

8
Charming Cities and Villages
The Périgord is made up of a great number of villages with character such as the bastide
of Domme, which offers one of the most spectacular views over the Dordogne Valley; or
Brantôme, also known as the ‘Venice of the Périgord’, sweetly coiled around a meander of the
Dronne. Saint-Jean-de-Cole features half-timbered houses topped with charming brown roof
tiles; Sarlat offers a labyrinth of historic lanes; and Bergerac – of ‘Cyrano de Bergerac’ fame, a
character depicted by Edmond Rostand – are also not to be missed. Périgueux, with its famous
Saint-Front Cathedral crowned with five domes, has been honoured for decades by religious
pilgrims on their way along the route of Santiago de Compostela.
190 Tourist sites, valleys, rivers and views to discover
In addition to its inestimable treasures, the Périgord features an array of landscapes, gently
rolling hills and waterways. As you drift along the Dordogne River in a historic cargo barge or
canoe, the cliffs of the villages of Beynac and la Roque Gageac, as well as various troglodyte
The village of Saint Geniès
Via ferrata – Marqueyssac gardens