The white Périgord

Perigueux

Périgueux, in the heart of Périgord, is a town with a rich historical past, built in the Isle valley whose history can be seen in its urban structure.

PREHISTORY

In Périgueux you will visit the second prehistory museum in France, the Museum of Art and Archaeology of Périgord. It invites you on a fascinating journey through time, from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age. An impressive collection of tools and rare pieces will tell you about this epic, one of the heroes of which, in Périgueux on the banks of the Isle, was the Chancelade Man.

The Gallo-Roman

Born from the union of the Gauls with the Romans, Périgueux, 2000 years ago, was called Vesunna. Sumptuous and prosperous, it had its temples, its public baths, its amphitheater of 20,000 seats and magnificent villas decorated with frescoes and mosaics.

Many vestiges still bear witness today to this sumptuous ancient era: the tower of Vesone, the most sacred part of a sanctuary built in the center of a brilliant colonial city, Vesunna, which the Romans built in the 1st century. The Arena Gardens, the Norman Gate, and the rich collections of the Vesunna Museum.

Discover Gallo-Roman Périgueux

The Tourist Office will help you discover, during a very well-designed tour, the Temple of Vésone, the brand new Gallo-Roman Museum (Vesunna) in the heart of the ancient city, designed by the international architect Jean Nouvel, then the rue Romaine, the Château Barrière, the Porte Normande, the Gallo-Roman Wall, the Amphitheatre, and finally the Church of the City, the first Cathedral of Périgueux until 1577.

Discovery Tours at 3 p.m.: Information for the tour program at the Tourist Office: 05 53 53 10 63.

From June to September, Monday to Saturday at 10:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m., 4 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m.

Groups every day all year round, by reservation.

The Renaissance

The Maison Lapeyre, the Maison Estignard, the Logis Saint Front, the Maison des Consuls, the Maison du Pâtissier... Here and there, rue de la Sagesse, rue de la Miséricorde or rue Limogeanne, in what is today one of the largest protected areas in France, so many testimonies to the Renaissance of the prosperity of the City. With, perhaps as an eternal signature of beauty and harmony, the salamander of François I, struck on the tympanum of a door.

PÉRIGUEUX, A CITY, A HISTORY

Discover Périgueux as if you were leafing through a history book. Come and go back in time and discover our history. Many prehistoric testimonies exhibited at the Museum of Art and Archaeology of Périgord take you back to the origins of humanity.

The city's heritage also takes you back to the lavish era of the Roman Empire with its many remains and its Gallo-Roman museum (Vesunna) which allow you to judge the wealth of the ancient city of Vesunna. Vesunna a city but also a goddess who surprises us with her proud and majestic temple. Your journey through history has only just begun.

At the bend in a medieval alley or while strolling from square to square, you come across half-timbered houses, residences with towers, signs of wealth of the merchants of Périgueux. In this vast historic district, the cathedral sits at the top of the puy (hill). This building, of which the Périgord residents are proud, has a part forming a Greek cross, topped with domes, of Byzantine inspiration. These various restorations make it an original building.

Built on the paths of Santiago de Compostela (a World Heritage Site since 1998), Saint-Front Cathedral remains a major stopover for pilgrims.

During your stroll through the centuries, you will also discover finely sculpted and decorated Renaissance mansions.

The great book of the history of Périgueux is not finished! The major urban development works of the city have left a straight layout of streets, wide boulevards, with a perfect alignment of facades: large bays, balconies, apartment buildings... a little Haussmannian air that lets you imagine the atmosphere of the 19th century and the Belle Époque.

PÉRIGUEUX, TODAY

In the middle of Périgord, Périgueux, the department's prefecture, is constantly looking to the future. With some 30,000 inhabitants, its busy and lively commercial city center, its training center (3,000 students), its historic districts make it a dynamic, touristic and pleasant city to live in. Added to this living environment, there are many green space developments for which Périgueux is awarded 4 flowers in the competition of cities and villages in bloom.

FLAVORS OF THE TERROIR

In Périgueux, gluttony is a quality! After the pleasure of the eyes, let yourself go to the pleasure of the taste buds. Equipped with your basket, you will be charmed by the atmosphere of our colorful markets and perfumed with farm products. The know-how of the producers remains a guarantee of quality for local products.

The markets

• Large markets on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Coderc, Clautre and town hall squares
• Fat markets from mid-November to the end of March on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Place Saint Louis. Information at the Tourist Office for the dates of the award-winning markets.
• Market every day from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Place du Coderc.

MOVE IN PÉRIGUEUX

On the outskirts of Périgueux, more than 200 km of marked hiking trails, accessible to all, allow you to stroll in the forests, along the river and rest in a picnic area. A hiking map is sold at the Tourist Office.

After a short walk, go down the river by canoe and enjoy a getaway to admire the Périgord heritage.

Fancy a few greens ? The Saltgourde municipal golf course, just 5 minutes from the town centre, welcomes you in a calm setting equipped with a covered practice area with numerous stations, a putting green, a bar, a restaurant... Great moments of pleasure and a breath of fresh air guaranteed!

CULTURAL EVENTS

The major events:

• Expoésie Festival – in March
• Saint George's Day celebrations - early May
• Strawberry Festival in Vergt - Third Sunday in May
• Night markets – in July and August on Wednesday evenings
• Mimos International Mime Festival – in July
• Torchlight walks - in summer
• New Orleans Music Festival – August
• Medieval Day - in August
• Maccadam jazz/street concert – Tuesdays in July and August
• Organ Games – Sundays from July to September
• Silver truffles – in July and August
• Sinfonia-International Baroque Music Festival – end of August
• The Spirit of Voices – All Year Round
• Peri'meuh - in September
• Heritage Days - September
• International Gourmet Book Fair – biennial November
• Christmas Market - December

HOW TO GET TO PÉRIGUEUX?

