France · Perigord
Dordogne (Sarlat)
Where Lascaux's Ice Age painters worked, and castles still stare each other down across the river.
The Dordogne, or Perigord to the French, is a rolling region of oak woods, limestone cliffs and slow green rivers in south-west France. Its Vezere valley holds the densest cluster of prehistoric painted caves in Europe, led by Lascaux, and medieval Sarlat is its golden-stone centre. Castles face each other across the Dordogne river from the Hundred Years' War, and the food is duck, foie gras, walnuts and truffles.
Suggested stay
3–7 days
Language
French
Currency
EUR
Timezone
UTC+2
Why you'll love Dordogne (Sarlat)
Prehistory Lascaux and a valley of real painted caves, some still open to small groups, where people drew bison and mammoths some 17,000 years and more ago.
Sarlat A medieval town of honey-coloured stone and slate roofs, with a market that fills its lanes.
The river Canoe the Dordogne beneath cliff villages and castles that were enemies in the Hundred Years' War.
The table Duck confit, foie gras, walnuts, cepes and winter truffles, with Bergerac wines to match.
Best time to visit
Mar-Oct
15-28° days
44.888° N, 1.216° E
UTC+2 · Europe/Paris
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Weather & when to go to Dordogne (Sarlat)
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Mar-Oct
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Dordogne (Sarlat)
No bad season, but timing changes the trip. July and August pack Sarlat, the river and the caves, so book cave tours ahead. From November to February days are short and damp, and many chateaux, canoe hire and restaurants close, though that is truffle-market season.
Top things to do in Dordogne (Sarlat)
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Lascaux IV - the painted cave, recreated
history culture arts 👍 PopularThe original cave at Montignac has been closed since 1963 to save its paintings. The international centre beside it holds a full-scale replica of the cave, with its bulls, horses and stags, and galleries on how they were made.
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Font-de-Gaume - original polychrome paintings
history culture arts ⭐ Highly recommendedOne of the last caves in France with original coloured paintings still open to visitors, in the cliff above Les Eyzies. Groups are small and daily numbers limited, so book well ahead; the bison frieze is worth the effort.
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Sarlat-la-Caneda - the old town and its market
history food 👍 PopularWander the restored medieval and Renaissance lanes around the cathedral and the Lanterne des Morts. The Saturday market takes over the centre, heavy with walnuts, cheeses, duck and, in winter, truffles.
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Dordogne river - canoe past the castles
scenic adventure ⭐ Highly recommendedPaddle the stretch below Beynac, Castelnaud and La Roque-Gageac, where villages cling to the cliffs and rival castles watch the water. Hire outfits run shuttles upstream so you float back down at your own pace.
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Chateau de Beynac - the French stronghold
history scenic 👍 PopularA fortress on a sheer cliff above the river, held for the French king during the Hundred Years' War. Climb the keep for the view along the valley to Castelnaud, the English-held castle opposite.
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Chateau de Castelnaud - medieval warfare
historyThe castle across the river from Beynac now holds a museum of medieval warfare, with armour, weapons and full-size working replicas of siege engines in the grounds.
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Gardens of Marqueyssac - clipped box above the river
scenicPaths wind through rolling hand-clipped box hedges to a belvedere high over the Dordogne, with Beynac, Castelnaud and La Roque-Gageac all in view.
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Les Eyzies - the National Museum of Prehistory
history culture artsBuilt into the cliff under the old castle in the self-styled capital of prehistory, with tools, carvings and burials from the Vezere caves and rock shelters. Nearby, La Roque Saint-Christophe is a long cliff terrace people lived on for thousands of years.
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Rouffignac - the cave of a hundred mammoths
historyA small electric train carries you deep into a huge cave where more than a hundred mammoths are engraved and drawn on the walls and ceiling.
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Perigord food - duck, walnuts and truffles
foodConfit de canard with potatoes fried in duck fat, foie gras, walnut cake and walnut wine, and black truffles in winter. Farms sell their own produce, and Monbazillac sweet wine is the local partner for foie gras.
Best areas to stay in Dordogne (Sarlat)
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Sarlat-la-Caneda
First-time visitors $$Golden-stone medieval market town
Explore hotels in Sarlat-la-Caneda →
Les Eyzies
Prehistory fans $$Cliff village at the heart of prehistory
Explore hotels in Les Eyzies →
Domme
Couples $$Walled hilltop village above the river
Explore hotels in Domme →
Bergerac
Wine lovers $Riverside wine town with an airport
Explore hotels in Bergerac →
Perigueux
Train travellers $Domed cathedral city with Roman remains
Explore hotels in Perigueux →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Dordogne (Sarlat)
Getting to & around Dordogne (Sarlat)
Getting there
Fly into Bergerac and drive about 75 km east to Sarlat, or come by train via Bordeaux, Brive or Perigueux and hire a car.
Flight
Bergerac Dordogne Perigord Airport (EGC)
Most visitors pick up a hire car at the airport; the drive east along the river to Sarlat takes around an hour and a quarter.
