The Tourist Sites in the Black Périgord

Wondering what to visit when you are on holiday in the Dordogne ? Check out our pages that tell you about the best tourist sites in the Périgord Noir, the must-sees when you are on holiday around Sarlat, in the Vézère Valley or in the Dordogne Valley! Visits to castles, gardens, caves and rock shelters for a well-filled stay with family or friends! You won't have enough time in one stay to see everything, you'll have to come back!

Losse Castle (14th and 16th centuries) 5 km from Montignac-Lascaux

The castle and gardens of Losse dominate the Vézère valley. Enclosed in the fortified medieval enclosure, the large Renaissance dwelling offers visitors a sumptuous decor and furniture of the period. The walk in the green rooms of the garden and in the park completes the visit. Audiovisual presentations, shop.

Castelnaud Castle

Founded in the 12th century, the castle of Castelnaud, which once belonged to the English, overlooks the Dordogne valley. Abandoned during the Revolution, classified as a Historic Monument in 1966, it dominates the Dordogne valley and offers a magnificent panorama of the sites of Beynac, Marqueyssac and La Roque Gageac.

Open to the public since 1985, this fortified castle is entirely devoted to the art of war in the Middle Ages. Come and discover its important collection of weapons and armor, its furniture collection, its life-size reconstructions of war machines.

In addition to the models, audiovisuals provide a better understanding of the different methods of attack and defense of a medieval castle. Owned by the Rossillon family, the castle has benefited from three major restoration campaigns. Today, the site welcomes more than 220,000 visitors per year, including 20,000 schoolchildren.

Commarque Castle (12th and 18th centuries) in Sireuil - 6 km from Les Eyzies

Commarque is located near a spring that has attracted men since prehistoric times. Its first legendary lord is Bovon. He fought the Saracens at the time of Charlemagne

In the 12th century, when Garin and then Radulphe de Commarque were abbots of Sarlat, several noble families had towers built in Commarque. The fortified village was born with its troglodyte houses and its church. Two towers have survived: that of the Commarque and that of the Beynac family, masters of the lordship from the 13th to the 18th century. Around 1380, Pons de Beynac enlarged the keep and the castle. During the Hundred Years' War, Commarque was taken by treachery by the English.

The barons of Beynac having converted to Protestantism, the castle was besieged and taken by the king's army in 1569. The last lord residing in Commarque died there in 1656...

A walk in the valley offers extraordinary views of the monumental archaeological complex of Commarque. From the castle of Commarque , look opposite to admire the castle of Laussel. The visit of the site ends with the ascent of the vertiginous keep of Pons de Beynac and a panorama of the entirely preserved valley.

Beynac Castle (12th and 18th centuries)

Discovering the Château de Beynac means experiencing History and entering the Middle Ages through the main door of the most authentic Medieval Fortress in Périgord.

Its exceptional state of conservation will allow you to live a unique and unforgettable experience in total immersion in the footsteps of Richard the Lionheart, Simon and Montfort and the Hundred Years' War.

Between heaven and earth, from its highest keep, 150 m above the Dordogne river, the Medieval Fortress of Beynac will offer you the most beautiful view of the valley of the five castles.

During the summer season, passionate and exciting guides await you for the greatest pleasure of young and old alike.

Fénelon Castle (14th and 17th centuries)

The Château de Fénélon, which has retained its military character, has a triple enclosure with several protective towers. Access to the terrace on which the château stands and from which an immense panorama is revealed.

Puymartin Castle (15th and 16th centuries)

Situated on a steep hill in the heart of the Périgord Noir, the Puymartin castle, built in the 15th and 16th centuries in yellow Périgord stone, is entirely covered in flagstones. It overlooks the Beune valley between Sarlat and Les Eyzies.

Château des Milandes in Castelnaud (15th and 19th centuries)

This is the former residence and "nursery" of Joséphine Baker. A pleasantly designed garden surrounds the Château des Milandes ; from the terrace, you have a view of the park. A spiral staircase serves the different floors.

