7 Days in the Dordogne Valley, France

Getting there

Getting to Sarlat from the UK is relatively easy, especially now the line to Bordeaux has reopened (unfortunately it was closed when I travelled in 2020). 

For simplicity's sake I booked through Eurostar to a nearby town called Brive-la-Gaillarde where I was then picked up by the family I was staying with. If you do not have family conveniently located at your holiday destination then you could spend the night in Brive and travel on to Sarlat the following day. 

However, now that the Sarlat station has reopened (it was closed for improvements) I would travel via Bordeaux or Perigueux as they both have direct lines to Sarlat. Bear in mind you may want or need to have a ‘layover’, particularly if you travel via Perigueux, due to time tables. 

Travelling from London St Pancras International with a quick change in Paris where you can grab lunch. I chose to walk across town from Paris Gare Du Nord to Paris Austerlitz as I had a two hour window to change, you could also take the subway system if you are more pressed for time.  

A more budget friendly option would be to take a night bus from London Victoria to Paris. I have done this and it’s worth bearing in mind that you have to exit the bus on the Channel ferry so you will not be able to sleep through the night undisturbed. 

Once you are in France the trains become a lot cheaper and nicer than you’d find in the UK. The SNCF website has a good english language option, and an app if you wish to go paperless. The attendants don’t really speak much english, but you are in France after all! The Man in Seat 61 is a good resource if you would like more advice about booking french trains.

Getting around 

Sarlat is a beautiful town which is easy to walk around but if you want to take full advantage of the beautiful Dordogne valley you’ll need to hire some transport (or bring your own!)

Luckily there’s a couple of options in Sarlat for you. 

The tourism office in the Old CIty will be your best resource if you want ideas of how to get around, where to go, as well as market days in neighbouring town.

Liberty-Cycle Bike Hire will rent you a bike for between 100-150 € a week, with additional costs from things like baby seats and trailers if you need them. These get very busy in July and August, so you may need to book well ahead of time.

Buses to major tourist destinations, like Lascaux, can be found near the train station. 

There are also several companies that will rent canoes and kayaks so you can paddle down the Dordogne river and they’ll pick you up in a minivan to take you back to town.

There’s also two car hire options that can be found at Eurocar and Carrefour, which are walking distance from the town centre. 

The Randonee system in France is also extremely well established. Literally the french for ‘excursion’ there are several walks in the Dordogne, some of which start in Sarlat. 

Where to stay 

There are lots of places to stay in Sarlat and you can choose your preference between hotels, and AirBnBs (Chambre d’Hote). If you are planning on visiting in peak season (July and August) you will need to book well ahead.

Les Chambres d'Hotes D' Alisa & Daniel is a lovely little BnB just on the doorstep of the old town in a quiet location. Alisa and Daniel are lovely people and their BnB has a small amount of parking if you chose to hire a car. 

There is also an Ibis further out of town which is closer to the train station if you would like to choose a cheaper, but far less romantic, option. 

Where to eat in Sarlat:

Maison Lissajoux:

Run by a chef who used to work in London before deciding to move back to France. This is the place to go for the gorgeous cream based pastries France is so well known for. 

Jon will also make gluten free bread if you place an order the day before if need be

Pâtisserie Massoulier:

Situated along the main road running through the old town this is a wonderful little cafe for people watching. And they do a breakfast deal! The pastries are also delicious if you're looking for elevensies or afternoon nibbles.

Le Sigoules:

Affectionately known in my family as "Natalie’s" this is a true French bistro. With a set lunch menu that changes daily you'll be seated with all the locals on their lunch break. Be prepared for a four course meal of delicious food with a side of wine (or water) and a "do you want it or not" approach to menus for under 20 euros. The staff are lovely but don't speak much english (this is a restaurant for locals) so just sit back and enjoy. 

When my dad and uncle visited Sarlat a few years ago they complained about all the weight they gained after eating at Natalie’s everyday!

