Excideuil, Dordogne - travel guide

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Visit Excideuil

Excideuil is in the northern part of the Dordogne department, about 30 kilometres south of Jumilhac and 15 kilometres from Hautefort.

The town originally developed around a 10th century monastery, in a peaceful setting in the valley of the River Loue. There are a couple of reasons to visit Excideuil, apart from the interesting old-town itself with its gothic church and 16th century houses:

The first is the Thursday market, when the village leaps to life with reputedly the busiest market in the region

The second is the castle. High on a rocky promontory, the castle successfully repelled Richard the Lionheart on three different occasions (note that the main castle is not open to the public).

Set in the rolling green countryside, the Perigord-Limousin Natural Park is nearby. Also try and visit Tourtoirac, a village to the south of Excideuil with the remains of an attractive abbey.

Also to visit near Excideuil

- the Roman style churches at Preyssac and Saint-Raphael, and the church and chateau at Saint-Pantaly-d'Excideuil
- the pretty village at Coulaures
- the little villages and chateaux of Saint-Jory-las-Bloux, Clermont-d-Excideuil and Saint-Germain-des-Pres.

Note: photo is copyright

Dordogne - travel and tourism