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!
The Dordogne region in France
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:
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May 24, 2026 at 9:52 am
It looks just beautiful. We’re doing southern France in the fall so it was great to see all your stops.
Stay safe,
Steve
May 26, 2026 at 3:00 pm
Hi Steve,
If you’ve never been to (Southern) France, you’re in for a treat! I’m sure you and Annie would love to wander around all the narrow alleys and take in the medieval architecture. And I’m sure you’ll be staying in some cute lodgings as well.
May 24, 2026 at 11:19 am
It is rather ironic that you’ve traveled to so many places far from Belgium, yet feel you don’t know much about your neighbor, France. I like those kinds of surprises when the unexpected turns pleasant.
May 26, 2026 at 3:03 pm
Hi Pete,
That’s what I sometimes think as well. As a world traveler, I sure don’t know much about my southern neighbor! But, to be fair, I always said I’d save Europe for “when I’m old”, because this continent is so much easier to explore than others.
The only times I’d gone to Spain and Southern France before this year was on family summer vacations, when I was a child. So, these are fun and unexpected discoveries. It also turned out pleasant, because we didn’t have any expectations or grand plans.
May 24, 2026 at 11:21 am
This is such a happy post, Liesbet! In spite of the dead spider. (Gasp!)
I believe I’d love to explore the Dordogne. The scenery and architecture are so beautiful. And you got to visit with a cousin who brings doggie bones for Maya. Win-Win! 😀
May 26, 2026 at 3:05 pm
Hi Marian,
I guess southern France impressed both of us at the very same time, so that was special. I can’t believe I’d never been to these medieval villages when I still lived in Belgium.
Maya loves my cousin, Griet, since she always brings goodies for her. And for us!!
May 24, 2026 at 11:37 am
What a fun trip. I–of course–spend time on your photo of prehistoric France (and the early man–I assume by their appearance they were my folks though they were labeled as H.sapiens). My newest trilogy takes place partly along the Rhone in France–close to the Alps. There are interesting Neanderthal relics there.
May 26, 2026 at 3:09 pm
Jacqui,
I think the prehistoric aspect of France is a good reason for you to come explore it all in person and in depth. Maybe you can deduct it as a business expense! 🙂 You’ll love it here. There are still a lot of old caves, but the most famous and special one (Lascaux) has been closed to the public and reproduced nearby.
May 24, 2026 at 12:32 pm
I can see why the dordogne is so popular! It looks beautiful. I like how you have a network of travelling friends that you meet up with in different parts of the world. But the dead spider – ugh!
May 26, 2026 at 3:11 pm
Hi Anabel,
We love meeting friends all over the world. I sometimes imagine taking a trip through Europe just to see everyone we’ve met on the road or the water before. The biggest concentration of them now lives (or travels) in Europe!
May 24, 2026 at 5:19 pm
I know very little about Europe. So thanks for these little tours. I love all your pictures.
May 26, 2026 at 3:12 pm
Hi Duwan,
I think you – and us – would love exploring Europe by camper! One day… And, as it turns out, I know very little about some parts of Europe as well. 🙂
May 26, 2026 at 9:07 am
A dead spider in the pasta sauce! Yuk! I hope the restaurant refunded you or at least wiped the drinks you all had from the bill. Liesbet.
The cobbled streets look fantastic. Imagine being the only tourists in town. Those steps must have done well on your step totals, though. The campsite also looks amazing.
Belgium chocolate and port! What a nice combination.
May 26, 2026 at 3:19 pm
Hi Hugh,
The restaurant manager did indeed subtract my meal from the bill, although he didn’t quite seem to believe that the spider was actually in the food. I did show it to the waitress and kept it on the side of my plate until the end, but I wished I’d told them about it earlier, the moment my cousin spotted the spider in the sauce. (I have bad eyesight and would have just eaten it without her keen eye.) Thing is, I was so hungry that I wanted to keep eating my food instead of returning it, waiting again, and starting over…
We really loved the towns in the Dordogne and while our step count wasn’t too memorable since the villages were small, our heart points were up from all the climbing. 🙂
The best thing about the port and chocolate we had as dessert, was that both came from the best countries to produce them!
May 26, 2026 at 1:05 pm
Wow, we should have spent more time exploring that area!
May 26, 2026 at 3:21 pm
Hi Leslie,
Maybe you can go back to the Dordogne one day? On a river cruise?
By the way, we just saw two Sprinter Westfalias 4WD come on the market in Germany. If only they didn’t have over 200,000 miles on the odometer…
May 27, 2026 at 7:57 pm
How nice that you’re finally getting some pleasant surprises! And enjoying good company, too. I sighed with envy when you said Wim is a microbrewer. It’s too bad you can’t enjoy his artistry – I’d love to try his beers!
June 5, 2026 at 5:03 am
Hi Diane,
If you ever make it to Belgium, let me know. Wim is a very social, friendly, generous, and hospitable guy and I happily put you in touch with him so you can try his beer masterpieces. The Dordogne region in France was a super pleasant surprise and we happily go back there one day. Maybe to look at land, haha.
June 9, 2026 at 1:20 pm
You? Settle down on land? *jaw drops*
I don’t know if I’ll ever make it to Europe, but Wim’s beer gives me an excellent reason to try – thanks! 🙂
June 9, 2026 at 3:51 pm
🙂
May 28, 2026 at 8:20 pm
Wow, thanks for sharing this beautiful part of France with us. But, omg, finding a spider in your sauce! I surely hope you were WELL compensated. 😍
June 5, 2026 at 5:18 am
Hi Debby,
The Dordogne region was such a lovely surprise. The history and the architecture were very interesting and we loved it. Probably because we had no expectations. I can’t believe I had no idea about France’s beauty, being from Belgium.
I should have showed the waitress the dead spider when my cousin first discovered it in my sauce (I’m blind without wearing my glasses and would have just devoured the extra protein) but I was so hungry and didn’t want to wait for replacement food. So, I put the spider on the side of the plate, stared at it while finishing my meal (not the best idea as all of a sudden it didn’t taste so good anymore), and pointed it out to the waitress when she picked up our empty plates. She thought the spider had fallen from the awning above us, but this was certainly not the case as it was dead and mixed in with the sauce in the food and not lying on top of it.
Anyway, she must have mentioned something about it to the manager, who discounted my meal from the total bill. This was great, but I could tell he didn’t totally believe my story.