I’m an expert on the Dordogne. Here’s where to stay

There is an impressive amount of history to be experienced first-hand, particularly its fabulous prehistoric cave paintings at Lascaux (a perfect re-creation cave can be visited, with the original, closed for protection, close by) and its bastide towns such as Monpazier and Domme, fortified and laid out in grid format during the above-mentioned war.

And of course there’s the river, with its rafting, kayaking, swimming and all its lazy meandering, winding past castellated villages and Michelin-starred restaurants that stand to attention along its banks.

That river runs across the midriff of what’s locally known as Périgord, headquartered in Périgueux in the north. Synonymous with the Dordogne, this region comes in four parts. The north is Périgord vert (green) for its wooded hills, the west Périgord blanc because of the chalk in its fields and its architecture. The southeast is Périgord pourpre (purple for the red wine), and the east Périgord noir (for its profusion of truffles).

My preferred way to get there is the ferry or tunnel to Calais then drive, but I’ve given options for flying or rail as well.

Whichever direction you go, this is a region beribboned with wiggly roads. A place for going nowhere fast, and being seduced by lovely property en route. You won’t be the first, of course: many of the establishments that we have picked out in the selection that follows — from hotels and chambres d’hôtes to villas you can enjoy all to yourself — are lovingly curated by people who have fallen under the spell of the Dordogne. And once you’ve experienced them, there’s a good chance you will too.

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1. Château de Belet, St-Astier

Top-end hotel with house party vibe
For anyone driving down from the UK, Belet is perfectly placed for a taste of a top-end château away from summer crowds. Sitting proud in 110 acres overlooking its own little river valley where wild boar roam, this is a spectacular property given a no-expense-spared makeover by the American couple Don and Jennifer MacDonald, who run it as an informal house party, with as much (or as little) interaction as you wish. Interiors are a showroom of top-notch château-phernalia, a post-modern Game of Thrones set, with designer ironmongery and expansive marbled bathrooms with underfloor heating. There’s a pool, and optional Belet experiences such as truffle-hunting.
Details B&B doubles from £146, two-night minimum stay (sawdays.co.uk). Fly or take the train to Bergerac

2. Le Moulin du Roc, Champagnac

Converted nut mill B&B near the river
There can’t be anywhere better for breakfast by the waterside. This former nut mill squats on a tributary of the Dordogne, the Dronne, not far from Brantôme, one of the prettiest villages in the region. It’s been run by the family of the chef Alain Gardillou for 55 years, so it has developed organically along the riverbank, filled with mill artefacts, but with a swimming pool opposite the breakfast terrace over a little Japanese-style bridge. Dine in its restaurant (formerly Michelin-starred until they handed it back, wary of the pressure to perform) and stay in one of the upstairs rooms with balconies, of which we recommend Pâquerette for its intimate balcony overlooking the river.
Details B&B doubles from £197 (moulinduroc.com). Fly or take the train to Bergerac

3. La Ferme d’Araucanie, Tourtoirac

Farmhouse near Lascaux for 12
This loving restoration of an 18th-century farmhouse is the only property we are suggesting in the more remote and rural northeast of the Dordogne, in the vicinity of the fabulous cave paintings at Lascaux and the castle of Hautefort. Built from a mix of sand and chalk, with two loft suites in the eves under beams of chestnut and poplar, the former farm is a real period piece — apart from air conditioning and an outside heated saltwater pool.
Details Seven nights’ self-catering for 12 from £2,526 (gite-araucanie.com). Fly or take the train to Limoges

4. Château de la Forge, Pont-Saint-Mamet

Your own village château for 12
This lavish six-bedroom château sits in a pastoral little valley just upstream from Pont-Saint-Mamet, a thriving crossroads hamlet with a café, a boulangerie and a grocery. Interiors are wood panels, oil paintings, period furniture, French windows and marble fireplaces. There’s also a modern kitchen and a billiard room for teenagers who may be allergic to sitting around making polite conversation. Outside, an 18m pool sits alongside the west-facing terrace, ideal for sundowners and barbecues.
Details Seven nights’ self-catering for 12 from £5,395 (simpsontravel.com). Fly or take the train to Bergerac

5. Château Madame, Mauzens-et-Miremont

A hillside hideaway for eight
This 12th-century castle sits on a forest-covered hillside north of the riverside town of Le Bugue, the setting of Martin Walker’s successful series of crime novels starring a local detective, referred to as the Bruno, Chief of Police series. Expect watchtower bedrooms up spiral stairs, four-poster beds, grand fireplaces, chestnut floors, crimson-tiled bathrooms and fine art. Outside, wisteria-clad walls, a pool and a view. All of it is meticulously restored by American owners. Also known as Knight Takes Rook and Château Rochette, depending where you book.
Details Seven nights’ self-catering for eight from £3,577 (plumguide.com). Fly or take the train to Bergerac

