Mussidan, Dordogne - travel guide to the small town of Mussidan

Visit Mussidan

Mussidan is one of the larger towns in the area north of Bergerac and West of Perigueux. It is in the Perigord Blanc part of the Dordogne. Mussidan sits alongside the River Isle and the tiny River La Crempse runs through the centre of town.

Explore Mussidan

The shopping centre of Mussidan is still a little shabby but in recent years the town has been doing much to improve itself and hopefully a general renovation of the shops will continue. Although the shops are focussed around the high street and the Saint George church the nicest parts of town are a little seperate to these.

In the centre of town is a small stream, the Riviere La Crempse and behind the high street next to the Place de la Republique there is a small weir and a little bridge over the stream to the music school. The music school is a lovely building with a pleasant garden to the front.

Near to here is the tourist office and over the bridge near the tourist office is a nice pigeonnier and a water wheel on the side of the river.

Beyond this area the town has recently spent quite a lot of money and created a nice contemporary garden area leading to the childrens playground and next to the modern cultural centre with lots of stone seating areas out front.

There are two churches in Mussidan. Saint Georges church is a neo-romanesque chuch built in the 19th century and the older eglise Notre Dame du Roc was built on a rock in the 16 and 17th centuries.

The Notre Dame du Roc church is a lovely building and was converted into a cinema in 2003 and is now a very charming setting to go watch a film. Behind the church you can get some excellent views of the River Isle.

Mussidan has a modern and not especially attractive Halle but it has a very good market. It is known locally as a good one with a high proportion of stalls selling locally grown produce. Saturday is market day in Mussidan and is the best day to visit. During cepes season which is from September to November there is also a very good cepes market every day from 4pm under the halle.

To explore a little further there is an attractive walk of 5 kilometers that you can do which takes you past the main sights of Mussidan and around the edges of the village. Pick up a map from the tourist office.

Things to do in Mussidan

Mussidan sits on the River Isle and so you can go canoeing etc. from here.

Mussidan has an arts and crafts museum the Musée Andre Voulgre. The museum is open from the 1st April to 31 May, Saturdays and Sundays from 14h00 to 18h00 and from the 1 June to 30 September, every day 14.00 to 18.00. The museum shows the evolution of daily life in the Perigord and how it changed as time passed. The museum is housed in an attractive 18th century building. The Park Voulgre is home to two half-timber houses known as the Maisons Doubleade and is a pleasant place to relax or have a picnic.

Mussidan has an open air swimming pool open in July and August.