Falconry

This art, which existed well before the Middle Ages, is revived at the Château des Milandes. In the oldest tower of the castle, the falconer's accessories and numerous documents trace this ancestral practice. Meet these majestic flying hunting birds of prey (live birds). novel: "Jacquou le Croquant".

The Gardens of the Manor of Eyrignac

Eyrignac and its gardens are located 13 km northeast of Sarlat, on the historic route of the 1001 castles of Périgord. The manor was built in the 17th century by Antoine de Costes de la Calprénède, on the ruins of the previous "Repaire Noble", burned down by the troops of the Grand Condé.

This residence, having always belonged to the same family, has thus remained in its original state. The French gardens were created in the 18th century by Louis-Antoine-Gabriel de Costes de la Calprénède. Restored to their original state by the current owner, Patrick Sermadiras de Pouzols de Lile, they are exceptional and worth a visit.

The Gardens of Marqueyssac in Vézac (9 km from Sarlat)

The Marqueyssac Gardens are one of the most beautiful successes in the history of French gardens. Covering an area of 22 hectares, its 5 kilometers of paths and 150,000 hand-pruned box trees are the work of several generations of the same family, who have lived in the castle since 1692. One man left his mark on the Marqueyssac site: Julien de Cerval. Passionate about Italian culture, he accentuated the picturesque beauty of the site by creating paths at the foot of the cliffs, viewpoints, places of meditation and poetry. The visit to the park is designed to please all ages. You can discover the nature and sites of Périgord, presented by the team at the Château de Castelnaud.

The Cadiot Gardens in Carlux (between Sarlat and Souillac)

The garden is an art: each garden is a painting, a universe, of which we are the privileged visitor. The Cadiot Gardens in Carlux are the art of gardens in 10 paintings by color theme: terraced gardens on 2 ha and a thousand varieties: Rose garden of old roses, peony garden, labyrinth, ornamental orchard, vegetable garden, sculptures, English garden, mixed borders, wild garden, boxwood garden, poetry garden, patios. They are away from the world with the only rose garden of old roses in Sarladais (recommended visit period from May 15 to the end of June), and from the vegetable garden to the orchard, from the peony garden to the labyrinth, a range of original creations hailed by Mon Jardin & Maison as a favorite for the gardens of Périgord.

Cadouin Abbey

Founded in 1115 in a narrow valley near the Bessède forest, the cloister of Cadouin , affiliated shortly after its foundation to the Cistercian order, enjoyed great prosperity in the Middle Ages. The church and the cloister, restored after the Revolution, form a remarkable architectural ensemble.

National Museum of Prehistory in Les Eyzies

A must-see museum in Périgord and even beyond, overlooking the village, the museum offers several rooms presenting:

• The evolution of flint cutting over 2.5 million years, the major stages of human cultures, the Paleolithic periods.
• A unique and original collection of the first human works of art.
• New acquisitions and everything about the Quaternary fauna discovered in paleontological sites.
• Anthropology and funeral rites, fauna hunted by prehistoric man.

And the expansion of the museum continues with the construction of new buildings...

Pataud Shelter in Les Eyzies de Tayac

In the deposit, stratigraphic sections over 9 m high allow us to follow the succession of prehistoric occupations under the shelter, which has now collapsed. Cro-Magnon men came here on numerous occasions between 33,000 and 18,000 BC (Aurignacian, Perigordian, Solutrean). Original objects discovered during the excavations are exhibited in the museum and the work of prehistorians is presented (panels, models, reconstructions, etc.), allowing us to understand who Cro-Magnon men were, when and how they lived. On the ceiling of the museum shelter, a remarkable ibex has been sculpted in bas-relief, 17,000 BC (Solutrean).

Lascaux II Cave in Montignac

Discovered in 1940 and opened for visitors in 1948, the Lascaux II cave is ranked first among European prehistoric sites in terms of the number and quality of its paintings. The number of visitors is such that in fifteen years more than a million visitors have come to admire the paintings.