Train
Sarlat
Regional trains run from Bordeaux through Libourne and Bergerac to Sarlat, a slow but scenic line of around three hours.
Train
Brive-la-Gaillarde
Direct trains from Paris reach Brive in around four hours, about an hour's drive from Sarlat.
Train
Perigueux
Perigueux links to Bordeaux and to Paris via Limoges; the line to Agen stops at Les Eyzies.
Drive
From Bordeaux the motorway east toward Perigueux gets you into the region in around two hours.
Getting around
Car
Close to essential: caves, castles and villages are spread along country roads with little public transport between them.
TBC
Canoe
Hire outfits on the Dordogne and Vezere shuttle you upstream for a paddle back down, mostly from spring to early autumn.
TBC
Bike
A greenway on an old railway line runs south from Sarlat toward the Dordogne, flat and traffic-free.
TBC
Train
Handy for Sarlat, Les Eyzies, Bergerac and Perigueux, but trains are infrequent and do not reach most sights.
TBC
Day trips from Dordogne (Sarlat)
Rocamadour
Half dayCliff pilgrimage town
A medieval pilgrimage town stacked up a canyon wall, with chapels and the Black Madonna's sanctuary halfway up and a castle on top. See it from L'Hospitalet across the gorge.
Getting there
car
About an hour south-east by car
Gouffre de Padirac
Half dayUnderground river
Descend into a vast sinkhole, then take a boat along an underground river to caverns of huge formations. Pair it with Rocamadour.
Getting there
car
About an hour and a quarter by car, near Rocamadour
Saint-Emilion
Full dayWine village
The Bordeaux wine village on its limestone slope, with a monolithic church carved out of the rock and vineyards running to the edge of town.
Getting there
car | train
About two hours west by car, or train via Bergerac
Brantome
Full dayRiver abbey town
A small town wrapped in a loop of the Dronne, with an abbey backed into the cliff. Combine it with Perigueux's domed cathedral on the way.
Getting there
car
About an hour and a half north by car, via Perigueux
A little history of Dordogne (Sarlat)
People have lived in the limestone shelters of the Vezere valley for hundreds of thousands of years, and Cro-Magnon was named after a rock shelter at Les Eyzies. Around 17,000 years ago the painters of Lascaux left some of the finest Ice Age art ever found, rediscovered by teenagers in 1940.
In 1152 Eleanor of Aquitaine's marriage to Henry Plantagenet made the region a borderland between the English and French crowns. During the Hundred Years' War castles changed hands again and again, and Beynac and Castelnaud faced each other across the river. The area became the Dordogne department in 1790, and its caves and villages drew travellers in the twentieth century.
Ice Age artists paint the bulls, horses and stags of Lascaux.
Eleanor of Aquitaine marries Henry Plantagenet, bringing Aquitaine, Perigord included, to the future English king.
The Hundred Years' War; Beynac holds for France while Castelnaud across the river is held for England.
Etienne de La Boetie, writer and friend of Montaigne, is born in Sarlat.
The Dordogne department is created from the old province of Perigord, with Perigueux as its seat.
Skeletons found in the Cro-Magnon rock shelter at Les Eyzies give early modern humans their popular name.
Four teenagers discover the painted cave of Lascaux near Montignac.
Lascaux closes to the public as visitors' breath damages the paintings.
The Vezere valley's prehistoric sites and decorated caves join the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Know before you go
Payment
Cards everywhere
English
Widely spoken
Wifi
Workable
Power
Type C / E
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+33
Mobile network & SIM card
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FAQs about Dordogne (Sarlat)
▸ When is the best time to visit the Dordogne?
March to October. May, June and September are the sweet spot: warm, green and far quieter than July and August, when the river, Sarlat and the caves are at their busiest. Winter is quiet and damp, many sights close, and it is the season for truffle markets.
▸ Can you still see the real Lascaux cave?
No. The original has been closed since 1963 to protect the paintings. Lascaux IV at Montignac is a full-size replica and very well done. To see original Ice Age paintings, book Font-de-Gaume at Les Eyzies, or visit Rouffignac or other caves open in the valley.
▸ Do I need a car in the Dordogne?
Realistically, yes. Trains reach Sarlat, Les Eyzies, Bergerac and Perigueux, but the caves, castles and villages are scattered along country roads with almost no buses. A car lets you combine a cave in the morning, a castle and a riverside lunch.
▸ Is the Dordogne expensive?
Mid-range for France. Sarlat and the river villages cost more in summer, and cave, castle and garden tickets add up over a week. Gites, farm produce from markets and set-menu lunches keep costs down, and quieter towns such as Bergerac and Perigueux are better value.
▸ How many days do I need?
Three days covers Sarlat, Lascaux, a cave at Les Eyzies and a canoe past the castles. A week lets you add Rocamadour, the wine country around Bergerac and a slower pace in the villages.
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