The Dordogne département (24) is found within the Aquitaine region of the southwest corner of France. Most French people refer to the area as the Périgord, a name used for the region before the French revolution; the region changed its name to the Dordogne in 1790.
The beauty of the region is unsurpassed, with rivers which cut through limestone, leaving fantastic cliffs and deep caves. People have built and lived around this region for thousands of years. The vast system of caves below the earth hold art so old it's difficult to think that people could have been so talented so early.
The local cuisine is amongst the best in the world. The Périgord is renowned for Truffles and duck dishes, some of the most sensuous tastes on the planet. You'll find lots of duck and goose cooked in interesting ways.
There are hundreds of chateaux in the Dordogne Valley, a density similar to the famous Loire chateaux.
The Dordogne is just inland from Bordeaux, so finding great wine is no problem. Famous dessert wine is produced at Monbazillac, only 20 minutes from the house and good value reds, whites and rosés are produced throughout the Bergerac region.
The Dordogne is compact and full of things to do. Click here to discover more about the Périgord region and things to do.
