Castles, caves and a slow green river
The Dordogne, known locally as the Périgord, is a region of limestone cliffs, oak woods and golden-stone villages above slow rivers. Sarlat-la-Canéda has one of France's best-preserved medieval centres and a Saturday market heavy with truffles, walnuts and duck. The Vézère valley holds some of the world's finest prehistoric art, reproduced at Lascaux IV. Villages like La Roque-Gageac and Beynac-et-Cazenac cling to the river, best seen from a canoe or a traditional gabarre boat.