# Périgord Noir A district in the south-east of the Dordogne around Sarlat, with châteaux above the river, ochre-stone villages and caves with Palaeolithic art such as Lascaux. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/france/nouvelle-aquitaine/perigord-noir · Revisado: 2026-11-12 ## What is the Périgord Noir like? It is the south-eastern corner of the Dordogne, around Sarlat. The "black" comes from the dark colour of its forests of holm oak and chestnut, as against the other Périgords of the département. Here two rivers and two different trips meet. The Dordogne valley is the one of medieval châteaux on the cliffs and golden-stone villages at the water's edge. The Vézère valley, to the north, is the one of prehistory: rock shelters, painted caves and Lascaux, with its prehistoric sites on the World Heritage list since 1979. Base yourself in Sarlat: it has more hotels and restaurants, the market and is half an hour or less from almost everything. With three days you do one day for the town and market, one for châteaux and river and another for prehistory. ## What is there to see in Sarlat? Sarlat is an almost intact medieval and Renaissance town of ochre stone and lauze-slab roofs, which can be walked in a morning. Go to the market: the traditional one is set up in the open air on Wednesday morning and all day Saturday, all year. There is foie gras, duck confit and magret, walnuts, mushrooms, cheese, strawberries in spring and chestnuts in autumn. The covered market is inside the former church of Sainte-Marie, in the heart of the old town, and on Thursday afternoon there is an organic market in the place de la Poste. In winter the truffle market and the foie gras market are added, the latter on Saturday mornings. There are about 3,500 parking spaces near the centre, free and paid, and the old town is explored on foot. On market days arrive early. ## Which châteaux and villages of the Dordogne? On a short stretch of the river, south of Sarlat, the best-known sights are concentrated: Beynac, a medieval fortress at the top of a cliff, with the cobbled village hanging beneath. Castelnaud, opposite, the historic rival of Beynac. Inside is the museum of medieval warfare, with weapons, armour and reconstructed siege engines. It opens every day of the year without booking. Admission costs €13.60 for adults and €6.80 for ages 10 to 17; under-10s don't pay. There are trebuchet firings several times a day and a combined ticket with the Gardens of Marqueyssac, the ones with clipped box hedges above the valley, for €24.50. La Roque-Gageac, a village stuck to the rock beside the water, with half-troglodyte houses. Domme, a royal bastide at the top of a hill, with an open viewpoint over the whole valley. Les Milandes, the Renaissance château where Josephine Baker lived. The best way to see it is from the river. There are canoe and kayak companies that hire out the boat and pick you up at the end, and on the gabarres, the traditional flat-bottomed boats, there are commentated trips. ## How do I visit Lascaux? The original cave, discovered in 1940, has been closed to the public since 1963 to protect it. What you visit is Lascaux IV, in Montignac, the International Centre for Cave Art: a complete replica of the cave with its bulls, horses and deer, made to real scale, and rooms that explain how and by whom it was painted. In 2026 admission costs €23 for over-12s and €15 for ages 5 to 12; under-5s don't pay. The ticket carries a day and time: buy online, arrive twenty minutes early and bear in mind that the last admission is two hours before closing. It opens almost all year, with long hours in summer: if you go in January, check the calendar first. There are combined tickets with Lascaux II and with the Thot park. Downriver, the Vézère valley continues to Les Eyzies, with the national Prehistory museum and caves with original paintings with very limited capacity. ## How do you get there from Spain? By car. From Irún, on the A63 to Bordeaux and from there towards Bergerac or on the A89 towards Périgueux. From Catalonia, via Toulouse and the A20 northwards. Without a car it is complicated: there is a direct train from Bordeaux to Sarlat, but for the châteaux, villages and Lascaux you need a car, a