Great sites abound in this beautiful region which combines architecture, culture, Prehistory, charming villages and an exceptional natural environment. Its capital, Périgueux, a listed Town of Art and History, has a great deal to offer with its remarkable heritage, old town, and ancient Gallo-Roman quarter celebrated by the Vesunna Museum. A stroll around the cobbled streets of the sublime medieval town of Sarlat-la-Canéda is a real journey through time. The half-timbered houses and sumptuous mansions are visually stunning.
In the Dordogne Valley, many sites vie to be the most harmonious and graceful: Beynac-et-Cazenac and its castle perched on a cliff, the village of Domme on its rocky spur, La Roque-Gageac and its exotic garden, and the castles of Les Milandes, Montfort or Fénelon. There are also many other impressive places, such as the abbey and the Monks' Garden (Jardin des Moines) in the town of Brantôme, known as the Venice of Périgord, or the old medieval city of Bergerac, famous for its vineyards. Each village has its own identity and distinctive appeal. Often listed, they succeed each other without competing, to the delight of walkers.
Périgord is also a major Prehistory destination. The world-famous Lascaux Cave, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that has been closed to visitors since 1963 for conservation reasons, can still be enjoyed by exploring its facsimiles. Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil, whose many prehistoric sites in the Vézère Valley make it the world capital for such attractions, also enchants walkers with its cave houses.
Hikers in search of tranquillity can enjoy the wild and soothing spaces of the Périgord-Limousin Regional Nature Park, and lovers of remarkable gardens will be thrilled by the hanging gardens of Marqueyssac or those of Eyrignac Manor. The Périgord countryside is just as generous. It offers an abundance of ceps, walnuts and chestnuts as well as the prestigious truffle, and the local restaurants are worthy of all the region's treasures!
