Situated in Southwestern France, the Dordogne Valley is an incredibly rich region known for its ancient castles, prehistoric caves, and vibrant villages. We spent an unforgettable week exploring the area last summer, with a stone cottage in the tiny village of Cubjac serving as our home base. Wondering how to spend a week in the Dordogne? Here’s our full itinerary, including where we stayed and our favorite activities.
Getting to and around the Dordogne
You will need a car to properly explore the Dordogne region, also called the Perigord. This is the French countryside, with many of its attractions spread out across winding country roads. We found that our most economical option was to rent a car for the week at Bordeaux’s train station, after arriving via TGV (high-speed train) from Paris. From there, it was an easy, scenic two-hour drive into the Dordogne region.
Where we stayed in the Dordogne
For our family, our week in the Dordogne was about enjoying some peace and quiet between stops in Paris and Bordeaux. While there are plenty of quaint villages and small towns where you could stay in a hotel or rent a house, we wanted to stay in the countryside. And if you search Airbnb or VRBO for home rentals in the Dordogne, you’ll find there is no shortage of truly stunning properties to choose from.
This is a popular destination in the summer, and prices are highest in July and August. Because we were traveling the last week in June, we managed to book a week at a beautiful gite on an estate outside of the village of Cubjac before their rates shot up.
This was hands down one of my favorite places we’ve ever stayed. The house itself was an ancient stone barn that had been lovingly restored into a cozy and luxurious little cottage. There was a beautiful pool on the grounds surrounded by gardens, a lavender field, farm animals, and a hiking trail through the forest. The owners were warm and gracious, and there was an incredible bakery in the nearby village where we could walk and get pastries each morning. I could have spent the entire summer there! Here’s a link to the house on Airbnb, if you’re interested.
What we did in the Dordogne
There’s so much to do in the region, it can be difficult to narrow down what to do. Luckily, we had the help of our kind hosts to plan an itinerary that hit some of the top spots in the region according to our family’s varied interests. Here are some of my top recommendations for things to do in the Dordogne:
- Visit Chateaux. There are tons of castles in this region of France, ranging from fairytale chateaux to medieval fortresses. Most of the major chateaux are set up to welcome visitors, allowing you to explore both inside and out while learning about the history of the place. We visited Château de Hautefort and Château de Beynac — both were spectacular in their own way.
- See Some Prehistoric Sites. Just north of the village of Sarlat-la-Canéda, the Vézère Valley is home to nearly 150 archaeological deposits and 25 sites featuring cave art, including 15 that are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We visited Lascaux, an exact reproduction of a paleolithic cave filled with drawings — it’s been called the Sistine Chapel of Prehistory. (The original cave is no longer open to visitors in order to protect it.) We also loved La Roque Saint-Christophe, a troglodyte site featuring caves carved into a massive limestone cliff that were occupied since prehistoric times. Truly breathtaking.
- Visit the Villages on Market Day. Our hosts provided a handy list of when and where we could find the best markets in the region — they took place in different villages each day. We planned our village excursions around their market days, knowing that’s when the villages would be most alive. We loved exploring the medieval village of Sarlat-la-Canéda as well as the larger town of Perigueux on market day. There are so many other cute-looking Dordogne villages we didn’t get a chance to check out, like La Roque-Gageac, Domme, and Belvès.
Besides these activities, we spent a lot of time simply lounging around our little cottage, swimming in the pool and having simple meals in the garden. Turns out, one week isn't nearly enough time to enjoy all that the Dordogne has to offer. That's why we're already planning our return trip this spring! Stay tuned for part two of our favorite things to do in the Dordogne.