bike or a taxi. ## Dónde está - Cerca: Saint-Émilion (a 107.9 km) ## Qué hacer - **Château de Castelnaud and the museum of medieval warfare** (2 h · Families with children of any age · 13.6): Inside is the museum of warfare in the Middle Ages, with armour, weapons and reconstructed siege engines, and several times a day they fire the trebuchet. It is open all year with no booking: €13.60 for adults, €6.80 for ages 10 to 17 and free for under-10s. With the Marqueyssac gardens there is a combined ticket at €24.50. - **Gardens of Marqueyssac, the boxwood above the Dordogne** (2 h · All ages; pushchairs on the main paths · 12.9): A romantic garden around a 19th-century château, with more than 6 km of paths lined with centuries-old boxwoods carved by hand and a belvedere 130 m above the Dordogne. Open every day of the year: from February to 11 November, €12.90 for adults and €6.50 for ages 10 to 17; in winter, €10.90. On Thursdays in July and August it is lit by candles until midnight. - **Lascaux IV, the full replica of the cave at Montignac** (2 h 30 · From age 5; better from 8 · 23): The original cave has been closed since 1963; at Montignac you visit the full replica, with its bulls, horses and deer, and rooms that explain how it was painted. In 2026 it costs €23 from age 13 and €15 for ages 5 to 12. The ticket carries a day and time: buy it on the website, arrive twenty minutes early and bear in mind that last entry is two hours before closing. - **Sarlat market and a walk through the medieval centre** (2 h 30 · All ages; with a pushchair, better early): The traditional market is set up on Wednesday mornings and all day Saturday, all year round: foie gras, confit, walnuts, mushrooms, cheeses and strawberries or chestnuts depending on the season. The covered market is inside the former church of Sainte-Marie. Arrive early to park and then explore the old town on foot, which takes a morning. - **Canoeing the Dordogne from La Roque-Gageac to Les Milandes** (2 h · 10 km · From age 5, able to swim · Desde 19 € per person): The stretch of the five castles: you set off by canoe from the La Roque-Gageac base and pass beneath the village, Marqueyssac, Castelnaud, Fayrac and Beynac as far as Les Milandes, where a bus takes you back to the base. It is about two hours on a river without rapids. If you want more, the stretch from Carsac to La Roque-Gageac is 16 km and three hours, at €22. - **La Roque-Gageac, the village clinging to the cliff** (1 h 30 · All ages): The houses are stacked in a narrow strip between the cliff and the Dordogne, with the troglodyte fort hanging in the rock. You can walk round it in an hour along the street that climbs beside the cliff. The riverside road runs right in front, and parking in August in mid-morning is difficult: arrive before ten or come by canoe. - **Domme, the bastide and the viewpoint over the valley** (1 h 30 · All ages): Domme is a bastide, a fortified new town on a regular plan, at the top of a cliff above the Dordogne. Enter by one of its gates, cross the streets to the square and carry on to the Barre, the viewpoint: from there you see the river winding between fields and walnut trees. At sunset the sun is in front of you and there are fewer people than at midday. - **Gabare boat trip on the Dordogne from Beynac** (50 min · All ages · Desde 10.5 € adult): Gabares are the flat-bottomed boats that carried goods down the Dordogne. From Beynac a 50-minute guided trip leaves, passing beneath four castles. From May to September it leaves every half hour from 9:30 to 18:00; in April and October, every hour from 11:00 to 17:00. It is closed from November to early April. ## Dónde comer - **Auberge Le Mirandol** (Restaurant, Sarlat-la-Canéda, €€). Qué pedir: The Mirandol menu with the confit and potatoes sarladaise; for dessert, the walnut cake. - **L'Assiette Sarladaise** (Restaurant, Sarlat-la-Canéda, €). Qué pedir: The €21.50 menu of the day, on the shaded terrace. - **Le Grand Bleu** (Restaurant, Sarlat-la-Canéda, €€€€). Qué pedir: The sweetbreads, the chef's dish, or the tasting menu if you want to go all out. ## By car: By car, a different valley each morning The car is the way to see the Périgord Noir: the châteaux, Lascaux and the villages are scattered