Holiday accommodation

Location

Monflanquin

The property is located in open countryside 4 km from the beautifully picturesque, hilltop village of Monflanquin, 30 minutes South of Bergerac (town and international airport).

Monflanquin is an old bastide town with winding streets and fabulous views. All amenities in the village including large supermarket, cafés, restaurants, bakeries (and an English food shop! Great for bacon, sausages etc…). Traditional street market every Thursday morning.

The Dordogne area of France is one of the most beautiful and one of the most popular. Lovely countryside interspersed with medieval, bastide towns and fairytale châteaux rise from the morning mist.

Its a great region for food lovers; all the Perigordian specialities such as Foie Gras, confit d'oie and canard, mushrooms of all types are in abundance.

Many antique markets throughout the year. All info at the tourist information office.

Bergerac (30 minutes) was once a flourishing port for the wine trade. It still today has a picturesque harbour where you can take a boat trip along the river Dordogne, or a miniature train ride around the Bastide town, viewing the many half timbered houses with terracotta decoration.

The many timbered houses with terracotta decoration that line the lanes of the old town, are wonderfully evocative of the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. On one corner the wanderer suddenly finds himself 'nose to nose' with Cyrano whose statue proudly reminds the visitor that Bergerac owes some of its fame to this historic figure. Not surprisingly the annual theatre 'Le Festival du Théatre' is named after him.

A great way to tour the vineyards is by following the designated Route des vins where the visitor will be welcomed by the growers and encouraged to try their wines. The Bergerac region is sometimes called Perigord Pourpre the name deriving from the rich purple-red wines that characterize this area of Perigord.

When the subject of 'gastronomy' is raised it is usually associated with a particular region and the Perigord stands in high regard in this field. The traditional produce, such as truffles, walnuts, strawberries and the wines, together with the well-known rich specialties derived from fattened geese and ducks, is largely responsible for this fame.

Château Lanquais, 30 minutes from Bergerac is great for the kids; it still has great canon ball holes in the side walls from an attack, and a removable wooden stair case. Open all day every day in July / August.

Don't miss a trip to La Roque-Gageac, a stunningly beautiful village under the towering cliffs. The village regularly wins France's 'Prettiest Village' competition. Good canoeing centre here.

Competing with La Roque-Gageac in the prettiness stakes is the village of Carennac. Elevated just above the South bank of the Dordogne river, it is best known for its typical Quercy architecture and Romanesque priory. Further Romanesque art at the Saint-Pierre church in Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne.

Perhaps the most famous of the Dordogne tourist attractions are the cave paintings around Les Eyzies. There are more pre-historic caves in this area than you could ever visit in a day! Les Eyzies lies at the heart of an unspoilt area of great natural beauty with rolling hills, tranquil rivers and fascinating cliff and rock formations. It has some of the world's most beautiful caves with outstanding stalactite and stalagmite crystallizations. And the cave-lined Vézère valley has been classified as a heritage site by UNESCO. The most well-known of all is the cave at Lascaux which was discovered in 1940. The paintings date back some 17,000 years.

Sarlat-la-Canéda features the highest concentration of medieval, Renaissance and 17th century facades of any town in France. Its prosperity was a reflection of the privileged status it was granted in return for loyalty to the French Crown during the 100 years war.

Behind the nondescript rue de la République are narrow lanes and archways, and ancient ocher-coloured stone town houses rich in ornamental detail. Protected by law since 1962, Sarlat-la-Canéda's buildings now form an outdoor museum.

The town is also famous for one of the best markets in France. Every Saturday the great Sarlat-la-Canéda market is held in place de la Liberté, along with a full-scale fair that attracts locals from all around the surrounding countryside.

The exceptional number of buildings registered or classified as historical makes of Sarlat-la-Canéda the first European city in term of inheritance. For this reason Sarlat-la-Canéda has been used in many movies. On the first Sunday in July the Félibrée, a typical Périgord village fair where everybody is disguised, animates Sarlat-la-Canéda.