5 Must sees

• Lascaux
  II or IV depending on your choice. I think that II gives you a better feel of the original caves, IV is better if you have kids or want to get a more comprehensive background

• La Roque-Gageac
  A lovely example of the cliff/cave dwelling village which was common in region for millennium where you can watch kayakers (or the odd viking tour boat) drifting past on the grassy banks next to the Dordogne river. Bring a picnic or grab lunch from a cafe or the market if you’re there on the right day. Alternatively, you could book a table at La Belle Etoile if you’re feeling fancy. 

• Milandes
  Josephine Baker’s palace in France that has a plenty to do, beautiful gardens, sumptuous interiors, and brilliantly highlights an incredibly interesting woman’s life

• The Water Gardens, Carsac-Alliac They are beautiful to wander around, you let you understand why water gardens were so popular historically in hot parts of the world.

• Castlenaud

A true medieval castle that was a staging ground during the Hundred Years Wars. It has brilliant views, an approach that sets the atmosphere, and is a great way to spend a few hours scrambling up and down turrets or across keeps.

7 day-Itinerary 

I recommend rejigging some of the days to take advantage of market days but you should do all of them. 

I was staying with family and working remotely, so was able to spread out my sightseeing which is why you might notice my shirts changing in pictures. 

Day 1 - London - Sarlat-la-Caneda 

I’ve largely detailed this above. Go via Paris and Bordeaux where you can grab a quick lunch and afternoon nibbles before arriving in Sarlat in time for a late dinner. 

Day 2 - Lascaux & Les Eyzies-de-Tayac 

This is the day trip to Lascaux you absolutely cannot skip! Grab the bus from town to Montignac where the Lascaux caves are situated. 

The caves at Lascaux are some of the most beautiful paleolithic cave paintings that can be found in Europe. Discovered in the 1940s and opened to the public in the 1950s, unfortunately this began to damage the original paintings so they have created two beautiful replicas of the caves Lascaux II and Lascaux IV, not sure what happened to Lascaux III.

 
If you want to get a sense of the original cave go to Lascaux II where they take you into replica underground caves and do part of the tour by torch light. It just brings the paintings to life and gives you such a wonderful sense of the original caves.
If you want to get a more rounded view, have limited mobility, claustrophobia, or children then Lascaux IV might be better for you. A huge modern building with exhibitions and regulator tours in several languages so that the walls of the caves more spread out and gives a much broader historical background with all the bells and whistles. 

You can go and grab some lunch from the cafe at Lascaux or walkabout 20 minuets to Montignac where there is a lot more choice and you can pick a restaurant on the river. 

If you’re feeling the paleolithic history (and have a car) I would recommend going on to Les Eyzies-de-Tayac where there is the National Museum of Prehistory, where I spent a solid 4 hours geeking out. Once you’ve wound your way through the displays the viewing platform gives gorgeous views of the valley below. There is also access to a real paleolithic cave, with paintings, that you can actually go in though you will need to book ahead.

Day 3 - Perigueux 

Once you’ve done the pre-history of the region then move on to a slightly more modern by moving on to the Roman era. Easily accessible by train from Sarlat by train.

I loved going to the museum of the villa where they focus on the mixture of Roman and Gallic culture in the region. It also has a good audio guide so you can get a better context of the exhibitions.
The market, held on Wednesdays, is based in the (medieval) old town and is well worth exploring and is a good place to scout for lunch options. But be warned, it gets very busy.

Other highlights of the town are the Cathedral and the museum, which is oddly well stocked for being a small regional museum. 

Day 4 - Castelnaud & La Roque-Gageac & Domme & Carsac-Aillac

Moving on to the medieval era! (I swear I didn’t intend to make this a chronologically historical tour of Dordogne). This is the day where I would most suggest you hire a car or bike, alternatively if you are staying longer you could split this day up.

