France 11 - Dordogne, Limousin - the Lot

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Dordogne, Limousin &
the Lot
POP 1.32 MILLION
Includes 
Périgueux. . . . . . . . . . . 563
Brantôme. . . . . . . . . . . 567
Bergerac . . . . . . . . . . . 569
Issigeac & Around . . . 570
Monpazier & Around. 571
Dordogne Valley. . . . . 572
Sarlat-la-Canéda . . . . 577
Vézère Valley. . . . . . . . 580
Limoges. . . . . . . . . . . . 587
Brive-la-Gaillarde. . . . 595
Cahors. . . . . . . . . . . . . 599
Best Places to Eat
¨¨Le Vieux Logis (p573)
¨¨Les Truffieres (p572)
¨¨Le Petit Paris (p576)
¨¨Villa Laetitia (p569)
¨¨La Tour des Vents (p570)
¨¨Le Saint Martial (p576)
Why Go?
Dordogne, Limousin and the Lot are the heart and soul of
la belle France, a land of dense oak forests, winding rivers,
emerald-green fields and famously rich country cooking.
It’s the stuff of which French dreams are made: turreted
châteaux and medieval villages line the riverbanks, woodenhulled gabarres (traditional flat-bottomed, wooden boats)
ply the waterways, and market stalls overflow with foie
gras, truffles, walnuts, cheeses and fine wines.
The Dordogne département has a bevy of bastides
(fortified towns) and fantastic medieval castles, as well as
Europe’s most spectacular cave paintings, and probably
the best cuisine. To the northeast, the Limousin région –
encompassing the Haute-Vienne, Creuse and Corrèze
départements – is the most rural, strewn with farms and
hamlets, as well as the porcelain centre, Limoges. To the
south, the Lot département is ribboned with rivers to
cruise and caverns to explore, plus dramatic hilltop villages, and medieval settlements.
When to Go
Limoges
°C/°F Temp
Rainfall Inches/mm
40/104
6/150
30/86
5/125
4/100
20/68
3/75
10/50
Best Places to
Stay
2/50
0/32
-10/14
1/25
0
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
¨¨Hôtel La Grézalide (p608)
¨¨Manoir de Malagorse
(p605)
¨¨Hostellerie Les Griffons
(p568)
¨¨Hôtel Le Saint Cirq (p606)
May & Jun Take
to the rivers and
climb ramparts
before the crowds
get thick.
Jul & Aug Sup on
local produce at
Dordogne’s excellent restaurants
and summer night
markets.
Dec–Feb Browse
markets selling
Périgord black
truffles.
Cr
50 km
25 miles
VIENNE
DEUXSÈVRES
#
\
eu
se
·
/
Bellac
0̧
Vienne
0̧
Oradoursur-Glane
N21
·
/
#
Solignac \
HAUTEVIENNE
#
\
÷
#
Parc Naturel Régional
de Millevaches en
Limousin
#
Ussel \
N89
·
/
me
ul ê
Sorges
re
ézè
Auv
A89
·
/
Montignac \
#
Vézère
Valley #
1
DORDOGNE
#
Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil \
#
\
0̧
Monbazilac
#
\
5
Issigeac #
D660
Ca
na
ld
Castelnaud
#
\
idi
uM
A62
·
/
Château de V
#
Bonaguil
#
\
Villeneuvesur-Lot
G
ar o n n
e
èz
rr
o
C D940
Gimel-lesCascades
0̧
Collonges-laRouge
#
\
#
\
D38
Beaulieu-surTurenne
Dordogne
#
\
·
/
Martel
Sarlat-laCanéda
ne
og
0̧
÷
#
Parc Naturel
Régional des
Volcans
d'Auvergne
CANTAL
0̧
N120
#
Aurillac \
0̧
N122
Villefranche- LOT
du-Périgord
Régional Causses
de Quercy
0̧
÷
#
Grotte
D991
lé
#
\
#
Cé
du Pech Merle æ
Puy#
\
D662
l'Évêque Cahors #
#
\
8
St-Cirq
Lapopie
0̧
N20
·
/
Lot
#
\
8 Figeac
#
#
\
Cajarc
Villefranche
de Rouergue
#
\
Aveyron
AVEYRON
e
#
\
#
\
9 Najac
#
Agen
Dordogne, Limousin & the Lot Highlights
1 Admiring the prehistoric
artwork of the Vézère Valley
(p580)
Bergerac (p569) or Brantôme
(p567)
7 Picking up porcelain at the
5 Sampling the region’s local
renowned china factories of
Limoges (p587)
sanctuaries at Rocamadour
(p603)
produce at village markets,
such as Issigeac’s (p570) or
Martel’s (p605)
3 Wandering the russet-
6 Strolling a 1st-century
medieval cities, including
Figeac (p607) and Cahors
(p599)
2 Exploring the cliff-face
stone streets of Sarlat-laCanéda (p577)
4 Cruising the Dordogne River
near La Roque Gageac (p574),
D922
A20
·
/
Parc Naturel
#
\
LOT-ETGARONNE
#
\
Château de
#
\
5
#
ey
# V
Va#ll Carennac\
# Castelnau#
\
gn e \
3
#
o
Bretenoux
d
r
Beynac #
9
#
æ
Souillac
Do
Gouffre de Padirac
# La Roque Gageac
\
4
Château des V
# #
#
#
\
V
#
9 \
Domme
Milandes #
2 Rocamadour
#
Monpazier
N21
·
/
D920
#
Tulle \
Brive-laGaillarde \
#
Brive-Vallée de la
Dordogne Airport
#
–
A89
·
/
0̧ CORRÈZE
Uzerche
Vézère
go
An
#
\
Périgueux #
6
(International)
#
\
ArnacPompadour
Brantôme
le
N141
Eymoutiers
A20
·
/
V
#\
#
#
\
4
#
0̧
#
\
Aubusson
Château de
Pompadour
Bergerac #
Dordog n e
#
\
D936
4
#
Bergerac Airport –
Aquitaine
Bourganeuf
N141
Parc Naturel
Régional
Périgord-Limousin
Is
D o rd o g n e , Li m o usi n & th e Lot L im o u si n & t h e L o t Hig h lig h ts
0̧
0̧
#
\
#
\
#
\
7
Limoges #
÷
#
Angoulême
Guéret
N141
#
Rochechouart \
#
\
N145
CREUSE
N147
CHARENTE
0̧
#
\
A20
Do
rd
0
e
#5 62
0
Roman villa at Périgueux’
Musée Gallo-Romain Vesunna
(p565)
8 Traipsing through vibrant
9 Wandering the ramparts
of medieval castles at
Castelnaud (p573), Beynac
(p573) and Najac (p609)