St-Front Quarter

The Dordogne

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North of the cathedral is this fabulous tangle of cobblestone streets lined with medieval houses. The best examples are along rue du Plantier, rue de la Sagesse, rue de la Miséricorde and rue Aubergerie; many are marked with French/English placards.

Rue Limogeanne, a super shopping street, has graceful Renaissance buildings at nos 3, 5 and 12. Around the corner, the 15th-century Maison du Pâtissier is elaborately carved. Nearby Galerie Daumesnil is a series of linked courtyards within 15th- to 17th-century townhouses.

Puy St-Front used to be surrounded by medieval fortifications. Now, only the 15th-century Tour Mataguerre remains.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Reconstruction of cave paintings of animals inside Lascaux II.

    Grotte de Lascaux

    23.56 MILES

    France’s most famous prehistoric cave paintings are at the Grotte de Lascaux, 2km southeast of Montignac. Naturally sealed and protected for millennia, it…

  • Grotte de Font de Gaume

    Grotte de Font de Gaume

    22.71 MILES

    This extraordinary cave contains the only original polychrome (as opposed to single-colour) paintings still open to the public. About 14,000 years ago,…

  • Grotte de Rouffignac

    Grotte de Rouffignac

    17.9 MILES

    Hidden in woodland 18km north of Les Eyzies, this tri-level cave is one of the most complex and rewarding to see in the Dordogne. Board an electric train…

  • Musée Gallo-Romain Vesunna

    Musée Gallo-Romain Vesunna

    0.59 MILES

    Part of the park that contains the Tour de Vésone, this sleek museum designed by French architect Jean Nouvel encompasses a 1st-century Roman domus …

  • Grotte des Combarelles

    Grotte des Combarelles

    22.9 MILES

    This narrow, very long cave 1.5km east of Font de Gaume was the first rediscovered in the valley, in 1901, and is renowned for its animal engravings. Look…

  • France,Dordogne,Perigueux,St Front Cathedral

    Cathédrale St-Front

    0.1 MILES

    Périgueux’ most distinctive landmark is most notable for its five creamy Byzantine tower-topped domes (inspired by either St Mark’s Basilica in Venice or…

  • France, Dordogne, Perigord Noir, Les Eyzies de Tayac, site listed as World Heritage by UNESCO, the National Museum of Prehistory

    Musée National de Préhistoire

    22.33 MILES

    Inside a marvellous modern building alongside the cliffs, this museum provides a fine prehistory primer, with the most comprehensive collection of…

  • Abri de Cap Blanc

    Abri de Cap Blanc

    24.75 MILES

    While most of the Vézère’s caves contain engravings and paintings, this overhanging cliff-face contains a handful of unusual large carvings in relief,…

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Nearby The Dordogne attractions

2. Galerie Daumesnil

0.06 MILES

Galerie Daumesnil is a series of linked courtyards within 15th- to 17th-century townhouses.

4. Cathédrale St-Front

0.1 MILES

Périgueux’ most distinctive landmark is most notable for its five creamy Byzantine tower-topped domes (inspired by either St Mark’s Basilica in Venice or…

5. Pont des Barris

0.16 MILES

The best views of Périgueux' Cathédrale St-Front are from this bridge, just to the east.

6. Tour Mataguerre

0.24 MILES

Of the 28 towers that formed Puy St-Front’s medieval fortifications, only the 15th-century Tour Mataguerre, a stout, cylindrical bastion, remains.

7. Église St-Étienne de la Cité

0.44 MILES

The Église St-Étienne de la Cité was built in the 11th century on the site of the Roman temple to Mars. Périgueux’ cathedral until 1669, it only has two…

8. Roman Amphitheatre

0.48 MILES

The ruins of the city’s amphitheatre, designed to hold more than 20,000 baying spectators, was one of the largest such structures in Gaul. Today the tops…