Starting with Castelnaud, a 13th century castle where the French would stare down the English across the river in Beynac castle during the Hundred years war. The path winds up through the surrounding village to the actual castle adding to the ambiance and setting the vibe for the castle before you go in. The castle itself has been beautifully rebuilt, and often has demonstrations of the trebuchets or blacksmiths demonstrating how to make simple items like nails. But the true selling point is the panoramic views of the Dordogne valley and river below. 

Once you have finished at Castelnaud, resist the crepe stands and make your way down and on to La Roque-Gageac by winding your way along the Dordogne river. One of my favorite towns to visit, set under a cliff face with kayakers drifting past. La Belle Etoile in town does delicious food with a shaded balcony facing the river. Or if you time your trip well you could arrive just as the market is wrapping up. You can wander up and round the town which goes surprisingly far up the cliff, with plenty of small parks to explore. Or grassy banks of the river to run around.

Moving on upstream and uphill to Domme where you can find more panoramic views of the valley and some of the delicious ice cream. (Please appreciate how much I love having my photo taken below)

Finally the water gardens at Carsac-Aillac. These are a little hidden but wonderfully cool to walk around on a hot day. This was also one of my highlights of the trip, I had a great time wandering around spotting all the frogs hanging out on the lilly pads and enjoying the shade of the bamboo forest. 

Day 5 - Sarlat

Held on Wednesdays and Saturday mornings it is a perfect example of how markets are an absolute institution in France. Winding its way through the old town and beyond this is absolutely heaving in July and August but still well worth a shuffle through, even if half of Paris has descended on the town. For a more authentic experience try to get there at about 7am before the crowds show up. 

Stop by the old Church for the permanent market, you can identify it by the massive doors (they'rethe giant grey things in the picture above). The market as a whole has an eclectic collection of food and tourist tat. Perigord (the “county” of Dordogne you’re in) produces lots of duck, walnuts, truffles, and foie gras. You will easily notice this in the market where every other stall is selling at least one of the above, occasionally interspersed with local grandmothers selling cheese from their goats. The Church market is a good place to poke about and pick up picnic supplies if you can’t make the market say itself, but you would be cheating yourself out of the true French market experience. 

Other places to visit in Sarlat include going to visit the geese and the small museum, situated just round the corner from the old church. There’s also a multitude of art shops, often tucked into little courtyards just to the side, if you see a path that looks interesting then by all means follow it!

Day 6 - Beynac & Milandes

Beynac and Milandes (along with Castelnaud) are some of the best castles of the Dordogne. They are also polar opposites of each other. 

 Beynac is the castle opposite Castlenaud where the English were based during the Hundred Years Wars. Richard the Lionheart even spent some time there. Another beautiful medieval castle, painstakingly restored to its former glory where you can easily spend several hours winding your way up and down the turrets, across the courtyards, and easily expect a character from Game of Thrones to appear from around the corner.

Milandes on the other hand. 

Milandes was once owned by Josephine Baker, the exotic dancer, civil rights icon, member of the French resistance, and all round awesome woman. To reduce Josephine Baker down to the banana skirt is to be thinking with your downstairs brain.  is to think with your downstairs brain. With beautiful gardens where you can stroll around. If you have kids it would be the perfect day trip with plenty of nooks and crannies to explore in the garden. The palace itself, once a safe house for the French resistance, is a beautiful example of 20/30s extravagance in line with Josephine’s taste and the peak of her fame. Has exhibitions on her life that focus on her role in the US civil rights movement, which influenced her decision to move to France to escape racism during the 1930s, and her role in the French resistance during WW2. By the time World War Two kicked off she had toured Europe several times and thus was known by the Nazi occupying forces, but still felt the need to protect her adopted home of France to hide Resistance members and explosives in the basement. The exhibitions follow on to her later life and her children, but I shan’t spoil it for you. 

You can visit the tree house and avery to say hi to the little birds as they flit round your head, head up to the cafe to grab a gourmet lunch or afternoon tea, tour the chateau, and finish up with the birds of prey show held daily. 

Day 7 - Sarlat-la-Caneda to London - Friday 

Grab the train from Sarlat back via Bordeaux and Paris.