Moissac

There’s one reason to make the trip to Moissac, but it’s a solid five-star reason: the Abbaye de St-Pierre, one of the crown jewels…

Figeac

Figeac, the metropolis of the Célé valley, has more than one feather in its cap. It gave the world Jean-François Champollion, the linguistic wizard…

Cahors

The immediate surroundings of Cahors are some of the most discouraging landscapes in all France. The anomic clutter of the newer parts of town…

Grotte de Font-de-Gaume

Thirteen visitors at a time are allowed into Font-de-Gaume, a 10-minute walk east along the D47 in Les Eyzies region. It has nothing less…

Rocamadour

Rocamadour proudly bills itself as the ‘Second Site in France’, after Mont St-Michel. The two share extraordinary, fantastical settings, the very kind of naturally…

Sarlat

Sarlat is one of the most beautiful and distinctive towns in France and the choicest stretch of the Dordogne as it flows out of…

Périgueux

Set in a privileged, fertile valley on the River Isle, the capital of the Dordogne département is a cheerful city of 31,600 people who…

St-Émilion

In 1999, UNESCO designated St-Émilion as a World Heritage Site for being ‘an outstanding example of a historic vineyard landscape that has survived intact…

Toulouse

One thing that keeps this region from nodding off in its vats of duck fat and wine is this big pink dynamo on the…

When to visit Dordogne & Lot

Winter can be a bleak time to visit Dordogne & Lot outside of Bordeaux and Toulouse, which are always lively and full of things…

Travel and visas in Dordogne & Lot

Visas Citizens of EU member states and holders of passports from some 50 nations do not need a visa for stays of 90 days or less…

Health and safety in Dordogne & Lot

Health EU citizens with an EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) are entitled to care in Dordogne & Lot from the national health system (which…

Food and drink in Dordogne & Lot

Food Restaurants A full-on meal in Dordogne & Lot takes at least 2 hours and begins with an apéritif, hors d’œuvres (or amuse-bouches), a starter (entrée), a fish…

Dordogne & Lot: featuring Bordeaux and Toulouse

For if nothing else, southwest France is indeed a fine place to hear yourself think. The great wine helps, of course, and the delicious…

Fairytale castles: the best châteaux in Dordogne

You’ll be spoilt for choice.