwise, stay in the area and explore the Natural Park of the region.
Here's a website with a lot of different hike options :
Now it's finally time to explore Limoges!
Day 6-7 : Limoges and porcelaine
☕️ The city has been industrious since the middle ages and is renowned for its craft. It became world famous for its porcelaine in the 18th and it still an active production center for it on this day.
Morning
⏰ 1h
☕️ Let's head to the best museum in the city to learn all about porcelaine:
🍰Then walk back to the center for lunch by going through the Halles centrales :
Afternoon
⏰ 1h30
🔨 After seeing the finish product, let's see how the porcelaine is made with this unique place :
🖌️ To finish your porcelaine themed day, what's best than to paint some yourself ? Head to Chamothé :
Dinner
🥦 For dinner, what about vegan food? We have enjoyed a lot of the local specialties, most of them including meat, it's nice to see an establishment trying to create something different :
🥐 If you are a brunch person, we were recommended this adress :
Places to stay
Extra activities
Here's two more things to do if you have more time in Limoges :
⏰~1h depending on the tour
⏰~1h
That's the end of our trip, it's time to go home, or maybe to the next stop?
I hope you liked this itinerary and spent a wonderful time in Dordogne discovering all its gems. You can also use the addresses here & make your own with the interactive map.
If you did, you can leave a tip at the foot of the page & you can check my other guides on my profile.
See you soon for another adventure!
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