across the countryside and almost everything is less than an hour from Sarlat. From Irun it is about four and a half hours via the A63 and Bordeaux. Presupuesto orientativo: 90–150 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir if you're driving - **Hôtel Le Compostelle** (Hotel): A hotel to sleep in Sarlat without wrestling with the old town Le Compostelle is on Avenue de Selves, the northern entrance to Sarlat, a few minutes' walk from the medieval town. It is a three-star hotel that solves what is hardest in Sarlat in summer: parking. It has private parking and a motorbike shelter, so you leave the car on arrival and do the town on foot, including the Saturday market. The rooms have air conditioning, television, wifi, minibar and shower. There are standard and comfort doubles and superior rooms overlooking the pool, a junior suite for four and two family suites: a two-room one for four people, with a double bed and two singles, and another with three rooms for six. It is one of the few hotels in the centre designed for a family that doesn't want to split into two rooms. Pool, sauna and breakfast The outdoor pool is open from early April to mid-October. The sauna runs from 11:00 to 20:00 and costs €15 per half hour for up to four people, with bathrobes and towels. There is a fitness room in the annexe, open from 9:00 to 19:00, and a bar until 20:00, with a terrace by the pool. Breakfast is a sweet and savoury buffet with local products and the house's own pastries, at €14. It is served in the dining room, in your room or on the pool terrace. Getting there and what is nearby From Bordeaux you come by the N89; from Toulouse, by the A62 and the A20. Sarlat has a train from Bordeaux, and the station is to the south of the town, about twenty minutes' walk away. From the hotel, the Château de Castelnaud, Beynac and La Roque-Gageac are about twenty minutes by car, and Lascaux IV, in Montignac, a little over half an hour. - **Huttopia Sarlat** (Campsite): A campsite in town, but among trees Huttopia Sarlat occupies a 13-hectare estate on terraces above Sarlat, on Rue Jean Gabin. What sets it apart from the riverside campsites is the distance: the medieval quarter is about ten minutes' walk away, so you can go into the centre for dinner or to the Saturday market without taking the car. It has four stars and 184 pitches, and its website lists it as accessible to people with reduced mobility. Pitches, tents and cabins You can arrive with your tent, caravan, motorhome or van: the pitches are in the shade of tall trees, on terraces, some with open views. If you bring nothing, Huttopia rents wood-and-canvas tents, with or without a bathroom, and fully equipped wooden cabins, for a weekend or a week. Pools and campsite life There are two pools, one indoor and one outdoor, so you can swim in spring and autumn too. In the main building there is a café, bar, breakfast service and a restaurant with a terrace. In summer they organise activities for all ages and there is a children's club and play area. The dates of each service are published on their website: not all open for the whole season. Getting there and what is nearby You enter from the east of Sarlat, following signs for Sainte-Nathalène. From here, the châteaux of the Dordogne (Beynac, Castelnaud) and La Roque-Gageac are about twenty minutes by car, Domme a quarter of an hour and Lascaux IV a little over half an hour towards Montignac. ### Servicios - **Sarlat Tourist Office**: Information, maps, markets and tickets for visits in the centre of Sarlat ## As a family: Castles with a trebuchet and a river by canoe The Périgord Noir works very well for families: the castles have something to see besides walls, the river can be paddled by canoe with no rapids and under-10s don't pay at Castelnaud or Marqueyssac. ### What works best Castelnaud, with its museum of weapons and trebuchet firings Marqueyssac, for running among the boxwood and looking out over the river The gabare at Beynac, 50 minutes, children aged 4 to 12 at €5.50 The canoe from La Roque-Gageac to Les Milandes, from age 5 ### Where to stay Family suites for four and six at the Hôtel Le Compostelle Cabins and an indoor pool at Huttopia Sarlat ### Where to eat Children's menu at €13.90 at Le Mirandol A large terrace and three rooms at L'Assiette Sarladaise ### Bear in mind Lascaux IV is free for under-5s, but it bores children under 7 or 8 In a canoe, children must be able to swim The riverside road in August jams in mid-morning ### Qué hacer as a family - Château de Castelnaud and the museum of medieval warfare - Gardens of Marqueyssac, the boxwood above the Dordogne - Lascaux IV, the full replica of the cave at Montignac - Sarlat market and a walk through the medieval centre - Canoeing the Dordogne from La Roque-Gageac to Les Milandes - La Roque-Gageac, the village clinging to the cliff - Domme, the bastide and the viewpoint over the valley - Gabare boat trip on the Dordogne from Beynac ## With young children: Short walks, a boat and gardens With small children, choose short, outdoor visits: the gabare lasts under an hour, Marqueyssac can be done at your own pace and at Castelnaud they don't pay. ### What works best The gabare at Beynac: 50 minutes, and one child free per adult in the morning The flat paths of Marqueyssac, free for under-10s The Castelnaud trebuchet, at fixed times ### Where to stay Huttopia Sarlat, with a play area, a children's club in summer and an indoor pool ### Where to eat Children's menu at Le Mirandol ### Bear in mind Canoeing is from age 5 and able to swim The streets of La Roque-Gageac and Domme have slopes: a baby carrier is better than a pushchair ### Qué hacer with young children - Château de Castelnaud and the museum of medieval warfare - Gardens of Marqueyssac, the boxwood above the Dordogne - Gabare boat trip on the Dordogne from Beynac ## With teenagers: Long canoe trips, medieval weapons and prehistory Teenagers are won over by the river: the stretch from Carsac to La Roque-Gageac is 16 km and three hours of canoeing at their own pace. ### What works best Single canoe or kayak from Carsac to La Roque-Gageac, 16 km The museum of medieval warfare at Castelnaud Lascaux IV, with interactive rooms on Palaeolithic art ### Where to stay Huttopia Sarlat, within walking distance of the centre: they can go into Sarlat on their own ### Where to eat Menu of the day at L'Assiette Sarladaise ### Bear in mind Lascaux IV runs on fixed times: don't be late From age 13 they pay the adult ticket at Lascaux IV ### Qué hacer with teenagers - Château de Castelnaud and the museum of medieval warfare - Lascaux IV, the full replica of the cave at Montignac - Canoeing the Dordogne from La Roque-Gageac to Les Milandes ## Consejos ### Buy Lascaux IV in advance In summer the good times sell out. Choose one first thing or last thing and don't arrive late: the ticket is for a specific time. ### Go to the Sarlat market early on Saturday First thing you can still park and stroll among the stalls. By mid-morning the old town fills up. ### See the châteaux from the water By canoe or gabarre you see Beynac, Castelnaud and La Roque-Gageac as they were meant to be seen: from below and from the river. ### Climb to Domme at sunset The viewpoint over the valley faces the setting sun and there are fewer people than at midday. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### How many days do I need? Three: one for Sarlat and its market, another for the châteaux and villages of the Dordogne and another for Lascaux and the Vézère. With four you go unhurried. ### Can I see the original Lascaux cave? No. It has been closed since 1963. You visit Lascaux IV, a complete replica in Montignac, with a timed ticket of €23 for adults. ### Which château should I visit if I can only do one? Castelnaud, if you go with children: it has a weapons museum and trebuchet firings. Beynac, if you are interested in the château itself and the view over the river. ### What days is there a market in Sarlat? The traditional one, on Wednesday morning and all day Saturday, all year. In winter there are also truffle and foie gras markets. ### Can I go with children? Yes. Castelnaud doesn't charge under-10s and Lascaux IV is free for under-5s. Canoeing on a short stretch of the river and the gabarres work well for families. ### Do I need a car? Yes, unless you go by bike. Sarlat has a direct train from Bordeaux, but the châteaux, Lascaux and the villages are scattered across the countryside.