It was in 1963 that the decision was made to close the cave in order to preserve it. The effect of carbon dioxide and humidity led to the development of two diseases that were extremely harmful to the paintings. It was not until twenty years later that the project for a facsimile was completed. Lascaux II is above all a technological feat in which science has demonstrated great rigor. Indeed, the reliefs are restored down to the smallest details. The polychrome paintings are drawn as they were 17,000 years ago with natural dyes. Located 200 m from the original cave, the facsimile is a remarkable reconstruction of the upper part of the cavern including the bull room and the axial diverticulum.

It is still possible to visit the Lascaux II cave, even though Lascaux IV has since opened its doors! The visit is intimate, exciting and will please lovers of a beautiful atmosphere.

The International Center for Cave Art in Montignac Lascaux: Lascaux IV

Lascaux IV is the International Center for Cave Art. Located in Montignac Lascaux, On the same hill and a few meters from the original cave and its first facsimile, Lascaux IV finally reveals the entire cave to the curious and passionate about the History of Humanity. This masterpiece of parietal art is revealed from every angle thanks to fun and educational content aimed at connoisseurs as well as novices and the youngest.

After visiting the cave with a guide, you enter the Facsimile Workshop which allows you, thanks to a visiting companion, an audio guide and interactive explanatory panels, to understand and observe the paintings, even the most inaccessible.

This modern and elegant ensemble continues with a filmed animation putting the discovery of the cave and the paintings into perspective in the History of Modern Humanity, then with a 3D film with glasses in a cinema-type room. Finally, discover the Gallery of the Imagination where the works of art intermingle for the pleasure of the senses! Lascaux IV also offers a delicious catering service on site to enjoy this day without rushing, immersed in the art of our ancestors.

Thot Center / Cro-Magnon Space

The Thot Park is a prehistory initiation center, located on the Thot hill, overlooking the Vézère valley. It includes:

• A museum exhibiting a broad panorama of prehistoric art thanks to modern museography.
• A park presenting fauna that Cro-Magnon man encountered and represented.
• Reconstructions of prehistoric camps and scenes from daily life.

The Cap Blanc shelter in Les Eyzies

Located 7 km from Les Eyzies, this prehistoric site dating from the Middle Magdalenian (around 15,000 years before the present day), overlooks the Grande Beune valley, opposite the Château de Commarque.

In 1909, excavations led under the shelter by Doctor Lalanne led to the discovery of numerous remains (cut flints and worked bones), and the unearthing of a monumental frieze sculpted over 14 metres of wall.

Horses, bison and deer are made in low and high relief, sometimes more than 20 cm thick.

A human burial was later discovered at the base of the archaeological deposits. Cap Blanc is the most important prehistoric sculpted shelter open to the public.

Tickets are on sale at the Font-de-Gaume cave ticket office at the exit of Les Eyzies, towards Sarlat. We have tested the Abri du Cap-Blanc for you!

La Roque Saint Christophe Fort and Troglodyte city Peyzac-le-Moustier

Remarkable for the beauty of its site, classified as a " Historic Monument ", the Roque Saint Christophe forms a setting of rare and wild beauty . This cliff dominates the Vézère Valley over 900 meters, and on five floors. Its hundred rock shelters were the cradle of many civilizations from Prehistory to the Middle Ages. The prodigious entablatures could shelter up to 1,000 men. There, you will discover the habitat of our ancestors as well as the traces of their tools, their industry, their art and their worship.

In this immense natural fortress, a remarkable troglodyte fort and its city served as ramparts against the Normans, and make this place one of the wonders of the Vézère Valley.

Troglodyte Village of La Madeleine in Tursac

The village of La Madeleine is an invitation to go back in time… This exceptional natural site, among the best preserved in the Vézère Valley, has attracted Man from prehistoric times to the present day. At the foot of the cliff, 17,000 years ago, semi-nomadic hunter-gatherers settled there. The prehistoric deposit on the site gave its name to this prehistoric civilization: the Magdalenian.

The exhibition traces the major discoveries of the archaeological site :

• The Mammoth engraved… in Mammoth ivory ;
• The burial of the child of the Madeleine, whose adornment is made of more than 1150 pierced shells...
• The masterpiece that represents the pinnacle of the art of our Cro-Magnon ancestors: the Bison "licking its flank".

