Andrew Montgomery
Few regions sum up the attractions of France better than the Dordogne. With its rich food, heady history, château-studded countryside and picturesque villages, the Dordogne has long been a favourite getaway for French families on les grandes vacances. It’s also famous for having some of France’s finest prehistoric cave art, which fill the caverns and rock shelters of the Vézère Valley.
Part of the historic area that was called Aquitaine, its strategic importance through the ages is illustrated by the many bastides (fortified towns) and fortresses throughout. Today it’s known to the French as the Périgord, and is divided into four colour-coded areas: Périgord Pourpre (purple) for the winegrowing regions around Bergerac; Périgord Noir (black) for the dark oak forests around the Vézère Valley and Sarlat-la-Canéda; Périgord Blanc (white) after the limestone hills around the capital, Périgueux; and Périgord Vert (green) for the forested regions of the north.
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout The Dordogne.
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For an introductory French market experience, visit Sarlat’s heavily touristed Saturday market, which takes over the streets around Cathédrale St-Sacerdos. Depending on the season, delicacies include local mushrooms and duck- and goose-based products such as foie gras. The Wednesday version is a smaller affair. An atmospheric, largely organic night market operates on Thursdays.
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A life-size statue of three bronze geese stands in the centre of beautiful place du Marché aux Oies (Goose Market Sq), where live geese are still sold during the Fest’Oie. The square’s architecture is exceptional.
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The Dordogne is famous for its foie gras. You’ll see duck and goose farms dotted throughout the countryside, many of which offer guided tours and dégustation (tasting). L’Elevage du Bouyssou is a family-run farm to the north of Carsac-Aillac. Owners Denis and Nathalie Mazet run tours and demonstrate la gavage – the controversial force-feeding process that helps fatten up the goose livers. You can also buy homemade foie gras in the shop.
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See wild boars being raised in semi-freedom on this farm just outside Mortemart. These porky cousins of the modern pig were once common across France, but their numbers have been reduced by habitat reduction and hunting. The boars are fed a rich diet of châtaignes (chestnuts), which gives the meat a distinctive nutty flavour. It’s a key ingredient in the hearty stew civet de sanglier, as well as pâtés and country terrines. There’s a farm shop where you can buy boar-themed goodies.
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The humble noix (walnut) has been a prized product of the Dordogne for centuries, and is still used in many local recipes – cakes, puddings, pancakes and breads, as well as liqueurs and huile de noix (walnut oil). At the Moulin de la Tour, the region’s last working watermill, you can watch walnut oil being made and stock up with nutty souvenirs. Don't miss the cerneaux de noix au chocolat (chocolate-covered walnuts) and gâteau de noix (walnut cake).
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About 8km west of Les Eyzies, near the hamlet of St-Cirq, this privately owned cave features several animal engravings dating from around 15,000 BC to 17,000 BC, but it’s best known for a human figure known as the Sorcier (Sorceror), who’s endowed with a phallus of truly enormous proportions, possibly indicating his shamanic status.
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Église Ste-Marie was ingeniously converted by acclaimed architect Jean Nouvel, whose parents still live in Sarlat, into the town’s touristy Marché Couvert. Its panoramic elevator (buy tickets at tourist office) offers 360-degree views across Sarlat’s countryside.
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Once part of Sarlat’s Cluniac abbey, the original abbey church was built in the 1100s, redeveloped in the early 1500s, and remodelled again in the 1700s, so it’s a real mix of styles. The belfry and western façade are the oldest parts of the building, while the nave, organ and interior chapels are later additions.
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Behind the cathedral, the Jardin des Enfeus was Sarlat’s first cemetery. The rocket-shaped Lanterne des Morts may have been built to honour a visit by St Bernard in 1147, one of the founders of the Cistercian order.