• By car
  Paris → (A20) Limoges → (RN21) Périgueux
  Paris → (A10) Poitiers → (RN10) Angoulême → (D939) Périgueux
  Bordeaux → (A89) Perigueux
  Toulouse → (A62) Montauban → (A20) Brive → (A89) Périgueux

• By train
  Périgueux is easily accessible by train, particularly from Paris:
  Departure from Paris-Austerlitz via Limoges (journey time 3h50 to 4h50)
  Departure from Paris-Montparnasse by TGV via Libourne (journey time 3h30 to 4h)
  Coming from Bordeaux, Limoges or Brive, around ten daily connections (journey time 1h to 1h20)
  SNCF information: +33 (0)8 92 35 35 35 (0.34€/min) or voyage-sncf.com

• By plane
  Connections from airports in neighboring cities accessible by train:
  Roissy Airport (direct TGV Roissy-Libourne then TER from Libourne or Bordeaux)
  Bordeaux-Mérignac Airport – national and international lines (shuttles between the airport and Bordeaux train station then direct line to Périgueux) Bordeaux airport information: +33 (0)5 56 35 50 50
  Limoges Airport – national and international lines (taxis between the airport and the train station) Limoges Airport information: +33 (0)5 55 43 30 30
  Brive Airport – national lines (taxis between the airport and the train station)
  Brive airport information: +33 (0)5 55 86 88 36
  Connections from Bergerac only accessible by car or taxi:
  Bergerac Airport – international lines
  Bergerac airport information: +33 (0)5 53 22 25 25

A short stroll in the Renaissance Périgueux

• The Mataguerre Tower : this is the last bastion of the medieval enclosure, formerly made up of 28 towers and 11 gates.
• The Hôtel Lagrange, Place de l’Hôtel de Ville: fortified building from the 15th and 17th centuries, used during the “Fronde”.
• The Abzac de Ladouze Hotel : located on rue Aubergerie at no. 16, a fortified 15th century hotel.
• The famous Place St Louis : once the seat of the Périgueux fire station, Place St Louis is today a charming "cool" square in the summer where restaurant terraces are spread out. You can admire the "pastry chef's house" from the 14th century which was in the 19th century the house of a famous pastry chef who made the famous Périgueux pâté. Discover the fat market on this square which "sits" there from November to March.
• The Place du Coderc or market, coming from the Place St Louis by the rue de la Sagesse: first of all, note the 19th century market hall, completely renovated recently, then the Maison Lapeyre, its corbelled turrets which watch over the daily markets held on the square.
• Rue Limogeanne, the main pedestrian street of old Périgueux where shops are spread out, in the footsteps of the pilgrims of St Jacques de Compostelle. Discover at random portals, interior courtyards, sculpted tympanums, shell dormers.
• The Place du marché au bois, on the right as you go up Rue Limogeanne, has regained all its charm since its complete renovation a few years ago. Discover, as on Place St Louis, charming terraces where you can spend a pleasant moment, admiring the Haussmannian architecture of the city.
• Place de la Vertu, accessible from Place du Marché au bois after crossing rue St Front, opened in the 19th century, another charming place in the old town.
• Finally, go down the streets Barbecanne and de l'Abreuvoir, past the Hôtel Fayolle, and via the rue du Port de Graule, which saw the filming of Jacquou le Croquant. Discover on the banks of the Isle the magnificent Maison des Consuls, an exceptional group of three residences from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries.

• Then go back up the alleys of Tourville and Nation to discover an exceptional residence, Le Logis St Front. Enter a maze of galleries to discover the Galerie Daumesnil, via rue de la Miséricorde, before returning to Rue Limogeanne and wandering towards the Cathedral to Place de la Clautre, the former place of executions, whose name evokes the cloister of the Cathedral.

Perigueux Today

Thanks to a modern and well-thought-out urban development plan, Périgueux is now equipped with modern facilities and the most pleasant living spaces in the city center. Life is good in Périgueux: cinema complex, university center, new Francheville square, the superb greenway where hundreds of sporty and tranquility-seeking Périgourdins meet every weekend, many green spaces such as the Parc Gamenson, the Arènes garden, the Vésone garden...

Montpon-Ménestérol

At the gates of the “Double” (Sologne du Périgord), on the edge of the Gironde department. Capital of the organ in Aquitaine. To visit: numerous churches and monasteries. Typical houses. Curiosity: Estudor fish farm.

SORGES

Sorges is known by gastronomes around the world as the capital of the black truffle, the famous "tuber melanosporum". According to the best specialists, the Sorges truffle offers a perfume and reveals its incomparable flavors. Sorges has dedicated to its black diamond a Truffle Ecomuseum, created in 1982, which welcomes more than 10,000 visitors each year.

The truffle market that takes place every year on the last Sunday in January attracts large crowds, and more and more foreigners. The Auberge de la Truffe, a very famous Logis de France (3 stars) welcomes a cosmopolitan clientele all year round. Sorges receives delegations from many European countries but also from China, Russia...

Mussidan

Chief town of the canton, on the banks of the Isle, 35 km from Périgueux. Surrounded by the forests of “Double” and “Landais”.

To visit:

• 15th century church of Sourzac;
• Romanesque church of Saint-Martin-l'Astier;
• Museum of popular arts and traditions in Voulgre.

Vergt

Between Périgueux and Bergerac, the strawberry capital of Périgord (Grand marché du Cadran).

Surrounded by charming villages: Bourrou, Creyssensac and Pissot (chapel of the 11th century), Lacropte, St-Mayme de Pereyrol, Cendrieux... images of rural France. Leisure center and lake of Neufont. Hiking trails...