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1. Dordogne region maps and visitor information movie#
2. Dordogne region maps and visitor information full#
3. Dordogne region maps and visitor information portable#

If you like Cro-Magnon art, you’ll find the Dordogne a Cro-Magnet. The Dordogne is popular for its cuisine and canoe trips, but it’s famous for prehistoric cave paintings, known worldwide for their remarkably modern-looking technique, beauty, and mystery. From the condition of the castles, it looks like France won. The brooding, cliff-clinging Château de Beynac hosted the French during the Hundred Years’ War, while the British set up across the river at Castelnaud. Then you’ll float past the perfectly preserved medieval village of Beynac, climbing like a sepia-toned film set from the beach to the castle above. Farther downstream is the dramatic Château of Castelnaud, with its huge model of a medieval catapult silhouetted menacingly against the sky. Keep an eye out for the La Roque's village pétanque court-watch the balls roll as you glide by.

Dordogne region maps and visitor information movie#

The little tour boats on the river (dolled up, of course) were used in the movie Chocolat. Beach yourself on the stone ramp to enjoy La Roque's tiny town center and restaurants. You’ll see La Roque-Gageac, sculpted out of the rock between the river and the cliffs, and a contender on all the "cutest towns in France" lists. You’ll paddle through lush, forested land past the fortified hill town of Domme.

Dordogne region maps and visitor information portable#

All along the way, expect friendly waves from the locals, whose riverside picnics are actually elaborate campouts, complete with portable gazebos, tables, and chairs. The 9-mile paddle will take you about two hours. Beynac, with its impressive castle and pleasant hotels and restaurants, is a great place to end your journey. The town of Vitrac, on the river close to Sarlat, is a handy starting point. Many rental places will pick you and your canoe up at an agreed-upon spot, making for a fun round-trip and a great family activity. You can rent modern, light, and indestructible plastic canoes or kayaks for about $15 per person. Trade in your spear for some oars on a peaceful canoe trip-by far the best way to see the Dordogne River Valley. Short taxi rides or minivan excursions can help fill the gaps. Seeing the rest of the Dordogne region is a joy for drivers, but without a car you're like a caveman without a spear. Farmers Denis and Nathalie Mazat lead a 1-hour, kid-friendly tour each evening. One such farm is Elevage du Bouysson, a pastoral goose farm a short drive from Sarlat on D-704. They also say the birds' massive gullets and expandable liver (used to store lots of fat for their long migrations) are designed to take in food like this.Īt nearby farms-signed “gavage”-you can see the process for yourself. But French enthusiasts say the birds are calm and the process is painless. Foie gras tastes like butter and costs like gold (up to $22 for a solid tuna-can-sized chunk).įorce-feeding geese, a process called “la gavage,” is controversial, with animal rights' groups viewing the geese as tortured prisoners. The region's speciality is goose- or duck-liver pâté, or foie gras, which means "fattened liver." Geese and ducks are force-fed, denied exercise, and slaughtered for their enlarged liver.

Dordogne region maps and visitor information full#

The evolved hunter-gatherer will come away with a basket full of gourmet delicacies: gorgeous strawberries, Cabécou and Auvergne cheeses, wild mushrooms (truffles), confit de canard (hunks of duck smothered in white fat), and everything walnut-including walnut bread and walnut mustard. Outdoor markets thrive in Sarlat on Wednesday mornings and all day Saturday, when the entire town is a splash of colorful stalls. For a $3 fee, they can also reserve your hotel room or time slot for a prehistoric cave visit.

You can pick up maps, brochures on regional sights, and information on canoe rentals at the tourist information office, near the Cathedral of St. Make a point to wander through Sarlat's main squares, and check out the Lantern of the Dead monument (dating from the 12th century, built to commemorate the end of a plague).

The town is small enough that everything is an easy walk from the town center, even for the fossils among us. Warmly lit at night, Sarlat is ideal for after-dinner strolls. It's a captivating tangle of traffic-free, golden cobblestone lanes peppered with beautiful buildings. 9,700), a pedestrian-filled banquet of a town amid the Dordogne's forested hills. The highlight: spine-tingling prehistoric cave art. The attractions here are au naturale-a dreamy blend of rock-sculpted villages, fertile farms, photogenic vistas, gourmet cuisine, and relaxed canoe rides. The town of Perigord, with a spectacular castle at its peak, in Dordogne, France.įind your inner cave man on a trip to France's Dordogne River Valley.