Based in Sarlat, in the heart of the Dordogne region, follow us on this 5-day tour to discover the essential of what this fascinating French province has to offer. Follow your guide on this small group tour and visit one of the most well preserved 17th century town during its bustling market day.
You will also experience a unique visit at Lascaux IV cave that will plunge you back to the origins of Art. The tour also includes the visit of some of the most beautiful villages of the area as well as a boat ride on the River Dordogne so as to admire stunning landscapes and mighty medieval fortresses lined up along the River.
DAY 1 - ARRIVE IN SARLAT
DAY 2 - SARLAT WALKING TOUR AND VILLAGES
DAY 3 - LASCAUX IV VISIT AND THE ART OF THE CAVES
DAY 4 - ROCAMADOUR AND PADIRAC CAVE
DAY 5 - SARLAT
DAY 1 - ARRIVAL IN SARLAT
Arrive in Sarlat on your own and settle into your hotel. Night in Sarlat.
Because modern history has largely passed it by, Sarlat has remained preserved and is one of the most representative towns of 14th century France. Located in the heart of the Perigord Noir, the town possesses an outstanding number of buildings and houses dating from the 13th to 18th century. Take some time to stroll through the small narrow alleys and streets for personal discovery.
DAY 2 - SARLAT WALKING TOUR & VILLAGES
Breakfast at your hotel.
9.30am pick up at your hotel.
Experience the Best of Historic Sarlat in Two Hours
Follow your guide on a 2-hour walking tour and discover all the main sites the town has to offer including the Lantern of the Dead, Saint Sacerdos Cathedral, Saint Mary church and covered market, the house of La Boétie and so much more. On Wednesdays and Saturdays your guide will also point out all the main specialties that one can find in the Sarlat Market.
A Perfect Half-Day Jaunt Through the Magic of the Dordogne Valley
In the afternoon, drive to the beautiful village of Domme. With its trapezoid city plan, Domme is a bastide (a fortified medieval town) adapted to the surrounding terrain, and thus falling short of the rectangular city plan characteristic to Bastides. The village is classified as one of the “Plus Beaux Villages de France” (“The Most Beautiful Villages of France”). In 1307, Knight Templars were imprisoned in Domme while during the Hundred Years’ War, the town was coveted by the English who first took it in 1347 and repeatedly changed rulers throughout the war until 1437 when it finally fell under French rule again.
Then drive to La Roque Gageac and enjoy a peaceful cruise on the the Dordogne River on board an authentic Gabarre to admire mighty castles that line the river. You can also discover the Gardens of La Roque that benefit from micro-climate conditions and where local vegetation stands alongside more exotic plants such as Banana trees, agave and Bougainvillea flowers.
Finally, reach Beynac to admire the village and the Castle. This Middle Ages construction, with its austere appearance, is perched on top of a limestone cliff, dominating the town and the north bank of the Dordogne River. The castle was built from the 12th century by the barons of Beynac (one of the four baronies of Périgord) to close the valley. The sheer cliff face being sufficient to discourage any assault from that side, the defenses were built up on the plateau: double crenelated walls, double moats, one of which was a deepened natural ravine, double barbican. After the tour, return to Sarlat.
5.30pm Return to your hotel and night in Sarlat.
DAY 3 - LASCAUX IV VISIT & THE ART OF THE CAVES
Breakfast at your hotel.
9.00am Pick up at your hotel
Start with a Visit to the National Prehistory Museum
Some 15,000 years B.C. unknown artists created breathtaking paintings, drawings and etchings inside caves of which the most extraordinary examples are found in the Dordogne area. During this day you will be introduced to this fascinating art and to the people who created it.
Begin the day in Les Eyzies de Tayac for a guided visit of the National Prehistory Museum. Established in July 2004, the museum houses some 18,000 pieces and a collection of six million artifacts. The museum’s collections were established as early as 1913, when indefatigable researcher Denis Peyrony convinced the French state to acquire the Château des Eyzies, built at the end of the 16th century, and to transform it into an excavation warehouse that could double up as a museum. Follow your guide and discover the main chapters of the Hominids’ development through an anthropological frieze and a brief reminder of Africa’s history, starting with the early Australopithecines. Many themes are explored, including the legendary “Lucy”, the small 3.5-million-year-old woman discovered in Ethiopia in 1974. You will then visit the permanent exhibit galleries that will plunge you into the mists of time, revealing seven sequences that cover the entire Paleolithic era through an “ideal historiography”.
Visit the Incredible Lascaux IV Cave Complex
Continue to Montignac where you will visit the brand-new Lascaux IV cave – open December 2016. For the first time, all of Lascaux is revealed. A complete new replica retraces the discovery of the famous decorated cave. But that’s not the end of the adventure: the entire site inquires into the position that Lascaux occupies in cave art and its relation to contemporary creation. The opening of the International Center for Cave Art marks the beginning of a new adventure combining the emotion of ancestral art and an important technological achievement.
Then, a Visit to the Famous Rouffignac Cave
Finally, end the tour with the visit of Rouffignac Cave that possesses original and authentic etchings and drawings. The Rouffignac cave was already mentioned in 1575 by François de Belleforest. In his book, ”Cosmographie universelle”, he cites “paintings and animal traces”. In the 19th century, the cave was known as a tourist attraction. Famous archaeologists like Henry Breuil, André Glory and Martel had visited the cave in the early 20th century, but it was only in 1956 when Louis-René Nougier and Romain Robert, two prehistorians from the Pyrenees, rediscovered and confirmed the cave art. After the visit, return to Sarlat.
6.00pm return to your hotel and night in Sarlat.
DAY 4 - ROCAMADOUR AND PADIRAC CAVE
Breakfast at your hotel.
9.00am pick up at your hotel.
Rocamadour - A Picture-Perfect Visit Awaits
Depart for the pilgrimage and fortress village of Rocamadour that has attracted visitors for its setting in a gorge above a tributary of the River Dordogne. The village is renowned for its historical monuments and its sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which for centuries has brought pilgrims from every country, among them kings, bishops, and nobles. Follow your guide and visit the renowned Notre Dame Chapel, part of an extraordinary 13th-century chapel complex perched on a cliff and one of the most dramatic pilgrimage sites in Europe. Enjoy some free time for personal discovery and return to Sarlat.
Lunch will be at leisure.
Discover Padirac cave with a boat tour
After an extraordinary boat journey along the Rivière Plane, the vault rises, the walls move further apart, and the Lac de la Pluie appears… This area of constant seepage is an unbelievable, unique vision. The ceiling is thinner and more fissured, so it lets in raindrops from ground level that constantly replenish this underground lake. The raindrops carry dissolved limestone, which they deposit in the form of stalactites that, over the centuries, have come to form spectacular decorations.
Just above, the Grande Pendeloque (Great Chandelier), a 60-m-long series of calcite formations, hangs in mid-air, as though it were the set piece for an unusual theatre.
5.00pm Return to hotel in Sarlat.
DAY 5 - SARLAT
Breakfast at your hotel and end of our services.
