Welcome to The Dordogne
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.
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The Dordogne activities
Lascaux IV and The Art of the Caves in Sarlat
Some 15,000 years B.C. unknown artists created breathtaking cave paintings of which the most extraordinary examples are found in the Dordogne area. During this day you will be introduced to this fascinating art and to the people who made it.Begin the day in Les Eyzies de Tayac for a guided visit of the National Prehistory Museum. Opened in 2004, this national museum possesses the largest collection of prehistoric artefacts in the world.Continue to Montignac where you will visit Lascaux IV cave, a perfect reproduction of the original cave. Opened in 2016, Lascaux IV is a triumph of technology. Unlike any other cave visits, Lascaux 4 is employing different set designs, displays, state-of-the-art interactive workshops, and immersive technology to bring it to life. In fact, the atmosphere inside the replica cave is just like that of a real cave: dark, damp, and muffled.Finally, end the tour with the visit of Rouffignac Cave that possesses original and authentic etchings and drawings. The Rouffignac cave was already mentioned in 1575 by François de Belleforest. In his Cosmographie universelle he cites “paintings and animal traces”. In the 19th century the cave was known as a tourist attraction. Famous archaeologists like Henry Breuil, André Glory and Martel had visited the cave in the early 20th century, but it was only in 1956 when Louis-René Nougier and Romain Robert, two pre-historians from the Pyrenees, rediscovered and confirmed the cave art. After the visit, return to Sarlat.
Half day Tour of The Villages of the Dordogne
Drive to the beautiful village of Domme. With its trapezoid city plan, Domme is a bastide (a fortified medieval town) adapted to the surrounding terrain, and thus falling short of the rectangular city plan characteristic to bastides. The village is classified as one of the "Plus Beaux Villages de France" ("The Most Beautiful Villages of France"). In 1307, Knight Templars were imprisoned in Domme while during the Hundred Years' War, the bastide was coveted by the English who first took the town in 1347 and repeatedly changed rulers throughout the war until 1437 when it finally fell under French rule again.Then drive to La Roque Gageac and enjoy a peaceful cruise on the the Dordogne River on board an authentic Gabarre to admire mighty castles that line the river.Finally, reach Beynac to admire the village and the Castle. This Middle Ages construction, with its austere appearance, is perched on top of a limestone cliff, dominating the town and the north bank of the Dordogne River. The castle was built from the 12th century by the barons of Beynac (one of the four baronies of Périgord) to close the valley. The sheer cliff face being sufficient to discourage any assault from that side, the defences were built up on the plateau: double crenellated walls, double moats, one of which was a deepened natural ravine, double barbican.
Pech Merle Cave and Saint Cirq Lapopie Village Visit from Sarlat
The Quercy region is on your program for today. We first head towards the fascinating cave of Perch Merle that still bears some authentic cave drawings, paintings and etchings. Extending for more than a mile from the entrance are caverns, the walls of which are painted with dramatic murals dating from the Gravettian culture (some 25,000 years B.C.) Some of the paintings and engravings, however, could date from the later Magdalenian era (16,000 years B.C.). The walls of seven of the chambers at Pech Merle have fresh, lifelike images of a woolly mammoth, spotted horses, single colour horses, bovine, reindeer, hand prints. Footprints of children, preserved in what was once clay, have been found more than half a mile underground.After the visit of the cave, we depart for the wonderful village of St Cirq Lapopie, known to be the most beautiful of all the beautiful villages of France. Its position, originally selected for defence, perched on a steep cliff 100m above the river Lot has helped make the town one of the most well preserved in the area, almost as if it was an open air museum. After it was "discovered" by the Post-Impressionist Henri Martin, it became popular with other artists and the home of the writer André Breton.Finally, stop in Cahors to admire the only remaining medieval fortified bridge of Europe, the Valentré bridge.
Half Day Tour of Rocamadour from Sarlat
Depart for the pilgrimage and fortress village of Rocamadour that has attracted visitors for its setting in a gorge above a tributary of the River Dordogne. Here, follow your guide and visit the renowned Notre Dame Chapel, part of an extraordinary 13th-century chapel complex perched on a cliff and one of the most dramatic pilgrimage sites in Europe. Enjoy some free time for personal discovery and return to Sarlat.
Mobile Wifi Everywhere in Bergerac
Rent your personal 4G mobile hotspot, and enjoy internet where and when you want in Bergerac, share your memories instantly with your friends and family. Save on incredibly high data roaming coasts. You are unlimited. Absolutely unlimited data and you can share the connection with 10 WiFi enabled devices, simultaneously. Feel free to share it with your friends or family.The connection is ultra-fast if you are covered with 4G. If 4G is not available in your area, then you will be connected to the 3G+ or 3G network. You will receive your hotspot in a protective cover directly at your hotel or any place in Bergerac city centre.Just turn on the personal hotspot, on your WiFi enabled device (Smartphone, tablet, laptop or other), choose the hotspot's network name and you're connected. At the end of your rental, you just have to drop your package in any mailbox you can see! Ready to enjoy your stay in France!
Eyrignac Manor Gardens Independent Tour in Salignac
Visit: Les Jardins du Manoir d’EyrignacMake your own way to the Eyrignac Manor Gardens, located between Lascaux and Sarlat in the heart of the Salignac and Perigord Black (Perigord Noir) region of France's Dordogne.On arrival, show your ticket and head into the gardens: one of the best showcases of topiary in Europe, and classed as one of the 'Plus Beaux Jardins de France’ – the most beautiful gardens in France.Admire the honey-hued façade of the 17th-century manor house and amble around the 24-acre (10-hectare) gardens at leisure as you learn about their history and themes via the audio guide.Soak in the delicate montage and the kaleidoscope of greens presented by the sculpted box, yew, hornbeam, cypress, and ivy hedges and trees.Begun in the 18th century and inspired by the popular Italian gardens of the time, the gardens are divided into seven areas, including the Box Labyrinth, Plant Sculptures, the Manor and French Garden, Capucine’s Gardens, and the White Garden and Flower Meadow. Don’t miss the Kitchen Garden; the White Garden with its box hedges planted with white roses; and the many flowers and fruits growing together in the new Garden of Water Sources (Jardin des Sources).As you walk, drink in the wonderful intimacy of this private garden, which has been owned by the same family for over 22 generations, and who still take pride and care in maintaining the estate’s 500-year heritage.