Halfway up the cliff, you will discover a medieval troglodyte village. It was inhabited from the early Middle Ages until the end of the 19th century. Among the buildings dug into the rock, a remarkable 15th century Gothic chapel is as if clinging to the cliff.

On the upper floor, on the limestone plateau, are the remains of the Petit-Marzac castle, built in the 13th century. Here, the viewer's eye will humbly notice the know-how and ingenuity of these rural "troglodytes" who were able to take advantage of their natural environment (stone, wood, water and agricultural land) to build their refuge. In these times when we question the use of our resources, coming to draw inspiration from what was done at La Madeleine can serve as an example for our future.

Cazelle Rock

Come and discover in the striking prehistoric park of Roc de Cazelle, the reconstructions of the life of our distant ancestors and this in the very places where they lived. It is here in the valley of the goulet that the famous statuette known as the Venus of Sireuil was discovered. You will go along the rock shelters, the caves and the habitats in which were collected countless tools and weapons carved by prehistoric men, 12,000 years ago.

Prehistoric deposits of Laugerie-Basse in Les Eyzies

The high limestone cliffs which rise on the right bank of the Vézère, shortly before the village of Les Eyzies-de-Tayac, form the prehistoric shelters of Langerie Basse, rock shelters which have partially collapsed since their prehistoric occupation.

Through the discovery of this place of habitation, you will imagine the daily life of Cro-Magnon, who lived here for around 14,000 years.

Excavations were carried out and the thousands of stone tools and bones thus collected were dispersed in private collections and in several large museums.

A slideshow will allow you to appreciate the beauty of these pieces, found in Laugerie-Basse, and to benefit from a quality commentary.

You will also admire the succession of archaeological layers, a fascinating journey into the past to discover our ancestors.

Prehistoric site of Regourdou in Montignac

The Régourdou site, listed as a Historic Monument, has remained private and family-owned. You will learn how Roger Constant, the inventor of the site, fought to maintain his independence through his tenacity. Why did this stocky young Neanderthal want to sleep his last night at Regourdou, at the top of the famous Lascaux hill? Was this prestigious site already sacred 50,000 years before the paintings of the prehistoric cathedral were painted?

These questions can be asked in the presence of the oldest known burial, with stone casing, surrounded by an extraordinary ritual. Brown bears buried in intentional pits closely associated with human burial hold first place. We must pay tribute to Mr ROGER CONSTANT who, in 1957, had the world of scientists recognize the importance of his discovery of the Regourdou man, to this day the oldest of the Périgourdins.

Troglodyte Fort of La Roque-Gageac

A forgotten fortress - Castrum de Gajaco. Until the 17th century, the history of La Roque-Gageac was that of a “small, well-enclosed town, dependent on the temporality of the abbey, then of the bishopric of Sarlat” (G. Tarde).

At that time, the fortress consisted of a rampart, the seigneurial castle of the Bishops, enriched with fortified noble houses and the Troglodytic Forts. The remains that we visit today were therefore part of an elaborate defensive system and constituted the final and impregnable fortifications of this complex.

Built around the 12th century, the fort, built entirely on the rock, was impossible to climb or undermine. This represented the main dangers of the time. It includes many of the ingenious defenses of the time (airlocks, defensive wells, patrol paths, arrow slits, loopholes, etc.). Over time, enriched and reinforced, it became a symbol of invulnerability. The fortress resisted all assaults during the Hundred Years' War and was never taken. The fortifications, reinforced in 1662 and dismantled at the beginning of the 18th century, were then used as a stone quarry. The preservation of this heritage began in March 1992.

Grand Roc Cave in Les Eyzies

In the heart of Périgord, embedded in the cliff overlooking the Vézère, the Grotte du Grand Roc presents itself as a https://www.guide-du-perigord.com/fr/tourisme/decouvrir/sites-touristiques/grottes-et-gouffres-gisements/les-eyzies-de-tayac-487/grotte-du-grand-roc-2368.html.

Internationally renowned, this masterpiece of natural art offers crystallizations famous for their diversity, the eccentricity of their creations, the abundance and transparency of the crystals as well as the richness of the shapes defying the laws of gravity and for its exceptional triangular formations, unique in the world.