6. Les Cieux, St-Félix-de-Villadeix

B&B with spa for hikers
It’s not often that a secluded B&B comes with both a pool and spa, but the five-bedroom Périgord stone manor house in a great area for walking, northeast of Bergerac, has a separate building with a hammam and sauna. The house was built in the 1500s and has mullioned windows and high ceilings. Bedrooms are elegant in wood and stone, linen and cotton, and the hosts rely on local produce — honeys, jams, fruits, cheeses — for breakfast.
Details B&B doubles from £137, two-night minimum stay (les-cieux.fr). Fly or take the train to Bergerac

7. Domaine de Lavernelle, St-Félix-de-Villadeix

Farm-château for two
Not far down the road from Les Cieux, the Domaine de Lavernelle is a slightly ramshackle and rambling farm-château with a touch of The Darling Buds of May. It has four relatively inexpensive gîtes, including a charming Pigeonnier with unfussy but perfectly acceptable decor. There’s a shared pool and a rather lovely garden, good for families. It’s popular for weddings, you can bring your own horse, if you like, and the Bonfils family also host occasional concerts.
Details Seven nights’ self-catering for two plus child from £342 (lavernelle.net). Fly or take the train to Bergerac

8. La Tissanderie, Liorac

Group escape for 11 in wild boar country
Given the hunting paraphernalia on the walls, there’s little doubt of the original function of this 17th-century chartreuse (a more discreet form of château), deep in the heart of wild boar country. On the inside, it’s a touch old-fashioned, with oil paintings, chandeliers and a surprising collection of antique model aircraft hanging from the ceilings. Outside, ivy-covered walls, a pool, carefully tended grounds, and 64 hectares of parkland and forest, just 20 minutes from Bergerac. It is also known as Villa Sandie.
Details Seven nights’ self-catering for 11 from £2,714 (oliverstravels.com). Fly or take the train to Bergerac

• Summer in the Dordogne: ‘It felt as though we’d fallen into an Impressionist painting’

9. Hotel L’Abbaye, St-Cyprien

Manoir B&B near abbey
It may look timeless, but this hotel in a manoir up the hill in St-Cyprien, close to the imperious abbey church, has been in operation for barely a year. It has an annexe by the entrance gate, whose top-floor suite is ideal for families. Rooms are bright and relatively uncomplicated, there’s a sun terrace for outdoor dining and a pool with a magnificent view reached up flights of steps. St-Cyprien itself is a distinguished small town that stands back a bit from the river, and where every other shop seems to be a creative atelier.
Details B&B doubles from £154 (hotel-labbaye.com). Fly to Bergerac or take the train to St-Cyprien

10. Domaine de Monrecour, St-Vincent-de-Cosse

ALAMY

Riverside villa for four
The north bank of the river, between St-Cyprien and Beynac, is edged by a hillside lined with top-end villas, one of the most prime (ie expensive) stretches of property in the Dordogne. Monrecour sits on the sun-baked fertile plateau below, the estate comprising a château hotel with accessibly priced gîtes in its outbuildings and a shared heated pool. These are simple, unfussy and clean cottages that allow easy access to Beynac, Chatelnaud and Sarlat, without spending a fortune.
Details Seven nights’ self-catering for four from £1,071 (monrecour.com). Fly to Bergerac or take the train to St-Cyprien

11. Le Temps Retrouvé, Sarlat

Hideaway hotel in historic town
Up a manicured tree-shrouded hill behind impressive gates, this chambre d’hôtes mansion is delicately poised between downtown (a six-minute walk) and Lidl, Intermarché and the like. Hosts Frederic and Jozsef, originally from Paris, have an eclectic eye for art, and rooms are a boutiquey melange of chrome and antiques. It also has its own spa, with whirlpool, sauna and hammam, and its outdoor pool is surrounded by greenery. It’s hard to believe a huge tourism destination, the pristine medieval town of Sarlat, is so close.
Details Room-only doubles from £133 (ltr-sarlat.fr). Fly to Bergerac or take the train to Sarlat

