The Dordogne is a region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France. Dordogne is one of France's best-loved areas.
Castles, châteaux, and other important historical museums are sprinkled throughout the region, offering enough historical interest for any aficionado, but attractively distributed throughout a breathtaking scenery that needs no scholarly tendencies to enjoy it.
While long a favourite with visitors, the region has escaped much of the overdevelopment of some of France's other regions.
The Dordogne department roughly follows the shape of the historic Périgord, a former province and one of the primary battlegrounds during the Hundred Years' War. The name is still commonly used by the French, as the Dordogne is divided into four regions, named after the historic province. They're the Périgord Vert (Green, in the north), the Périgord Blanc (White, in the north-east), Périgord Noir (Black, in the south-east) and the Périgord Pourpre (Purple, in the south-west).
By car to the Dordogne, the A20 and then the A89 to Périgueux.
There isn't much in the way of public transport around the Périgord Noir area of which Sarlat is the main town. Railway: Trains from Paris to Souillac or Paris to Libourne and then change for Sarlat using the Bergerac line. A number of trains operate from Bordeaux to Sarlat each day, which takes about 3 hours and is a reasonably scenic journey. Bus: There is no bus station in Sarlat but some services operate from the railway station. The Transperigord links Souillac to Sarlat via the Dordogne valley twice daily and the Sarlat Bus services various areas of Sarlat itself. Taxi: There are several taxi companies operating around Sarlat and the Dordogne valley. Taxi Faugére and taxi Cy
A magnificent cuisine - famous especially for its pâtés - is often rated by native French as the country's best. Some local specialties:
As in most popular holiday destination regions in France, you'll find a range of places to stay, varying from large and small camp grounds and village bed & breakfasts to high end hotels and resorts. Family holiday houses are also widely available.
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