France’s Dordogne Region Is Little-known by American Travelers—How to Visit

Ridley Scott is a fan of Monpazier. The British director, who filmed “The Duelists” in 1977 with Harvey Keitel in this town in southwest France, returned in 2021 to film “The Last Duel”, a medieval tale starring Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Adam Driver.

As I stand in the middle of Place des Cornières, the main square, I can understand why. This French town, located in the Dordogne region, is perfect for historical films. Cornières The square is framed by (angular archways) that glow gold in the midday light when it hits the buttercream stone buildings. Streets are laid out in perfect geometric patterns: Small alleys, known as CarreyousThe width of the passages is only two metres. The centuries-old stonework that once allowed residents to sneak around the village and avoid paying taxes now conceals stylish, modern lodgings.

This French town was founded in 1284 by Edward I, a British king. It is located in the shadows if the majestic Château de BironThe largest of the thousand castles in the Dordogne. To the dismay of their French competitors, British bloodlines had given British monarchs the rights to Aquitaine in the southwest corner of France. Bastides (or towns built around a central plaza) were strategically placed in this corner of France. They acted as defensive pawns, arranged around the board. Monpazier has been deemed the most beautiful.

All claims the British held over French land had evaporated by the mid-15th century, yet, like Scott, they continue to be drawn to Monpazier—and the Dordogne in general. This part of France is so popular with second-home owners and visitors from across the Channel that it’s been given the nickname Dordogneshire. Curiously, the region remains under the radar for many North American travelers—perhaps because there are no direct flights from the U.S. to the closest main airports, Bordeaux (BOD) and Toulouse (TLS), nor the main regional gateway, Bergerac (EGC).

This “other” south of France You should include it in your travel plans. The Dordogne offers a spectacular landscape with its winding river, ancient chateaux, prehistoric caverns, and vineyards in tricolor. Local specialities reared on these soils—a treasure trove of black Périgord truffles, pâtés, foie gras, walnuts, cheeses, cep mushrooms, and strawberries.

Issigeac is a village in the west of Monpazier where 15,000 people fill their baskets every Sunday with fruit and vegetables. Looking over the scene, is La Brucelière d’IssigeacThe 17th-century inn is located at the entrance of the historic centre. The current custodians—French couple Marie and Anthony Hardy—moved south from Brittany last year, where Anthony, who has worked for Gordon Ramsay, was heading up the Michelin-starred Château de Sable.

My main course of filleted skate, roasted cauliflower, parsnip puree, and hazelnuts is plated to perfection on bespoke pottery handmade by Marité Labat, the village ceramist. After watching the sun go down over the restaurant’s garden terrace, all I have to do is walk upstairs where five rustic-chic rooms await.

‘Périgord is the Dordogne’s historic name, and the region is still commonly referred to by it, more often than not accompanied by one of four colors: Vert (green), The following are examples of a white background (white), noir (black) pourpre (purple). Monpazier, Issigeac, and other villages like Eymet (which has a large concentration of Brits) are in the purple Périgord, named for the vineyards that crisscross the territory around Bergerac on the Dordogne river.

From my vantage point, I can see vineyards stretching as far as the eye can see. Château Feely Saussignac, a sleepy village in France, the following morning. While Sean Feely tends the vines, Caro and I, the co-owner and wife of the owner, walk between rows of old, gnarly merlot. We are careful not to step on the wild violet orchids that have just started to poke through the soil. She tells how, two decades ago they left Dublin to live in the French countryside. They bought a run-down estate that had a water source dating back to Gallo Roman times. Their dream has been sustained by a commitment to organic and biodynamic principles, and a dedication to quality. They have also added wine classes, yoga on the vines and walking tours in the surrounding countryside.

Heading north, the dry, vine-filled plains fade out and I cut through the white Périgord, a nod to the chalky soils and stone typical of the landscape at the center of the Dordogne. I don’t need a map to tell me when I’ve arrived in the green Périgord, where the emphasis is on slowing down in nature on bike paths, hiking trails, and canoe rides down the gentle Drôme river, past old mills converted into charming riverbank boltholes, none more so than Les Griffons. This hotel is located in the charming village of Bourdeilles. It offers rooms with antique stone fireplaces and wooden beams.

I round out my Dordogne adventure in the black Périgord, a reference to the dense, almost inky oak forests that I spend more than an hour driving through en route to Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère, little more than a cluster of historic, golden stone homes bearing the Dordogne’s traditional steep-pitched roofs made from lauze (limestone) tiles.

Cross the street to Manoir de la SalleLunch at a 14th-century estate with immaculate gardens. Le Petit LéonThe restaurant is run by Nick Honeyman, a chef from Australia, and Sina, his wife. Honeyman runs the acclaimed Paris Butter Auckland, New Zealand, explains why they bought this seasonal bistro as an excuse to take a paid European holiday every summer. Honeyman’s menu, combining local ingredients with Asian-Pacific influences and New Zealand wines attracted the French food scene including Michelin inspectors in 2024, who gave him his first star.

The couple recently opened a second restaurant. Ro.bo, in the nearby village of Montignac-Lascaux—famed for its network of prehistoric cave paintings. Ro.bo actually refers to Robot the dog who helped discover the cave network.

Honeymans were so moved by the beauty of their immediate surroundings that they made it their permanent home. Honeyman explains that “the walls of this particular restaurant are 300-years-old, while the church is from the eleventh century.” “The light here—I can’t explain it, but everywhere you look, it’s like someone has detailed everything with a fine liner. It’s spectacular.”

Although I have only been in Dordogne a few short days, I cannot help but agree.