12. Le Petit Manoir, Sarlat

Peaceful hotel with pool
Its film set good looks, warren of lanes and ancient buildings, stuffed with bistros and boutiques and festive with street performers and truffle sellers, turn Sarlat into a happy scrum in summer. The Petit Manoir is a top-end sanctuary right in its heart, a peaceful retreat with a small pool in the front garden and triple glazing in the elegantly appointed period rooms. The bar and lounge are pokey, but that’s the price you pay for the location. Car parking is impossible: the hotel has an arrangement with a distant property and sends someone to walk you across.
Details Room-only doubles from £205 (lepetitmanoir-hotel.com). Fly to Bergerac or take the train to Sarlat

13. La Villa Romaine, Carsac-Aillac

Rural, riverside hotel
Nicely poised right on a bend in the Dordogne, south of Sarlat, this calm rural hotel is ideally positioned for ticking off all the river’s most spectacular sights, Castelnaud, Domme and La Roque-Gageac, charismatic fortified settlements beside the water. The hotel itself has been created from three handsome former farm buildings, built around a courtyard on an ancient Gallo-Roman site. Rooms are compact and unfussily modern. There’s a refined restaurant, a pool and extensive gardens.
Details Room-only doubles from £136 (lavillaromaine.com). Fly or take the train to Bergerac

14. Villas du Château de Giverzac, Domme

Complex of gîtes for 2/4 by a pool
This newly developed complex of three gîtes is in the grounds of a château that was formerly a holiday camp run by the Bank of France, with grounds and tennis courts available to guests. The period outhouses have been completely restored, showcasing old fireplaces, beams and stonework, but fashionably modern in their furnishings. There’s a shared heated pool outside. Domme, a couple of miles west, is an extremely well-preserved fortified bastide (medieval grid format) town cresting a hilltop 150m above the Dordogne Valley.
Details Seven nights’ self-catering for two from £1,506 (gites.fr). Fly or take the train to Bergerac

15. Le Village sur le Roc, Sainte-Mondane

Converted chapel for a large group of 22
Fancy having your own holy place, in which to break bread? A deconsecrated chapel furnished with a long dining table forms part of this four-gîte, two-pool complex. This is a place for multigenerational gatherings where each household can march to its own beat, assembling in the chapel or around the pool. Interiors mix ceiling beams and exposed stone walls with stylish furnishings, and outside terraces have countryside views. The river is within walking distance, and two of the gîtes can be rented separately.
Details Seven nights’ self-catering for 22 from £8,729 (cvvillas.com). Fly or take the train to Bergerac

16. Château du Bastit, Calès

LOUIS NESPOULOUS

Clifftop château for ten
It’s easy to conjure up the Hundred Years’ War in this 14th-century château, also known as Château Falaise, given its fortress-like position atop a cliff that towers over a bend in the westward-winding Dordogne. But then again, it is also a place of perfect peace, with spectacular views over the river from the infinity pool and the (listed) dovecote. Interiors are traditional and characterful, with a huge stone fireplace in the dining room, a cobbled floor in the kitchen, original stone walls and oak beams throughout.
Details Seven nights’ self-catering for ten from £6,748 (redsavannah.com). Fly or take the train to Bergerac

• Where to stay in the Dordogne

17. Château Feely, Saussignac

Vineyard bolt hole for two
On a hill in the heart of wine country, where every slope is green-combed with vines, Château Feely is only a château in the winemaking sense — it controls all aspects of its (entirely organic) production — and not because it has towers. Its Wine Cottage, though, must have one of the most bucolic places to sit in the evening, on a wraparound balcony that presides over the vineyards. Irish and South African proprietors Sean and Caro Feely are welcoming and knowledgeable, and will pick you up from the station at Gardonne. They will also lend bikes, so this is a good choice for those who don’t drive and want to learn about wine. Caro runs a wine school and writes books.
Details Seven nights’ self-catering for two from £765 (sawdays.co.uk). Fly to Bergerac or take the train to Gardonne

18. Le Mas et le Mazet, Sainte-Croix

Elegant farmhouse for 12
This elegantly restored 16th-century farmhouse (Le Mas) with an adjoining cottage (Le Mazet) is set in lavender and rose-scented gardens between the river and Monpazier, the most authentic of the medieval bastide towns so typical of the region. Interiors are exposed brickwork and beams, tiled floor and all mod cons, lavishly well equipped. Le Mas has a heated saltwater pool with a covered summer kitchen, so life can be lived as much as possible outdoors.
Details Seven nights’ self-catering for 12 from £3,857 (oneoffplaces.co.uk). Fly or take the train to Bergerac

