Dordogne - travel and tourism

The region here is crossed by the Dordogne river to the south. The most poular part of the Vézère runs north-east from Limeuil, where it meets the Dordogne, to Montignac and the Lascaux caves.

Vezere River

The valley of the Vézère is often cited as the home of prehistory in Europe, and there are numerous prehistoric attractions to be found, ranging from the caves at Lascaux to dinosaur theme parks. There are some 175 prehistoric sites listed along this stretch of the River.

Les Eyzies, half way along the valley, cites itself as being 'the world capital of prehistory' - with good reason, and no mean claim - see Towns page.

Many of the caves, prehistoric sites and castles along the river are included in their respective sections on this site.

Canoeing, horse-riding, walking, mountain biking and quad biking are all available along the River Vezere Valley.

Dronne River

The Dronne is a charming river in the northern part of the Dordogne department that passes by Brantome and Riberac. You will come across its charms in many places in the region as you travel around - for example at Tocane-St-Apre and Montagrier.

Dordogne River

The Dordogne River is very accessible in most parts of our region. Reasonably slow flowing by this point, it lends itself well to various activities. These include:

Boat trips: From Bergerac, Beynac and La Roque Gageac  it is possible to take an organised ride upstream on a boat ('gabarre').

Beaches and swimming: There are several river beaches along the Dordogne River, the one at Limeuil being of particular note.

Canoeing: Canoeing down the Dordogne is one of our favourite pastimes - see Canoe the Dordogne

Isle River

See our separate article about the Isle River for highlights of this stretch of river in eastern Dordogne.