The gardens of the Chartreuse du Colombier near Paunat; a visitors guide

Visit Chartreuse du Colombier

The Chartreuse du Colombier is an attractive stone house in traditional perigordine style which is surrounded by pretty gardens that are open for visitors. The chartreuse is situated near to the village of Paunat in the Perigord Pourpre part of the Dordogne.

Explore the gardens of the Chartreuse du Colombier

The chartreuse was built in the 17 and 18th century and as well as the lovely L-shaped house with its stone walls and painted shutters there are various buildings including a hunting pavilion, stables and a stone dovecote.

Extensive gardens have been developed around these buildings and have been awarded the status of 'Jardin Remarquable' (remarkable garden).

In front of the Charteuse du Colombier is a large parterre of clipped box surronded by small trees with a rounded shape. It forms a lovely verdant space in front of the house.

To the side of the house is the working farm and behind this are the stables whose courtyard area have been laid out in a formal parterre with symetrical raised beds, hedges of clipped hornbeam, espaliered apple trees and lots of rose bushes and camelies. The area is very charming.

Next to this is a lovely decorative potager whose focus is an imposing baroque fountain and with symetrical raised beds planted with fruits and vegetables and many decorative plants. Ornamental vegetables such as artichokes, rhubarb, cabbages and chard mix with roses, camelias, perovskia and topiaries of holly.

From the back of the house there is a long view to the music pavilion and the edges of the grass path to the pavilion have been planted with small trees clipped into spheres and a long row of large urns. The area around the pavilion has been planted with a mixture of roses and other shrubs.

A long border of irises and perennials leads to the main part of the garden at the side of the house. This garden is called the English garden as it contains lots of roses, peonies and deep shrubberies though it also has lots of topiaries and clipped hedges giving it a strong French influence.

A lovely terracotta statue of three hares ornaments the garden as well as various large pots and urns.

Behind this garden is the dovecote and the dovecote enclosure is a charming garden with parterres of low hedging filled with a range of plants inclding day lilies, eremurus, cistus, aquilegeas, alliums and a collection of a hundred peonies. It was very pretty in late September with the colours turning autumnal but must be a treat in spring when the irises and peonies are flowering not to mention the many roses.

It is possible to enjoy a tea or coffee or light refreshments at the chartreuse.

The Chartreuse du Colombier is open from 10.30 to 19.30, Wednesday to Sunday from 14 April to 1 October. The address is: Les jardins de la Chartreuse du Colombier, 630 route du Colombier, 24510 Paunat. Visits cost 6 euros.

Attractions nearby

Paunat is a pretty village with an imposing abbey church. The nearby village of Limeuil is classified as one of the most beautiful villages of France. It is very lovely and sits on the confluence of the rivers Dordogne and Vezere.

The small village of Tremolat is near to the Cingle de Tremolat, a deep bend in the river and you can get pretty views of it from the road above it.