19. Vieux Logis, Trémolat

Great food and ornamental gardens at five-star hotel
There’s a heart-warming story behind this luxury hotel. The long-term owner who built it up gifted the property to four of his team, good friends, who still jointly run it today. You can see their influence in the staff, who hit the right note of professionalism and informality. Breakfast on the terrace shaded by lime trees, in ornamental gardens bisected by a clear running stream, is something special. Even more special is dinner in its Michelin-starred restaurant. There’s a smoking room with leather armchairs, acknowledging the building’s history as an old tobacco farm. Trémolat itself sits on a spectacular bend in the river, best viewed from the steep winding road across from Mauzac.
Details Room-only doubles from £218 (vieux-logis.com). Fly to Bergerac or take the train to Trémolat

20. La Métairie, Mauzac

Farmhouse hotel with pool near the river
Set in trees up a steep and winding road, this small, secluded stone hotel feels a million miles away from the hubbub of the summer river, which is nevertheless within walking distance. The hotel sits back from cliffs that line a big horseshoe bend in the river, with great views over farmland and prune orchards on the other side. With just ten rooms, the former farmhouse is intimate, reassuringly old-fashioned and you’ll quickly get to know the other guests around its pool — as well as the Shetland ponies that live in the paddock beyond. Many of the rooms have French windows that open directly out onto the terrace.
Details Room-only doubles from £123 (en.la-metairie.com). Fly to Bergerac or take the train to Trémolat

21. Le Pressoir, Urval

Village stay for 12 near woodlands
Set back a bit on the southern side of the river, where meadows meet woodland, this originally 14th-century home is clad in ivy and wisteria. The structure of exposed wooden beams and floors of wood and stone may be traditional, but the furnishings and fixtures are fashionable, and the pool, in its meadow-like setting, is fab. Molières, to the west, is one of the most handsome bastide villages in the Dordogne and mercifully overlooked by the crowds. The rental comes with breakfast and a daily housekeeper.
Details Seven nights’ self-catering for 12 from £5,234 (stayone.com). Fly or take the train to Bergerac

22. Combe Capelle, Saint-Avit-Sénieur

Simple self-catering stay for six
Sometimes something simple and economic, but with a pool, is more than enough. Such is the case with this three-bedroom restored Périgordian cottage nestled in the hills to the south of the Dordogne. Indoors is all stone and tiles and wood, and outdoors is a terrace in the shade of a walnut tree. Historic Monpaziers is not far and the road to Bergerac is just to the west, its airport a 20-minute drive.
Details Seven nights’ self-catering for six from £970 (airbnb.co.uk). Fly or take the train to Bergerac

23. Manoir du Vignoble, Sigoulès

IAN BARR

Manor house for 14 in vineyards
A local winemaker owns this lavish sun-drenched home, situated on the eastern edge of the Bergerac vineyards. It’s a proper little manor house in dressed stone, with tiled floors and lofty ceilings, and leather sofas drawn up to a grand fireplace. Have breakfast in the kitchen, lunch out by the pool looking out over lake and vineyards, and dinner back in the cool of the dining room. The most British of Dordogne towns, Eymet, is not far to the south (up to 30 per cent of residents are from the UK, apparently).
Details Seven nights’ self-catering for 14 from £2,350 (vintagetravel.co.uk). Fly or take the train to Bergerac

24. La Chartreuse du Bignac, Saint-Nexans

Antique-filled manor house with rooms
A row of deckchairs are set out on the top of the slope by the pool so you can drink in the magnificent view from this mellow, beautifully maintained low-slung manor house, which sits atop a small rise south of Bergerac. The property itself, stuffed with antiques, is the creation of Jean Louis Viargues, who pads around amiably followed by his dog Prune. The setting is 20 hectares of parkland, with a couple of small spring-fed lakes directly below the property, interspersed with Judas trees. The best of the rooms have French windows to an outdoor terrace — ask for Le Parc.
Details Room-only doubles from £124 (abignac.com). Fly or take the train to Bergerac

• France travel guide: When to go, what to do, and why you’ll love it

25. Chateau des Vigiers, Monestier

ALAMY

Golfing château hotel with Michelin-starred food
Not everything west of Bergerac is about wine. Vigiers, which is British-owned, is (mostly) about golf. The original château sits amid 27 holes with a placid lake out front. There are in fact two hotels here, the cheaper and more urban-styled Relais, and the period piece of a 16th-century property, which contains a designer-styled Michelin-starred restaurant (five courses £87pp). Between the two is a spa and a separate bistro to keep non-golfers entertained.
Details Room-only doubles in the château from £333 (vigiers.com). Fly or take the train to Bergerac

Andrew Eames was a guest of Irish Ferries, which has ferry travel from Dover to Calais from £156 return for a car and up to nine passengers (irishferries.com); and of Sawdays, which has self-catering properties (sawdays.co.uk). Further information at dordogne-perigord-tourisme.fr

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