Exploring the Dordogne in Southern France with Family

While our week in Libourne was a positive first taste of Southern France, our week in the Dordogne sealed the deal about us really loving this area – and being surprised about that!

Our perceived notions steered us towards Andalusia, Spain, to gauge it as a potential place to grow roots one day. France had never been on the radar, because we didn’t know much about this country (despite it being next door to Belgium) and encounters with French people around the world hadn’t been pleasant, generally. We obviously should reconsider and look forward to exploring more of France in the future!

Périgueux

But let’s get back to the middle of April, when my cousin, Griet, and her husband, Wim, picked us up at the train station of Périgueux after our one-hour ride with Maya and the luggage. To our surprise – but not theirs – all our belongings fit next to their vacation gear in the magical trunk.

(As always, hover over or click on the photos in galleries to read their caption.)

Since this was the start of our Dordogne travels, we began with a walk through the region’s capital Périgueux itself, hitting some of the highlights and chatting with friendly locals.

We didn’t have a lot of time, but strolled through some of the narrow streets, discovered a nice park, and photographed historic buildings.

Saint-Avit-de-Vialard

The four of us had rented a small mobile home at a campground in Saint-Avit-de-Vialard, which is a popular way to vacation in France. There are a lot of facilities – bathrooms, swimming pools, laundry, a restaurant, and a shop – of which we only used the bakery section in the store.

This is not really our style of accommodation, but when you’re in good company, the place you stay in doesn’t matter so much. Plus, this last cabin on the property was in a great location, far from the entrance and the commotion and next to nature.

We really lucked out with the sunny weather during our time in the Dordogne! We ate every single meal outside on the patio and managed to explore the region in depth and in shorts.

Limeuil

Our first afternoon excursion took place in Limeuil, another picture-perfect historic village. It swiftly became our favorite one in France.

The five of us climbed the hill and strolled through the medieval streets, taking in its beauty and cleanliness. We seemed to be the only tourists around on this weekday, which made the experience extra special.

Les Eyzies

It had been a while since we had gone for a hike in nature. So, one day, our group spent three hours walking along a river and in the forest, taking a break by a pond to eat our sandwich lunches.

Beynac-et-Cazenac

On the Sunday of our stay, we planned a busy itinerary of three villages in a day! The first one was Beynac-et-Cazenac, which we explored for an hour and a half.

It’s a pretty and steep medieval town that offers views over the Dordogne River, where we concluded our visit, eating the sandwiches we’d brought with us.

La Roque-Gageac

The village of La Roque-Gageac had similarities with its predecessor, but was even steeper to explore.

Some buildings, like the fort, had been incorporated into the rocks. Parts of town had a tropical feeling to them, which made it a bit different from its picturesque neighbors.

Domme

From Domme, the biggest and most popular of the threesome, we could actually see La Roque-Gageac. That’s how close they are. By the time we arrived here, all of us were pretty spent from climbing the hills these villages are located on.

We did manage a nice walking tour through town, led by Wim, to check out some of the historic buildings and attractive views. When we saw the high prices for drinks and ice cream, we decided to return to our cabin for happy hour.

Wim is a micro brewer and his beers (called Leste) are excellent according to my husband and many other beer connoisseurs. His car stored many of those. The irony is that his wife, just like me, doesn’t drink beer. Luckily, the wine in France isn’t too shabby either.

A visit from friends

Mark, Maya, and I met Shani, Todd, and their dog Sebastian two years ago in Northern Argentina. We immediately hit it off and stayed in touch. When they learned we were located along their route south, they paid us a visit with their motorhome.

Our group enjoyed a fun and relaxing afternoon and evening together, chatting and eating and drinking very well. Dinner was a special occasion: duck in wine sauce (a salmon burger for me) with mixed vegetables from the grill, string beans with almond slivers, and a Belgian endive (witlof) salad. Dessert consisted of Belgian chocolate and port from Porto. Yum!!

Sarlat-la-Canéda

Our last day in the Dordogne had arrived already. There was one more destination on the agenda, which might have been everyone’s highlight: the medieval town of Sarlat-la-Canéda.

Unfortunately, it was market day on Saturday, so the center of town was swamped. We managed to somewhat avoid the crowds by circling around them and opting for the quieter alleys.

This town was gorgeous – somewhat similar to the others, but on steroids. Pretty much every single building was attractive, so it’s no surprise that Sarlat-la-Canéda has been placed on France’s tentative list for nomination as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We strolled through the maze of inviting streets and alleyways, stumbled upon hidden squares, and gazed at elegant townhouses – sometimes timbered – with slate roofs.

On this last day, we splurged with a lunch out, opting for an Italian restaurant with a wide choice of dishes (Mark ordered the duck pizza) and an attractive courtyard in the back. My salmon tagliatelle meal was delicious as well, until I found a dead spider in the sauce. 

The following day, it was time for our group to head north to Burgundy, our last stop before Belgium. Stay tuned!

Next up: A quick visit to Burgundy, France, with family

Curious about a previous ten-year chapter in our nomadic lives, which includes eight years aboard a 35-foot sailboat in the tropics with dogs? Check out my compelling, inspiring, and refreshingly honest travel memoir: