Canoeing has always been one of the most popular activities to do during a holiday in the Dordogne – although some tourists are put off because they think it may not be suitable for children.

However, in the Dordogne at least, these worries are unfounded. Many families find that spending an afternoon boating down the River Dordogne is a great way to entertain and ultimately tire out their little terrors.

Canoe hire is relatively cheap considering the enjoyment it can bring and it is an activity which is relatively easy to pick up. Families are encouraged to canoe with the calm flow of the river, rather than against it, and families can normally still manage a 14km journey on even the most leisurely of half day trips.

Preparing

It requires little effort to prepare for a day canoeing along the River Dordogne. There are plenty of canoe hire companies along the side of the river, many of which are prepared to transport you to the top of the river ready for a relaxing row downstream. Lifejackets are on hand for those who are worried about their children’s safety. In addition, it is advisable to bring a packed lunch in case anyone gets hungry as well as other goods such as suncream and drinking water.  

Many of these hire companies have designated routes at which canoeists can stop and wait to be transported back to their start point, so leaving any goods or bags behind is rarely a problem either.  

Sight-Seeing

One of the most pleasant things about canoeing down the River Dordogne with your family is the picture-esque backdrop which constantly accompanies the journey. With every twist and turn, there are new sights to take in. 

Beynac and La Roque-Gageac are just two of the small towns which canoeists often paddle by and many are tempted to stop off and enjoy a picnic or sample the local market cuisine.

Furthermore, canoeing presents nature fans with the chance to take in parts of the river bank unseeable from anywhere on the land.   

The River Vezere

Such is the popularity of canoeing across the Dordogne that families are likely to be joined by plenty of others canoeists on their journey. Many enjoy the social element of spotting other families across the horizon.

However, for those who want a more intimate experience, the River Vezere provides a shorter, yet less busy alternative. The Vezere is a 211km tributary of the main Dordogne river which flows South-West from Massif Central into the Dordogne from Le Bugue. This trip has some unique sights of its own including the Vezere Valley which is famous for its numerous caves containing ancient paintings.

The Dordogne has gained an incredible reputation as a relaxing holiday destination but there are plenty of fun activities to make it a perfect spot for a family holiday as well.

Canoeing can definitely be listed amongst the region’s numerous water parks and campsite activities as an engagement which families simply have to make time for during their stay.  

Those who do will certainly not be disappointed, whatever their age!

The Dordogne is split into four Périgords: black, purple, green and white. The division highlights the unique qualities of each area.

The Périgord Noir (Black Périgord) is so-named because of the varied trees that grow in the Vezere and Dordogne valleys. These give the region its rich colour and landscape; covering the river-eroded rock faces. The area is also famed for its walnut plantations – the fruit of which is harvested largely for oil. 

While bursting at the seams with wonderful scenery, architecture, tourist attractions and quaint villages, it is possible to see some of the region’s prehistoric highlights in a day – if you’re happy for an early start. Here’s our suggestion for the best way to spend your day.

Start in Sarlat, the Périgord Noir’s sub-prefecture – or sub-capital. This Medieval town is deemed ‘one of the most important tourist sits in the region’ and is one of the largest. Proud owner of three Michelin stars, Sarlat really is beautiful and a one-hour guided tour is a great way to see the best of it while on your whistle-stop tour of the Périgord Noir.

If visiting on a Saturday, you’ll be able to pick up some delicious local fayre at the day market, held in the city centre. There’s also a covered market held everyday morning in the former Sainte Marie Church at Place de la Liberte. Brunch bought and consumed, it’s on to the next location.

28 miles North is Montignac, a pretty town on the Vezere River. This is the ideal place for keen photographers, with its attractive stone bridge crossing the water and buildings that feature wooden balconies. In the main road, Rue de la Pegerie, stands a 14th Century building thought to have belonged to Jeanne d’Albret – mother of France’s King Henry IV.

However, the real reason for heading to Montignac is that it is the gateway for the Lascaux Caves and the tourist office sells tickets. Lascaux is a prehistoric cave in which was discovered some of the most impressive and significant cave drawings ever. Nowadays, it’s too dangerous to step inside the original cave, but a faithfully recreated version (Lascaux II) has been constructed 200 metres away.

A leisurely drive along the valley (D706), with optional stops along the way, will bring you to Les-Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil. This is a small town which survives on its prehistoric roots, boasting the National Museum of Prehistory and the Cro-Magnon Hotel (perfect for an early dinner/late lunch) built into the cliff face.

If you’ve the time, the D48 and D703 will take you to the Overhanging Gardens of Marqueyssac, with whorls, swirls and bubbles of beautifully planted boxwoods. It’s worth the deviation, as this is the most-visited garden in the Périgord Noir and is listed as a National Historical Monument. As the sun sets, the garden is lit up and becomes magical. The views over the Dordogne Valley are pretty stunning too. 

It’ll be getting late by now, but fortunately a short trip up the D57 and D46 will bring you back home to Sarlat before you know it.

One of the reasons why holidays to the Dordogne are so popular with the British public is the accessibility of the area. The region is one of very few popular summer holiday destinations which is comfortably reachable by methods other a plane.  

Although many Brits choose to travel to the Dordogne via a direct plane to Bergerac airport, others prefer to travel via alternative methods such as by road or rail.

Plane

Many of the tourists stepping off at Bergerac Airport are likely to be looking forward to a stay in the Dordogne. The airport is just 8km from the region meaning that taxis from the airport to holiday accommodation are unlikely to break the bank. Bergerac also offers a competitive hire car service from the airport for those who are planning a few exploratory adventures.

Tourists should find it simple enough to catch a flight to Bergerac in spite of where they live in the UK. Ryanair fly to Bergerac from London Stansted, Liverpool and East Midlands, whilst Flybe offer flights from Southampton, Bristol and Birmingham. There are plenty of opportunities for Brits to grab bargain last-minute flights to France either from travel agents or online.

The next nearest airport is based in Bordeaux, which is between and hour and two hours away from the Dordogne. British Airways offer flights there from London Gatwick, whilst there are also direct flights offered by BMI Baby from Manchester, Nottingham and the East Midlands.

Road

Some tourists find that road trips to the Dordogne are not only cheaper than flying but are also more enjoyable and comfortable. Driving to the Dordogne is particularly popular with those planning camping trips, as it is often expensive or prohibited to carry such heavy equipment on a plane.

Those driving to the channel will have to either use the Channel Tunnel or a car ferry. After driving from Ashford to Calais via the Channel Tunnel, the trip to Dordogne is about 700 miles. This can be achieved in a day, although many road trippers choose to take a more leisurely route taking in other tourist spots in France. After all, the quickest road route goes directly through Paris.

At around 600km away, Caen is the nearest ferry port to the Dordogne. Again, whether to take this journey in one day or at a more leisurely pace is very much down to the individual. Many driving from Caen to The Dordogne choose to travel through Le Mans, which is another of France’s popular tourist destinations.

One of the main advantages of driving to the Dordogne is that tourists will find it much easier to explore the surrounding area without any car hire or public transport fees.  

Rail

Another option for travelling to The Dordogne is via Eurostar. It takes around three hours to arrive in Paris from London Waterloo via this method and another four hours from Paris to Bergerac.

The Dordogne is a wonderful, varied region sprinkled with attractive towns, significant architecture, stunning landscape and of course, that magical, always rolling river.

Read any guide book about the area and you’ll soon see you’re spoilt for choice with gems such as Sarlat, Brantome, Excideuil, Rocamadour and Bergerac, not to mention the Caves of Lascaux, Chateau Castelnaud or the Marqueyssac gardens. There is a lot to see and do.

Visiting the region definitely calls for several day trips in order to experience some of these highlights. However, there is little public transport in the department; certainly not that extends to the more remote locations. Therefore taking your own car or hiring one out there is advisable.

Before you do so, it’s definitely worth reading up on the French driving rules and regulations (available online), as there are some items you need to bring with you in addition to your driving licence and vehicle registration documents.

To be legally allowed to drive in France you must be able to present your certificate of motor insurance and if the vehicle you take over is not yours, a letter of permission from the registered user. In the car you must also carry a warning triangle, a reflective jacket or vest for each passenger and spare bulbs in case any should blow during the journey.

As the French drive on the right (or wrong!) side of the road, motorists need to use some headlight adaptors to adjust the beam of their headlights. These can be bought in any car shop or garage and are affixed to the headlights like stickers. These can be peeled off when back on British soil. The car must also display a GB sticker.

Driving on the right is something that many people fear but in reality, is not too different from driving in the UK, motorists get used to it fairly quickly. Don’t worry about getting into the wrong lane - one travel advice website says that usually, the roads leading to roundabouts, dual carriageways and junctions should automatically lead you into the right lane.

However, extra attention should be paid when turning onto quieter roads, where there may not be the proliferation of road signs and other cars to remind you immediately that you should be on the right. Take care if overtaking, leaving more space up ahead so that you can see.

In terms of driving rules, seat belts, naturally are compulsory and children under ten are not allowed to sit in the front unless the other seats are occupied. Use of the car horn in built-up areas is only allowed in ‘cases of immediate’ danger.

Speed limits, in kilometres per hour, vary depending on place and weather conditions, so ensure you are familiar with them. Speeding is punishable by an on the spot fine by the traffic police and those found to be exceeding the speed limits by more than 40 km/h will have their licences confiscated.  

Brush up on these rules and driving in the Dordogne will be pas de probleme.  

When walking around the beautiful fields of the Dordogne, history and architectural buffs should keep their eyes open for a number of strange but captivating structures that litter the Aquitaine region.

From ancient tombs to giant bread ovens, the Dordogne is awash with a myriad of mysterious fabrications that echo how life used to be for simple countryside communities.

Some of the oldest and most unexplained are dolmens, a type of single-chamber monolithic tomb that is thought to date back as early as 4000 to 3000 BC. Comprising of three to four upright stones and a large horizontal tablestone, the true purpose behind these structures remains unknown. Yet archaeologists mostly agree with the theory that these are some kind of burial chamber as ancient artifacts are frequently found inside, or nearby them.

However, the oldest dolmen still standing are found in Western Europe and date back around 7000 years. This dates the structures’ construction back to the same time that the ancient civilisations of Egypt, India and the Middle East were in existence.

Pigeonniers, as suggested in the name, originally used to house pigeons or doves. Most commonly found north of Lot et Garonne, these buildings are instantly recognisable as their legs stand proud several meters high off the ground with the building on top. This was so to deter foxes, rats and other predators from attacking the flocks present in the coop. Later stone versions began to emerge with far greater protection from unwanted visitors whilst additionally providing more protection from the elements.

Today many pigeonniers have been converted into luxury villas and family homes, fetching a fair price for their unusual aesthetics.

Maisons a emiplage, literally meaning ‘piled up houses’, stand out for their use of wood which was a valuable and abundant resource around 500 to 700 years ago during the time of their construction. Beams of wood are simply layered on top of one another and connected by notches crafted into the beams. There are thought to be barely 50 of these houses left in France but Villereal and the northern Lot et Garonne are the places to go for those interested in unusual, or sustainable, ancient architecture.

Something that might seem a little more familiar to modern day families is the sight of a communal oven and baking space. Communal ovens, or four banal, were a common feature in medieval French villages. Generally owned by a reigning feudal lord, members of the community were welcome to use the oven should they pay a fee to do so. Manned by a designated ovenmaster, many masonry ovens were large enough to hold an entire community supply of bread.

Four banal construction was later rolled-out to other French colonies such as Quebec in Canada, while the originals died out in France during the 18th century.

One traditional French construction method that ties many of these structures together can be seen in colombage buildings. Put simple, colombage is a technique used for many centuries that saw buildings layered in stone and wood. Stone walls, normally found at the bottom of the building, protected the lower levels of wood from ground water. Meanwhile, a mixture a manure, straw and clay – called torchis - formed the basis of the main walls, interspersed by other wooden structural beams. Walls in the colombage technique were then covered with lime for further protection from the elements.

When planning a French holiday, one of the first things you will be thinking about is food and drink.

The French, of course, are renowned for their gastronomic delights and rightly so; the simple pleasure of a long, thin baguette dipped into a warmed and melted Camembert cheese takes much beating. A fresh croissant for breakfast, accompanied by a bowl of coffee or chocolat chaud. A cornucopia of wonderful seafood for dinner. The mouth waters at the thought.

The French are proud of their reputation as one of the most culinary exciting and passionate – yes, passionate – nations in the world and each region promotes their own local delicacies fiercely. The Dordogne is no exception; this particular department is best known for walnuts, foie gras, fungi and duck dishes.

A prolific producer of walnuts, the south-west variety is smaller and paler than those which British supermarkets carry, but are succulent, sweet and transformed into all sorts of loveliness. They are used frequently in salads, pressed to extract the oil and baked into delicious cakes. To wash it down, there are nutty walnut wines and liqueurs. 

Walnuts are a big part of the Dordogne tourist trail, with a dedicated walnut route that visitors can follow and a museum in Castlenaud dedicated to, I kid you not, ’walnut culture’.

Foie-gras, though not to everyone’s taste, is a real speciality. In fact, the Dordogne has been named ‘the land of ducks and geese’ by one travel writer. Everywhere you go, you will see signs for the fattened liver dish or for confit de canard, which is juicy chunks of duck preserved in fat. 

At the butchers, you may see signs for gesiers, or gizzards, which the locals serve up warmed and thinly sliced, often as an accompaniment to smoked duck breast.

The region is also blessed with a wonderful crop of cepe and girondelle mushrooms which, with their earthy, rich flavours make a wonderful addition to any meal or are equally delicious when fired up in salty French butter and eaten on some toasted bread.

However, it is the black truffle that the Dordogne is most proud about. Naturally, these are seasonal, appearing, as with the mushrooms, usually in the Autumn but preserved variations can be found in most food shops. Truffle-devoted markets take place from December to February in St Genies, to name but just one location.

A few shavings of the luxurious item may well transform a bog-standard dish into a gastronomical masterpiece, but they don’t come cheap, so make sure you put some Euros aside if you’re thinking of purchasing some ‘black diamonds’.

Holiday makers can sample these home grown pleasures at the many farmer’s markets which spring up around the region every week. Usually held in the mornings, these markets are well-publicised and most locals will be able to tell you when they take place.

During the summer months, you may experience a marche nocture – a night market where the stalls remain up all day and seating is provided, inviting customers to purchase food and eat there and then, while dancing, music and entertainment goes on into the night. It’s a great experience.

Of course, there’s much, much more to the Dordogne’s cuisine than just the above, but hopefully this will have whet your appetite in anticipation of your Dordogne holiday!

If you’re taking a French holiday in the Dordogne, why not spend a day in the neighbouring village of Beynac? Situated upon the Dordogne River, the village is only eight kilometres away from Sarlat; making it a perfect option.

Praised for its outstanding beauty and breathtaking views of the river, the village is very popular with not only tourists, but locals too. It is situated on a sprawling hill, culminating at the top with the famous castle – Chateau de Beynac.

The village is pretty much built around the chateau, however it is a sight in itself too. The history-laden houses that line the winding road up to the castle are beautiful and well-worth a picture or too. Alleyways and steep staircases crawl up the road – which have a wonderful view of the river. One other sight worth seeing is the archeology park, which has re-constructed some of France’s famed neothilic buildings.

However the most activity you will encounter throughout your trip to Beynac is a few like-minded tourists making their way to the chateau, as it is a fairly quiet village.

The actual castle is located on the top of an extremely high cliff; dominating the skyline and looking over the little village. Despite once being a stronghold and boasting a somewhat turbulent history, the castle actually now brings a tranquillity to the area, according to fans of the village. It stood strong throughout the Albigensian Crusade and the Hundred Years War, making it well worth a visit.