Halle Cave - Domme

Under the 16th century market hall, you enter fantastic caves, with their stalactite colonnades, water mirrors, prehistoric bones, plays of light...

Maxange Caves at Buisson de Cadouin

Discovered in 2000, the Grottes de Maxange with their stalactite and stalagmite concretions and especially their "eccentric", "crystalline or orange" crystallizations. A real sound and light show highlighting the crystallizations. The visit is made easier by the low difference in altitude.

Also find: bar, snack bar, souvenir shop, children's play area...

Proumeyssac chasm in Audrix

Protected by one of the magnificent hillsides of the Vézère Valley, the Gouffre de Proumeyssac is the largest developed cavity in Périgord (50 m). The density and variety of crystallizations that adorn the walls of this immense underground vault that can be seen at a glance, offer real geological interest.

With new lighting created for the 3rd millennium and thanks to major developments, the Gouffre de Proumeyssac reveals new charms.

The new tour , based on new cutting-edge technology, meets the public's multiple expectations.

Outside, several facilities have been designed to further satisfy the visitor.

• a geological space to facilitate the understanding of many geological phenomena.
• a forest trail to discover the flora present above the chasm.
• a large reception hall with bar, shop and bookstore.
• a magnificent shaded park with relaxation area and picnic area as well as a large picnic room.

All facilities around the Gouffre are easily accessible and free.

Bara-Bahau Cave in Le Bugue

As surprising as its name, the Bara-Bahau cave offers a double interest.

The first part of this cave presents beautiful marine strata from the secondary era. Formed by the passage of an ancient underground river, the cavity is spacious and unusual.

About a hundred meters from the entrance: the engraving room. Intimate and calm, it reveals in the dim light of the lamps this marvelous testimony of Art. Little by little, our eye discovers on the wall numerous animal representations, traced with finger and flint and almost life-size: a fabulous repertoire of Magdalenian Art, present for 17,000 years. Horses, bison, aurochs, deer, bears, human hands and enigmatic signs are engraved there in a completely original style.

The numerous traces of the ancient presence of the bear, and above all, the very rare representation by the prehistoric artist of this animal, make it the sanctuary of the bear cave.

Conquil activity and leisure park in Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère

10 minutes from Lascaux, come and spend a wonderful day with your family near one of the most beautiful villages in France.

On this site, 3 activities:

• The Conquil troglodyte site, a beautiful walk with sumptuous rock shelters in a cool, wooded environment.
• The Préhistobranche, a treetop adventure course among the trees, for the whole family
• The Dinosaur Park to walk in the forest to discover the dinosaurs that populated the earth, an educational trail to learn more about life on earth and surprises all along the way, for all ages!

Tursac Prehisto Park

In Tursac, in the Vézère valley, 6 km from Les Eyzies, 2 km from La Roque-Saint-Christophe, discover for the first time scenes from the daily life of the first Neanderthal hunters. Hunting megaloceros from the Mousterian period, butchering reindeer, hunting mammoths and woolly rhinoceroses, the various events of our distant history tell us about the awakening of a certain spirituality, the appearance of the first burials.

Life in the habitat of a Magdalenian family about 15,000 years ago, the Magdalenian fisherman and engraver, the prehistoric painters, the characters and animals presented in this park have been reconstructed from the most recent anthropological research established on the bone remains.

Relaxation in the middle of a splendid and protected site, accessible to all, free visit.

Village of Bournat in Le Bugue

The Parc du Bournat is unlike any other site: authentic above all, full of original ideas and overflowing with character. It promises you good times whatever your interests.

It's party time in the year 1900! Rides, games, magical settings that take adults back to their childhood and children into a magical world... You experience the history of Périgord and feel a hundred years younger on the banks of the Vézère. Book a whole day at this complete and truly family-friendly park in the heart of the Périgord Noir.

We wish you a very good holiday in Périgord Noir. There are obviously many other sites, this list cannot be exhaustive. We invite you to consult the blog of the Périgord Guide to find other activities to do with family, experiences, discoveries, the Périgord is endless!