Towns of Art and History

Périgueux, Bergerac and Sarlat have the label “Ville d’Art et d’Histoire”, with a protected historic center wich is ideal for a walk.

Sarlat is a medieval town which grew up around a large Benedictine abbey of Carolingian origin. The old buildings here, with their traditional façades and lauze stone roofs, have been carefully restored, thanks to a special law governing the restoration of conservation areas. Today, most of these buildings are listed Historic Monuments, including the emblematic Maison de la Boétie. Amid these authentic medieval surroundings, the Saturday morning market brings life and colour to the town centre, with its fine selection of regional products. The old southern-style parish church has been restored by the architect Jean Nouvel (who also designed the Gallo-RomanVesunna museum) and now houses the covered market.

Périgueux, the capital of the Périgord, has a rich history dating back over 2,000 years. From the ancient Gallo-Roman town of Vesunna to the heart of the medieval and Renaissance district, the town has 39 buildings listed as Historic Monuments in one of the largest conservation areas in France. The ancient town of Périgueux is represented in a new museum, the Musée de Site Gallo-Romain Vesunna, designed by the architect Jean Nouvel and opened in 2003. This museum is home to the ruins of the Domus of Vesunna, a large Gallo-Roman villa adorned with exceptional wall paintings. The medieval and Renaissance conservation area extends around the Cathédrale Saint-Front, one of the landmark religious buildings along UNESCO’s Way of St James World Heritage site. Périgueux’s Wednesday and Saturday markets are lively and bustling, especially in winter, when the region’s award-winning foie gras markets are held here.

Bergerac  is founded on the northern bank of the Dordogne River, in the western part of the Dordogne department. It is one of the more larger towns in the region .The highlight of a trip to Bergerac is the old center, the area immediately north of the river, signposted ‘vieille ville’. This part of the town has some lovely streets and squares to explore, and a variety of boutique type shops.
The old town centre is  near  Place Pelissiere which is a lovely square, edged with cafes and restaurants and always full of flowers. At the top edge is the St James church with its attractive bell-tower.
Around Place Pelissiere are a number of lovely medieval streets including Rue St Clar and Rue St James. Rue St Clar in particular is a narrow street with half-timbered houses. Take the time to wander around the streets of the old time and admire the interesting architecture you will see as along the way. Down towards the river is another lovely square – the Place Mirpe surrounded by half-timbered buildings and offering some welcome shade in the summer.
Visit the Maison de Vins de Bergerac in the heart of the old town. It is a beautiful old cloister dating back to the 12th century. If you are a wine enthusiast there is an exhibition showing the history of Bergerac wines and its 13 appellations.
During the summer there are occasional concerts which take place in the cloister. It is a lovely setting for them and worth going if you get the chance. In December there is usually a small but good quality Christmas Market here with products from local artisans, very useful if you are doing some Christmas shopping.
The National Tobacco Museum is based here in Bergerac, and is apparently very interesting. (Tobacco is still an important crop in the region, that you will probably see growing in the fields.)
Up from the old town, there is a newer, more modern part to Bergerac, with more conventional streets and a larger range of ‘modern’ shops.
There are a number of  restaurants in both ‘old-town’ Bergerac among the attractive medieval half-timbered streets and in the pleasant newer parts of Bergerac. There are also various open-air cafes where you can pass a very pleasant hour just watching people going about their business.
The market, held on a Saturday, is at the higher end of the town.
After exploring Bergerac you can take an organised boat trip –gabare up the river (start from the car-park at the bottom end of the old-town) to see the town and the nearby countryside from a different perspective. (But be warned – several people we know have done this and said it was a waste of time because the boat didn’t go far enough – I recommend you wait, and take a boat trip from one of the bases further upstream which pass by some of the riverside villages and chateaux).
Note: Any statues of Cyrano de Bergerac can be ignored – he had nothing to do with the town, and quite possibly never even visited!
Bergerac is an important wine area with a selection of good wines. Particularly good Bergerac wines include Pecharmant, Monbazillac and Saussignac.

Bergerac Museums

• Maison des Vins – as mentioned above this is housed in an ancient cloister (which you can enter without entering the exhibition), there is an exhibition of the history of Bergerac wines.
• Musee d’Interet National du Tabac (Tobacco museum) – history social and cultural of tobacco.
• Musee Costi – sculptures