Visit to Dordogne

Bergerac - Castelnaud - Marqueyssac - La Roque Gageac - Domme - Sarlat - Beynac - Belves - Monpazier - Biron

The Dordogne, and more precisely the Perigord, is a region nearby Bordeaux, full with well-preserved castles and medieval villages in a lovely environment of vineyards and smooth hills. The gastronomy is excellent and there era numerous cheap and charming accommodations. This is a region that people in general are unaware of, and that we enjoyed really very much. In addition it is very comfortable the fact that the interesting places are very close one from each other, so you don't spend much time in travelling.

The best way to move here is the car. The French people respect all the traffic rules and they drive very slowly in general, so depending on where you are from, be prepared to keep patient.
The land of Perigord has many tourist spots but we centred in the valley of the river Dordogne.
When going towards our accommodation we made a stop to see Bergerac.

Bergerac is placed on both sides of the river Dordogne. During the 14th century they supplied with wine to the English kingdom, thus acquiring importance and prosperity. From then the city has been a big wine producer because the river offers ideal conditions for the vineyards, which surround the city everywhere. In the old part we can see many houses of this époque, and also from 15th and 16th centuries, although all of them have been modified during restorations.

I have to point that the historical centre is pedestrian and hence very tranquil and nice, with terraces scattered through the squares.
Although the name of the second city of the Perigord is famous because the long noised poet Cyrano de Bergerac, they have no links. However you will find a statue of him.
It is possible to take cruises along the river or to visit some small museums. The city has some charm although we liked a bit more other villages of the zone. Half a day is enough to see it and walk slowly across the old city.

We went on along the pretty road that shows nice corners and views, while going round the river throughout one bank or the other. We arrived in our hostel, cheap, correct and with swimming pool. But the best feature is its situation (near everything) and views (from our window we could see the Dordogne valley with Castelnaud and Marqueyssac). Through this region there are several authentic establishments in old buildings or surprising places.