Tourists love visiting it to soak up the culture and history; wandering through the halls, which are adorned with historic tapestries. These depict scenes from throughout history – such as people from another time going about their daily hunting. Other people prefer just to take in the beautiful surroundings, as it offers amazing panoramic views of neighbouring Chateaus Marqueyssac, Fayrac and Castelnaud. Many painters have called the area a “paradise”, thanks to its ever-changing colour landscape. This has been attributed to the “luminosity” of the stone, sky and water.

In fact, such is the location’s breathtaking nature that many films were staged within its grounds. These included 1998′s ’Ever After’, the 1993 film ‘Les Visiteurs’ and 1999′s ‘Jeanne d’Arc’. Furthermore, the village itself appeared in the very popular ‘Chocolat’, back in 2000. The chateau’s chapel – designed in a Romanesque style - also was shown in the 1978 film version of ‘Les Miserable’ in a fairly famous scene.

This isn’t all the chateau and its surrounding village are famous for however, as one of the main founders of the French surrealist movement, Paul Eluard, was born here.

Given all it offers, Chateau de Beynac is definitely a must-see when spending some time in the Dordogne. Offering rich culture, history and scenery, it’s a great way to kill a few hours or even spend a day. In high season, it is open from 10am until 6.30pm and if you’re lucky, you might spot its 90-year-old Baron, Pierre Aime Soffrey Armand.

The Dordogne is a beautiful region, often compared with the English Cotswolds or Italy’s Tuscany; it is a place that boasts a delightful mix of history, culture, dramatic architecture, pre-historic art, culinary masterpieces and of course, the Dordogne River.

Split into four main areas: Périgord Green, Périgord White, Périgord Black and the Périgord Purple, each one offers something different and deserves exploring, however briefly.

Here is a quick itinerary of the Périgord Green or Vert, which takes travellers along the D78 and D710 on a really pleasant day trip. If you can, try to do it on a Friday, so that you can hit the markets.

The Perigord Vert, in the north of the Dordogne, is so called because of the lush forests and meadows that roll throughout the area. As such, according to other travellers, it has gained the nickname of ‘Green Venice of the Perigord’. 

Major towns in the Perigord Vert are Nontron, Bourdeilles, Riberac and Excideuil, but this itinerary begins in the charming town of Brantome.

Often considered one of the prettiest towns in the whole Dordgone area, Brantome is the perfect starting point. Grab a croissant and a coffee café at bustling boulangerie (watch where the locals go) and start your exploration at the Benedictine Abbey, which is the town’s principal attraction.

The abbey itself was built around 769 AD but its impressive belfry was added later on, during the 11th century. However, it is well worth a visit as the view from the top is stunning. Back on the ground are the abbey’s beautiful gardens.

This shouldn’t take any more than a couple of hours. Wander back down to the centre-ville for a stroll around and you’ll soon understand why Brantome is considered one of France’s ”plus beaux detours”.

Hopping back into the car, carry along the D78 and you’ll reach Bourdeilles – it’s not a long journey (those who want to stop further along could continue on to Tocane-Saint-Apre).

Bourdeilles is dominated by an imposing 13th century fortress and a 16th century Renaissance chateau, which are well worth a visit. Closed on Tuesdays, a guided tour of the chateau takes around an hour, by which point it will be lunchtime.

The town is a pretty hotchpotch of stone buildings topped with ochre tiles, each finished with pretty wooden shutters or window boxes containing bright flowers. Why not stop at Les Tilleuls hotel for a bite to eat and something to wash it down with?

Last on the itinerary is Riberac, which is just off the D710. Of you’ve been able to visit on a Friday, then you’ll be delighted by the huge market which some say is the best in the region. Having explored a few historical buildings already, why not meander around the market, sampling local produce and snapping up gifts for those at home?

Soon it will be aperitif time, so indulge like the locals (unless you’re designated driver, of course) at one of the many typically French bistros before calling it a night. 

A busy day, but you’ll no doubt agree, one that demonstrates the best of the Perigord Vert. Next time, stay for longer!